Original Avians/Early history: Avians began as raptor-like, semi-primitive animals found on Avos. They were capable of using rudimentary tools to perform tasks, and using language to communicate with each other. The Avioscale is actually an ancient relative of modern day Avians. After some time, an unknown progenitor race finds a great deal of potential in these early avians, and decides to experiment/improve upon them. They introduce small genetic changes in a small group of the Avians before letting them mingle with the general population for some time. Through time and breeding, the traits are instilled in the whole races’ population. This would continue until the avians are in a similar state to the humanoid beings they are currently. Finally, the progenitors gift a choice group of avians with superior mental and physical capabilities, along with wings. This class of avian is intended to lead the race, with Kluex emerging as the most capable leader. Kluex, along with his numerous advisors and other governmental figures (all winged avians, of course.) lead the race into technological and societal advances. Later History: http://playstarbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/avianlore_pdf.pdf (Simply used as guidelines/reference!) Avian Physiology: Three finger-talons and one thumb-talon on each hand, four toe-talons on their feet. Weak to coffee and alcohol, will become drunk faster and coffee will have a much stronger effect. Avians are not mammals, and therefore do not possess any sort of mammaries. Diminished sense of smell Average of 20/10 vision Nictitating membranes, aka second eyelids Average height (To skull, not plumage): 5’10 In general, Avians are more lean and fit than the other races, but without extensive and extreme training, they can't achieve the same muscle mass that other races can. Upon inhalation, 75% of the fresh air bypasses the lungs and flows directly into a posterior air sac which extends from the lungs and connects with air spaces in the bones and fills them with air. The other 25% of the air goes directly into the lungs. When the Avian exhales, the used air flows out of the lung and the stored fresh air from the posterior air sac is simultaneously forced into the lungs. Thus, Avians’ lungs receive a constant supply of fresh air during both inhalation and exhalation The avian circulatory system is driven by a four-chambered, myogenic heart contained in a fibrous pericardial sac. Avian legs are digitigrade, with much longer tarsal bones than most other races and “ankles” set much higher up on the leg than the other plantigrade races. This evolutionary trait results in faster, quieter movements. Overview: Avians are the most agile, lightweight race with the highest endurance. What they lack in strength they make up in speed and endurance. Fluff (Fun Facts): Avians have to use a specific shampoo product in order to clean their feathers. The proper term for Avians hailing from Avos is Avosian. Avian Crystals: Avian Crystals are a rare form of erchius crystals common only to the Avian home system. The Avian crystals take on a darker red shade as opposed to the light pink erchius crystals, and can emit mass amounts of power when harnessed using a catalyst provided by the progenitor race for only the Avians to use. These catalysts are extremely secret and exclusive to Avians, resulting in the crystals being unable to be utilized by other races. Avian Weaponry: Melee: Spear - The most common and symbolic weapon used by avian warriors. Most spears use wooden shafts that are specially treated and crafted to ensure their strength, although some may use composite materials as well. Spearheads are often forged of lightweight and strong alloys such as durasteel. Swords/Blades - Although less symbolic than the spear, swords and other blades are just as commonly found and used in avian society. Avian blades are often quite similar to human weapons, ranging from daggers and knives to rapiers and shortswords, even including larger greatswords. These are often crafted of wood and alloys, similar to spears, and they may also be found in synthetics and composites. Shields - Shields are a staple of defensive combat in avian society; nothing the avians have encountered has overcome their shield tactics. Spears vary greatly in size, shape and materials. They can be made of polycarbonates, alloys (such as durasteel), wood, wicker and leather. Many shields are designed to be used in tangent with a spear, forming a deadly defensive combination. Bludgeons and Blunt Weapons - Avians don’t commonly use blunt instruments in warfare, however, they are seen more commonly to combat armored foes. Ranging from simple wooden clubs to warhammers, there is a great deal of variance to be found in blunt weapons. Whips and other oddities - Whips do not see much practical combat use, however, they may be found more as a means of punishment. In certain parts of society, a whipping is an accepted punishment for certain crimes and misdemeanors. Other odds and ends of weaponry can be found for avians as well, ranging from the bizarre to impractical, which often find little use in any combat. (To be expanded upon. Give ideas!) Ranged: Blaster - The staple of avian ranged combat, the distinct red crystals that often protrude from the weapon give it a very recognizable appearance. Nobody's quite sure how the blasters function, and nor do we. (This needs to be fleshed out.) Thrown Weapons - Spears, knives, etc. Pretty self explanatory. Energy Weapons - Due to the gifts of the progenitor race, avians had little reason to experiment with propellent based ballistic weaponry. Instead, avians quickly harnessed the power of their crystals to form their first energy based weapons. In time, they adapted the energy based format into various other energy weapons. (Needs fleshing out.) Ranks: Gods/Sunborn: Arbiter - Kluex Keeper of the Stars/Sunborn - Harspex God of Sacrifice - Kathex Aethers Curator/God of Knowledge - Rahe Military: Aetherguard - Personal defenders of high ranking members of the priesthood. Templar - Military leaders; Officers. Moonguard - Gentleman. Military adviser, but holds no field position. Guardian - Highly experienced Avian warriors; bridges the gap between officers and grunts. Sunguard - Experienced Avian warriors. Leads Neophytes and Acolytes on the battlefield. Acolyte - General footsoldiers. More experienced than Neophytes. Neophyte - General footsoldiers. Cannon fodder. Priesthood: Stargazer - Highest member of avian society. Communicates directly with Kluex. High Priest - The highest ranking priest of a temple. Priest - A male priest. Priestess - A female priest. Initiate - An Avian under training to become a member of the priesthood. Healer - A member of the priesthood trained to heal injuries and illness through practices of faith and general medicine. Other: Artificer - Crystal technologist/General technologist. Aviators - Pilots. Possibly military. Commandments: The Commandments of Kluex Thou shalt not fly, for fear of angering the celestial entities. Thou shalt not eat seeds from the pussplum plant. Thou shalt aspire to greatness; to become a Sunborn. Thou shall serve Kluex, in this life and the next. Thou shalt keep thy feathers clean. Thou shalt outcast any Avian such as would deny Kluex. Thou shalt not worship false idols. Thou shall never take dinner with a Floran. Thou shalt not steal. Religion: Flightless avians are an overwhelming majority of all avians. It is uncommon for avians to lose their faith, however, it still happens. Those who abandon their religion are called Grounded, and they are exiled from society for their decision. Grounded are not often hunted by Flightless, excepting family matters, criminal justice or possibly religious extremists(Very rare). Grounded are able to rejoin avian society through some form of absolution, usually in the form of rigorous labor, holy work or simple physical punishments. The Aether is like Heaven for avians, but they have many differences. The Aether is commonly described by avians to be a plane of reality above the mortal realm, a place where avians are free to soar with the stars. It is believed that the Sunborn reside in the Aether. To pass into the Aether, one’s soul must pass Kluex’ judgement. If you have not lived a faithful and holy life serving the Sunborn, Kluex will block you from entering the Aether. Some avians, often the more traditional, believe that proper burial rites are also required in order for the soul to pass into the Aether, however, not all avians unanimously believe this. Those who are allowed in are believed to be granted wings, so they can soar through the stars for eternity. Those souls who are denied entry are forced to drift through the afterlife wingless, hopping around on the ground forever. Sacrifices are very important to avians. Sacrifices are performed for a multitude of reasons, but they are often observed for good fortune, good harvests and simply appeasement of the Sunborn. The subjects of sacrifice range from wild animals, to criminals, to willing volunteers. Those who volunteer for sacrifice are often respected, as it’s believed that they will ascend to the Aether. Towers are fully voluntary, meaning that no avians are forced through the process. In fact, it is seen as an honor to go through the ascension process. Avians train mentally, physically and spiritually for the chance to obtain godhood, all from a jump off the tower. If you fall and die, you simple ascend to the Aether. If you fall and survive, you are meant to stay in the mortal realm and serve the Sunborn further. The last possibility is that when you leap, you sprout wings and soar into godhood, becoming a Sunborn yourself. Clipped Council: The Council is the main governing body of Avian society. Originating from Avos, the Clipped Council originally took form to bridge the gap between regular Avians and the elite Stargazers. Over time, the system has developed into a much more powerful and important part of the avian government. The Clipped Council handles foreign policy as well as most internal affairs, leaving military matters up to the more capable Stargazers. Culture/Mannerisms: Avians are generally quite content with a simple life. Having been raised in a more spiritual setting, Avians have learned to value kinship and family over material possessions. As such, they’re often more than happy with living a selfless and peaceful sort of life, opposite of many of the other races who value material goods. An Avian would often prefer a simple, peaceful life over a life of peril and chaos for the sake of owning many valuable, high tech possessions. Feathers generally hold an extremely important place in Avian society, both symbolically and physically. Being without your feathers in Avian society can be likened to being without your clothes in Human society. Feather care and personal hygiene is extremely important to avians, so much so that being unkempt is seen as shameful and embarrassing. Avians tend to prefer looser, unrestricting clothing that allows their feathers space to breathe, such as robes, loincloths, and tunics. However, when compared to Humans, Avians are considerably more comfortable being completely bare in more informal situations. To an Avian, gifting another Avian one of your feathers is an intimate gesture in the form of an offer of deeper commitment to the recipient; however, the significance of this gesture can be somewhat lost amongst the Grounded. Avians do not have an official ceremony when adopting a nestmate; instead, it is a mere commitment to a lifelong partner, not bound by government record, but by dedication to one another. Avians do not play well with florans. Based off the escape of the malicious plant people into space and the constant floran attacks on avian colonies, most avians have come to hate them. Reference material: http://playstarbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/avianlore_pdf.pdf Avian Legs - Starbounder - Starbound Wiki OOC - ((Roster)) ENLIGHTENED BIRDMEN | The Antares Frontier Whew, what a lot of reading huh? I understand your plight of having to read all this junk, but I ask that you do please actually take the time to go through it. This is your lore for the future of Antares, this is the best time to make any suggestions and complaints you may have. I'd also ask that you please leave feedback, be it just a short message saying why you liked/didn't like it, or a full detailed criticism. In the sections denoted that they need more elaboration, ideas from you guys would be wonderful. Even in places that don't have anything saying they need improvement, please take the time to voice ideas and criticisms about them. This lore is far from a finished state, we're giving you the power to tear it apart and change it before it is finished. I cannot stress it enough, please, please offer criticism and ideas. It can only improve the lore for you to do so, and we all want good lore. Personal to-do list: Crystal blasters Expand on culture/mannerisms Generally add more junk. Age/aging names/last names
I was considering that crystal ballistic weaponry might function with a sort of resonance-based propulsion. So the weapon uses two crystal pieces- one part is permanently fixed to the weapon, and that's the one that resonates when the 'trigger' mechanism is activated; the second crystal is the ammunition and can be shaped/slotted, etc. When the main crystal resonates, it shatters the 'ammo' crystal at a constant frequency and propels it through the barrel of the weapon at a high rate of speed. Maybe the ammo crystals are tuned to resonate with a certain frequency and like a magnet they react by pushing away from each other. Maybe instead of 'shattering,' they break off into pre-shaped chunks based on how the crystals are tuned. Iunno. Just suggestions and spitballing.
It all looks good, but I just can't quite agree with some of the physiology. These two just make them seem too alien. I honestly prefer five digits with feathered hands as well as normal (human) eyelids. Also, hollow bones that store air is an interesting idea, but evolution would have rid them of this if they did become ground based. Without the need to be lightweight for flight, a strong bone structure would become a priority for survival. In order to allow for both variations of Avians to coexist, I'd like to suggest that there literally be two groups of Avians, with one having evolved more human-like traits, and the other being the more reptilian. Space is vast, and with there being areas with different timescales, it is very possible that a race could branch off and evolve new traits.
Well, in regards to the hollow bones, we likely should have clarified but just as in bird bones, Avian bones are meant to be made of a stronger material than most animals' bones. The main benefit of a hollow bone system is not to make the bird lightweight; This is a myth. In fact, bird skeletons are just as heavy and strong as a mammal's of the same size. The only evolved benefit of hollow bones is the constant supply of fresh air to the lungs. As for the nictitating membranes, which part about it makes Avians seem too alien? The only difference there would be is that Avians have additional safety measures for their eyes, but it's not as if they're lacking normal eye lids. In fact, Humans once had nictitating membranes, although that trait was lost throughout our evolution into what we are now. They'd likely act independently of the Avian's will in order to keep their eyes protected from harsh wind, water, dust, etc. It's not as if they would really be visible at all to actually make Avians appear even more alien.
But Why? The goal is to make avians seem more alien, as all the races are much too similar. Besides, scaly hands would be much more accurate in terms of physiology to real aves. As for the second species notion, that's a resounding no. It would require a great deal of changes in the history section, which I can't see as justified for just some feathery hands.
Not trying to argue, but it wouldn't really change what history they have. It gives opportunity to write more, honestly. You're going to have two groups of people. The ones that want more human-like avians, and more reptilian... While having a universal standard for a race would streamline things, I still look at it this way; if given a choice, people will get what they want - both parties are happy. It's not going to hurt anyone to have scaled and feathered coexist. It really won't affect RP that much. It will make some unhappy to have scaled but no feathered.
We don't have a sub-species of Hylotl, there will be no sub-species of Avians. Feathers on hands seems incredibly impractical, in any case.
What about physical strengths and weakness to environments? This should frankly be a standard addition to all racial lore on the wiki as well. No races should have the upper hand in all environments. Please I would feel the having hallow bones (with air) in space would be a HUGE detriment for Avians. As it is common knowledge to exhale completely upon going into space. Also mental strengths and weakness. Something a kin to the race as a whole. Spit balling: some going along the lines with the cloths description. Example: Avian prefer wide open rooms and space due to face the tight enclosed space has a some of a claustrophobic effect on the avian psyche. Commonly Avian military freighters usually contain several vast large rooms as to not cause avian to develop claustrophobic space symptoms.
I actually agree fully with this, and it totally didn't occur to me. I'll bring it up with the rest of the editors and we can add in environmental stuff. As for mental, I think expanding the culture/mannerisms section would be the best idea. Describing average avians and avian society in more depth lets people know how certain avians may act, what they may be afraid of, general cultural stuff, ect. So basically i'll look into expanding that section soon.
Awesome to hear. I am sure there are things about other races having issues with environments, societal fears. Like glitch having societal aquaphobia (Fear of water), thalassophobia (fear of the sea, or fear of being in the ocean) or perhaps Amychophobia (fear of being scratched) Novakid might have fear of decompression. Granted this is not all every member of the race, as there are always those that don't have such fears. Again just spit balling. Also beaks... referring to more of speaking, specially when comes to more accented words. Like: E,O, eta. Drinking with a rigid keratin beaks. Do Avian prefer straws, drink out of open cups or modified once to get the most of a drink container. Basically anything the involve the avian having to wrap their mouth around something. There is also the question tactile touching sensations of talons. I personally RP quite a few reptile races with talons as finger tips. With them only feeling pressure applied to the talon, but heat and cold, rough or smooth is not what can be felt. Until the more flesh part of the claws felt the surface. So basically if I wanted them to felt a surface it was either the back of the hand/knuckles, or with more of the palm of middle parts of the fingers. Molting? <- That's it. This could be a funny quirk to the race. Like Acne is to humans, molting is for Avian, red butts to Apex, etc. The thought of a large wind gust hitting a molting Avain and seeing a large puff of feather sent flying in the wind comes to mind. Or sneezing Really it is the details the help flush out races. Those small things that everyone ask, but most don't have an answer for. We have out chance to do it.
Oh also another thing you might want to add is a section on Species relations. General/Average views of each race with maybe a brief explaintion why the view. Nothing to detailed to allow players the ability to adjust their character views.
Yes, common fears might be included in the mannerisms section. Beaks for avians are obviously quite different than a mouth, meaning certain things would definitely be different for avians. I'd imagine cups might be different, but a normal human cup would work fine as well. They just gotta open their beak and pour it in. For touching on the talons, the physical claw is (usually) not on the actual fingertip. It grows in a similar spot as to where human's fingernails grow, meaning it comes out of the top of their fingers somewhat. This means they can still grip things with their fingertips, and their whole palm side of the hand would be fine for feeling things. As for what a talon can feel, use your fingernails as an example. They feel nothing. Molting is certainly something that avians do. They have to get new feathers somehow! I'll expand on some of these things soon. And I know I keep saying soon, but I mean it!
Ahaha, I remember when my avians were molting. those were fun times. as for Happypap's explanation of claws/talons/hands, I agree. I've always played borbs with soft 'talon pads' where a human's finger pad would be, and the actual talon at the same position as a 'fingernail'
Again make sense but for someone that doesn't play or hasn't played an Avian character figure it is good information to know.
So I know that avian technology is kinda of hard to understand by other races. I feel that avian's tech should bring something to socital tech as a whole, in fact this should be a thing as a whole. So my thought on the Avian's bring tech wise to the verse is perhaps a large improvement to fiber optic technology. While their crystal tech is still their own.
It doesn't explain the logic for the eyelid, why would a grounded specie have those kind of eyelids ? Avians may look like birds but they can't fly, they aren't especially harassed by wind or dust like a normal bird would. Same goes for the " posterior air sack " I would had agreed if Avians could fly( Because birds fly most of the times and thus it can prove breath taking, so the air sack would make sense). Finally, breast. I don't like the idea of avians being born in eggs but anyway. So concerning the boobs I think it could be present but it's just there for the charming aspect (In more raw words: seducing) and doesn't produce any kind of milk or any substance. So the boobs are there but doesn't have any other aspect more than for the love making/seduction aspect. Actually it makes me think of the T-rex, remember how T-Rex has so tiny arms ? Do you guys actually know what those arms were used for ? It was actually for the love making, while the T-rex was giving its "seed" he would just caress the back of its bride. ISN'T THAT CUTE ? I also have to disagree with feathered hands but more like fluffy hands like fresh born chicks or birds who doesn't have feathers yet.
That would resolve the thing but we can't confirm that, because lack of lor*COUGHS*, damn I just choked on air.
