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A Comprehensive Look at Avariels

By Arravis

Appearance:The most striking feature of the averiels is their soft, feathered wings. These wingshave spans of anywhere from twelve to sixteen feet and are usually white, but mayalso be gray, brown, black, or speckled. Avariels take great pride in their wings andspend long hours grooming them. Their skin is pale, often porcelain white, with tingesof blue or faint silver. They have a silver-white or black hair, with other shades beingrare but not unheard of. The avariel's eyes are rather large and more expressive thanthose of other elves are, and they tend to be brilliant shades of blue or green. A fewavariel have scintillating violet eyes as pure as amethysts. Avariels stand 5'! tall onaverage, with thin, graceful limbs and angular facial features.

The avariel are not merely "elves with wings"# their entire body has been developedto accommodate flight. Their torso is typically larger and stronger than that of theirelvish brethren, designed as it is to bear wings. $urthermore, their skeletal structure,composed of light and hollow bones, helps reduce the burden of their weight whilealoft. %hen in the air, they tend to be &uite fast, mobile, and agile, due not to theirlighter weight and to their graceful flight. n the ground however, they are almostburdened by their wings, sometimes appearing clumsy.

The avariel are possessed of an almost ethereal beauty. They are delicate, theirmovements &uick, calculated, and graceful. (y most, they are considered the most

beautiful and striking of the elven races.

Personality:

Avariels are free spirits who would like nothing better than to simply soar on thecurrents high above the ground, taking in the views $aerun has to offer. They possesan irrepressible )est for life. *ven in the darkest, most desperate situation, an avarielremains cheerful. +nfortunately, while friendly to those they consider their e&uals,avariels also tend to be condescending and even downright rude to landbound races.The avariels are usually unaware of this# it's ust their natural reaction to treatlandbound races as lesser creatures. iven time and enough exposure to othercultures, avariels can overcome their natural bias. At heart they are contemplativeand philosophical, religion playing an important role in their daily lives. *ven thosewho spend their lives studying the martial path often set aside these pursuits in orderto return to a holier calling. astly, avariel are notoriously claustrophobic# confinedplaces, particularly subterranean ones, are decidedly painful to them.

History:

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/uring the Time of /ragons 0+nknown to 123,444 /6, Toril, is dominated bydragons far more powerful than those on $aer7n today. 8solated pockets of territoryfall under giant control, and these grow toward the end of this age. This is when theAril-tel-&uessir 0avariel6, along with the 9y-tel-&uessir 0green elves6, and the y-tel-&uessir 0lythari6, first came to Aber Toril as immigrants from the realm of $aerie,

passing through the fey crossroads and backroads.

+pon first migrating to $aerun, they found the world to be a vast, beautiful place.+nfortunately, vicious dragons ruled the skies. The newly arrived avariels were nearlywiped out by the dragons before the $irst $lowering. 8n their tenacity they were ableto establish a foothold though. f these, the largest was the temple-city of Aerie,located in the 9tar :ountains at the heart of the ;igh $orest. (y the time the secondwave of elven immigrants, the terrible wars with the dragons had driven them to nearextinction.

The martial strength and magical prowess of the peoples in this second wave

brought the Time of /ragons to a close. All that's left now of this time are legendaryepics and songs of elves overthrowing and slaying dragon and giant overlords, andcarving nations for themselves.

/uring the $irst $lowering 0-23444 to 1

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destroyed by her wrath. 9eeing his demons and his army being destroyed, thebarbarian-king called down a curse upon the avariel and upon 8mruk, proclaiming thatlmruk would become as he, but less than he, and would die for treachery. 9econdsafter proclaiming that curse, the barbarian-king fell dead with scores of arrows in hisbody as 8mruk's warriors burst through the king's last defenses. lmruk was awed by,

and apprehensive of, the power the winged folk had shown. ;e feared that unless heacted &uickly, he would rule only by their sufferance. Therefore, lmruk invitedaaman to bring the winged folk army to 8mruk's encampment the following day sohe could give the avariel warriors great rewards for their part in winning the battle.

The following day the avariel warriors landed in the designated area in the center of8mruk's camp. As soon as the air was no longer stirred by the beating of wings,8mruk's archers fired upon the winged folk, and only a few of them again reached thesafety of the sky. aaman was one who escaped. Three days later he killed lmruk ina raid upon the camp, but was himself mortally wounded. Thus did lmruk die for histreachery, and was ruin wrought upon the winged folk, ust as the barbarian-king's

curse had prophesied. The winged folk lost half of their population in the ambush,even though many of 8mruk's men were also slain. :ost of the females and all of thechildren did not go to 8mruk's camp and thus were spared. (efore he died, aamancharged his successor with the responsibility of removing the winged folk from theirrelationships with other human and demi-human beings. aaman's successorfollowed this order, secreted the remaining avariel, and thus the winged folk beganyet another long and slow recovery.

The =onvocation of *agles ourneyed for many years, concealing their wings lestthey attract too much attention. They took to the skies only when they had to, hidingon the ground like vermin and living terrible, dirty lives as nomads and scavengers.%hat exactly happened during the intervening millennia is unknown.

ne thing that is worthy of note is that in 1

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Deaks of =old /eath6, to a lone mountain that stood apart from the rest. They namedit :ount 9undabar in honor of a city in the orthkingdom that they'd left behind.

There they founded a new citadel 0circa ing one *mbryn9hattered-shield, who left his clan to take the name of /areth. The white dragons

soon attacked :ount 9undabar, employing magical items of great force andunknown, elder origin. 8n the end, the :ountain was shattered, the dwarven hold laidwaste. The dwarves fought on, however, slaying dragons whenever they could reachthem. They became skulking attackers who swarmed all over the :ountains of/areth, until no dragon was safe in its lair, and the bones of both dwarves anddragons littered the mountain range. 8n the end, the dwarves and dragons destroyedeach other, in a final confrontation on the broad mountaintop now known as ;eroes';eight. This opened the way for humans to hunt and cut lumber in the rich lands thatbecame Armridge and 9ossal. The caverns of /areth were explored and plunderedof all valuables left by the dwarves, but recurring monster attacks made the minestoo dangerous to work. And so they remain today, home to dangerous creatures that

feed on the occasional humans or dwarves desperate or reckless enough to trymining the riches of lost /areth again. /areth's borders lay within the mountain rangenamed for it, plus :ount 9undabar, ;eroes' ;eight, and the high valleys between.The 9ign of the ealm, almost unknown today, was a row of three peaks with a stonehammer, head to the right, hori)ontal above them.

Atop the demolished flat-peak, a small group of white dragons of ;oarfaern and afew of their beastial servants dwelled, most of their numbers having returned to theirown lairs within the dwarf-carved halls of the :ountains of /areth. These dragonswere driven out and the =onvocation claimed the mountain as their own, naming itthe Aerie of the 9now *agles.

9oon the wyrms returned, wishing the mountain back and renewed their ancient warwith the avariels. nly in the last millennia has this war subsided. %hether it's due tolosses on the dragon's side or simply lack of interest, it's unknown. The only otherremaining threats in the area were the 9ossarim to the north and the +lutiuns to thewest. Thankfully, neither sought out the avariels, both seemingly as cautious as thewinged folk themselves. This suited everyone well and over the years they havecome to a mutual, if cautious, understanding.

The past five hundred years have pest in peace and prosperity for the Aerie of the

9now *agles and many have renewed hopes for their future as a people. 8t is withthis renewed hope that recently contact was re-established with their elven kin andofficials from *vermeet.

Culture:

Avariels came dangerously close to extinction long ago, and it has taken thousandsof years to recover to the point where they don't have to worry about the fate of theirrace. nly recently have they begun to expand back into the world, sending

explorers, diplomats, and merchants south into $aerun proper.

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The avariels have a uni&ue model for their societies, separating into two groupswhen they congregate in large numbersE a warrior society of fighters and soldiers,and a peaceful society of thinkers and religious scholars. These two subcultures, asdiametrically opposed as their separate philosophies may be, work together to forgea powerful symbiotic relationship.

%arlike avariels have a complex code of honor that they use to guide and tempertheir militaristic activities and training. These avariels spend their lives defending theirkin. Their lives are geared towards war and power, and they answer to their warchiefs, who share responsibility for ruling the society with the religious leaders of thepeaceful avariels. The martial avariels are proud and hearty, and they form eternalfriendships with those who earn their respect and trust.

The peaceful avariels, unlike their warlike kin, focus mainly on arts and theintellectual aspects of life. %hen faced with conflict, a peaceful avariel relies on herbrains and diplomatic abilities, and often on her magic power. Deaceful avariels are

artists, philosophers, and researchers who spend their lives studying the world andits history and creating works of art simply for the sheer oy of creation. The peacefulavariels are also responsible for providing their society with food, entertainment andeducation. :any peaceful avariels are also very religious and spend much of theirtime contemplating the ways of Aerdrie $aenya.

/espite their divergent personalities, these two subcultures interact surprisingly well.Foung avariels typically spend time immersed in each subculture, learning from bothwarriors and priests. These exchanges, which often last for a decade or longer, allowavariels raised in one subculture to learn how the other subculture lives. This resultsin a close-knit system that allows the two groups to work together very effectively. $orexample, peaceful avariels will closely study migration patterns of the fauna in thearea and tell the warrior-hunters where to hunt, etc.

Ethics:

8n combat, warlike avariels have little pity or remorse about cutting down theirenemies. The concept of surrender is highly dishonorable to these avariels, both forthemselves and for their enemies. nce lethal combat begins, few avariels break off

until they or their enemies are dead. /rawing blood from an enemy is nothing lessthan a promise to honor the enemy with one's skill in combat and not humiliate himby leaving him alive to dwell on an embarrassing defeat. The act of slaying an enemyis viewed simply as delivering on that promise.

The warrior code supports the use of ranged weapons, which allows them to cutdown an enemy from an unassailable distance in the skies above. Those who cannotdefend themselves against an attack from the skies should know better than to makean enemy of a clearly superior foe.

Religion:

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Avariels acknowledge the 9eldarine as a whole and pay lip service to most of theelven deities, but they hold a special reverence for a single member of that pantheon,Aerdrie $aenya, the elven goddess of the skies, weather, and avians of all sorts.Although they do not elevate their religious beliefs to the level of fanaticism, theavariels as a whole are deeply religious, and the thought of not venerating a deity is

alien and unwholesome to most of them.

Avariels believe that it is due to Aerdrie $aenya's intervention that they are able tosurvive at all. Ages ago, Aerdrie $aenya gifted the avariels with their wings becauseshe knew that they would face great trials and danger in the future and would needthe advantage of flight if they were to have any hope of survival. Avariels also believethat she takes more of a direct hand in their lives then do the gods of the other elves.Avariels often attribute Aerdrie $aenya's intervention events that most other raceswould view as simply fortuitous coincidences.

The /ance of the 9wirling %inds is a semiannual festival held on the vernal and

autumnal e&uinoxes to celebrate the changing seasons and to honor the %inged:other. The winds are always strong on such days, no matter where Aerdrie'sfollowers gather. =elebrants make offerings of beautiful feathers and oin in an aerialballet danced to the music of wind instruments played by some of the participants.

Leadership:

%inged $ather A&uilan reatspan loosely governs the Avariel community on :ount

9undabar. A&uilan has led the last remaining maor enclave of winged elves in$aerun for nearly five centuries, and his wise leadership has seen the avariel survive,if not exactly prosper, amidst the dwarven ruins.

Roles:

%inged elves combine a tradition of vigilance and skill at arms with a oyousreverence for the sheer peaks and open skies of their homeland. :any becomefighters, rangers or clerics. Avariels lean towards divine rather than the arcane, but a

small number take up the study of wi)ardry and excel at it.

:embers of the peaceful subculture are masters of divine and arcane magic. +nlikemost other races though, the avariels have only recently 0in elven terms6 become re-established on $aerun. $or most of their history, the avariels simply haven't had theluxury of experimenting and toying with magic# they were too focused on simplysurviving. Avariels favor conurations and transmutation magic for their versatility, andthe miniature ungle world within the Aerie of the 9now *agles is the culmination oftheir most potent conurations and transtmuations. Avariels have also been focusingmore on divinations spells of late, as they seek out their lost, and well-hidden,brethren.

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Bladesingers: 9ome avariels practice the art of the bladesong and use it to protecttheir communities. ike other kinds of elves, winged elves greatly respect the skillneeded to become a bladesinger.

Faithful of Aerdrie Faenya: The novice priests of Aerdrie $aenya are known as the

Tethered. %inged (rothers or 9isters are full priests of Aerdrie $aenya. %ithin theorder, Aerdrian priests have many titles, including A&uiline ;unter, =loud %alker,$eathered /ancer, ;alycon, ain (ringer, ising Thermal, 9ilent 9creech, 9ky /iver,9oaring 9pirit, and %ind =haser. =eremonial garb for priests consists of sky-bluerobes, with those of highest rank wearing the darkest shades. $eathers are used indecorating their clothing and armor, and at least one feather is worn in the hair. Theholy symbol of their faith is a feather of great beauty, willingly given after molting by asentient avian that venerates the winged mother. A new feather must be found atleast once per year.

Skywardens: These avariels are self-appointed protectors of the skies, the

mountaintops, and anywhere that the avariel might travel. They are also known tohelp wingless ones who are lost or inured while in their domains. The 9kywardensare individualists, who feel compelled to live apart from their own people in order toprotect their natural environment. 9kywardens can never willingly allow anyone tosuffer in their domain, provided they are aware of it. They minister to woundedanimals as well as humans and humanoid visitors to their lands. %hile 9kywardensmay live for a while in the Aerie, they prefer isolated homes in the heart of theirprotected domains.

Talons: These elite warriors, trained in the defense of Aerie of the 9now *agle. Theyare marked by their uniform appearance, wearing distinctive leather harnesses fromwhich hang a number of weapons and at the center of which is a crest indicating rankand unit. They represent the ideal Avariel warrior, specialists in the military arts.:embership in the Talons is a common goal for many young warriors, but only thebest are accepted as full members, rather than ust employees. Their education isarduous, involving years of combat instruction and character-building exercises asthe young Talons-in-training are forged into professional warriors. Talons aremembers of a guild that operated very much like a military force, and they are forcedto obey the chain of command as well as a strict code of conduct. They can be ratherdifficult to work with, automatically expecting every group to function like a well-oiledfighting machine, which is simply not always the case.

Sustenance:

The avariels take flight across the frigid skies of the cold lands for many of theirneeds. They fish in the free)ing waters of 9ossar (ay and the reat 8ce 9ea andhunt across the icy reaches of the reat lacier.

Items:

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They prefer to wear loose fitting diaphanous clothing that catches the wind in flightand ripples and weaves in the air. Armor is almost never worn, because it tends toweigh them down and hinder their graceful motions. Togas and other light,wraparound garments are preferred. They use no armor except for rare magicaldevices, relying on dexterity and ranged attacks to escape harm. Their weapons are

traditionally made from glassteel or obsidian.

The avariels have taken the craft of glassblowing and elevated it to an art form.%hen most races turn to metal, wood, or stone to craft gear, the avariels have turnedto the fragile and delicate medium of glass 0part of this is simply out of a lack ofresources in the area and the brittleness of metal in the extreme cold6. 8n a way, theiraffinity for glass as medium reflects their very nature, for the avariels themselves arefragile and beautiful people.

%hile much avariel glass is delicate and decorative, the winged elves have alsomastered glassteel, a form of glass as strong as metal. :any avariel outposts are

made of glassteel, as are some armor, weapons, and tools. %arlike avariels oftenprefer to use ranged weapons, and they aren't above using wings to gain anadvantage over landbound enemies.

9ome uni&ue items to avariels are eagle-claws and wing swords. An eagle-claw is aleather glove with a series of blades extending past the knuckle 0same as a spikedgauntlet6. A wing sword is, between the lengths of a short sword and a long sword, isa primary weapon for many winged *lves, because long swords are inherentlydangerous to their wings 0same as long sword, not different enough to warrant newstats6.

Other Avariels:

9mall, scattered bands of avariels still exist in the heartlands of $aerun, but thesegroups rarely number more than a do)en and usually avoid civili)ed areas.

Other Races:

The avariels are on good terms with other sentient, good-aligned avian races. Theyadmire and respect giant eagles, a bond that survived the dark centuries of draconicpersecution. The avariels are also fond of the aarakocras, but since the winged elveswere driven from the 9tar :ounts, their interactions with these birdmen dropped offsignificantly. They get along well with air genasi as well, although they are oftenfrustrated with the genasi's ambivalence and disinterest in good and evil.

The avariels have long had a close bond with the giant eagles of $aerun, and theysettle in the same areas. iant eagles are intelligent creatures and are consideredallies, not pets.

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:ost avariels keep birds as companions or pets, though they are never caged, andcan come and go as they please. =ages don't sit well with avariels. Avarielssometimes employ arrowhawks, griffons, and hippogriffs as guards for their aries.They adore rocs and think of them as magnificent beasts touched by Aerdrie $aenya.ocs are admired from afar, however, as such massive creatures don't easily fit

within avariel aeries.

Avariel relations with landbound races are not nearly as productive. The avarielshave traditionally viewed those who can't fly as obects of pity 0at best6 or derision0more commonly6. $or most of their time at the Aerie of the 9now eagle, the avarielwould sometimes meet small groups of 9ossarim and +lutiuns to trade goods andinformation. ecently, the avariels have begun to reali)e the error of their ways, thelandlocked races, despite their lack of wings, can be powerful and helpful allies.Avariels from the Aerie of the 9now *agle have recently sent diplomats toneighboring kingdoms 0arfell, ashemen, /amara, and the reat /ale in particular6and have been doing their best to treat the ground races as e&uals.

Enemies:

The avariels are still hunted to this day by evil dragons, which view the winged elvesand their magical aptitude as the greatest threat to their dominion over the skies of$aerun. /ragons have nowhere near the presence in the skies as they did in theancient past, but their memories are long. 8n particular, the white dragons of;oarfaern are particularly dedicated to the final destruction of the averiels and the

Aerie of the 9now *agles.

eography:

Towering immensely above the plains of 9ossal to the north and the reat lacier tothe south is :ount 9undabar. The mountain rises like a monolith into the veryheavens its peak forever lost in snowy clouds. 8f one were to rise above the clouds,the top of the mountain itself glistens like an enormous ewel in the bright sunlight. 8tsapex having been replaced by an enormous crystalline peak, and directly below that

rings the Avariel community of the Aerie of the 9now *agles.

/elicate glassteel spires and a honeycomb of open caves serve the avariels within.At the peak itself is the Temple of Aerdrie, which resembles an inverted glassteelcone built to replace the sheered off mountaintop of mount 9udnabar. The crystallinetemple is nearly ?,444 feet in diameter at its base and ?,444 feet high at its peak. Thestructure is filled with small open-mouthed caves that connect to the tunnels withinthe mountain. This allows access to Aerdrie's glass enclosed chapels from within theAerie itself. The caves bring a constant wind to whistle through the temple and glasschimes echo throughout, as endless )ephyrs dance and tiny rain showers erupt outof thin air.

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The floor of the temple is overgrown with tropical plants, many long extinct in otherareas, nurtured by the brilliant sunshine and regular rainfall to create a ungleparadise. are birds from the reaches of Toril gambol and caw while young wingedelves test out their wings overhead. =onurations and transmutation magics are oftenused in this ungle paradise to bring in rare and wonderful species within.