Ayviah are a reclusive bird-like race who live in mountains or on floating islands. Highly intelligent and disliking war, they keep to themselves and their studies, generally only befriending Aethen or dragons. They're one of the many "Bonus" races that can be made available to Players during character creation depending on information gathered by the headset, and are capable of hybridizing with other races. Their main stat is "Intelligence" followed closely by "Wisdom". Along with Kassilik and Lykos, Ayviah form what's commonly known as the Bestials, all of whom can take on a beastform. Dragons are not included in this group since they retain their intelligence, speaking ability, and magic in their dragonforms whereas the Bestials do not. Collectively they are known as the "Esoteric Erudites."
Appearance[]
Ayviah range in size from those small enough to look up at Trow, to those who look down on everyone else. All of them have wings; some have wings in addition to forearms, but most have forearms that are their wings. Despite usually being tall, they're mostly very skinny and light with hollow bones in order to allow their flight.
They have beaks shaped according to their type, and large eyes with excellent vision.
Their hair usually has feathers naturally growing within it. Their hairfeathers and wingfeathers are patterned according to their type, though the colors have an inclination towards being darker, earthy colors; browns, greys, and blacks. Their eyes are almost always gold, silver, or green.
Many have feathered tails and bird-like talons for feet.
Culture[]
Ayviah are much like Nagaens; so much so, in fact, that the two races have an intense rivalry. Ayviah love knowledge and actively seek it out, but they consider themselves above the petty problems of ground-walkers and so try to avoid them except to gather information.
Mostly they live in large colonies. The children are raised in groups according to age by men and older folk, while women bring in food by fishing or hunting. They don't eat very many vegetables or plantlife, and half the time don't even cook their meals unless they're feeding Hybrid offspring.
Hybrids don't happen often, and usually occur when an Ayviah leaves the colony to go on a trip to gather knowledge. Ayviah hybrids usually occur with Aethen, since they're one of the only races the Ayviah willingly approach.
To Ayviah, the ability to fly is a mark of adulthood. If an Ayviah cannot fly they're considered crippled, and usually are killed in pity so they don't have to live without flight.
Names[]
Ayviah surnames often have to do with birds, much as Aethen ones do, though unlike Aethen who tend to use colloquial names, Ayviah birdnames are more scientific sounding. Their first names vary greatly, but often end in "-dae".
Varieties[]
There are many different varieties of Ayviah, the following are just a small set of examples.
Accipitridae have beastforms that look like hawks, harriers, kites or eagles. They have strongly hooked beaks and dark plumage. They're usually quite large, with enormous wingspans that allow them to glide for incredibly long distances. They can carry prey that weighs up to three times as much as they themselves do, and they practice airborne combat along with Falconidae and Tytonidae.
Pandionidae have beastforms that look like ospreys. Their plumage is usually brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts, with a black eye patch and wings. They only eat fish and live on cliffs above lakes or oceans. They're often quite small and fast. Their bills are black, with a blue cere.
Sagittariidae have beastforms that look like Secretarybirds. Unlike other Ayviah, Sagittariidae don't mind landing on the ground and walking around, and are usually the ones sent out to gather information from other races. They have black hairfeathers that naturally sticks up in funny ways, and proportionally long, thin legs. Their beaks are hooked and brightly colored.
Falconidae have beastforms that look like caracaras, falcons, or kestrels. They're usually not very large. They have strongly hooked beaks and sharply curved talons. The plumage is usually composed of browns, whites, chestnut, black and grey, often with barring of patterning. They are speed fliers along with Pandionidae.
Cathartidae have beastforms that look like condors. They're the largest of the Ayviah, even bigger than Accipitridae. They are almost always bald, having instead a thick ruff of feathers around the neck. Their plumage is uniformly black, with the exception of their ruff which is always white. They have large ivory-colored beaks and dark, dark eyes. They're quite scary looking, and rumored to be cannibals.
Tytonidae have beastforms that look like bay or barn owls. They're completely silent in flight, making them great for espionage. They are darker on the back than the front, usually an orange-brown colour, the front being a paler version of the back or mottled, although there is considerable variation even amongst type. Their faces are rather flat, their beaks small and lying close to the face. They are naturally quiet as a whole, rarely speaking above whispers and disliking loud noises.
Racial Abilities/Flaws[]
There are many different abilities/flaws tied to Ayviah, the following are just a small set of examples.
Hollow Bones - Lowers the weight limit of the character but makes them more fragile, increasing the chance of fractured bones. Cannot wear heavy armor. -50% to Strength and Vitality scores.
Sharp Eyes - Have incredibly excellent vision, particularly in daylight but also at night. Able to instinctively detect illusions, and are much more capable of finding anything hidden nearby. Eyesight is 60% more efficient than other races. In strong Ayviah, this also gives them a very intimidating stare.
Innate Flight - All Ayviah posess the ability to fly regardless of what form they're in, though they're much faster in Beastform.
Flock Mentality - Ayviah gain +50% to all stats when in a party with other Ayviah or a +25% bonus when partied with Aethen.
High Intellect - Ayviah prize knowledge. +25% to all Intelligence scores.
Beastform - Ayviah are able to take on the form of a beast, whose shape is determined by their type. Their beastforms are very large and fast, with 100% boosts to Agility and Dexterity, but their judgement is impaired while in this form and their magic is incredibly limited. They can change at will, but it takes 50% of their total HP to do so. Cannot speak in this form.
Waterlogged - When in bodies of water, all stats decrease -50%. Movement becomes sluggish and disorientation sets in if the Ayviah isn't removed from the water within a certain amount of time. Cannot fly while waterlogged, and the effect will not wear off until the Ayviah is completely dry.
High Metabolism - The Ayviah has to eat large amounts of protein quite often in order to keep their ability to fly. If they don't maintain their energy levels they will lose their ability, even in Beastform. Bonus for eating fish or game that isn't cooked.
Molting - Twice a year the Ayviah will begin to shed their feathers, temporarily losing their ability to fly while they grow back. This generally happens in Winter and Summer.
Instinctive Hatred - Ayviah hate Nagaens with a passion, partly of an intellectual rivalry and partly of a bestial fear. -75% to all stats if in a party with a Nagaens, +75% to all stats when fighting one.
Alertness - They're very difficult to sneak up on, picking up easily on small or unusual noises or movements. However, this also makes them very easily distracted, and they can't resist investigating a potential threat/meal.