Avariel (3.5e Race)

History

Piece by Todd Lockwood

Once the winged folk were found almost everywhere as mercenaries, adventurers, and scholars. Men greatly desired to have them as scouts and messengers (not to mention as regulars) in their armies. The winged folk even organized bands of 50 to 100 mercenaries to hire out to more mundane races, The winged folk fit in well with humans and demi-humans, and for hundreds of years there was much interaction between the races. Some 2,000 years ago, King lmruk of the city state of Erlacor (now in ruins) sought to overthrow the High King of all the land. The High King had turned to demon worship. lmruk intended to put a halt to this exercise of evil power, and the movement to oust the High King became nigh unstoppable when Hawkwing, king of the winged folk, proclaimed that because the High King had sacrificed several winged folk to the demons, the winged folk warriors would gather into an army and aid Imruk’s effort, With command of the air provided by the winged folk, lmruk was able to crush the High King’s armies. The last battle of the uprising was fought on the plain to the north of the High King’s capital. The winged folk Clerics called upon their gods for aid, and their prayers were rewarded when the High King’s demons were destroyed by the gods’ wrath. Seeing his demons and his army being destroyed, the High King called down a curse upon the winged folk and upon Imruk, proclaiming that lmruk would become as he, but less than he, and would die for treachery. Seconds after proclaiming that curse, the High King fell dead with scores of arrows in his body as Imruk’s warriors burst through the High King’s last defenses. lmruk was awed by, and apprehensive of, the power the winged folk had shown. He feared that unless he acted quickly, he would rule only by their sufferance. Therefore, lmruk invited Hawkwing to bring the winged folk army to Imruk’s encampment the following day so he could give the winged warriors great rewards for their part in winning the battle. The following day the winged folk army landed in the designated area in the center of Imruk’s camp. As soon as the air was no longer stirred by the beating of wings, Imruk’s archers fired upon the winged folk, and only a few of them again reached the safety of the sky. Hawkwing was one who escaped. Three days later he killed lmruk in a raid upon the camp, but was himself mortally wounded. Thus did lmruk die for his treachery, and was ruin wrought upon the winged folk, just as the High King’s curse had prophesied. The winged folk lost 80 percent of their male population and many of their female Clerics and Magic-Users in the ambush, even though many of Imruk’s men were also slain. The best estimates of the winged folk population at the time of the ambush placed their numbers at around 50,000, including 40 percent males, 40 percent females and 20 percent children. Most of the females and all of the children did not go to Imruk’s camp and thus were spared. Before he died, Hawkwing charged his successor with the responsibility of removing the winged folk from their relationships with other human and demi-human beings. Hawkwing’s successor followed this order, secreted the remaining winged folk from the society of men, and thus the winged folk began their long and slow recovery from the disaster into which Hawkwing had unwittingly led his people. During their self-imposed exile, the only outside contact the winged folk had was through their friends, the elves and halfelves, who served as their intermediaries in trading and commerce. In the last few years, winged folk have begun to move back into the mainstream of human affairs, establishing trade, hiring out as mercenaries, and traveling throughout the world in search for adventure. But the leaders say they will never again involve great numbers of their people in the battles of humans.

• Source: Lanox, William "The Winged Folk" Dragon Magazine 51 July 1981: PG. 19

Personality

There are only a few places where Avariel (Al Karak Elam,In their language) live. These are the most remote places of the world, such as a mountain's peak, or the center of a rainforest. Avariel choose places where other races can't disturb them. Humans unfortunate enough to stumble on an Avariel village are dealt with quickly, in order to keep their location secret. On a day to day basis, Avariel hunt, or tend to their natural surroundings. When Hunting they prefer to wear leather and shy away from heavy armors which would interfere with flying. When at home, they wear toga like attire, which wrap around their bodies and wings with ease, allowing them to fly. They live in great harmony with nature, and revere especially nature's greatest flying beings, so much so that they are able to speak with Eagles, Hawks, Owls, Hippogriffs, griffons, and Pegasi. Avariel love the freedom flying gives them, because of this they have inherited a severe genetic claustrophobia and will do anything to keep from going willingly into such a situation. Their Wings are the pride of their race and any Avariel who has lost them is look upon in pitty. Such unfortunate people willingly leave the tribe in order to hide their shame. Both men and woman are treated as equals, Woman tend to hold high religious titles and are sought for their wisdom.

Physical Description

Avariel resemble half-elves in many physical features and they have wings. They average around 4'5" to 6'4" tall and weigh approximately 80 to 170 pounds, with men the same height and only marginally heavier than women. Due to their close racial relationship with the unknown, An Avariel hears the call of death sooner, causing them to cherish life even more so than their land bound cousins. They reach adulthood at 20 and can live to be a little older than 180 years. They tend to be pale-skinned with eyes slightly larger than their cousins. Avariel usually have white or black hair. Rare exceptions are usually thought of as omens or closer to the divine and result in being granted positions of power. Like other elves they do not have any facial or body hair. From their back feathered wings arise that are long, soft, and are usually black and white in color. Avariel wings are extremely susceptible to fire. Keeping their wings away from open flames is a priority. Their angelic nature gifts Avariel with unnatural beauty. Some Avariel tend to take advantage of their Angelic appearance and presence by making humans do their bidding or keeping them away from certain areas. They have hollow bones that make their bodies frail.

• An Avariel Caught in any sort of fire must make a Reflex Save or have their wings caught on fire. 1d6 weeks of recovery will heal them completely. They distrust anyone, especially wizards, who wields fire, even those of the elven race.
• A flying Avariel who has lost more than 50% of their health, will glide down to the ground unable to fly. If they lose 75% or more of their health while in flight, They will plummet to their death.
• Avariel Wings are Highly sought after. Powerful Wizards will pay handsomely for an unblemished pair. They are used to make wings of flying or used as regents to dark magics. Giants like to use them as Display pieces for their helmets. And wealthy noble woman seek out their soft feathers for vanity. When playing an Avariel Character, attempts must be made to hide ones wings or risk drawing attention from unwanted sources.

Relations with other Races

The avariels are on good terms with other sentient, good-aligned avian races. They admire and respect giant eagles, a bond that survived the dark centuries of draconic persecution. The avariels are also fond of the aarakocras, but since the winged elves were also driven from the Star Mounts, their interaction with these birdmen has dropped off significantly. They get along with air genasi as well, although they are often frustrated with the genasi`s ambivalence and disinterest in good and evil. Avariel relations with landbound races are not nearly as productive. The avariels have traditionally viewed those who can't fly as objects of pity (at best) or derision (more commonly). Recently, the avariels have begun the realize the error of their ways--the landlocked races, despite their lack of wings, can be powerful and helpful allies. Avariels from the Aerie of the Snow Eagles have recently sent diplomats to neighboring kingdoms (Narfell, Rashemen, Damara, the Great Dale in particular) and have been doing their best to treat the ground races as equals. The avariels are still hunted to this day by evil dragons, who view the winged elves and their magical aptitude as the greatest threat to their dominion over the skies of Faerun. Dragons have nowhere near the presence in the skies as they did in the ancient past, but their memories are long. In particular, the white dragons of Hoarfaern are particularly dedicated to the final destruction of the avariels and Aerie of the Snow Eagles.

Alignment

There are few members of the Avariel race left in the world. Even still, they live their lives to their full extent and would rather die than to be confined to the an abundance of laws. "Do unto others as you would do unto yourself" and "If it harms none, then it can be done." are some of the words they live by.

• Chaotic Neutral

Avariel Deities

Like the aquatic elves, the avariels acknowledge the Seldarine as a whole and pay lip service to most of these elven deities, but they hold a special reverence for a single member of that pantheon-- in their case Aerdrie Faenya, 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, the avariels as a whole are deeply religious, and the thought of not venerating a deity is alien and unwholesome to most them. Avariels believe that it is due to Aerdrie Faenya's intervention that they are able to survive at all. Ages ago, Aerdrie Faenya gifted the avariels with their wings because she knew that they would face great trials and danger in the future and would need the advantage of flight if they to have any hope of survival. Avariels also believe that she takes a more direct hand in their lives than do the gods of the other elves. Avariels often attribute to Aerdrie Faenya's intervention events that most other races would view as simply fortuitous coincidences.

Names

Because Avariel are the direct descendants of the first elves, they usually have elven names.

Racial Traits

• +4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Strength, -2 wisdom: Avariel are graceful and attractive, but have hollow bones and, as a result, are more fragile than other races. They suffer in muscle strength, as these bones cannot support great exertion without risk of breaking.
• Humanoid: As such, they are affected with spells that target humanoids (like hold person spell).
• Medium: As medium creatures, Avariel don't have any size bonuses or penalties.
• Avariel base land speed is 30ft. 50ft fly speed, average maneuverability.
• Avariels gain a +4 racial bonus to jump checks.
• Flight (Ex): Avariels gain a fly speed of 50ft with average maneuverability, provided they do not carry more than a medium load and are not fatigued or exhausted. Avariel wings span an average of 12 feet, and are unable to fly in an area where they cannot fully extend their wings. Their wings may be retracted. Avariel can make a dive attack.
• Weapon Proficiency: Avariel are proficient with either a rapier or longsword, as well as bolas and lasso. This replaces the standard elven proficiencies.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, home region. Bonus Languages: by region.
• Favored Class: Sorcerer
• Level Adjustment: +1.

Vital Statistics

Table: Avariel Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
20 years	+1d6	+2d6	+3d6

Table: Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
62 years	93 years	125 years	180 years
At middle age, -1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, -2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, -3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

If played in a campaign wherein elves are truly immortal, Avariel are likewise immortal.

Sources

Races of Faerun

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