Tengu

Revision as of 04:38, 3 October 2013

Anatomy: Birdpeople are bipedal monsters with bird-like characteristics including feathers, beaks, talons, hard-but-light bones, scaled bird-like hands and feet and excellent vision. Birdmen are typically very lanky and somewhat tall. Birdwomen have a more divers sizing, ranging from very short to very tall and slight. Birdpeople come in thousands of different color combinations and feather types. Naturally strong, bird people have high jumping and climbing capability due to their light bones. While able to leap and bound for great distances they cannot actually fly. Birdpeople are only able to have three hatchlings due to their low survival rate

Lore: Birdpeople live on a mysteriously remote isle to the far west known as the isle of wind and bone. It is there where nearly all bird men live and die, few ever venturing from the isle. Socially Birdpeople are laxed and outwardly kind, however, deep down ever one of the contains the capacity for mindshattering violence. Society is a caste system based on the child's number. The firstborn hatchlings are destined to be high-class, often becoming leaders or great champions of battle. First born are also known as the Wind-bearers for it is believed that those born first are said to hold within them the potential knowledge of everything past, present, and future. Second born are destined to be the middle class and are often known as the Earth-bearers. The second born are often farmers, merchants, and shopkeepers. The Third born are known as the bone-bearers. The third child is destined to be a living tool, often living with hundreds of other bone-bearers as soldiers or laborers. Bone-bearers are seen as expendable yet valuable to society. In society it is possible to change ones caste status by killing the sibling of a higher caste. It is believed that when one sibling is killed by another, their destiny is absorbed. This is often why birdpeople hatchlings are instinctively fratricidal.

Throughout history, birdpeople have always been warring, be it physically, politically, or mentally. However, despite their tendencies towards war, bird people are outwardly happy, goofy, and sometimes ditzy. This is an social mechanism that allows no one to know their true motives, without disrupting social progress or political matters. Because death is so common in the Isle of Wind and Bone, birdpeople often laugh it off as a joke, even if, internally, they are plotting a vicious vengeance.

Birdpeople are narcissistic, self-hating racists. They are fairly neutral to most races, however, Birdpeople hold a special place of hatred in their hearts for other Birdpeople. This stems from the inherent belief that one's feathers are better than everyone elses. Because other races do not have feathers, Bird people tend to pity and patronize them. For a birdperson, life without feathers is nothing less than a living hell.

Because of their love of their own feathers, a common punishment for breaking the law is to remove a number of feathers from the criminal based on the severity of the crime.

Birdpeople take great stock in sweets and meats, so much that they will war over them. Those who control the meats control isle.

All Birdpeople have a two part name. Their first name is a given name by their parents and their second name is a physical attribute unique to them. Some second name examples include: Long-Beak, Strong-Song, Loud-Screech etc.

When aroused, Birdpeople's legs turn red