A Legendary tale… This player-written lore is non-canon and may not exist within Elysium until revived and approved by Staff upon request.
Origins
The avos race are an ancient, time-tested group of nomadic beings usually identified by their feathered appearances. They are collectively thought to be a race emerged from far-ranged bewitchment of birds from the southern edges of the old world, slowly building an economic trading community that thrived throughout the old age.
However, wars come and go, and in the new age and generation to accompany it, avos are spread far throughout the world and identified as natural adaptors to modern society.
It is mandatory that all avos dance like parrots when near an active jukebox.
Physical Description
Avos are a birdlike race, with extravagant feathers that can vary in appearance to their bird representation. The most common form for avos to be born with are keratin-covered arms and legs, with feathers that line from the wrist up to the elbow. However, this does not exclude the possibility of other lengths, the extremes of which
Avos have an average lifespan of 83 years in females and 79 in males. Heterochromia iridum is a very common mutation in offspring of avos of different breeds, and are almost guaranteed to appear in children of an avos and other humanoid species. Because avos have a somewhat shared ancestry with elves, a crossbreed of the two rarely results in the child obtaining feathers while also gaining the height and mystique of an elf, let alone the capabilities or traits susceptible to avos genetics. Always, the child looks either like an elf or an avos.
Most avos have hairlike or fur coloured feathers, such as tan, ginger or black. They can also have feathers that grow in exotic reds, yellows, greens or blues dependent on their parents’ ancestral background. However, it's common for avos to dye their feathers bright colours if they have a high status in their community.
Science, Magic, and the In-Between
The lack of magic in the avos bloodline makes it rather difficult to place them in a racial hierarchy. While most societies may relegate the power of magicks as a position of power, avos are exclusively chosen based on skill sets, social standing, and among other things.
A questioned ability of the avos are their capacity for polymorphism into specified birds. Primarily, only those born of two birdlike parents are capable of doing so and the lack of a magical capacity does not hinder their morphic traits. There hasn’t yet been a studied common occurrence that could explain this odd trait, but it could possibly be a genetic subtrait of their fully-avian ancestors who had, ironically, only been given the ability to shapeshift into humanoids.
One unique ability of the avos, though often dangerous, is their ability to turn completely human. By plucking their own feathers, avos can essentially turn themselves human, though this cannot be reversed, as the feathers will not grow back. After having done so, the avos-turned-human will slowly begin to lose their trademark features over the course of 1-2 years. Avos with wings are also capable of doing this, though it is significantly more dangerous, as one would also have to remove their wings, causing scarring, blood loss, and even death if not medically cared for.
Subspecies and Genetic Abnormalities
Avos have a plethora of differences and physical expressions that make them one of the most unique-looking races of the old world. Among the genetic changes caused by crossbreeding (as stated in the above paragraphs), subspecies have emerged due to the common occurrence of genetic mutations.
While most avos have a very scattered history due to diaspora, avos from the continents of Aria and Fei are noted for having wavier hair, more sharply upturned ears, and a dialect more reminiscent of Alçecean language. Avos from Tora are can often be differentiated from their northeastern counterparts by their more outward ears and softer face shapes. Toran avos also have a significantly higher population of dark-skinned folk than pale, though not related to any variation in climate.
The most noticeable subspecies of the avos race are the Omni-avos (sometimes shortened to ‘Omnivos’). Omni-avos are named such because the feather details that typical avos have only around their wrists, ankles, and hair, have completely covered their body. Omni-avos have longer faces and a functional beak, adapted specifically for their local habitat. Although Omniavos can be born this way, fully-grown avos have the rare chance of failing the morphic process and can become stuck between a limbo of their bird and humanoid forms.
A widespread occurrence that occurs specifically in adolescent avos is that particularly rough sneezes can cause the adolescent to randomly sprout stiff-stemmed feathers. These feathers have the properties of a normal blood feather, except that they are not painful to the host and don’t bleed constantly. Sneeze feathers can sprout anywhere on the head, and sometimes in the wrists. These sneeze feathers can be removed, but the process is extremely painful and tends to leave scars. The cause of this abnormality is theorized to be a magical effect, but nothing concrete has confirmed this phenomena.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
- Can change into birds or birdlike animals and inherit any abilities of said species of bird.
- Tend to blend in with humans due to their skin and feather color, as feathers are easily covered by long sleeves, pants or cloaks. (watch out for sneezing!)
- Very aerodynamic and sleek, perhaps one of the fastest-runners if well trained.
Weaknesses:
- Unless imbued, avos are completely incapable of using magic.
- Easily hindered by wet or humid climates.
- Remainders of avos descendants are few and far between, and cannot often form ‘flocks.’ Large groups are often the result of large families.
- “Sneeze feathers,” which are painful to dispose of and tend to hinder an avos’ capability to blend in with humans.