Originally Posted by
nazgulking
Alterra ia a beautiful place which is home to the Avian race.
The Avians are bird-like humanoids that have a story filled with many misfortuned events that eventually led to what is an open wound for all of them: The Great Exile.
They have a natural tendency to be curios. This trait of their race have always been a major benefit, making them the best marksman of all the known lands. They like to be swift and to gain what they want in the shortest time possible. This way of getting things done have led their former capital city "Golden Beak", deep into the forests East of the plains of Oasis, to be a place reknowed for their annual festivals. These moments have always led to the meeting of fabolous people that one day formed one of the best known of the travelling companies: Nuri travelling company. Since then it gathers the best artists of all races to make them travel the world and make all the people watch in awe what they can offer. Their leader, as a rule passed from parent to son is to be called Nuri, as the name of the first founder of the company.
Their empire of knowledge brought the art of woodworking and archery to become legendary. Avians have always been formed in city-states; every one of them having their own rules, but Golden Beak was the one with most influence since it was ruled by its magnetic ruler, known as Av'ian (Name from which all their race took the name).
Av'ian was a fair and just ruler, so carismatic that no one was to go against his will, no one apart from his brother.
He was so at odds with him that he searched all the globe a way to get rid of his brother. After venturing into the depths of the desert, west of his homecountry, he eventually found that answer.
Trace of an ancient race was left in the pyramids. These structures were nothing more than beacons that needed to be activated to call these ancient beigns into the realm of Alterra. After having deciphered the misterious glyphs left by the race of the Shadows, he found a way to destroy Golden Beak with a weapon left by the ancient ones. Before he could achieve his evil plan these beigns, called by him, came to the pyramid and deceived him by pretending to giving him the power to overthrown his brother. In the end they transformed him into their loyal servant Anubis, whose mind was brainwashed to just serve the "Ancients".
Shortly after they were driven by Anubis himself to Golden Beak, killing all the avians on their path. Av'ian before seeing the slaughtering of his people or see them enslaved took the gift made by the Queen of the elves: the stopwatcher. This magical artifact could stop time and make just selected people by the owner of the artifact to actually move. Av'ian chose to make its people flee their homeland. It could save his people but not himself, since the watch to work must be held still at all time to be used.
The last words of their beloved ruler was "Always look forward and never forget the time is consuming". When enough time passed and Av'ian felt that enough of its people were safe he stopped the watch and he was swarmed by the forces of the "Ancients".
Avians fled from the forests to the desert and founded the city of Oasis.
They say that the magical pool in the center of the city was formed by those who shed tears for their beloved and carismatic leader.
Still now the memory of Av'ian is still strong. Even if he did all what he could to save the Avian race from certain death not all of his brothers and sisters survived the so called "Great Exile". Some became slaves of the Ancients, others became shadows at the mercy of the Ancients and other are just but disappeared.
After so much grief, they were helped by the elves that gave them the means to build a new life for their people in the desert. From that day forward the Avians are what are known now and still seek revenge against the "Ancients" that razed all their towns.
When the Queen of the elves called for help the Avians were more than willing to help them after they gave them a hand in a time of need. They went through the Great War with great losses but an even greater victory ahead. They broke their former habit of living in city states and almost all the Avians live now in Oasis.
Some of them have met the Ursans of Frosty Hollow and have tried to follow their teachings becaming blademasters.
Others have tried the hard way of the magic and with their, now, friend humans have formed the circle of the sages, composed by humand archmages and Avian wardens.
They seek now some rest from their griefing past within the Alliance of Alterra, trying to not make the same mistakes of the past and, maybe one day, reconquer their old homeland, which now is a mere wasteland.
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