Aracoix People

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Like the Centaurs and Minotaurs, the Aracoix combine the physical features of Humans and animals, in their case, hawks and eagles. The bodies of Birdmen are very similar to those of Humans, only with a large, Avian head atop the shoulders and a pair of broad wings sprouting from the shoulders. Instead of hair, Aracoix possess thick coats of feathers that cover their heads and wings, forearms, upper chest, midriff, and lower legs. Aracoix stand taller than Men, and their body frames are so heavily muscled that it at first glance it seems impossible that such a creature could fly. Yet fly they do. Aracoix tend towards dark, stern plumage of scarlet, brown, or deep black, and their faces resemble hawks, with large, keen eyes and wicked beaks. Aracoix also have remarkably light bones, and weigh less than a Man of comparable height. Light as Aracoix bones are, they are still remarkably resilient, and many tribes among the Twisted Breeds cherish Aracoix bones, using them to fashion weapons and armor.

Perhaps the greatest and most obvious feature of the Aracoix is their ability to fly. The Birdmen's broad wings can easily carry them into the air, even when fully armed and equipped. Aracoix fly faster than a Human can run, and are capable of brief bursts of speed where they can outrace a horse at full gallop. The Aracoix are clearly, however, more Man than bird. They glide more than they fly, and they are incapable of a hawk's dives or aerial acrobatics. Flight is solely a means of transportation to the Aracoix, and they must return to the ground to enter battle. Unlike many birds, the Aracoix spend most of their time with their feet firmly on the ground. Limited as the Aracoix's flight may be, their wings have still freed them from any concerns about terrain, and hunting wings of Birdmen can move faster than any grounded army, for they travel as the crow flies.

Aracoix are the only race who can compete with the Elves in terms of nimbleness and agility, and are also surprisingly strong. Some Aracoix are also remarkably tough, and flight requires that Aracoix have as much or more stamina than the average Half Giant. Mentally, Aracoix seem at first to be little more than savages - their beaks and throats are incapable of pronouncing any language spoken in this World, and their skittish nature defied all early attempts at communication. In recent years, however, the Children of the World have discovered that the Aracoix are as strong in Mind and Spirit as the Sons of Men, and very adept at fashioning buildings and tools. The silence of the Aracoix has also finally been broken: recent reports indicate that an Aracoix can, if it is willing, project its thoughts directly into the mind of a "listener," provided that the Aracoix can learn to fashion its thoughts into forms that beings of this World can recognize. As more and more people have begun to communicate and even befriend the Birdmen, the true picture of their nature has emerged.

See Also

Lore

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Characters Deities | People | New Paragons | Organizations | Races | Classes | Disciplines | Minor
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