A Comprehensive Look at Avariels

By Arravis

Appearance:
The most striking feature of the averiels is their soft, feathered wings. These wings
have spans of anywhere from twelve to sixteen feet and are usually white, but may
also be gray, brown, black, or speckled. Avariels take great pride in their wings and
spend long hours grooming them. Their skin is pale, often porcelain white, with tinges
of blue or faint silver. They have a silver-white or black hair, with other shades being
rare but not unheard of. The avariel's eyes are rather large and more expressive than
those of other elves are, and they tend to be brilliant shades of blue or green. A few
avariel have scintillating violet eyes as pure as amethysts. Avariels stand 5'9 tall on
average, with thin, graceful limbs and angular facial features.
The avariel are not merely "elves with wings"; their entire body has been developed
to accommodate flight. Their torso is typically larger and stronger than that of their
elvish brethren, designed as it is to bear wings. Furthermore, their skeletal structure,
composed of light and hollow bones, helps reduce the burden of their weight while
aloft. When in the air, they tend to be quite fast, mobile, and agile, due not to their
lighter weight and to their graceful flight. On the ground however, they are almost
burdened by their wings, sometimes appearing clumsy.
The avariel are possessed of an almost ethereal beauty. They are delicate, their
movements quick, calculated, and graceful. By most, they are considered the most
beautiful and striking of the elven races.

Personality:
Avariels are free spirits who would like nothing better than to simply soar on the
currents high above the ground, taking in the views Faerun has to offer. They posses
an irrepressible zest for life. Even in the darkest, most desperate situation, an avariel
remains cheerful. Unfortunately, while friendly to those they consider their equals,
avariels also tend to be condescending and even downright rude to landbound races.
The avariels are usually unaware of this; it's just their natural reaction to treat
landbound races as lesser creatures. Given time and enough exposure to other
cultures, avariels can overcome their natural bias. At heart they are contemplative
and philosophical, religion playing an important role in their daily lives. Even those
who spend their lives studying the martial path often set aside these pursuits in order
to return to a holier calling. Lastly, avariel are notoriously claustrophobic; confined
places, particularly subterranean ones, are decidedly painful to them.

History:

During the Time of Dragons (Unknown to 24,000 DR), Toril, is dominated by

dragons far more powerful than those on Faern today. Isolated pockets of territory
fall under giant control, and these grow toward the end of this age. This is when the
Aril-tel-quessir (avariel), along with the Sy-tel-quessir (green elves), and the Ly-telquessir (lythari), first came to Aber Toril as immigrants from the realm of Faerie,
passing through the fey crossroads and backroads.
Upon first migrating to Faerun, they found the world to be a vast, beautiful place.
Unfortunately, vicious dragons ruled the skies. The newly arrived avariels were nearly
wiped out by the dragons before the First Flowering. In their tenacity they were able
to establish a foothold though. Of these, the largest was the temple-city of Aerie,
located in the Star Mountains at the heart of the High Forest. By the time the second
wave of elven immigrants, the terrible wars with the dragons had driven them to near
extinction.
The martial strength and magical prowess of the peoples in this second wave
brought the Time of Dragons to a close. All that's left now of this time are legendary
epics and songs of elves overthrowing and slaying dragon and giant overlords, and
carving nations for themselves.
During the First Flowering (-24000 to 12000 DR) the elves colonized the islands of
Evermeet and parts of the future Moonshaes, taking the first steps towards what
would someday be known as elven high magic. This powerful arcane knowledge
allowed the elves to contest with and finally drive back the dragons for the first time in
history. During these centuries, the elves held back the orc hordes, the dragons, and
the giants, slaughtering them all and allowing the other races the chance to survive
and thrive in safety. The only major loss to the elves at this time was their winged
brethren, the aril-tel-quessir.
After all the avariel had gone through, only one major flock and a handful of smaller
flights remained. The Convocation of Eagles flew east, seeking a new home. As the
Convocation traveled through foreign and exotic lands they found their skills were
greatly desired by those they met. It was not long before they found a surprising new
home. An expansive human tribe formed an alliance with the avariels. The human
barbarians provided land and peace within their own territory and in return the
avariels would provide some of their number to act as scouts and messengers.
Under this treaty both people prospered and the avariel began to grow in number.
After many human generations, the barbarian lord Imruk of the city-state of Erlacor
(now in ruins) sought to overthrow the barbarian-king of the land. The barbarian-king
had turned to demon worship and Imruk intended to put a halt to this. The movement
to oust the barbarian-king became nigh unstoppable when Raaman (meaning
blessed wing in elven), the leader of the Convocation of Eagles, proclaimed that that
because the barbarian-king had sacrificed several winged folk to the demons, the
avariel warriors would gather and aid Imruk's effort.
With command of the air provided by the avariels, lmruk was able to crush the
barbarian king's armies. The last battle of the uprising was fought on the plain to the
north of the barbarian-king's capital. The winged folk holy-men called upon Aerdrie
Faenya for aid, and their prayers were rewarded when the High King's demons were

destroyed by her wrath. Seeing his demons and his army being destroyed, the
barbarian-king called down a curse upon the avariel 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 barbarian-king fell dead with scores of arrows in his
body as Imruk's warriors burst through the 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
Raaman to bring the winged folk army to Imruk's encampment the following day so
he could give the avariel warriors great rewards for their part in winning the battle.
The following day the avariel warriors 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. Raaman 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 barbarian-king's
curse had prophesied. The winged folk lost half of their population in the ambush,
even though many of Imruk's men were also slain. Most of the females and all of the
children did not go to Imruk's camp and thus were spared. Before he died, Raaman
charged his successor with the responsibility of removing the winged folk from their
relationships with other human and demi-human beings. Raaman's successor
followed this order, secreted the remaining avariel, and thus the winged folk began
yet another long and slow recovery.
The Convocation of Eagles journeyed for many years, concealing their wings lest
they attract too much attention. They took to the skies only when they had to, hiding
on the ground like vermin and living terrible, dirty lives as nomads and scavengers.
What exactly happened during the intervening millennia is unknown.
One thing that is worthy of note is that in 1531 DR a plague originated in Bandor
Village on the eastern slopes of the Barren Mountains (Nether Mountains). This
plague caused the death of all life in the village and swept east to Vandal Station,
where it claimed 4,000 more lives before ceasing its deadly march. It is rumored that
the plague was caused by contact with the winged humanoid race. Additionally, in
933 DR there were rumors of winged humans flying about the summits of the Barren
Mountains (Nether Mountains). While a few expeditions were mounted to contact this
new race, none were successful.
In their own myth's, the avariel claim that Aerdrie Faenya took her people to her
realm in Arvandor. There they slumbered until Toril was safe enough for them to
return. Regardless of the truth, they traveled as nomads, from one temporary home
to another. They finally came to a land far from any which might harm or betray them,
a land they could soar without fear. It was a cold and brutal land, but their magics
were able to adapt them well to this environment. Therein they found majestic Mount
Sundabar, the last dwarfhold of the kingdom of Dareth (established in 2600 DR by
Orloebar Snowbeard).
The dwarves of the Ice Kingdom of Dareth had been warring with seemingly
endless flights of white dragons and their bestial servants. With the help of the
dwarves of Delzoun, they fled from the mountains of Dareth (now known as the

Peaks of Cold Death), to a lone mountain that stood apart from the rest. They named
it Mount Sundabar in honor of a city in the Northkingdom that they'd left behind.
There they founded a new citadel (circa 1000 DR), electing as King one Embryn
Shattered-shield, who left his clan to take the name of Dareth. The white dragons
soon attacked Mount Sundabar, employing magical items of great force and
unknown, elder origin. In the end, the Mountain was shattered, the dwarven hold laid
waste. The dwarves fought on, however, slaying dragons whenever they could reach
them. They became skulking attackers who swarmed all over the Mountains of
Dareth, until no dragon was safe in its lair, and the bones of both dwarves and
dragons littered the mountain range. In the end, the dwarves and dragons destroyed
each other, in a final confrontation on the broad mountaintop now known as Heroes'
Height. This opened the way for humans to hunt and cut lumber in the rich lands that
became Armridge and Sossal. The caverns of Dareth were explored and plundered
of all valuables left by the dwarves, but recurring monster attacks made the mines
too dangerous to work. And so they remain today, home to dangerous creatures that
feed on the occasional humans or dwarves desperate or reckless enough to try
mining the riches of lost Dareth again. Dareth's borders lay within the mountain range
named for it, plus Mount Sundabar, Heroes' Height, and the high valleys between.
The Sign of the Realm, almost unknown today, was a row of three peaks with a stone
hammer, head to the right, horizontal above them.
Atop the demolished flat-peak, a small group of white dragons of Hoarfaern and a
few of their beastial servants dwelled, most of their numbers having returned to their
own lairs within the dwarf-carved halls of the Mountains of Dareth. These dragons
were driven out and the Convocation claimed the mountain as their own, naming it
the Aerie of the Snow Eagles.
Soon the wyrms returned, wishing the mountain back and renewed their ancient war
with the avariels. Only in the last millennia has this war subsided. Whether it's due to
losses on the dragon's side or simply lack of interest, it's unknown. The only other
remaining threats in the area were the Sossarim to the north and the Ulutiuns to the
west. Thankfully, neither sought out the avariels, both seemingly as cautious as the
winged folk themselves. This suited everyone well and over the years they have
come to a mutual, if cautious, understanding.
The past five hundred years have pest in peace and prosperity for the Aerie of the
Snow Eagles and many have renewed hopes for their future as a people. It is with
this renewed hope that recently contact was re-established with their elven kin and
officials from Evermeet.

Culture:
Avariels came dangerously close to extinction long ago, and it has taken thousands
of years to recover to the point where they don't have to worry about the fate of their
race. Only recently have they begun to expand back into the world, sending
explorers, diplomats, and merchants south into Faerun proper.

The avariels have a unique model for their societies, separating into two groups
when they congregate in large numbers: a warrior society of fighters and soldiers,
and a peaceful society of thinkers and religious scholars. These two subcultures, as
diametrically opposed as their separate philosophies may be, work together to forge
a powerful symbiotic relationship.
Warlike avariels have a complex code of honor that they use to guide and temper
their militaristic activities and training. These avariels spend their lives defending their
kin. Their lives are geared towards war and power, and they answer to their war
chiefs, who share responsibility for ruling the society with the religious leaders of the
peaceful avariels. The martial avariels are proud and hearty, and they form eternal
friendships with those who earn their respect and trust.
The peaceful avariels, unlike their warlike kin, focus mainly on arts and the
intellectual aspects of life. When faced with conflict, a peaceful avariel relies on her
brains and diplomatic abilities, and often on her magic power. Peaceful avariels are
artists, philosophers, and researchers who spend their lives studying the world and
its history and creating works of art simply for the sheer joy of creation. The peaceful
avariels are also responsible for providing their society with food, entertainment and
education. Many peaceful avariels are also very religious and spend much of their
time contemplating the ways of Aerdrie Faenya.
Despite their divergent personalities, these two subcultures interact surprisingly well.
Young avariels typically spend time immersed in each subculture, learning from both
warriors and priests. These exchanges, which often last for a decade or longer, allow
avariels raised in one subculture to learn how the other subculture lives. This results
in a close-knit system that allows the two groups to work together very effectively. For
example, peaceful avariels will closely study migration patterns of the fauna in the
area and tell the warrior-hunters where to hunt, etc.

Ethics:
In combat, warlike avariels have little pity or remorse about cutting down their
enemies. The concept of surrender is highly dishonorable to these avariels, both for
themselves and for their enemies. Once lethal combat begins, few avariels break off
until they or their enemies are dead. Drawing blood from an enemy is nothing less
than a promise to honor the enemy with one's skill in combat and not humiliate him
by leaving him alive to dwell on an embarrassing defeat. The act of slaying an enemy
is viewed simply as delivering on that promise.
The warrior code supports the use of ranged weapons, which allows them to cut
down an enemy from an unassailable distance in the skies above. Those who cannot
defend themselves against an attack from the skies should know better than to make
an enemy of a clearly superior foe.

Religion:

Avariels acknowledge the Seldarine as a whole and pay lip service to most of the
elven deities, but they hold a special reverence for a single member of that pantheon,
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 of 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 were to have any hope of survival. Avariels also believe
that she takes more of a direct hand in their lives then do the gods of the other elves.
Avariels often attribute Aerdrie Faenya's intervention events that most other races
would view as simply fortuitous coincidences.
The Dance of the Swirling Winds is a semiannual festival held on the vernal and
autumnal equinoxes to celebrate the changing seasons and to honor the Winged
Mother. The winds are always strong on such days, no matter where Aerdrie's
followers gather. Celebrants make offerings of beautiful feathers and join in an aerial
ballet danced to the music of wind instruments played by some of the participants.

Leadership:
Winged Father Aquilan Greatspan loosely governs the Avariel community on Mount
Sundabar. Aquilan has led the last remaining major enclave of winged elves in
Faerun for nearly five centuries, and his wise leadership has seen the avariel survive,
if not exactly prosper, amidst the dwarven ruins.

Roles:
Winged elves combine a tradition of vigilance and skill at arms with a joyous
reverence for the sheer peaks and open skies of their homeland. Many become
fighters, rangers or clerics. Avariels lean towards divine rather than the arcane, but a
small number take up the study of wizardry and excel at it.
Members of the peaceful subculture are masters of divine and arcane magic. Unlike
most other races though, the avariels have only recently (in elven terms) become reestablished on Faerun. For most of their history, the avariels simply haven't had the
luxury of experimenting and toying with magic; they were too focused on simply
surviving. Avariels favor conjurations and transmutation magic for their versatility, and
the miniature jungle world within the Aerie of the Snow Eagles is the culmination of
their most potent conjurations and transtmuations. Avariels have also been focusing
more on divinations spells of late, as they seek out their lost, and well-hidden,
brethren.

Bladesingers: Some avariels practice the art of the bladesong and use it to protect
their communities. Like other kinds of elves, winged elves greatly respect the skill
needed to become a bladesinger.
Faithful of Aerdrie Faenya: The novice priests of Aerdrie Faenya are known as the
Tethered. Winged Brothers or Sisters are full priests of Aerdrie Faenya. Within the
order, Aerdrian priests have many titles, including Aquiline Hunter, Cloud Walker,
Feathered Dancer, Halycon, Rain Bringer, Rising Thermal, Silent Screech, Sky Diver,
Soaring Spirit, and Wind Chaser. Ceremonial garb for priests consists of sky-blue
robes, with those of highest rank wearing the darkest shades. Feathers are used in
decorating their clothing and armor, and at least one feather is worn in the hair. The
holy symbol of their faith is a feather of great beauty, willingly given after molting by a
sentient avian that venerates the winged mother. A new feather must be found at
least once per year.
Skywardens: These avariels are self-appointed protectors of the skies, the
mountaintops, and anywhere that the avariel might travel. They are also known to
help wingless ones who are lost or injured while in their domains. The Skywardens
are individualists, who feel compelled to live apart from their own people in order to
protect their natural environment. Skywardens can never willingly allow anyone to
suffer in their domain, provided they are aware of it. They minister to wounded
animals as well as humans and humanoid visitors to their lands. While Skywardens
may live for a while in the Aerie, they prefer isolated homes in the heart of their
protected domains.
Talons: These elite warriors, trained in the defense of Aerie of the Snow Eagle. They
are marked by their uniform appearance, wearing distinctive leather harnesses from
which hang a number of weapons and at the center of which is a crest indicating rank
and unit. They represent the ideal Avariel warrior, specialists in the military arts.
Membership in the Talons is a common goal for many young warriors, but only the
best are accepted as full members, rather than just employees. Their education is
arduous, involving years of combat instruction and character-building exercises as
the young Talons-in-training are forged into professional warriors. Talons are
members of a guild that operated very much like a military force, and they are forced
to obey the chain of command as well as a strict code of conduct. They can be rather
difficult to work with, automatically expecting every group to function like a well-oiled
fighting machine, which is simply not always the case.

Sustenance:
The avariels take flight across the frigid skies of the cold lands for many of their
needs. They fish in the freezing waters of Sossar Bay and the Great Ice Sea and
hunt across the icy reaches of the Great Glacier.

Items:

They prefer to wear loose fitting diaphanous clothing that catches the wind in flight
and ripples and weaves in the air. Armor is almost never worn, because it tends to
weigh them down and hinder their graceful motions. Togas and other light,
wraparound garments are preferred. They use no armor except for rare magical
devices, relying on dexterity and ranged attacks to escape harm. Their weapons are
traditionally made from glassteel or obsidian.
The avariels have taken the craft of glassblowing and elevated it to an art form.
When most races turn to metal, wood, or stone to craft gear, the avariels have turned
to the fragile and delicate medium of glass (part of this is simply out of a lack of
resources in the area and the brittleness of metal in the extreme cold). In a way, their
affinity for glass as medium reflects their very nature, for the avariels themselves are
fragile and beautiful people.
While much avariel glass is delicate and decorative, the winged elves have also
mastered glassteel, a form of glass as strong as metal. Many avariel outposts are
made of glassteel, as are some armor, weapons, and tools. Warlike avariels often
prefer to use ranged weapons, and they aren't above using wings to gain an
advantage over landbound enemies.
Some unique items to avariels are eagle-claws and wing swords. An eagle-claw is a
leather glove with a series of blades extending past the knuckle (same as a spiked
gauntlet). A wing sword is, between the lengths of a short sword and a long sword, is
a primary weapon for many winged Elves, because long swords are inherently
dangerous to their wings (same as long sword, not different enough to warrant new
stats).

Other Avariels:
Small, scattered bands of avariels still exist in the heartlands of Faerun, but these
groups rarely number more than a dozen and usually avoid civilized areas.

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 driven from the Star Mounts, their interactions with these birdmen dropped off
significantly. They get along well with air genasi as well, although they are often
frustrated with the genasi's ambivalence and disinterest in good and evil.
The avariels have long had a close bond with the giant eagles of Faerun, and they
settle in the same areas. Giant eagles are intelligent creatures and are considered
allies, not pets.

Most avariels keep birds as companions or pets, though they are never caged, and
can come and go as they please. Cages don't sit well with avariels. Avariels
sometimes employ arrowhawks, griffons, and hippogriffs as guards for their aries.
They adore rocs and think of them as magnificent beasts touched by Aerdrie Faenya.
Rocs are admired from afar, however, as such massive creatures don't easily fit
within avariel aeries.
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). For most of their time at the Aerie of the Snow eagle, the avariel
would sometimes meet small groups of Sossarim and Ulutiuns to trade goods and
information. Recently, the avariels have begun to 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 Eagle have recently sent diplomats to
neighboring kingdoms (Narfell, Rashemen, Damara, and the Great Dale in particular)
and have been doing their best to treat the ground races as equals.

Enemies:
The avariels are still hunted to this day by evil dragons, which 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 averiels and the
Aerie of the Snow Eagles.

Geography:
Towering immensely above the plains of Sossal to the north and the Great Glacier to
the south is Mount Sundabar. The mountain rises like a monolith into the very
heavens its peak forever lost in snowy clouds. If one were to rise above the clouds,
the top of the mountain itself glistens like an enormous jewel in the bright sunlight. Its
apex having been replaced by an enormous crystalline peak, and directly below that
rings the Avariel community of the Aerie of the Snow Eagles.
Delicate glassteel spires and a honeycomb of open caves serve the avariels within.
At the peak itself is the Temple of Aerdrie, which resembles an inverted glassteel
cone built to replace the sheered off mountaintop of mount Sudnabar. The crystalline
temple is nearly 3,000 feet in diameter at its base and 3,000 feet high at its peak. The
structure is filled with small open-mouthed caves that connect to the tunnels within
the mountain. This allows access to Aerdrie's glass enclosed chapels from within the
Aerie itself. The caves bring a constant wind to whistle through the temple and glass
chimes echo throughout, as endless zephyrs dance and tiny rain showers erupt out
of thin air.

The floor of the temple is overgrown with tropical plants, many long extinct in other
areas, nurtured by the brilliant sunshine and regular rainfall to create a jungle
paradise. Rare birds from the reaches of Toril gambol and caw while young winged
elves test out their wings overhead. Conjurations and transmutation magics are often
used in this jungle paradise to bring in rare and wonderful species within.