Skywings of the Maelstrom
The Avariel, known across Aethertide as the Skywings of the Maelstrom, are a rare and reclusive race of winged elves descended from storm spirits and skybound ancestors. With feathers of storm-grey to snow-white and lightning-streaked hair, they are living echoes of the sky itself.
They are arbiters, messengers, and wind-dancers—born not to rule the world below, but to watch over it from the clouds.
Appearance
Tall and slender, with hollow bones and graceful musculature
Wingspan ranges from 10 to 14 feet, feathers humming faintly with elemental charge
Eyes reflect clouded skies or clear dawns, and glow faintly when invoking air magic
Their voices carry tones like wind through chimes or thunder in the distance
Culture & Society
The Avariel dwell on sky-isles tethered to stormclouds by living lightning chains:
@The Maelstrom Aeries – Their drifting homeland, hidden in storm-wreathed heights
@Highwind Spire – The central meeting place of their Sky Council
They value honor, clarity, and flight above all. Justice is delivered through aerial duels, disputes settled in ritual wind-dances known as Featherduels.
Their society blends martial tradition with poetry, reverence for storm-spirits, and the sacred practice of wind memory, where stories are sung into the sky.
Role in Aethertide
The Avariel are:
Neutral arbiters in conflicts, respected by factions like the @The Coral Regency and @The Tideblessed Covenant
Messengers between planes, often carrying warnings or visions
Skyward sentinels, guarding against storm-elemental threats and sky-serpent incursions
They rarely intervene unless the balance between sky and sea is truly threatened.
Regions & Influence
Aside from their aerial realm, Avariel occasionally appear in:
@Tidewatch City , delivering visions or neutral declarations
@Skydagger Reach , competing in public Featherduels
@Stormglass Monastery , communing with the wind-gods in silence
Wherever they appear, silence often falls.
Unique Aspects
Wind Memory – Avariel oral history is encoded in melody and released into high altitudes, retrievable only by fellow Skywings
Skybonded Feathers – Each feather plucked or gifted holds oath-bound magical significance
Stormcall Heritage – Many Avariel are born with latent storm-affinity, able to call gusts, spark lightning, or ride wind currents from youth
"We are not above the sea—we are what it breathes when it looks to the sky."
The Avariel do not dominate the world below—they preserve what would otherwise be lost to silence. They are the storm’s memory given wing.