Avanai

The Avanai are a race of anthropomorphic birds, a rare but proud people, who sought refuge in Eden after their own home plane was devastated during the original wars against Uru and her demonic hordes.

Avanai appear as bipedal humanoids with a fundamentally human-like frame. Their faces are avian, with a beak instead of a nose and mouth, but this beak is softer and more malleable than an actual bird's beak, giving them a greater range of expressiveness and dexterity, although not so much that they are capable of some feats only mouths and muzzles can perform. Large, powerful wings grow from their shoulders, making Avanai capable of flight, and their bodies are covered in soft, often brilliantly colored feathers, complete with feathery tails above the buttocks. Their hands and feet are covered in scales, with fingers and toes tipped with small, sharp claws. Avanai are possessed of hollow bones, which although makes them light and better able to fly, also makes them more susceptible to crushing trauma.

Avanai females sport breasts like mammals, and are ovoviviparous; their eggs, which have soft shells, are retained internally throughout the pregnancy, only hardening towards the end of the gestation in order to provide some protection to the chick as it passes through the birth canal. The eggs hatch within minutes of being laid, and the hatchlings nurse from their mothers like mammals do. Mothers may grow too heavy to fly in the later stages of pregnancy, especially where multiple births are involved.

A tiny minority of Avanai sport a mystical capacity with their voice, which allows them to exert control over the minds of others through practiced use of vocal tones. This is a sacred ability that owes its origins to their homeland and their lost patron spirit.