E'duni

If one were to look at the skeleton of an E'duni, the skeleton is essentially identical to one of a human. There are two exceptions: the addition of two extra limbs in the form of wing-appendages that connect to the skeleton, between the shoulderblades and connected firmly to the spine. These wings are comprised of a humerus, ulna, radius, metacarpals, and phalanges each. They are nearly identical to the wings of a bird, only scaled up.   The other exception is that the bones of an E'duni are hollow, also like a bird's.   There are five different wing shapes that can be sported by an individual of this race, though due to their shapeshifting capabilities, they can choose to change the shape of their wings if needed. These shapes are: active soaring wings, passive soaring wings, elliptical wings, high-speed wings, and hovering wings (though this last one is a rare choice since it costs a lot of energy to maintain flight with them).   The E'duni could be considered a six-limbed species if you count their wings.  

Despite looking almost exactly like humans, E'duni are more peckish and their diets are comprised of smaller, lighter, yet more frequent meals. With a frequency of meals that could rival a hobbit's, each meal is packed with protein and calories while being no bigger than a handful in size.  

The faces of E'duni men, women, and children are quite distinctive, with sharp features like sharp noses, high and sharp cheekbones, and keen eyes that seem as sharp as knives.  

E'duni average intelligence does not waver from what is considered "average" for humans. On the contrary, they are considered more intelligent in some things than humans are, such as tactics, scouting, and understanding the wind and how it influences the weather.  

• Sharp vision: Vision with the strength of a hawk's, able to see things from far away. This vision never lessens with age and it is rare for individuals to be born with some sort of blindness or faulty vision. This also allows them to see more colours than the average human.
• Sharp hearing: With hearing twice the strength of a normal humans, it comes in handy when in flight or to keep an ear out for danger or a friendly voice.

 

Both genders are considered as equally as strong, and equally as fragile due to their hollow bones.   Males are naturally stronger than females, something that was inherited from their human ancestors. Yet the females are fierce in their own way, protectors of hearth, home, children, and all whom they care about. Both genders are trained on how to wield a weapon of their choice and both male and female E'duni are amongst the finest and sharpest archers in Aegéfaer.   Male E'duni are seen as the protectors of the E'duni as a whole, and often fill in the roles of guards, soldiers, builders, and any other job that is more suited for their more muscular build. This doesn't stop them from engaging in a hobby or two when time permits.   Female E'duni take on roles that are considered more domestic when mentioned to humans. They cook and clean and care for the children, but their strength also lies in politics and many a female E'duni can be found working in the E'duni government.   It may seem that gender roles seem extremely black and white in E'duni society, but that same society puts heavy emphasis on the strength of the body, strength of the mind, and strength of their place in society. It is not strange to see a male artisan, a female politician, a father caring for his children, or a woman working a forge.

Epoch of Understanding

It is unclear which exact year the first E'duni appeared. According to the E'duni's down records in the library of Aevamatar, the capital of the E'duni's shattered kingdom, the first of their kind were born as normal humans. Then, one day, a horrible - yet locally-contained calamity - occured. Through great trial, 12 allies banded together and fought to contain the calamity. They cried out the Creator for help when they began to realize that they might be overwhelmed before they could accomplish their goal, and the Creator answered.   In order to help them reach the end and defeat the threat, the Creator transformed them all into the first E'duni, gifting them with the power of flight and the ability to change their shape into any animal they needed in order to achieve their goal. And achieve it they did. The calamity was defeated.   Afterwards, when they returned home, they were regarded with suspicion and mistrust. As thanks for the fact that they risked their lives and nearly died in the process, their people shunned them and they were forced to leave.   Though angry, they struck out into the wilderness and decided to make a home of their own. They formed a little tribe and as time passed they paired off and started their own families. And the tribe grew.   Around 100 years later, the tribe had grown to the point that they decided to consider themselves a small kingdom or city-state instead. They built their new home, an impressive city up on the top of a mountain that could only be accessed with those who had the ability to fly.  

Epoch of Snow

When the impact event at the end of the Epoch of War ended the Battle of Unspoken Grief and the epoch occured, the E'duni witnessed it all from the top of their mountain. They scrambled for cover in unnamed caves, but only a fraction was able to find somewhere to hide before the killer shockwave crashed into their city and shattered it, killing any who were still within it. The survivors managed to eek out some sort of living in these caves until the epoch and the never-ending snowstorm came to an end.  

Epoch of Recovery

Once snow had melted enough, the E'duni survivors crawled out of the caves a weak and feeble people that had almost forgotten how to fly. It took them longer than they had hoped in order to get back on their feet and restart their kingdom. Thankfully, with rigourous training, they regained strength in their wings.   Chosing a new place for their new home, they built it halway up a different mountain and named it New Aevamatar, and chose never to look at the ruins of its predecessor. Because of that, many ghost stories, rumours, and legends popped up amongst their people. No one dared to go against the word of their leaders in case the stories turned out to be true.