Owlin

"You look for the sun to tell you when to wake. We look for the void. My grandmother told me that once, the sky was full of singing lights. Now, there is only the dark. Do not fear the dark, little one. The dark is just a blanket, and we are the ones who tuck the world in."

— Stellan, Night-Archivist of the High Spire

Origins: The Star-Bloom

• The Fallen Star: They believe they are not of this world. The legend says that eons ago, a specific star in the night sky fell, descending gently like a seed. Upon touching the peaks of Mornvahl, it "bloomed," and the petals became the first Owlin.
  

 
• The Missing Light: That star is gone now. Owlin astronomers spend their lives charting the night sky beyond the ocean glare, looking for the "gap" in the cosmos where they belong.
  

 
• The Symbiosis (The Shift Change): Because they are rare and unsuited for the heavy atmosphere of the lowlands, they co-habit with the Aaracockra. It is a perfect arrangement: The Aarakocra rule the Day, bustling and loud. As the sun sets, the "Shift Change" occurs. The Aarakocra sleep, and the Owlin wake to guard the spires, hunt the nocturnal threats, and study the stars in silence.

Cultural Values: The Silent Vigil

• The Silence: Owlin flight is scientifically silent. Their culture mirrors this. Loud noises are seen as rude and painful. They communicate in soft hoots, sign language, and subtle shifts of their plumage. To shout in an Owlin library is a crime.
  

 
• The Night Watch: They take their role as protectors seriously. While the world sleeps, the Owlin are the reason it wakes up safe. They hunt the monsters that only come out in the dark. They are the "Unseen Shield."
  

 
• Scholarship of the Void: They are the premier astronomers and philosophers of Cruinlagh. While others look at the ground for resources, Owlin look up. They map the movements of the moons and tides, preserving knowledge that other short-lived races forget.