Birds

"'So you want to know about the birds? Well... It's going to cost you.'" A Species of traveling merchants and mercenaries and pirates; Birds will do just about anything if the price is right. This species was originally popped up in Event 4 [The Black Market ] as mysterious strangers in cloaks. They were confirmed to be Birds in Event 5 [The Raid ] during each raid -- characters were confronted by the cloaked figures each time they killed a monster. At the final raid, the Birds made themselves known for who they truly were.

General Overview
Avian society still has Houses, of course -- that societal cornerstone existed long before the 'open warfare' of the capital. However, owing to the scattered and spread-out nature of a species that is in a constant state of flight, Avian Houses tend to be small and comprised of only blood relations without the fuss of any integrated non-related lines.

Avian Houses are typically registered to the nearest bird settlement (ie; Cloud Nine). While all Houses should have an Alpha regardless of current size, a Senator isn't necessarily required. While having a Senator can be useful for having a vote in shaping how Bird society functions, some Houses can't be bothered with political aspirations.

Houseless individuals -- ie; lone fliers, roamers, etc -- are also far more accepted than in the Capital. It's not uncommon for a fresh-faced juvenile or an adult with a hunger for new scenery to decide to leave the settlements. In fact, it happens so often that such individuals are frequently offered employment for this characteristic. [This is a Bird Only Classification; Scouts.]

Birds have a passion for information and will go through great lengths to gather as much information as possible. Birds are well acquainted with lore, maps and the understanding of creatures in the surrounding terrain. They also have obtained contacts that are not available to the Capital -- which makes them prime candidates for running the Black Market. This species is able to obtain goods that are not normally available to the city. "Almost anything can be bought. And knowledge? Knowledge is power."The birds no longer trust the Cats and Dogs with power anymore. Not after the last time they were trusted to do ''anything. ''Birds are now covetous of the information that they have obtained, especially after they had lost so much of it when the war had started.

(It would seem that the Cats and Dogs will have to rediscover the secrets of the world all on their own.)

Cultural Additions
Many social behaviors of Canine/Feline persuasion are still true in Avian Society. It's never a good idea to bare ones teeth and one can anticipate similar people to flock together -- etc, etc, etc. However, there are some notable additions.

Wings --
Wings are a big deal in Bird society, as one might have expected. Grooming ones wings can be considered a familial duty. (Or less often, can be done between close friends.) One of the few negative stereotypes about lone fliers is that their wings tend to be filthy due to the inherent difficult in self-preening. Many also use scented oils instead of perfumes if they are so inclined.

Cloaks --
The ubiquitous cloaks are there for more than keeping themselves mysterious -- though that is a factor as they run the Black Market -- they are enhanced with sigilmancy. There are several different benefits to having an enhanced cloak as a species that frequently spends their time in the sky. The fabric is warded against unfortunate lightning strikes or other weather occurrences that could prove to be problematic. The sigils also assist in triggering complex sigilmancy systems that are seen in Bird Locations.

Settlements --
Birds have at least one settlement -- Cloud Nine -- that is known by the capital. While there may be other settlements throughout the world, it is clear that the species don't always live in these settlements. Prone to wanderlust, many Houses (and individuals) have nomadic lifestyles for the majority of their lives. Anyone can return to the Avian encampments when they feel the need to touch base with their species -- of if they've discovered anything of particular interest.

Airships --
While some birds have the ability to glide for extremely long trips, it's not uncommon for travelers to take refuge on airships. There are smaller vessels as well as large ships that are made lighter than air with usage of sigilmancy. This is typically how stock for the Black Market is moved across large portions of terrain. It's unclear where the discovery of this sort of sigilmancy has originated from, but it has only been utilized by this species.

Military --
Since a majority of the species is theoretically peaceful, there's little need for a large militia as is seen in the capital. Instead, Birds enlist on Airships at will if they desire to see what's beyond their settlements with the promise of a safe voyage and steady employment. This sort of military is comparable to the Navy, where members of the ship must report to the Commander (5 Star) running the vessel. Tasks are dictated to keep the ship running smoothly as they voyage across the world in search of information and goods.

Scouts --
This a special classification that is only available to Birds. This classification is for exploring the surrounding world and plotting maps. [A scout may use the Explore Feature twice a day, as opposed to the once a day rule that all other classes must follow.] Scouts rarely are interested in fighting and are especially interested in exploring the surrounding landscape.

Scouts have special base stats that must be used as follows;

Abductions --
Objects aren't the only items that have disappeared due to the arrival of birds over the capital. People have gone missing too. Be it for interrogations or to help defecting citizens escape the Capital, Birds have been known to take people from the city as well.

Interrogations are never remembered when citizens are finally returned to the Capital. Birds have their own form of Re-Education which results in the erasure of memories. Once a citizen's memory has been wiped of any memories involving Avians, they will be deposited on the outskirts of the Capital to find their way back to the city. Prisoners are rarely kept longer than a week as that is ample time to take any information that is worth taking.

Truces --
Birds have since entered a truce with the Dogs after the occurrences in Event 9.2: Life After Death. While the Capital were experiencing an intense invasion, the Birds slipped into the Cat territory to take back the two pigeons that had been captured in Event 8.2: A Quiet Night. There had been a tense moment where the dogs on location debated what to do with the Commanders that were breaking out their fellow Birds. In the end, a Commander was taken in their stead to negotiate with the Dogs in their Territory.

An agreement was reached.

In exchange for the Birds being allowed freedom around the Capital; they would do their part to help the Dogs finish the war. If the opportunity presents itself, a Bird is expected to capture a Cat to turn over to the Dogs. This gives the additional bonus of a 10% Discount on all Black Market items for the Dogs.

Not all Birds support this truce as they have been staying out of the Capital's reach for long enough, however this agreement is known throughout the local Bird culture. Being a naturally peaceful species, a majority of people refuse to turn Cats over to the dogs, but they have agreed to maintain the peace with the dogs thus far.

Monsters--
As for the monsters, the birds know which ones are friends or foe. While this isn't information that they would normally share freely to the capital, it's safe to assume that any bird knows more about the wildlife than a Capital denizen may know.

Bird Application
While all of the information above is useful to know when creating a bird's history, there are still exact requirements that need to be met when applying as a bird. Firstly, a Bird or a Scout must be bought through the Black Market. Once your purchase has been confirmed, a moderator will supply you with the base Bird application image. Then, keep the following requirements in mind;
 * Birds have a passive +1 in the DEX category.
 * The Scout Class is the only Bird class that does not require a pre-class, nor is there an 'advanced version of this class.
 * Each of the Avian 5 Stars possess an airship that is currently making laps around the Capital airspace. These are any Playable Bird's barracks. It is unwise to bring any non-avian to your airship.
 * Any Playable Bird may have fond memories of Cloud Nine or another settlement, it's still not recommended to make frequent trips back home. The Playable Birds have been hired for the voyage, so keep personal trips to a minimum.
 * Hybrids are basic knowledge to the Birds and are a fact of life. However, Birds have been put under strict orders to keep the information suppressed when dealing with citizens of the Capital. Anyone that reveals this knowledge will be punished severely.
 * Moderators are extremely strict in making sure that applications fit the lore of the group. If your application is not up to par with the story of the group, you will face a long and tedious editing process.

Here is a small chart to help you better understand the classes that you may use when applying as a bird.