Birds of Paradise

Appearance:
When in their animal forms, Efferii of the Bird Kingdom have lighter bone structures than those of the Beast Kingdom; perhaps it is this trait that enables them to manage their beast form with more ease. Although some Birds of Paradise reach a man’s height when they stand on their two legs, most are much smaller than that.

When in their humanoid forms, the average Bird is slightly smaller than the average human, and all of them are of petit slender frames. Their most distinguishable trait is that sometimes bangs of hair weave themselves together at the points to form a silky feather. In addition, their hair sometimes faithfully adopts the colour of their Essence’s feathers.

Birds of Paradise possess a fragile beauty that is more artistic than the most brilliant painter. Their vibrant colours, whether it is their feathers when in bird form or their hair in humanoid form, are known to inspire the subtlest form of admiration. The range of their lustrous hues is unfathomable and their combination is perfection.

Abilities:
Besides smooth flying, incomparable beauty, and keen intelligence, Birds of Paradise do not posses any remarkable biological traits. Their claws are not nearly as sharp as those of the Birds of Prey, their bodies too light and frail to fight, and their eyesight, while surpassing that of human’s, is still no match for the Wings of Day. L’art pour l’art is the reason for being of the Birds of Paradise.

Diet:
Birds of Paradise are strictly vegetarian. Their diet consists of fruits and vegetables, but mostly fruits. They drink tea and countless herb infusions. Under no circumstances would you find them eating meat, since it is poison to their body.

Behavioural Traits:
Pacifists, selfless, and amiable, the Birds of Paradise are the most harmless and benevolent race of Nyxheim. They avoid conflict at all cost, even if it means having to submit to someone else’s will. For that reason it would be easy for an outsider to take advantage of them. Within their group however they do not engage in such malicious practices. Instead, they are very considerate of each other and speak with utter gentleness to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings. They believe conflicts can be resolved peacefully by talking them out, but if a solution cannot be reached, they prefer to endure any pain than to cause it to anyone else.

Habitat & Architecture:
Few of the floating mountains of Alagos survived. The Birds of Paradise inhabit several of these wonders that float over Evergreen called the Alassian Chain. Within them, they found the abandoned ruins of old civilizations of the Old World and restored them, Neferdrim. From these delipidated remains, they have sculpted a magnificent civilization thats beauty can not be rivaled by any other.

Industry:
Paintings, music, sculptures and poetry are the main products of the Birds of Paradise. Their whole society is aimed towards the production of beauty. Their works of art are greatly treasured by the Elves, many of who come study the liberal arts with this Efferii Tribe. For food they gather fruits and seeds from the abundance of Evergreen, yet also produce some of their own specialties like fruity liquors and breads. They trade their art with the Elves for other goods.

Social Structure:
Of the Efferii Tribes the Birds of Paradise are probably the most democratic. They conduct a general election with secretive votes to choose the most beautiful and majestic female and male amongst them. The winners become the Nefer Bleu (Queen) and the Nefer Rouge (King). The name literally means “Beautiful Blue” and “Beautiful Red”, because they do not wear a crown but a large and unbelievably beautiful diamond, blue and red respectively to symbolize their authority. They are expected to mate and form a family. Those who refuse must abdicate and the second runner up is chosen instead. They are supposed to settle disputes fairly (should the rare occasion arise) and serve as the leaders of the Tribe with all its implications. Nevertheless, their main responsibility is to organize festivities and keep the artistic life ever blooming. Birds of Paradise are a very active and involved community with many community leaders. Very important decisions are taken democratically after being discussed in large panel-like gatherings.

Family Life:
Given that the Birds of Paradise have a very sane society, children are privileged with a great amount of liberty. Both parents and teachers play an important role in their upbringing, since it is expected for the teachers to help raise the students as if they were their own children. For that reason all Birds of Paradise share a strong bond, and all members of a same generation consider each other siblings.

Education:
The most educated of all Efferii are the Birds of Paradise, who surpass by far the Birds of Prey in their art and book collections. All children are expected to go to school to learn at least two foreign languages, usually Elvish and Mannish, plus get a well round education of the liberal arts. Each must learn to play at least one instrument and take courses of drawing, painting, sculpting, acting, dancing, among others. The purpose is to help children find their talents and unleash their hidden potential for whatever field they excel or feel more passionate about. The Nefer Blue has a vast public library with books from all over the world that the Birds often use. It is considered to be one of the largest and most complete libraries of Nyxheim.

Culture & Arts:
The Birds of Paradise are carefree and jolly, having little concern with worldly affairs outside of their own activities. They celebrate countless festivities including plays, exhibitions, concerts, artistic competitions etc. As one can imagine, they are a society with a very rich culture. Their art is highly valued all over Nyxheim, yet very rare to see in the possession of any other than their own kin or Elves. Its rarity in the metropolises makes it even more craved and costly, and the rich boast for possessing even single composition whose origins can be traced to the Alassian Chain, a place that is imagined as a hidden paradise of brilliant minds.

History
When the first Bird of Paradise was presented as a gift to the royal dynasty of Malekith, the Solidors, there was a major cultural event. Dark Elves had been into slavery as long as they could remember, but never before had they encountered such a perfect slave. Not only were they stunningly beautiful and extremely well educated, but also submissive by nature. Malekith’s excitement however rapidly came to an end when their sister races, the Moon Elves and the Wood Elves demanded for the kidnapped and enslaved Birds of Paradise to be freed. They could not afford to add more enemies to their list since they already had a war against humans. Despite their diplomatic efforts aimed to at least keep some of the perfect slaves, in the end they reluctantly agreed to free them all. Yet something happened then that no single elf expected… Nearly half of the enslaved Birds of Paradise had actually come to love their new home, even if they had stayed there only for several months. Almost all the Birds that were treated well in the Dark Elf households decided to stay and continue to serve their new Masters; this earned the Birds of Paradise the prestige of being considered the highest luxury amongst the Dark Elf nobility, and laws were passed on how to treat such a valuable treasure properly. On the other hand, all Dark Elves who had abused their new slaves were abandoned, much to their dismay and regret. After that dispute, the Birds of Paradise Tribe became a protectorate of the Wood and Moon Elves.

-- Royal Seal 03:09, July 18, 2013 (UTC)