Caanan

Basic Information

• The AVES.

  Aves: Plural, Avis: Singular
  
  Their at times ethereal appearances often mislead outsiders into believing that the Aves as a whole are a naive, easily overpowered people when they are in fact neither of these things. Endlessly curious and yet extremely cautious, they can often be described as distant, wary types who will outwardly display only very few emotions so as not to give their weaknesses away. Despite the odd polite smile one may receive in the Aves' territory, there lies two rows of needle-sharp teeth behind the lips of every Avis, and their surprisingly strong jaws can produce some particularly nasty bites. This is but one of their many defense mechanisms, and a serious bite from an Avis not only risks an exorbitant chance of infection but depending on the location, much worse. (It is worthy to note that this reporter at the time of writing this has himself witnessed a fair share of flesh rending bites including, but not limited to, the singular loss of a finger that had been tauntingly wagged in the face of a young Avis.)
  
  They worship a conflict-ridden pantheon of gods and goddesses, and no single deity of the bunch is any more special or important to them as a whole, though the personal belief of a single Avis may show a difference of opinion from the majority. The Aves believe that the powers that be are generally distant and uninvolved in their lives, existing as wholly corporeal and rarely present omnipotent powers who prefer to leave the Aves unattended most times.
  
  The Aves are largely a scattered bunch of tribes with a multitude of leaderships in any given region, but they seem to elect new leaders depending on what needs they may have left unfulfilled by someone proven incompetent. The title of the leader is "Avem" and does not change depending on gender. When a leader voluntarily gives up their elected power, they submit (it seems in every definitive way) to their replacement, the new Avem.
  
  An Avis' plumage may vary in color and pattern and do not seem to possess any hold in their social hierarchy though a male Avis with bright colors or a rare pattern may find a mate sooner than his plainer peers. Males and females are viewed as equals within the community, however, the plumage of females tend to be muted in color.

  
  The AVEM.

  Caanan: the North-West successor.
  
  The most helpful subject in this documentary by far has been an Avem by the name of Caanan, an Avis who has been elected leader of a North-Western tribe locally known as the Mal'aat (the translation of which remains unclear but is suspected to have something to do with the rich soil).
  
  Caanan is gregarious and forthcoming, having been none at all too shy to speak with us upon our arrival, and has since invited the crew to stay in his village for the duration of this documentary. He finds our manner of dress "strange but appealing" and has requested only one thing in return for his assistance with our studies: he wishes to have a pair of trousers for himself.
  
  When one is invited to have dinner with the Avem, it is generally a very big deal for the locals. The meal is not held in the main holding where the Aves live, but it is eaten in a local temple. Visitations to the Avem by outsiders is rare enough and some stigma hangs around it. Eating in a place said to be blessed by one of their deities is the only way, the Aves say, to sweep out all bad things. While for the average Avis our arrival spells an omen, the Avem Caanan has made it clear that it is solely the opposite for him. Our arrival in Mal'aat is a blessing.
  
  At dinner he stands and gives praise to the gods and goddesses of the land and pays tribute to one especially, a deity of indeterminable gender that Caanan refers to as Farai. Farai is, from what this reporter has been able to dig up from the locals, a god or goddess of (of all things) justice that Caanan is especially reverent of.

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