Luminora



These bird-like creatures sought refuge in the tallest towers all over the world, perching up above in the skies and coming down only for meals.

Because of their seclusion, this race has been almost completely forgotten by the people of land and sea. There are only few records of their existence, and even then those accounts tend to be in stories and legends more than rooted in actual history.

Appearance
The Luminora have very bird-like features, something that hasn't changed since they first roamed the earth.

Most of their body is covered with smooth, nearly pore-less skin, which tends to be darker with how often they are out in the sunlight.

Their skin turns to scales just beneath their knees, mimicking the legs of birds. In place of toes are three black talons, which also appears on the back of their heels.

Around their neck is soft plumes of feathers, wrapping around the whole neck and trailing up into the feathery hair the covers their cranium.These neck-feathers tend to be lighter than the feather-like hair that covers the tops of their heads, ranging from pure white to creams and even light tans.

On the backs of the Luminora's arms are thick, extremely durable feathers that are able to support their weight in flight. These wings are able to extend outward, as well as bend inward, depending on the position of their arms. As the Luminora grow older, they gain more feathers, bettering their ability to fly. At the end of their feathered fingers are long talons, which they use to capture their prey.

Once again similar to birds, their eyes are completely black, allowing them a wider range of vision, as well better day and night vision. There have been some genetic mutations which have caused them to have more humanoid like eyes, though these cases are rare, and often Luminora who are inflicted with this mutation die young.

On a whole, the Luminora's coloring remains rather neutral, plumage ranging from black, brown, orange and white, and skin ranging from tans, browns and near-black. There have been very rare cases where Luminora are born with yellow feathers, though their feathers have always become de-saturated as they grow older.

As for heights, their average adult male range is five foot to five foot eleven inches, and the females being from four foot eleven inches to five foot five inches. They remain lean until the winter seasons, where they put on weight to survive the colder weather.

Life Cycle
The Luminora don't have set age landmarks, adulthood only coming once they are able to fly. Often times this happens around the fifteen to twenty age mark, but there have been some cases where even a thirty year old Luminora was unable to fly, and thus their adulthood was not reached at the expected time.

Around the eighteen year mark is when the Luminora typically begin to develope their extra layers of feathers, gaining more strength in their wings. This continues until they are fifty; after the fifty-year mark they begin to shed their feathers and become more ground-bound, rather than fliers. At the eighteen year mark their beaks also begin to grow, making it easier for them to be predators and better catch and kill their prey.

Once the Luminora are around the ages of twenty to twenty three, they are able to begin mating. This is often the most hectic time of the Luminora's life cycle, as there are very few males to mate with, making it a very competitive time for new adults.

As they grow older the tips of their beaks whiten as do their feathers and they become weaker fliers. Their skin also tends to become less vibrant and wrinkled, and their talons grip things less effectively.

A general life expectancy for them is around the ninety range mark, though the oldest Luminora lived until they were one hundred and three.

==Illnesses ==

The Luminora don't easily get diseased because of their secluded living conditions. The diseases they do come by stem from the food that they collect off the earth, which often brings with it diseases. There are also some dormant diseases that they can contract, which tend to only arrive in the cold winters when their immune systems are lowered. Those diseases usually aren't life threatening, but they do make it harder for them to breath and fly, making them useless for a time.

Some illnesses that can happen as the Luminora grows older is their wings more or less deteriorating, which is not only painful, but makes them a liability to their families and self. This illness is fairly rare, and is a genetic mutation that cannot be spread other than through reproduction.

Skills and Weaknesses
As many could assume, this race is good at flying, something the other races are not able to do. This allows them to be quick and nimble and easily escape from unwanted assailants and situations. With this skill under their belt, they can be masters of stealth with their aerial attacks and unseen entrances into buildings.

They cannot master languages other than their own well, what with their beak getting in the way, and when they do learn a language it always has a strange accent to it. Due to how their hands have been developed they are also terrible writers, making them seem nearly completely illiterate to people other than their own kin.