Character Bio: El

Long ago, before the formation of the eight states, the Aarakocran empire of TumahnDawk controlled the winds and dominated the skies. Their magic could propel them at great speeds, and they could conjure mighty jet streams that formed magnificent wind tunnels in the sky. The most revered society in Yon'ver, TumahnDawk engineered the Kawnstreaks, a sophisticated network of jet streams that transported supplies of all kinds and carried the races across the continent. Their greatest jet stream, the World Squaa, was the only means of travel off the continent that could reach other lands. Although little was known about these foreign places, an elite squadron hand-picked by the Superior Council conducted missions to these distant societies and brought back wondrous relics and exciting technologies. Known as the Swift six, these select few were the idols of TumahnDawk and every young Aarakocran dreamed of making it into their ranks. Upon returning from one of their trips, they brought back a visitor, the first outsider to ever step foot on Yon'ver soil. 

This outsider came from a small tribe of powerful wizards known as the Kinemancers. They studied the potential energy in all things and developed ways of drawing it out and harnessing it. They normally lived in the highest mountains because part of their power depended on their distance to the surface of the Earth. They would build massive towers and set up labs as high as possible to practice their experimental magic.  This Kinemancer was fascinated by the Aarakocran's supreme control of the winds and begged to come back to Yon'ver to study Aarakocran magic. He bribed the Swift Six to grant him passage with an incredibly powerful store of condensed energy. This small iridescent stone contained a powerful ball of light at its core that could power an entire civilization for years.  known to the Kinemancers as the 'Potential of Infinity', the outsider promised to show the Aarakocrans how to use this stone to ascend their society to a new level of prosperity. The head of the swift six and fasted of all Aarakocrans, Krug, didn't want to accept the Kinemancer and warned the others of the danger of bringing in an outsider. Despite his pleas, the other five overruled their leader and brought the wizard to TumahnDawk. Deluded by arrogance and greed, they believed they could restrain the Kinemancer if he ever tried to betray them.

Not even a day after his arrival, the Kinemancer met with the Superior Council in heavy chains to discuss the terms of his stay. Lulled into a false sense of security, the council only brought a few weapons to the meeting. An hour into the discussions, the Kinemancer stopped all negotiations with a loud chant in a mysterious language. Before anyone could act, the room flashed a brilliant white and the Potential of Infinity had returned to his hands, which were now unchained. He channeled the stone's power and every Aarakocran in the room began to glow. As he chanted, energy started to flow out of the council members in bright orange wisps flowing into the stone. The council crumpled on the ground helpless as their essence was drained into the stone. The swift six had been standing guard outside, but they quickly ran into the room as soon as they heard the commotion. They also began to glow but retained enough strength to charge the Kinemancer. Krug, who had already been on edge, spiraled towards The Kinemancer spinning in a blindingly fast flurry of winds. No warrior had ever been able to dodge Krug's galeforce, yet the Kinemancer danced away from the attack and Krug nearly crashed into the opposing wall. As he was dodging, the rest of the Swift Six created a vortex of winds around The Kinemancer meant to restrain his movement. The Kinemancer only smiled before swinging out his arms and creating a shockwave that blasted back the five Aarokocrans into the wall. After his attack, The Kinemancer looked over to the wall where Krug had been and saw nothing. Before he could react, Krug's talon slashed deep into the back of The Kinemancer's neck, throwing him to the ground a short distance away. Not hesitating for a moment, Krug pulled out his store of throwing knives and launched them towards The Kinemancer guided by tiny streams of winds to ensure they couldn't miss their target. One by one, the daggers planted themselves in The Kinemancers back and limbs, pinning him to the ground bloody and screaming. Krug flew over to The Kinemancer, unsheathed his curved blade, and struck down on The Kinemancer's neck in a spinning blow. The Kinemancer's head rolled across the floor, and Krug sheathed his sword in a mixture of frustration and relief. All the council members and the rest of the Swift Six were unconscious, and he had no idea how the energy drain had affected them. Thinking about it, he noticed the stone a few steps away, glowing orange on the ground. Krug approached the stone, studying it with an air of caution. After a few moments, he found himself picking up the stone almost unconsciously as if a force inside his head was urging him forward. He almost caught the unnatural influences, but before he could stop himself he held the stone in his talons. At this point, all was lost. Energy exploded out of the stone and started heavily pouring into Krug. In a moment, the stone's power had taken him and he had lost control of himself. The Kinemancers were able to possess his mind and body, and Krug was now filled with the power of every other Aarakocran in the room. In an unstoppable tirade, Krug systematically incapacitated and absorbed the power of every Aarakocran in the capital city. He summoned a hurricane on the land that destroyed the surrounding area and flew away in the chaos. Nobody ever saw Krug after that point, but all assumed he had returned to the bidding of the Kinemancers.

When the Aarokocrans awoke, they were met with devastation. Their city lay in ruins, the kawnstreams had totally dissipated, and worst of all, they could no longer control the winds. As soon as word got out of the events, many other groups tried to seize power from the weakened Aarakocrans. TumahnDawk tried to defend itself but eventually fell after enduring a few battles with heavy casualties. Defeated and ashamed, the Aarakocrans fled to the forests of Kholuk on the edge of the continent, where they could hide in the trees and ambush any attackers. Eventually, people stopped pursuing the Aarakocrans, and the center of battle moved elsewhere. The Aarokocrans emerged from the shadows with a fraction of their previous population and banded together in grief to survive. For many years, the Aarakocrans led a humble existence, trying to preserve all remnants of their past civilization. As the generations passed, a culture of scholarship was developed to study what had happened to the Aarakocrans. Despite their best attempts, none of the Aarakockran scientists could discover a way to restore the powers they once had. As many more years passed, they eventually stopped trying, and even the great fall faded into legend. Today, the Aarokocrans continue their scholarly tradition but mainly focus on more conventional sciences, with the largest branch of study devoted to the nature around them and developing their treetop society. Many Aarokocrans are also artists, singing and writing about the legends of old. Ecca the current governor, is especially fond of writing poetry that harkens back to ancient times.

El was born to a family of scientists in one of the middle districts of Tumunda. The whole city is separated into three tiers. The bottom tier holds about half of the current population and contains most of the working class Aarokocra. The middle tier contains mostly scientists, artisans, and wealthy merchants, and the top tier is home to the elected ruling body of Aarakocran society, the '400 Wings'.

When El was young, he liked to go off and explore the forests, even when his parents told him it was dangerous to go alone in the wilderness. Each journey he would venture further and further out, practicing flying and developing his magic. One day he discovered a cave system. The outer layers and opening were pretty hidden, but the Aarakocran eye is sharp and he spotted a mound covered in leaves protruding unnaturally from the ground. He uncovered the cave and began to explore it. He went deeper and deeper until he discovered a massive cavern unable to see the bottom. There was a ledge on the other side with what looked like a doorway, and El was confident he could reach the other side. He began flying towards it, but a strange airflow kept pulling him down as he tried to cross. He flapped harder and harder until his wings finally gave out and he started plummeting towards the cavern floor. As he fell, he truly believed he would die in this cave. He kept thinking how stupid he was for trying to cross the cavern and began to become overwhelmed with frustration. Just as he was about to crash into the bottom, a blinding light overtook the cavern and El found himself floating above the floor of the cavern. A mysterious spirit of fire swirled around him, almost seeming to size him up. After a few moments, the fire flared up before dispersing into the air around him. As embers fell to his side, El felt a great power well up inside of him. Suddenly he shot upwards in an uncontrollable burst of power. The winds were at his command, and he soared throughout the cavern at dizzying speeds. El flew up and down the cavern overcome with awe and amazement. He had heard the legends before and knew this must have been the power that all Aarakocrans used to possess. He flew up through the caves as fast as possible, desperate to get back to the city to show everyone this miracle. He burst out of the cavern with a gust of air... and promptly fell back to the ground. As soon as he had left the cavern, his powers had vanished. Dazed from his fall, El stood up and was shocked to see that the entrance of the cave was nowhere to be found. He searched all he could for it, but still found nothing. As it began to get dark, El finally gave up his search and headed back home.

He immediately told his family what had happened, and of course, they didn't believe him. He was accused of making up stories and getting caught up in old legends. Dejected that his parents didn't believe him but still in amazement at his experience, he went out into the woods every day looking for that cave, but still never found it. He became obsessed with his experience of flying, wondering at times if he had gone mad, but never forgetting the incredible sensation of power he briefly had. When he was old enough, El became a scientist. His parents were proud to see El follow in their footsteps, but they didn't know that El only wanted to research the old legends of Aarakocra. Since the hopes to regain their power had disappeared long ago, research into wind control was scorned and viewed as a pseudo-science similar to alchemy. El began to be shunned in the academic community, and his parents begged him to take up a more conventional research path. El refused, dead set on his mission, and continued his research. When he refused to change and didn't produce any valuable results, the scientific community complained and the 400 wings ordered El to change his field of study. When he refused again, El was banished from Tumunda. Although he felt ashamed to be ostracized, he was secretly relieved. For awhile, El believed he wouldn't find his answers in Tumunda, and a journey across the continent would be the perfect opportunity to look for clues in places nobody else had explored. He didn't know where to go, but he knew he would never stop until he had fulfilled his purpose and unlocked the secret of the Aarakocran's stolen powers. On his way out of the city, Governer Ecca stopped El and confided that he secretly supported his mission. Also a believer in the lost power, Ecca gave El a letter with Ecca's signature and address. El was told he would be met with supplies and hospitality at this location, and he could even find some correspondents with information they had gathered about the lost power. Ecca waved a goodbye before flying back to the city and El looked up at the city with a smile. He looked over the treetops one last time before turning around and flying into the unsettled forest. This was the start of his journey. This was the first day he could finally start realizing his true purpose, and discover the truth.