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Guess what: I'm gonna change the wing design again! The idea (flower petal+feather) is the same, but not all the birds have flowers with "nice-looking" petals; I want something that'll work better for everyone. ONE of these days, I'll actually show a spread wing; I will! It's just that OWL is not at the top of my priority list; so I never get around to it...

Anyway, today's topic is...physical makeup and life cycle! Like I said a long, long time ago in Night and Day , the people of this world are basically life-size, hollow wooden dolls with wings. But it does get weirder. Let's begin at the beginning...

How is a bird born? From an egg from the World Tree, Aviari-Arye. This tree lies in a sacred spot at the center of their world called Hojyu-Shen-Mir, which is like a literal kindergarten: It's a beautiful green island in the middle of a lake where newborn birds play. Unlike actual birds, children in Aviary (called fledglings) are born self-sufficient: they can speak, they know their names, and they can find food for themselves. They are also born with their clothes.

Clothes (Neran) are very important in Aviary. They're considered as part of the body, which is a gift from the Activator. To "change your clothes" would be sacrilegious; it's just not something you do.
But if you really feel the need to express yourself through fashion, you can wear jewelry (Nere). Although it's more like "accessories". Each faction has its own style of accessorizing: for example, the Iloanavi wear flowing scarves and ribbons, and the Valzanavi wear beads and tassels.
If you wear the jewelry of another faction, you're basically declaring your allegiance to them instead of your own...it's not a sin or anything, but not all birds are open to that, and you could get into trouble depending on which faction you were born into.

So, let's say you're a fledgling who's left Hojyu-Shen-Mir, joined your faction, and bought yourself some cool accessories to show off to the other village birds. Next, you're probably going to start fighting.
Fighting also has a religious aspect, but I'll explain that next time. The point is, your body is going to take some damage. Common injuries include fractures, splinters, and chips, which will heal in no time if you get some rest and maybe apply a salve.
It's VERY difficult to break a bird. As in, to dismember them or split one of their limbs in half. However, it does happen when powerful fighters get a little too crazy. At that point, you usually see the heartstrings (Silikandul) "bleed" out of the affected body part. Heartstrings are bundles of magic fibers that serve as the "heart, soul, and nervous system combined". They're unbreakable but sensitive, and it's never a good idea to leave them exposed to the elements. Your body may never be the same if they're somehow damaged.
Also, it wouldn't be too hard for someone to grab hold of them, rip them out of your body, and kill you. So get help, ASAP. ^^

Getting (mildly) injured from time to time can be good for you, especially if you want to be a warrior. The process of healing is "exercise" for the heartstrings that improves their ability to maintain your body. Next time you fight, your body will be stronger, and it'll be more difficult for someone to hurt you.

After 40 or 50 years of life, your heartstrings will start to get stiff, and you'll go through all those old-people aches and pains. After 70 or 80 years of life, your heartstrings will probably have used up all the magic they held, and you'll die. Your heartstrings, eyes, feathers, hair, and clothes will all rot away in a few weeks. After that, your wooden body will be left behind to slowly break down over hundreds of years...or to be taken in by a necromancer~.

That's all for today! Next time, we'll talk about the Religion of Primaries: the Activator, sins and vocations, the Blessed Ones with extended lifespans, and sacrilegious activities like sorcery and necromancy. These are the things that form the backbone of OWL's plot~. There's so much to talk about, I may have to break it up into multiple parts...till then, retaorei!

Description
Guess what: I'm gonna change the wing design again! The idea (flower petal+feather) is the same, but not all the birds have flowers with "nice-looking" petals; I want something that'll work better for everyone. ONE of these days, I'll actually show a spread wing; I will! It's just that OWL is not at the top of my priority list; so I never get around to it...

Anyway, today's topic is...physical makeup and life cycle! Like I said a long, long time ago in Night and Day , the people of this world are basically life-size, hollow wooden dolls with wings. But it does get weirder. Let's begin at the beginning...

How is a bird born? From an egg from the World Tree, Aviari-Arye. This tree lies in a sacred spot at the center of their world called Hojyu-Shen-Mir, which is like a literal kindergarten: It's a beautiful green island in the middle of a lake where newborn birds play. Unlike actual birds, children in Aviary (called fledglings) are born self-sufficient: they can speak, they know their names, and they can find food for themselves. They are also born with their clothes.

Clothes (Neran) are very important in Aviary. They're considered as part of the body, which is a gift from the Activator. To "change your clothes" would be sacrilegious; it's just not something you do.
But if you really feel the need to express yourself through fashion, you can wear jewelry (Nere). Although it's more like "accessories". Each faction has its own style of accessorizing: for example, the Iloanavi wear flowing scarves and ribbons, and the Valzanavi wear beads and tassels.
If you wear the jewelry of another faction, you're basically declaring your allegiance to them instead of your own...it's not a sin or anything, but not all birds are open to that, and you could get into trouble depending on which faction you were born into.

So, let's say you're a fledgling who's left Hojyu-Shen-Mir, joined your faction, and bought yourself some cool accessories to show off to the other village birds. Next, you're probably going to start fighting.
Fighting also has a religious aspect, but I'll explain that next time. The point is, your body is going to take some damage. Common injuries include fractures, splinters, and chips, which will heal in no time if you get some rest and maybe apply a salve.
It's VERY difficult to break a bird. As in, to dismember them or split one of their limbs in half. However, it does happen when powerful fighters get a little too crazy. At that point, you usually see the heartstrings (Silikandul) "bleed" out of the affected body part. Heartstrings are bundles of magic fibers that serve as the "heart, soul, and nervous system combined". They're unbreakable but sensitive, and it's never a good idea to leave them exposed to the elements. Your body may never be the same if they're somehow damaged.
Also, it wouldn't be too hard for someone to grab hold of them, rip them out of your body, and kill you. So get help, ASAP. ^^

Getting (mildly) injured from time to time can be good for you, especially if you want to be a warrior. The process of healing is "exercise" for the heartstrings that improves their ability to maintain your body. Next time you fight, your body will be stronger, and it'll be more difficult for someone to hurt you.

After 40 or 50 years of life, your heartstrings will start to get stiff, and you'll go through all those old-people aches and pains. After 70 or 80 years of life, your heartstrings will probably have used up all the magic they held, and you'll die. Your heartstrings, eyes, feathers, hair, and clothes will all rot away in a few weeks. After that, your wooden body will be left behind to slowly break down over hundreds of years...or to be taken in by a necromancer~.

That's all for today! Next time, we'll talk about the Religion of Primaries: the Activator, sins and vocations, the Blessed Ones with extended lifespans, and sacrilegious activities like sorcery and necromancy. These are the things that form the backbone of OWL's plot~. There's so much to talk about, I may have to break it up into multiple parts...till then, retaorei!