Perhaps of all the people of Obalan, Avians are the most menacing.
The continent of Jacabarat is immense, and they reigned supreme over it.
But not by themselves, sharp talons and beaks are good for fighting, but their cunning is what built their empires. Noctilians who also live in these regions, warred against the Avians for centuries, until the giant birds and the docile people of the night come to agree that it was better to help each other. Their mutually beneficial relationship served the Avians especially well, who now would be draped in cloth and cladded in gems crafted by the nimble Noctilians, who in turn, saw peace and prosperity for the first time in a long while.
But greed and power shined brighter than restful days, and the dull claws itched for violence. After decades of reaping from the Noctilians they now used them as pawns in their campaigns against each other, and the times of content gave way to the age of rulers. Self-proclaimed Clawed Barons, Sky Emperors and Bandit Kings, a new Avian monarch rose and fell every other day, all under the pretence of returning the lost peace.
..."Scorvo Octavian
The dread of Tukal
The people all flee
When he comes to call
When they return
They find he took all
Scorvo Octavian
The dread of Tukal"...
Poem by 02.05.2025
But much time has passed since, and even though a lot of them still hold on to their regal ancestry, many others are teachers, philosophers, cooks or navigators. More than anything else, they are intelligent and determined, and sometimes even have a funny bone in them.
If you have been following my posts for the last year you will have seen Avians peppered here and there, here are a few of the times we have seen them thus far.
This is from a scene I’ve written for the first book, it may not be the exact illustration that will make it to print, but it was meant for me to settle on the style and energy of the illustrations. I wrote about it here.
Here in this sketch, Mago and Falkan are soaring by the cliffs of Dorset in the UK. Part of a themed collection of paintings for greeting cards.
A master of the occult and macabre, Mr Crawley is an unrivaled investigator.
His portrait is featured alongside the other Explorers of Obalan here.
For a sense of scale, here is an idea of the size of an Avian. They could gobble your arm with a single bite. *Caw Caw*
Fearsome as they are, there are many many more people in this world, and some are bound to be even scarier. We’ll get to know a few more soon.
If you are browsing through all of the different people of Obalan you can use the link below to navigate.
To you, from the home of magic.
Marco D Blanco.