#kalor

I like inhuman characters, so I've thought a LOT about where Vanth stands biologically on the scale between your average human and the Sooty owl (Tyto tenebricosa) that she is visually based on.

*note that when I'm speaking of race in this blurb it is in the terms of dnd race- ie Owlin, human, Orc, etc. - not race as a real-world concept.

Owlin per dnd lore are descendants of the Giant owls of the Feywild- and I played close to that when designing Vanth and her family. Her Parliament (village comprised solely of Owlin) is tight knit and exclusionary, preferring to marry and reproduce within the species rather than outside of it. (NOT interbreeding within families mind, just keeping the bloodline pure Owlin). As a result Vanth and her family are direct descendants of their earliest relatives from the Feywilds and biologically have more in common with Owls than your average human. Owlin in her village hatch from eggs- grown within their mother for a number of months before being laid and continuing to grow until they are ready to hatch. They are born featherless, spend the first year growing in their baby fluff, begin fledging around age six, and have their first set of flight feathers between eight and nine years old.

Because they are egg-born, they have no nipples or bellybuttons, and female Owlin lack humanoid breasts. (Though Owlin in the greater Kalor that have more human in their bloodline might slide closer to human biology and have these features, along with live birth, softer cartilage beaks, and nursing). Because of this and practicality female Owlin tend towards shirtless attire as often as male Owlin in their own village, though they tend to fashion themselves the same as any other race when in diverse company to avoid offending sensibilities.

Like their owl ancestors female Owlin tend to be taller and stronger than their male counterparts, while Male Owlin tend to be better hunters and more agile fliers. It is not unusual for a Parliament to be ran by an older woman (matriarchal), though the roles carried out by either gender are otherwise similar to their human counterparts.

All Owlin regardless of racial purity have four upper limbs, four shoulders, two arms, two wings, and four sets of pectoral muscles. (There is a bit of biological suspension of belief here (rule of cool) as the setup is impractical and impossible to exist in real biology) Because of this they tend to be top heavy, with strong arms and wings and thinner, weaker legs. Owlin also have a large feathered tail to aid in flight, and hand-like feet with four to five toes made for gripping branches.