The Alitri

Alitri

Description:

The alitri are an intelligent avian species with some mildly humanoid characteristics.  Adult alitri stand roughly four to five feet tall when standing upright, though they typically prefer to lean forward rather than upright.  They have an elongated head tipped by a sharp, curved beak.  Their body has a stature similar to that of a large eagle while their shoulder and hip structures are more akin to those of a monkey.  They have small, pointed ears similar to those of a fox, though they are able to fold them smoothly along their heads.

Alitri have a total of six limbs: Two arms, two legs and two wings.  Both their hands and feet have four digits extending from a small palm-like structure.  In each instance one digit is isolated from the others; on the hands the opposable digit functions as a thumb while on the feet it extends rearward, making it effective at grasping branches or tree trunks.  Their arms have a range of motion similar to that of a typical human while their legs are much more flexible at their hips.  Alitri can often be found perched on the side of a tree, essentially doing the splits to hold on with their feet while keeping their hands free.  Their legs are optimized for powerful leaps and shock absorption for takeoff and landing, respectively, but are inefficient for running.  Typically alitri stand hunched slightly forward; when they do stand upright their wing and tail feathers tend to lightly drag on the ground.

Alitri wings are coupled to their shoulder blades, effectively allowing them to use the same muscles to drive both their arms and their wings.  The wings can fold independently of arm movement, thus ensuring that the arms and wings do not interfere with each other, though even when folded they will still move in tandem with the shoulders.  Alitri have a horizontally oriented, feathery tail as well.  While it does not provide any flight power it is useful for stability, orientation control and slowing down.  When fully extended the wings typically have a span of 12 feet.  Overall alitri are efficient gliders and terrifying dive bombers, though they are less efficient at sharp corners; typically any attempt to make a tight turn results in losing speed and altitude.

Alitri bodies are almost entirely covered in feathers, with the exception of their scaly hands and feet.  Feather colors vary widely and tend to correlate with the individual's ancestry, often providing effective camouflage for certain regions.  White and light gray are common in frigid regions while green, blue and brown are common in woodlands.  Red and black are rare but not unheard of.  Alitri are known to occasionally dye their feathers; some for practical reasons, such as camouflage or to identify which nation or tribe they serve, while others do so for style choices.

Distribution:

Alitri can be found in almost every corner of the world, most often in scattered tribes favoring remote forest areas.  They tend to prefer to live in tree houses built well above ground level.  When they do live in cities, such as their large population centers in Drakenlloch, they tend to prefer to live in towers.  Where larger populations are present it is common to find the homes of several alitri families essentially stacked on top of each other.  Typically these homes are designed for access by air rather than by foot.  They often include a set of perches o the upper levels which serve as lookout points; even those in cities who need not concern themselves with security or hunting often find comfort in having a good view of the surrounding landscape.