Aviar

Aviar
by Matthew Johnson
Abilities	Aviar talents
World of Origin	First of the Sun
Universe	Cosmere

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“The world is changing, Sixth of the Dusk. The people of the mainland grow hungry for Aviar companions; things once restricted to the very wealthy are within the reach of ordinary people. We've learned so much, yet the Aviar are still an enigma. ”

—Vathi

Aviar are birds that have gained magical powers, or "talents", on the island of Patji on First of the Sun. They are capable of sharing their powers with humans. Aviar were long thought to be exclusively native to the Pantheon archipelago, but other birds can become Aviar if they visit the island and ingest the fruit of Patji's Fingers.

Appearance and Anatomy

Most Aviar are relatively large birds, approximately three fists tall. Some species may be smaller or larger. Their appearance varies between species, with colors including red, green, black, blue, and white, sometimes in combination. Some Aviar have sharp raptor-like talons and beaks. Juvenile Aviar are barely able to fly, but healthy adults are typically good fliers unless their wings are clipped.

Behavior

Aviar are more intelligent than ordinary animals. Wild Aviar exhibit behaviors similar to other birds. They live in flocks, roost in trees, and build nests where they lay eggs and raise their young. Their mating behavior somehow involves long single feathers known as "mating plumes", which are usually found near nests. Although their powers give them some protection from predators, they will quickly flee if startled. They are known to eat fresh fruit, and will also eat seeds, dried fruit, and fish.

They display distinct personalities; for example, Kokerlii is oblivious and happy, while Sak is far more reserved. They seem to understand some human speech, as they can respond to commands or other sounds from their master. They can be trained to perform specific behaviors, such as returning to their master if they whistle, or even to attack other animals.

Nature of Abilities

Juvenile birds can gain magical powers, or "talents", by consuming special worms that live on the island of Patji. Aviar from the various islands of the Pantheon migrate to Patji to gain their talent. The worms infest fruit that falls from Patji's Finger trees that grow next to Patji's Eye; the birds then consume the worms when they eat the fruit. Birds that are not native to the Pantheon usually do not develop these unique powers. However, Sixth of the Dusk raised a non-native bird on the isles, Sak, and found that she also developed a unique talent.

“The Aviar are special. Everyone knows the separate breeds and what they do. Why assume that a fish would learn to breathe air, if raised on land? Why assume a non-Aviar would become one if raised on Patji...”

—Vathi, after learning of Sak's talent

The abilities of the Aviar stem from a symbiosis with the worms that they eat. The worms are Invested; once eaten, the worms grant the birds access to certain magical powers depending on their species. The Aviar can then serve as an intermediary to allow humans to use or benefit from their powers.

Aviar do not seem to have to continue eating worms to allow their powers to function, as they are often exported from the Pantheon to the distant mainland. Trappers have established that the birds must be juveniles to gain talents; it is not clear what would happen if an adult bird ate the worms. Aviar can be transported to other planets in the cosmere, although this is difficult and very rare. It is unclear if taking Aviar to other worlds has an effect on their abilities. However, individuals that are not native to First of the Sun are able to bond Aviar, even individuals that have access to other manifestations of Investiture such as Feruchemy.

A human cannot eat the worms or an Aviar in order to gain powers, as the symbiosis is specific to the worms and the birds. It would be theoretically possible for other organisms to evolve a similar symbiosis, but it would take many generations. A kandra in the form of an Aviar would not be able to gain their powers, even if they ate the worms. It is possible to steal an Aviar talent through Hemalurgy, but it would be very difficult to do so.

Abilities

The power obtained by Aviar is different for each species of bird. Many Aviar have abilities related to the Cognitive Realm, but Spiritual and even Physical powers also exist. Some abilities work passively, while others must be intentionally activated by the Aviar, sometimes at the request of a bonded person. At least one unknown Aviar ability could assist with "navigation". Aviar abilities are usually very reliable, although they were disrupted by an unusual device that was given to the Northern Interests Trading Company by the Ones Above.

Bonds

Aviar are able to share their powers with humans through a Spiritual Connection similar to the Nahel bond. This bond is not as powerful as the Nahel bond, but because of that it can be shifted between people at its owner's will. The bond includes a mental connection; Dusk refers to Sak "sending" him her visions. Aviar are also able to sense the location of the person they have bonded with. The nature of the bond allows some Aviar to share their talents with people other than their usual master. Most people bond a single Aviar, but some trappers have bonded at least three Aviar at the same time.

Cognitive Concealment

“It was fortunate [Kokerlii's] breed was so mind-invisible, even deathants would consider him no more edible than a piece of bark. ”

—Dusk

Kokerlii and Mirris have a Cognitive ability to conceal their mental activity and those of others around them. This ability seems to work passively, as Dusk never needs to ask Kokerlii to use it or wait for him to do so. Some version of this ability appears to be relatively common, as flocks of wild Aviar are able to conceal themselves from mind-sensing predators such as nightmaws. Krell are known to sleep near Aviar roosts in order to take advantage of the mental shield that they provide.

Additionally, Aviar Cognitive concealment impedes the ability of others to sense the use of Investiture, much like an Allomantic coppercloud. They would be able to block an Awakener's life sense and interfere with other methods of detecting Investiture, such as Allomantic bronze and secretspren.

Future Sight

Sak's ability allows her to glimpse into the future, using the property of Fortune to glimpse the Spiritual Realm. She is able to see potential deaths of a person, and manifest these potential deaths as visions of corpses wherever they could be killed. The corpses are only visible to those with whom Sak chooses to share her talent. If the danger passes, the pertinent corpse will disappear. Sak is able to turn this ability on or off at will. She is even able to show Vathi the visions at Dusk's request. Sak, whose species is not native to the Pantheon, is the only known Aviar that has ever possessed this ability.

Other Abilities

Aviar talents have some parallels to other manifestations of Investiture in the cosmere. Aviar exist in the same universe as other manifestations of Investiture, so the powers that they provide share some characteristics with other magics such as Allomancy and Surgebinding. Although known Aviar powers are similar to Allomantic copper and electrum, not every Aviar talent has an Allomantic counterpart, and vice versa.

Ecology

Many species of birds in the Pantheon can become Aviar; neither trappers nor scholars are immediately familiar with every species. Each species is typically found on a specific island. They can be sent to live in the homeisles or the mainland without issue, but wild Aviar are only found in the Pantheon.

Domestication

“An Aviar raised around humans never quite fit back in among their own kind. The same could be said of a man raised around Aviar. ”

—Dusk

When Aviar are raised by someone from birth, they form a bond with them and prefer to stay nearby, treating them as part of their flock. Due to the incredibly dangerous conditions in the Pantheon, highly trained outdoorsmen known as trappers are the only people that can survive in the islands and raise the birds. Aviar that are raised by the same trapper usually get along. They often enjoy being scratched affectionately, and may show displeasure by lightly biting. They do well living in nesting boxes in safecamps; trappers can allow them to come and go freely with no concern that they will not return. Trappers use Aviar as their personal companions, and also breed and sell them as their trade. Each trapper chooses a specific island to live on and becomes most familiar with the species that live on their chosen island.

History

Aviar is presumably an Eelakin term, and throughout First of the Sun's history they were found only in the Pantheon. The magical abilities and the various species of birds had been well documented by the people of First of the Sun, and centuries passed without the discovery of a new type of Aviar. The people who were most familiar with Aviar were the trappers, who underwent extensive training in order to survive on the islands and had no qualms about killing each other when they got there. They were strongly bound by tradition, and had a reverence for the islands, particularly Patji. Trappers were notoriously reticent and stubborn, and detailed information about the Aviar and their powers remained their secret.

At some point, several Aviar were taken to other planets. During the True Desolation on Roshar, Aviar were seen in the possession of Mraize and Gereh, both Worldhoppers that were not from First of the Sun. It is not clear how the Aviar were taken off-world, as this was very difficult at the time. Gereh's Aviar was later cared for by Lift. Like other birds, Aviar are referred to as "chickens" by most Rosharans.

On First of the Sun, Aviar had always been exported from the Pantheon exclusively by trappers. Mercantile companies long desired to find a way to set up operations on the islands so they could raise Aviar and sell them. However, trappers refused to help them, and commercial expeditions to the islands failed due to deepwalkers and other dangerous animals. Aviar therefore remained relatively rare in the homeisles and the mainland, since trappers could only provide a limited supply. After the arrival of the mysterious Ones Above, companies quickly developed new technologies such as warships with marine propulsion. This emboldened the Northern Interests Trading Company to undertake the Patji expedition.

“We can’t fight them. They’ll find an excuse, they’ll seize the Aviar. It makes perfect sense. The Aviar use the worms. We use the Aviar. The Ones Above use us. It’s inevitable, isn’t it?”

—Vathi, on the Ones Above

During the expedition, a scientist and explorer employed by the company named Vathi befriended a trapper named Sixth of the Dusk and learned several facts about the islands and Aviar that were previously unknown to the general public. Notably, Dusk told her about the fruit of Patji's Fingers that gave Aviar their powers; Vathi was able to deduce that Sak became a new type of Aviar despite her origins in the mainland. She was shocked by these revelations, which contradicted centuries of assumptions by the Eelakin people.

The Company had several devices given to them by the Ones Above, including one that could detect Aviar on the islands. When they engaged this device on Patji, all of the Aviar became agitated, and their powers were disrupted. Dusk and Vathi eventually realized that the Ones Above desired the Aviar but were somehow prohibited from taking them from a less civilized culture. They were trying to furtively accelerate the industrial development of First of the Sun in order to skirt these rules. Dusk and Vathi vowed to try and stop them.

Known Varieties

Mirris is a member of a green and white species known as "streamers" that have Cognitive concealment abilities. Various other species with different types of plumage have been observed, but the names of their species are unknown.

Notable Aviar

For more information, see :Category: Aviar.

• Gereh's Aviar
• Kokerlii
• Mirris
• Mraize's Aviar
• Sisisru
• Sak

Trivia

• Jeksonofnone is not an Aviar.
• A crow named Lyndip supposedly spoke to Allomancer Jak, but Brandon has not commented on whether she is a kandra, an Aviar, or if she even exists.
• Aviar were presumably inspired by Brandon's love of pet birds including macaws and cockatiels; he has owned birds since he was a child. His birds can sometimes be seen on his YouTube livestreams.

Notes

This article is still missing information. Please help The Coppermind by expanding it.