Difference between revisions of "Aviar"

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|books=[[Sixth of the Dusk]], [[The Stormlight Archive]]{{wob ref|8807}}
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{{spoilers|sa4}}
{{quote
|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.
 
== Appearance and Anatomy ==
{{image|Gereh by Dragontrill.jpg|side=left|width=250px|[[Gereh]] with his [[Gereh's Aviar|Aviar]]}}
Most Aviar are relatively large birds, approximately three fists tall. Some species may be smaller or larger.{{book ref|sixth}}{{book ref|sa4|i|5}} Their appearance varies between species, with colors including red, green, black, blue, and white, sometimes in combination.{{book ref|sixth}}{{book ref|sa4|i|5}} Some Aviar have sharp raptor-like talons and beaks.{{book ref|sa4|i|5}} Juvenile Aviar are barely able to fly, but healthy adults are typically good fliers unless their wings are clipped.{{book ref|sixth}}
 
=== Nature of Abilities ===
Juvenile birds can gain magical powers, or "talents", by consuming special worms that live on the island of [[Patji (island)|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 (character)|Sixth of the Dusk]] raised a non-native bird on the isles, [[Sak]], and found that she also developed a unique talent.{{book ref|sixth}}
{{sidequote|side=right|size=300px
|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{{book ref|sotd}}
|side=right|size=300px
}}
The abilities of the Aviar stem from a symbiosis with the worms that they eat. The worms are [[Investiture|Invested]]; once eaten, the worms grant the birds access to certain magical powers depending on their species.{{book ref|sixth}} The Aviar can then serve as an intermediary to allow humans to use or benefit from their powers.{{wob ref|12621}}
 
====Other Abilities====
Aviar talents have some parallels to other manifestations of [[Investiture]] in the cosmere.{{wob ref|1556}} 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]].{{wob ref|10820}} Although known Aviar powers are similar to Allomantic [[copper]] and [[electrum]], not every Aviar talent has an Allomantic counterpart, and vice versa.{{wob ref|1029810820}}
 
== Ecology ==
{{image|Pantheon by Heatherly.jpeg|side=right|width=300px|Aviar flying over the [[Pantheon]]}}
 
Many species of birds in the Pantheon can become Aviar;{{wob ref|11631}} 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.{{book ref|sixth}}
 
 
== 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.{{book ref|sixth}} Aviars feature in folkloric stories, such as that of [[Linji]], who attempted to sail around the world without one.{{book ref|tress|24}}
 
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.{{wob ref|14529}}{{wob ref|8807}} It is not clear how the Aviar were taken off-world, as this was very difficult at the time.{{wob ref|10298}} Gereh's Aviar was later cared for by [[Lift]].{{book ref|sa4|116}} Like other birds, Aviar are referred to as "chickens" by most Rosharans.{{book ref|sa4|i|5}}
 
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 [[deepwalker]]s 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]].{{book ref|sixth}}
{{sidequote|side=right|size=300px
|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]]{{book ref|sotd}}
|side=right|size=300px
}}
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 Finger]]s 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.{{book ref|sixth}}
 
The Company had several devices given to them by the Ones Above, including one that could detect Aviar on the islands. When theysome engagedof the company opened 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.{{book ref|sixth}}
 
== Known Varieties ==
 
== Notable Aviar ==
{{for|:Category: Aviar|a full list}}
{{columns|
*[[Gereh]]'s Aviar]]
*[[Kokerlii]]
*[[Mirris]]
{{Sixth of the Dusk}}
[[category: Aviar| ]]
[[es: Aviar]]
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