Earliest existence: 2,400 AR
The Aarakocra lived their earliest existence long before the idea of a city even entered their minds. They were simply birds, a solitary people defined by the raw, jagged peaks of The Airspire. They were not a single people but a loose collection of feathered creatures: proud eagles, swift falcons and patient owls. Their lives were a constant rhythm of hunting nesting and protecting their fledglings from the brutal mountain elements. Their language was a mix of sharp clicks and wild screeches, but their greatest gift was always flight a profound beautiful freedom that was their very core.
Then around 2,400 AR everything changed. A star-scarred comet streaked across the dark sky, a celestial body plunging into the beating heart of The Airspire. The impact was an absolute cataclysm a terrifying sound of fire and stone that ripped a permanent chasm into the mountain spine. Those closest to the epicenter were not killed. Instead they were remade. An unseen cosmic force, a blast of transforming light washed over them. They were still birds yes but now they stood upright on two sturdy legs. Their powerful wings still promised freedom but at the tips, articulated hands had formed. The deepest change was in their minds. The primal calls of their ancestors were suddenly replaced by a complex beautiful language a mix of sharp consonants and soft lilting vowels mimicking the very whisper of the wind. They gave themselves a new name: Aarakocra, meaning “Those Who Stand Amongst the Sky”.
The first years after were a dizzying period of confusion and raw wonder. They remained disparate tribes struggling to grasp their new bodies and surging intellect. The keen-eyed eagle-folk used their stoic nature to become the first scouts and protectors. The fast agile falcon-folk became tireless messengers. The patient owl-folk naturally evolved into the first storytellers and wise philosophers. Curiosity now drove them more than the need for food. They discovered their new hands could manipulate objects to weave intricate nests that were more like homes and to carve their newfound histories right into the mountain stone.
In 2,421 AR a brilliant eagle-folk named I’kann of the High Summit rose up. He was a natural leader with a fierce intellect and he saw beyond the tribes to the potential of a unified people. He advocated for a society built on their shared new strengths proposing a Conclave of Winds. This yearly gathering would allow the tribes to meet, share vital knowledge and settle their disputes. They held the Conclave in the comet-scarred valley, a place they already considered sacred ground. The first meetings were chaos, pure and simple, but they established the necessary foundation for a shared identity. They started exchanging tools, trading resources and most crucially sharing the stories of their lives before and after the light.
The first true crisis struck in 2,457 AR. A long unusually frigid winter swept through The Airspire. The scattered tribes found themselves struggling just to survive. Hunting became impossible, their meager stores quickly vanishing. When spring finally returned the wise owl-folk elder Hoor’o of the Silent Watcher proposed a radical, unthinkable idea. They had to stop relying solely on the hunt. They needed to learn to farm. He had watched the ground-dwellers cultivating plants and argued they could do the same in the valley’s sheltered patches. It was a difficult transition, forcing the Aarakocra to spend time on the ground, an uncomfortable and unsettling experience but it saved them. It showed them the profound value of cooperation and the deep strength found only in adapting.
A year later in 2,458 AR the idea of a permanent single settlement finally took root. Raa’shuk of the Azure Apex, an elder statesman, had a powerful vision. He saw a true home not just for tribes but for a unified people, a single sanctuary for every Aarakocra. He knew achieving such a vision would require the skill of others a fact that led him to look toward the nearby Kenku for help.
For a more complete history to present day, see Skyhaven
