Clan notes: Sunwings

Clan Sunwings

Climate Plateaus and scrub lands
Clan Structure This dia is rather small in size compared to the other vastly larger ones that have multiple roosting sites and territories. There has been only two Sunwing aeries. Aeries being the place where a clan lives and communes. This explains their insular and very reclusive nature. They are one of the most shiest and skittish clans next to the almost extinct Wintervale dia.

The humans have been calling them “Sunwing” because of their yellow skin, though their drakkhani name means “Sun-touched.” it's not because of their yellow and brown coloring. Sunwings are a clan of seers and diviners. The phrase “sun-touched” is a drakkhani idiom meaning “struck by the light” or “seized by knowing.” It's a concept based on the idea that the sun god touched seers giving them prophetic knowledge. They gift of prophetic visions is heritage passing on from parent to child. Not all of the clan have the gift of Second Sight but for every nine mundane Sunwings there is a one that has the Sight. Seers are trained in their own creh and often act as aids and guides to members of their clan. Other will travel joining other clans and acting also as advisers. Many other mundane Sunwings learn bone casting and stone reading and other forms of divination.

Scientists are fascinated by this clan and a handful of anthropologists have had the honor of walking among them. They discovered that this clan prophetic gifts come in the form of epileptic seizures. This disorder is passed on from generation to generation and the seizures range anywhere from mild, spasmodic twitching to full granmal tremors. Most of the clan is epileptic much to the amazement of human neurologists who are wondering how the clan can function with many of them with seizures. The anthropologist Renee March, have spent ten years among the clan and says:

The visions come in the form of seizures, a clanmate would often pause with eyes rolled back and jaw clenched. It will only happen for a moment before he comes lucid and will report that he saw something, these visions are about 90% accurate much to my astounding. The oracular seizures are the most common, but I have see a young hatchling around four or five years old go into full body tremors. She was just coming into her gifts when one evening she reported of a headache before going limp and falling on the ground in violent tremors. Released from her violent seizing she told her elders that an elven squad are heading to the roost.

She was right.

Scientists are baffled on why the visions are so accurate. It's still unknown. Scientists have been calling this unique form of epilepsy “Caesarian Epilepsy” after Julius Caesar, who also had epilepsy and was believed to be talking to the gods. More traditional epilepsy (Anthros Epilepsy) is often found within the drakkhani clans. This does not have visions follow and it often causes irreversible brain damage. Drakkhani reported with AE do not make it to adulthood. CE because of it's more mild manifestation (it's highly uncommon for granmal seizures to manifest with CE) does not cause the massive damage with AE. AE also appears at birth, but CE symptoms appear at age 10-11. However Sunwing with CE often have more long term problems. Most develop dementia and scizo-typal disorders. They also develop Diviner's Psychosis, or Ricker's Syndrome colloquially known by humans as “seer's madness.” Ricker's Syndrome has been found in mostly with human oracles and elven seers. It was thought to be an elven disorder but now it's been reported to be a disorder that been diagnosis with CE. Ricker's Syndrome appears in the form of prophetic hallucinations and severe night-terrors couple with insomnia and severe paranoia and rage episodes. With drakkhani with Ricker's Syndrome are most always Sunwings and many of them need care for the rest of their lives. Ricker's Syndrome appears around mid-age around age 35-60. They will slowly stop recognizing their reality and will loose all cognitive thought. The final stages of Ricker's Syndrome is complete disconnect with reality and full dementia.

Heartbreaking that is, Ricker's Syndrome is not common and the disorder is treatable. Sunwings care and love their clanmates with mental disorders and tend to be the most sensitive to sentients with mental illnesses. Flying, seer are partner with clanmantes that can watch them catching them if they start seizing in the air. Modern Sunwings in Nirvana City run the Xenokin Mental Health Institution, and provide treatment to any xenokin that need it and free therapy.

Sunwings have an interesting phenotype. They are yellow with brown mottling allowing them to blend into their rocky landscape. Originally, anthropologists are now discovering is that the Sunwings were once TWO clans. The second being the Blood Talons. Which they got their name from their dark red/rust colored talons. They assimilated into the Sunwings and are considered extinct except for Sunwings infants that are hatched with blood red horns and talons. They normally have butter yellow horns and green eyes.

They are feared among humans and have a highly unstable relationship with them. Humans believe that they are all insane. Sunwings are also relatively peaceful and have only basic weapons. They also do not migrate and stay in their territory all year around.

Clan emblem is the all seeing sun.

Clan allies and foes They are friends with Glasswings and Rautaun, however they are feared by the Greenflame clan and the Lunaughti clan.