The Cloud Dwellers. Cloudlike floating beings who need ceiling perches and don’t use conventional furniture.
Physical Appearance
- Ethereal beings composed primarily of condensed mist and vapor
- Roughly humanoid in overall shape but with constantly shifting, billowing forms
- Heights vary from 120-150 cm tall, though they can compress or expand slightly
- Coloration ranges from pure white to various pastel hues reflecting their emotional state
- Semi-transparent bodies with varying density - more solid at their core, mistier at extremities
- Subtle electrical discharges occasionally flicker within their forms like miniature lightning
- Facial features are soft and dreamlike, often shifting slightly in expression
Biology & Lifespan
- Composed of specialized magical vapor rather than solid matter
- Lifespans of approximately 150 years, though some ancient Aerids are rumored to be much older
- Don’t breathe in the conventional sense but absorb atmospheric moisture and energy
- “Feed” by absorbing airborne magic, water vapor, and certain types of energy
- Instead of sleeping, they enter a dispersed state called “diffusion” where they spread out
- Can partially merge with natural clouds or fog when desired
- Weight virtually nothing despite their size
Culture & Society
- Nomadic societies that follow weather patterns and magical air currents
- Form loose communities called “drifts” that gather and separate seasonally
- Value freedom, transience, and harmony with sky elements
- Many work as weather-readers, messengers, or atmospheric enchanters
- Art forms center around ephemeral creations - vapor sculptures and wind songs
- Record their history in constantly changing “skytales” - stories that are never told the same way twice
Special Needs at The Inn
- Ceiling-mounted perches or floating platforms for resting
- Open-air chambers with good ventilation and air flow
- Absence of strong fire sources which can be uncomfortable for them
- Misting stations to replenish their form during dry weather
- Sound features that create harmonic resonances they enjoy
Interactions with Other Races
- Fascinate Human with their ever-changing forms and weather wisdom
- Share a mutual curiosity with Lumari, seeing them as opposite forms of existence
- Compatible with Sylvani who appreciate their natural moisture
- Protective of Pom Poms who sometimes like to float alongside them
- Find Golemkin intriguing but incomprehensible in their permanence
Story Potential
- Seasonal Aerids migrations bringing news from distant lands
- An Aerids weather-sage offering to ensure perfect climate around the inn
- Quests to create special atmospheric conditions for Aerids ceremonies
- Aerids messengers bringing communications from faraway guests or suppliers
- Opportunities to build special observation towers or open-air lounges to attract Aerids patrons