Time for some open species fun! I made this a while back for DA as a quick visual guide to one of my OC races, the Cherubim. There's a flighted and non-flighted variation, the flighted variation is supposed to be extinct but you guys can still use those if you want. The flightless variant emerged after the Cherubim adapted to life at ground level, the flighted version is somewhat smaller and the race that existed when they lived on the sky continent. They're otherwise not so different from each other, although the flighted variant may have been a little bit kinder and less corrupt in their ways. All of the bits and parts are there for example, really any kind of bird beak or any crest can go but those are the ones I've used on characters so far.

They can generally be any color although I tend to base them off of the colors of real birds. A bit like penguins in anatomy so if you want to imagine them that way it works too. My only real design rule is that the females are usually slightly taller and stockier then the males (which the page demonstrates) and also please do not give them human breasts, they're birds and also clearly not supposed to be sexualized. (I know that seems oddly specific but someone has done that before so I feel the need to mention it.)

(You do NOT have to read or remember all of the following to make a Cherubim, this is just for funsies. The only part that's essential is the descriptions of the various regions, please do read up on them.)

~Backstory~

The Cherubim species originated on a floating continent, and at one time where a very spiritual people who thought themselves to be the only sapient beings in existence and thus where relatively peaceful, if not self-important. According to their legends, this pre-history period ended when their civilization was destroyed during a clash between their twin creator gods. The survivors fell to earth where they discovered a human society existing at a tribal level, along with several other primitive sapient races. The Cherubim had access to advanced knowledge and quickly took everything over, turning some species into slave races and nearly obliterating others, with humans falling into the later category.

Factions emerged relatively quickly, some of them noble and others of less pure intent. After seizing control of most of the planet's resources and scavenging what remained of their technology, these factions turned their attention from the hapless primitive species they had decimated and began warring with one another. It was from the factions that the first Cherubim city states emerged. Eventually, they would all come under the rule of a single conquering force, setting the stage for the feudal style society that came to consume their culture. However, many of the original factions exist right up until the present day, working underground to push their various agendas and covertly spreading their beliefs throughout the kingdom.

~Culture~

Modern earth-dwelling Cherubim live in a not-so mildly corrupt feudal society ruled by a king and queen with territories delegated to regional lords. While not all Cherubim are bad, they have a really severe case of Xenophobia and even some of the friendliest and most heroic ones find themselves looking down on other races (which is funny considering how stubby they are) subconsciously.

They lead peculiar family lives where the parents are very close to each other but extremely distant and hands-off with their children, especially after a certain age, and they generally seem to have a very broken idea of lineage and succession within households. For this reason, they don't have proper last names but identify by the region they where born or raised in. A consequence of this worldview is that while children born to nobles (right up to and including monarchs) do inherit some power, they are not automatically in the running to succeed their parents and may have to compete with many other nobles for the chance. As such it is not uncommon for a great deal of confusion and violence to erupt when a Cherubim of high political influence dies or is usurped without choosing an heir, and many a prince or princess has vanished abruptly from the record books after the passing of their parents.

Cherubim follow a caste system, although the loose familial ties do occasionally make it possible for certain individuals to move up or down in society dramatically. The poorest and largest caste in Cherubim culture are simple serf farmers, whose children are commonly recruited to fight for the king's army and are given a slightly higher societal standing. While there is little discrimination between genders for Cherubim, young females tend to make up the bulk of footsoldiers, as they are bigger and stronger then males (although the later are often trained as archers.) The activity of soldiers is directed and overseen by various knights of mixed genders, which are more often then not of noble standing and are one step higher in the caste ladder. Knights are typically the loyal task force of a particular feudal lord, although some answer directly to the king and queen.

~The City States/Regions~ (NECESSARY INFO AHEAD:)

The four established city-states that earth-dwelling Cherubim hail from are Gratisgate, Frigate, Desedui and Dayspire. This is somewhat important because it can have a slight impact on morphology and WILL most likely have a major impact on alignment and characterization, which could in turn effect your design.

The fertile agricultural city-state, Gratisgate

Topography: Wet; lush floodplains close to sea level
Main Export: Corn, wheat & other food crops; soldiers.
Feudal Lord: Philip of Desedui

A green, rolling land on a peninsula far to the southwest. Due to being topographically isolated, Gratisgate is culturally distinct from the world around it, and the land has remained relatively unmarred by the destructive impact Cherubim tend to have on the environment. A large portion of Gratisgate consists of a river-delta floodplain, leaving the land fertile and perfect for sustainable farming. Cherubim who live in Gratisgate are said by others to be the furthest removed from their ancestors, preferring a life close to the ground rather then among the trees as in other regions. Although they are said to be even shorter then most of their kind, they are hale and hearty from a life spent working the land. The unfortunate downside to this is that Gratisgate is mined as a resource for able-bodied soldiers, leaving a noticeable dent in its younger population.

The Feudal lord reigning over Gratisgate is an elderly owl-faced Cherubim named Philip. He has made himself something of an enemy of the state due to a controversial decision to grant equal rights to the endangered human race and his refusal to keep slaves or force them to work his fields. Despite making him roundly disliked by other lords, this mindset has caught on astoundingly well with the civilian population of Gratisgate, and it is the only city state where humans and other species roam freely and are considered full citizens. However, the tranquility may not last- although Gratisgate's location has made it extremely difficult to invade from the outside, Philip is steadily growing in age and declining in health, leaving the people of the region in deep concern about the future of their land.


The barren military city-state, Frigate

Topography: Temperate; dry, rocky deserts and wasteland
Main Export: Coal, weaponry
Feudal Lord: Cartha of Frigate

Said to be the original landing site of Cherubim on earth, Frigate is a small militarized zone to the northwest of Gratisgate. It is separated from the peninsula by an nigh-impassible mountain range, and once contained a similar, if considerably drier climate. In the present day however, it is an ugly scar across the face of the world, left burnt and barren by centuries of faction warfare and the exploitation of its rich fossil fuel resources. Most notably, Frigate contains along its rocky southern coast a micro-colony of humans, the last large population center for the species outside of Gratisgate. This colony, called Gidsaw, is carefully controlled and maintained by the governing body of Frigate, who sustain the inhabitants for use in slave labor. Unlike in the neighboring territory, these humans have no rights and are even culled on a regular basis to keep the colony from growing too large to handle.

The current leader of Frigate is young female Cherubim named Cartha, who has only recently come to power but has left a bloody legacy in her wake nearly overnight. The daughter of the previous feudal lord, when Cartha's father died unexpectedly without naming an heir, she defended her right to succeed him by personally cutting down numerous rivals. Not particularly known for her kindness, it is she who began to enforce extremely strict laws on Gidsaw, making life for the humans there unbearable. As such, her rule has seen an increasing number of humans using oceangoing routes to escape into Gratisgate. Philip's refusal to return these escaped prisoners along with his resentment of supplying Frigate with soldiers has drawn Cartha's ire considerably, and many fear that a deadly conflict may be looming in the near future...


The wealthy forested city-state, Desedui

Topography: Cool; vast old-growth woodland
Main Export: Insect food product; arts and crafts
Feudal Lord: Asimo of Desedui

By far the largest city-state, Desedui encompasses an incomparably massive Deciduous woodland to the north-east, with its southern border nested on top of Gratisgrate and the northern edge of Frigate's mountain range. Here Cherubim live in village platforms suspended from the tops of ancient trees, as close as possible to the sky that birthed them. Fittingly, Cherubim from Desedui are known to be the most Xenophobic and intolerant of other races- the vast wealth that comes from the export of delicious woodland insects that comprise part of the Cherubim diet has made the ruling class lazy and spoiled. While Desedui does have a small standing army specially trained to fight in the thick forest, a large part of the population spends its days idly, with constant celebration and festivals making for a society of almost disgusting decadence.

The crowned prince of this slovenly culture is an extremely eccentric male Cherubim named Asimo. Asimo has become something of a Cherubim folk hero, having been born to Desedui peasants with an extremely rare mutation- functional wings. With no resistance from his parents, Asimo was brought to live among the nobility of Desedui, and became the city state's new feudal lord with astoundingly little fuss upon the previous one's passing. Asimo himself is spoiled sweet and somewhat dim-witted, surprisingly congenial for the leader of a land known for its hatred of outsiders; in truth, he is something of a failure as a feudal lord, lacking any real leadership instincts or wisdom. His disinterest in maintaining the previous lords' army has put his people at risk of being overrun by Frigate forces, but the Cherubim of Desedui seem blind to this and continue to practice their gluttonous lifestyle.


The seat of power, Dayspire

Topography: Cool; hilly and dry
Main Export: None; center of government
King & Queen: King Lar I & ???

Only technically a true city state, Dayspire is a small territory nested within Desedui that gets its name from the relatively high elevation and lack of trees in comparison to the surrounding area. The palace home of the Cherubim king and queen can be found here, built partially into a hillside, along with other fine homes belonging to various nobles. The Cherubim here live in luxury and comfort, having the most direct access to advanced technology brought generations ago when the species first left its home. Much like in the rest of Desedui, Dayspire Cherubim are both ignorant of and disinterested in the larger world around them, compounded by their complete isolation from it. What little contact is made comes through messengers who travel the city-states and report their information back to the king.

The current ruling body recently experienced a painful upheaval, unfortunately coming at a time when tensions where also beginning to build in the rest of the world. The previous king was overthrown by a nameless usurper who went on to crown himself King Lar I. The only prince has vanished without so much as issuing a challenge to his father's murderer, leaving Lar with no other competition for the crown and the kingdom's internal structure seemingly caving in from all sides. Worse still, there are rumors that Lar intends to make Cartha his new queen- threatening devastation for the futures of both Desedui and Gratisgate, who until this point have been at least partially protected by mediating forces within Dayspire.