Albari

The Albari are a race of magical bird-like creatures that are equally at home in Wildspace or the Phlogiston. They are dedicated to the cause of chaos and seem to exist for no other reason but to throw other beings lives into unrest.

An Albari possesses a long, almost human face with a wide beak and slanted, beady eyes. No ears are visible, though an Albari's hearing is very keen. The creatures face, like the rest of its body is covered by short oily feathers. These range in color from pure white to sooty gray, with males usually in the lighter shades. An Albari's wings are impressive, with some specimens with nine-foot wingspans. Small-clawed hands can be found on the wings, about halfway along their length. The creature uses these for simple manual tasks, like eating. For more complex tasks the Albari uses its feet, which function as hands. All albari are skilled at balancing on one leg while employing the other.

Albari avoid physical battle whenever possible, as they are particularly weak. If forced into a physical confrontation, they employ their two claws. Otherwise they prefer to use their magical abilities.

Because albari revel in chaos, they are understandably hated by most intelligent races in the known spheres. An albari will plot, and plan a course of action—say insuring that a ship gets hopelessly lost in the phlogiston—and stick to it for a short period of time.