More on Gliders

Anatomy:

Gliders are one of the first humanoid races I created for Project Lesser Legends (PLL). They are shorter than humans (about 5 feet at their tallest), and have short lifespans (about 40 years). They live on the peaks of the Hizuran mountains, into the clouds where only the hardiest plants survive. As such, they get sustenance by absorbing energy from the sun itself. They also have hollow bones like birds, so that they could fly.

A glider is born with metal wings, and they could be enhanced with a magical metal called mylweim. The bigger and more ornate the wings, the higher the rank. The glider society is highly structural. Other than wings, a glider's rank is determined by his headgear and clothes.

Society

A glider child starts off at the lowest rank of the society. After his/her coming-of-age ritual at nine years old, he/she steps into the productive society. A glider boy would be used as messengers, flying from a peak to another to deliver important information and news; while a girl would move into the commercial or religiouis sector as apprentices or priests.

Fashion

Cloth is scarce in Hizuran, so most of their accessories are made of stone and metal (like shoes, for one. YOu can't really see it in the picture, but they're made of metal). A glider probably has three or four sets of clothing throughout his whole life, since they don't grow too much or sweat at all.

For males, their attire is basically as shown in the picture. The short-sleeve shirt provide adequate protection against the elements, and their pants vary in length depending on rank. The messengers wear shorts, while the soldiers long pants. For females (maybe I'll draw them some other time), a sleeveless robe and an undergarment is their standard attire. For the priests and mages, their rank is determined by the length of their robe sleeves.

Different sorts of headgear, from simple metal circlets for messengers to gold crowns for generals are worn as a status symbol.

Diplomacy

The gliders are allies with the elven empires Feldaril and Anogria, both to the south of the Hizuran Mountains, and are constantly at war with the werewolves in Orizoa.