Editing Phaethon (section)

==AD&D Fluff==
{{NotFunny Sourcebook}}
Phaethons are a simple, rustic people of mountain-dwellers who can be mistaken for short, thin, ruddy-skinned, brightly haired (coppery red is the most common) [[half-elves]] with dark brown eyes at first glance. Only when they reveal their magnificent flaming wings can they be identified for what they are. They dress in simple, drably colored garb and pursue humble lives in terraced farming communities, where they grow various grains, fruits and vegetables, herd sheep and goats, and keep rabbits and chickens. They are a completely self-sufficient culture, with neither need for nor interest in the outside world - though arguably xenophobic, it's in the sense of wanting to avoid having anything to do with other races, rather than active aggression; phaethons prefer to just let travelers be on their way and avoid interacting with them. When they do need to protect their homes and families, however, phaethons are ruthless and uncompromising.

Hard-working and proud of their accomplishments, phaethons are best characterized by their absolute dedication to honesty and truthfulness; lying for any reason is considered a more grievous crime than stealing, although the race is so devoted to lawfulness and honesty that many of them have a hard time understanding the concept of willfully committing a crime.

This devotion to honesty extends beyond the spoken word and respect for property. To phaethons, actions really do speak much more loudly than words. A man who lights a fire and then lets it go out through neglect is considered foolish. A man who chops down a tree and then lets it lie is considered a complete loss.

These attitudes cause a deal of friction when phaethons deal with other [[demihuman]] races. They are always willing to judge individuals on their own merits rather than the faults or strengths of others, but telling even the slightest untruth for any reason permanently blemishes that person’s reputation; those who would seek out the phaethons for any reason whatever must be prepared to be scrupulously honest at all times and about all things.

To avoid problems, phaethons customarily do not question each other or outsiders about their personal lives unless they are from the same family. The desire to give an honest answer often conflicts with the need for privacy or the need to not insult friends. Therefore, phaethons do not ask leading questions without first preparing themselves for the worst. For a stranger or an outsider to ask such questions is considered rude at best and a personal challenge at worst.

Phaethons do not spend a great deal of time flying; it is a luxury to them, something to be done when work is finished. Still, on calm summer evenings, groups of them can be seen soaring above the peaks and swooping through the valleys.

The life expectancy of most phaethons is 90 to 100 years. For a reason not even the phaethons understand, some do not die of old age; instead, sometime around their 90th year, they are overcome by a desire to fly toward the sun. They climb, and climb, and climb ever higher until either exhaustion or lack of oxygen or both causes them to pass out. As they plunge back toward Krynn, a marvelous transformation takes place and as they regain their senses, still thousands of feet above ground, they discover that they have metamorphosed into elder phaethons.

Elder phaethons are taller than phaethons, with snow white hair, black pupils, and copper-colored skin. Their flaming wings are brilliant and at least 30 feet from wing tip to wing tip. They can, quite literally, dance in the air. Those phaethons that make this transformation become immensely solitary creatures. They still know their family and friends, but they have no need or desire to return to them or to their farms. They spend their days soaring through the mountains, scouting for intruders, lost travelers, and anything else that is out of place or unusual. They are invaluable guardians for the phaethon settlements in that little happens in the mountains without their knowledge.

Most of an elder phaethon’s time is spent either in flight or sitting atop a mountain and scanning the world around. A panoramic vista and air beneath their wings seem to be their only concerns.

Elder phaethons neither hunt nor gather. Their food requirements are very slight and are met entirely by the inhabitants of the phaethon settlements under their guardianship. The people of these settlements leave food out in the open and, approximately once a week, an elder phaethon stops by to pick up the food and relay any pertinent messages. These visits are always brief and formal. Elder phaethons have also been known to look after villages of humans and demihumans as well as those of normal phaethons, if the humans and demihumans have demonstrated that they are worthy of protection. If the village ever neglects to leave food for the elder phaethon or lies to him in any way, he will forsake that village forever. However, if a village is under his wing, so to speak, he will defend it with his own life, if necessary.

In the absence of violence, an elder phaethon can live another 150 to 200 years.