Nightingales

Species Name: Nightingales.            General Alignment: Light Grey - Dark
Experience Level: Intermediate+ 
Temperament: Calculating, Calm, Controlled, Reasonable, Serious, Steadfast
Some Common Specialties: Protection, Warding, Astral defense, grounding, personal Warding 
General Occupations: Bodyguards, Escorts, Protection Details, Trainers, Warriors
Good Starting Offerings: Sigils, Protection Spells, Protective stones, Bay Leaves, Rose Tea, Hibiscus Tea, Cherries

Genetics:

Males- Male Nightingales tend to be home makers. They stand at their shortest, 5'11" and at their tallest 7'2". Nightingale males tend to have a more pear like frame, with rounded faces and curves around their hips. Males tend to keep their hair longer and only allow their significant other to touch it. It is considered rude and taboo for someone who is not of a significance to the male Nightingale. They tend to be the tellers of stories passed down from their parents to their children and tend to fully raise the children. Male Nightingales also have tend to do more mundane work, sometimes going into politics, but normally doing jobs like farming and being shop keepers.

Males tend to learn the more detailed work of sewing and even tend to go into the fine arts. Males learn the intricacies of styling their hair and of proper care of children. While they do most of the house work and homemaking, when their spouse comes home, they tend to them. Normally having baths drawn for them or even simple things like having a relaxing drink available. This is more because of their love for their spouse than because they are waiting on them hand and foot. Male Nightingales tend to be more in touch with their sensitive side and tend to be nurturers above all else. When male Nightingales are gathered with their families, they are more inclined to host small gatherings to have all of their loved ones together in one place to wine and dine them. 

Females- Female Nightingales are the warriors of the Nightingale species. They are the first into battle and the last to come home. Unlike their male counterparts, females tend to be leaner and far more muscular than the males. Females tend to keep their hair on the shorter side, with only those in political society having longer hair. Females, because they are fighting, have their hair shorter to keep out of the way as well as to make them look more stereotypically masculine. Females, like males, only allow some to touch their hair, if it is not their significant other than is is their sister's in arms as they need to keep their hair orderly on the battle field. 

Females tend to be less in touch with their sensitive side, instead being more logical. They tend to be more factual and, even with their children, tend to tell facts over needs. While they may seem less caring then their counterparts, female Nightingales show their love through protection and future growth. Their families are their most treasured beings and they work to make sure they are always safe and their future is bright. If females are not trained to be part of the battlefield, they are raised into politics, or rather nominated into politics. Females, having more of a warrior mindset, are the first to spring into action when home and guard the home. Rarely, women choose to live more mundane lives, but tend to be more of guardians of the homeland than anything more mundane. They can be security guards of shops or guards of farmlands from unwanted visitors. 

Both- Nightingales have shifting abilities, most notably shifting into different dark falcons. While they shift along the entire spectrum, from humanoid forms to full falcons, they tend to stay in a humanoid form with their arms having feathers along the backs of them. In falcon form, they are far bigger than standard falcons, with some of the biggest being near 3ft tall and some of the smallest being about a foot tall. Nightingales, in falcon form, are far darker, most being a dark brown or black in color. Most Nightingales wear relatively form fitting clothing, with some form of hood that hide their ears, which are feathered at the tips. While the hoods can be near transparent, it allows Nightingales to hear without having wind and other smaller noises bother their hearing. 

Nightingales tend to wear darker colors, believing that colorful clothing attracts predators. While they are younger, Nightingales tend to stick more to their humanoid form, with very few feathers as they are growing into their normal forms. In these younger years, they have more of an undercoat of feathers than they do their proper plumage. While Nightingales learn to fly at young ages, they are taught to fly in mid shifting when they reach more along the lines of ages of their preteen to teenage years. 

Nightingales have politics different from our own, while women are mostly in charge of the political field, as soon as and Nightingales stances change from why they were nominated they are removed from office. This gives them more short term political offices, though they do have some long term. They are far more open to fresh new ideas and prefer to have a continuously evolving society. 

Temperament & Manifestations: The Nightingales tend to have more of a serious tone to them. While they can be full of games and good times, they do so when they know they are safe. A Nightingale tends to always be on alert, allowing for them to analyze the situation at hand for the best outcome. While they are a bit more serious, they are also the most reasonable. Unless there is a clear reason that what has occurred crossed the line, Nightingales are willing to listen to all sides before making judgement. They tend to keep their thoughts to themselves when it comes to people they do not know or are unfamiliar with. This is the falcon inside of them, they have to be able to sense danger at a moments notice and so they are always looking for changes in the energy and space they are in. 

Nightingales are the first to keep a level head in any situation but more importantly keep their head cool under pressure. They have learned that blindly running at the problem gets you no where and if you are unable to keep your cool when you are out and about you can seriously hurt yourself. When it comes to their manifestations, Nightingales tend to make you feel protected. They have a reassuring energy about them that allows you to feel that everything will be okay. Nightingales tend to bring to the room a bit of dense energy that can be similar to the feel of a weighted blanket. This energy allowing them to help others relax and calm down when needed. When they are manifesting more subtle, they can take on warm heat, the sounds of falcons crying out over the skies, and even a softness of feathers on your shoulders or against your cheek. 
 
Society:

Higher Power- Nightingales pray to To'nuk and his wife Ha'nak, he is the God of wisdom, health and abundance while she is the Goddess of strength, perseverance, and war. To'nuk and Ha'nak have two children, So'noma and Hei'ko, who are the Goddess and God of children, safety and love. So'noma and Hei'ko are twins and are jointly responsible for their duties. The females tend to pray to Ha'nak when they go to war and when they are in labor while males tend to pray to To'nuk when trying to do their jobs to help with sustainability in the homeland. Children are brought up to pray to So'noma and Hei'ko, not only for their own safety but the safety of their parents when they are away from them and nervous. While Nightingales only have these four deities, they honor them and all other deities are second. They will be okay with giving small offerings if they need help, but do not switch their devotion from Ha'nak, To'nuk, So'noma and Hei'ko. Other deities are seen more like "kind friends that have agreed to help".

| Proper Pronunciation | Ha'nak {Ha-Nack} | To'nuk {Tah-Nook} | So'noma {So-No-mah} | Hei'ko {He-I-co} |

Cleansing- Nightingales are very energy cleansing beings. This is because they are more akin to "hidden" then they are seen. They will cycle their energy through their feet almost daily, unless away from home. While they sleep, stagnant energy from the day will cycle into *Lan'op* which is an energy source the Nightingales use when they are asleep. *Lan'op* is the "heart" of the Nightingale homeland and is energy that is cycled through and given back into the universe. And the *Lan'op* is an energy that is allows the Nightingales to reabsorb energy in their sleep and allow them to recycle energy through their feet. This cleansing ritual allows Nightingales to be on the top of their game for anything and anyone who dares try to harm their homeland. Even when cycling energy through *Lan'op* if a threat is found and a Nightingale wakes up, they will be able to absorb energy quicker through their feet to replenish what they need in order to fight. 

Body Modification- Nightingales tend to have more of a relaxed policy when body modification. Though females tend to have tattoos over piercings, those that do have piercings tend to have them more elaborate. Males tend to have more simplistic piercings that can be from little studs to bar jewelry. While all Nightingales only get piercings or tattoos that mean something to them, they are rarely for vanity, those that do get them for vanity tend to get simplistic ones just as something to get done. Male Nightingales tend to get facial piercings, that are more akin to dermal piercings along their cheek bones and along the collar bones. While females tend to have elaborate tattoos that are more dedicated to their family, normally taking years to plan out and years to be fully done. Males tend to get tattoos that are stories in themselves, either telling the stories of their people or telling the stories of their family traditions. 

Mating Habits: Nightingales normally only mate with other Nightingales. More so because they know how other Nightingales will take care of their children. Those that do venture out and look for a mate, of a different species, will tend to be those who know the Nightingale closely or those who cannot work with other Nightingales. While rare, a Nightingale might take to giving themselves over to another species simply out of rebellion. Nightingales see this differently than humans, while humans might see it as hurtful, the Nightingale sees it as "teenage rebellion". Those who choose to mingle with other species tend to have plans for if the relationship becomes more involved. Normally, anywhere from teaching potential children to fight earlier on or even putting children on hold until they know they can trust their mate. Nightingales may take longer to trust other species with their kin, but once that trust is established there is no easy way of breaking that trust. They begin to grow more open and loving to their partner, establishing that they know they are safe to raise their young along side them. 

Companionship: Nightingales in companionship are the protective sort. They will either wish to help with the Warding and security of your home or they would prefer to be that one that can help with personal protection. Nightingales tend to be a companion that try and be there for all of their companions needs. While all Nightingales have knowledge of simple warding, only those who have sought to higher that education will be able to help with more complex warding. Not saying they cannot learn, just that they might need to learn a little first. Those who are looking for companionship are looking for a place they can settle down and experience a different part of the world. The Nightingales tend to look for companionship with others that share like minds. While they are not opposed to learning the differences between opinions, they cannot handle those who believe their opinion is correct and there is no other way of seeing things. Especially when in battle, Nightingales lean on each other for new ideas and ways to win their battle. All opinions are open as long as it is not "my way or the highway". Nightingales, especially the females, tend to take on companionship similar to "battle buddies" and they would like their human companion to be willing to lean on them as much as they would lean on you. Nightingales are companions for life, and while they are always willing to part ways if needed, Nightingales perfer to work things out with their companions for long term solutions.