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Right away, I know the Vanu Vanu are strong with those huge arms, but....they look quite tubby on the belly too XD. Or maybe they're not really fat and that's just a lot of fluff and feathers like most birds would have. Or is it both? Help me find the answer to this mystery!
tl;dr It's either modeling limitations, SE lacking knowledge of bird anatomy and physiology, or they're some fantasy Allagan chimera. Or all of the above.
Longer version (disclaimer: I'm a herpetologist, this is all undergrad Avian science work, and Avian science is changing every year, so some of my information might be outdated)
The Vanu are really odd. They obviously based off of birds, hence them doing a displaying dance before they fight, most birds use too much energy just in metabolism upkeep to actually fight, so the displaying is realistic - there are exceptions, however - but they're completely wrong in so many ways.
The general rule in the life sciences is ecology determines morphology. So we can assume straight out by their bill shape and their feet that they are predators. Their feet are lacking the Hallux for some reason, which they would have if they were based on members of Falconiformes or Accipitriformes - it's probably because they're easier to model this way and they wouldn't need a completely new skeleton for it. I don't even know if SE knows how a bird's wing anatomy should look, because those arms are completely wrong, the area from the elbow to the wrist should be much longer, and the upper arm much shorter, even though they weigh too much to fly and they are clearly flightless. Again, likely another modelling limitation and so SE went "Let's just make them look humanoid!"
For comparison: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/sites/...mology_550.jpg
You might assume they were based off of Strigiformes/owls because of how poofy they look and those "horns," as many people associate them with owls despite being on many birds, but they lack one of their most distinguishing traits: feathered tarsi (which are also super soft and adorable, if you ever get a chance to touch an owl, play with their feet). The bill is also pretty much completely wrong for Strigiformes; by bill shape alone, I might even consider them Caprimulgiformes, which is totally out there. They are also clearly not ratites (think Ostrich/Emu/Kiwi). So I don't even know what they were going for.
The permanent fluff is a bit odd, because most bird species do not have permanent down (Anseriformes/waterfowl excluded). Birds can normally poof themselves up in order to retain heat, but that's usually something only done in the cool mornings, since birds have a very high natural body temperature and an incredibly high BMR, so many birds have problems keeping heat out, rather than in. Other birds, like sea birds, are naturally a bit poofy, again to keep warm, but most landbirds don't need this.
Edit: I pulled out the HW artbook. They were designed to look like a "Chubby Ixal."
...I think my brain just broke.
I'm sorry.
But yeah, I edited it. They're based off of a chubby Ixal, right from the artbook.
I didn't "not get" what you said. It's...I didn't expect well thought out logic to be used here XD
And I don't have the artbook myself so I can't see the piece you are referring to. I also noticed that the Vanu Vanu uses the same rigging as the Amalj'aa, though the Vanu Vanu do share some basic player character emotes, which is a nice touch.
Well, if their primary inspiration is The Maori Tribe of New Zealand, then they are fat AND Muscular as the two are not mutually exclusive.
Though THe Maori were cannibals so they get a pass. Fish Eating Bird People still don't have one.
When I 1st saw them I thought they looked like a mixture of a bear + owl, so owlbear:
http://nerdworthygames.com/wp-conten...02/Owlbear.png
Bears are also naturally chubby.
Which we later find out that Owlbears are (one of the) 1st chimerical creations of the Allagan:
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/...20130711162454
We know that the Vanu Vanu were tasked with protecting the Key to Azys Lla, but most importantly we know that Ixalion evolved into Ixal, so it may be possible that Owlbears evolved into the Vanu Vanu
http://chrysaliswiki.wdfiles.com/loc...uvanu_ff14.jpg
In other words, they might be Allagan chimerical creation
I think that the statues they have of their ancestors look more like a regular bird that bears some resemblance to what ever Stolas was before growing arms out of his wings to hold that staff. Like some kind of owl since it almost looks to have eroded wing shapes on its side and body shape among the statues. Doesn't explain if they really can see aether like the horned kids in Gridarnia or a portion of it though.
They might in some form and probably call it something different. After all, we do have Vanu Vanu Thamaturges.
The Vanu can also control their totems through aether (Alwaysreap), so yeah, they have an aether sense.
Oh yes, there's also this one scene with the Vanu Vanu sensing something powerful. (spoilers for Dark Knight storyline)
A Vanu Vanu healer freaks out when he was able to sense Rielle's dragon blood in her body and sou and we know dragons most likely have a lot of aetherl
Actually from the DRK quest it suggests that Vanu Vanu healers can read a persons Aether to tell what ills they have. I suspect the Vanu Vanu are very aether sensitive.
It's actually all a ruse. Each Vanu is in fact just a costume and inside are two lalafells, one balancing on the other's shoulders.
They are just Bipedal Owlbears gifted with some degree of intelligence.