Phoebastria

The Wind brought good fortune to Clan Diomede, devotees of the albatross, when Phoebastria came to their shores.

First she claimed to be a humble student of augury, come to learn at the claws of Volatinia. Yet she could not long pretend to be an ordinary student. The talented among the clan started to whisper, and the matriarch made the pronouncement: their new clanmate was a prophetess and avatar of the Mōlī, the spirit of the albatross that had guided Volatinia to these lands and urged her to begin her clan here. That spirit had spoken to Volatinia in only whispers and visions, but Phoebastria could become the very vessel of Mōlī, and therefore bring the words of the albatross spirit to the clan. Her acceptance to the clan was obvious, but Volatinia went a step further, adopting her as her own daughter.

Phoebastria is undoubtedly one of the most important members of the clan. She eschews the full panoply due her rank, wearing but a small collection of feathers and bones when necessary. But the otherworldliness of the albatross spirit clings to her even when she is not its active vessel, and as a result she is regarded with some mix of awe, respect, and expectation that she is too important to worry herself with ordinary matters.

She is, in some ways, rather alone, with no peers or equals in the clan. Yet it seems that she expects the solitude, sometimes going long stretches without speaking a word. But in other times she becomes garrulous as a jay, greeting her clanmates with great affection and lingering in their midst as if soaking up their presences.

When she acts as avatar of Mōlī, their appearance changes in a shimmering haze, and it seems that they take on the features of the albatross within their own shape. Such an instance is very rare, but indicates a matter of great importance to the clan.