After the Mage-Wars, the world had been so abused and tainted that it began transforming and warping magic, people, animals, and land. While the rampant magic ran loose, it was no longer safe for people to live. The world was doomed; without being able to expand, people were destined to be banished to dark ages, secluded and crowded, and always in dire danger.

The Hawkbrothers vowed to their goddess that they would cleanse the world of tainted magic, making it safe again for people to live and civilizations to develop. Their job is a dangerous and perilous one, but they remain steadfast to their duty. They live in secluded areas called “Vales” which are made around magic nodes. A Vale is similar to a hothouse, with hot springs and constant warm and sunny weather within. Living in ekeles (tree houses) placed high in the supernaturally large trees for protection, they have been cleansing the tainted world for generations upon generations.

To help them in their endeavors, the Hawkbrothers have bred birds for hundreds of years. Now they are able to Mindspeak with the birds they bond with, though the creatures have very limited intelligence - similar to the brains of a very young child.

The Hawkbrothers have many duties, depending on their positions in their Vale. A Hawkbrother Mage helps to maintain the heartstone at the center of the Vale and to sets about cleansing the magic around their territory. The scouts, those with too little magic to become a mage, exit the protection of the Vale to patrol the lands and purge the land of dangers and tainted change-beasts. Scouts learn to rely on their own senses as well as those of their bondbirds to better deal. It takes an extremely brave and hearty soul to be a Hawkbrother scout. If it weren’t for their arduous work, Velgarth would never have recovered from the Mage Wars.

Scouts also play another part in protecting the Vale - that of keeping outlanders outside of their lands. Any strangers entering in their lands are watched, and warned to leave. Any aggression is met with death for the outlanders. Only under special circumstances is an outlander permitted to remain. And only under extremely special circumstances would an outlander be given the chance to become a Wingsibling and join the clan. This is very rare, and happens to maybe one in a thousand outlanders.

Besides Scouts and Mages, the Vales also contain those whose skills revolve around making things, such as blacksmiths, woodcrafters, sewing, cooking, and healing. The Vales are entirely self-sufficient, although they may trade some exotic plants in exchange for common items such as grain and wheat.

The Vales are a haven for five intelligent species - kyree, hertasi, dyheli, tervardi, and gryphons. The only species found actively in each Vale are the hertasi, who cook and clean and do other tasks in return for protection, and the dyheli, who sometimes serve as mounts. Hawkbrothers (who generally call themselves "Tayledras") adore fancy clothing and like their cousins, the Shin'a'in, have never found a color they didn't love.