Kenku
Kenku are a species found on Apa Axas. There are few races on Apa Axas stranger than the Kenku; a stout, corvid-like people who bear one of the cruellest curses of any spell inflicted upon a creature: a complete lack of a voice. They are often seen as beggars and vagabonds, travelling from town to town to beg for scraps from the city’s more well-off citizens. interestingly, Kenku often become Bards, able to mimic the voices of more popular artists to make cover versions, a feat that often proves popular with patrons who often just wish to visit a tavern to drink ale and hear a ditty they love. However, Kenku are most noted for their gift for spy craft, being able to communicate solely in codes unknown to anyone, move as if they were shadows when needed and they have an inability to divulge information. Because of this, Kenku are considered untrustworthy to most of the other races, and are usually shunned, occasionally even being banned from less understanding communities.
Civilization and Culture
History
The origins of the Kenku are unknown, as due to a lack of aural storytelling, many of their racial history has been lost to time, and the older Kenku seem unwilling to pass down their history. What is known is that the Kenku seem to revere Gloom Mona and Feny Lekki, and revile Vox. It has been theorised by scholars that Vox may have been involved with the theft of the Kenku’s voice, or their capability of flight, although this cannot be corroborated. In addition, they appear to be unwilling to write down their histories, whether through inability, or shame; a fact that further confuses their already mysterious origins.
Common Myths and Legends
The Kenku's connections to the Beacons are esoteric, but the Gloom Mona’s love for silence and animals may be the cause for her love of the bird-like mortals. It is also said that the Kenku were the first race to blend their capacity for stealth and theft with magic, creating the first of the Arcane Trickster Rogues. These tricks are rumoured to have been taught to them by Feny Lekki. This has led to Kenku becoming expert thieves, and are often recruited by Thieves’ Guilds to courier encrypted messages to distant allies, all without the risk of exposing the information to the authorities, although they are often targeted by Guards for this very reason.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Kenku seem to appear mostly in urban settings, although exactly where from is unknown. Due to a language barrier, it is unknown as to whether they have a home nation, or settlements of their own, or even if they just spontaneously appear in the sewers of cities. What is known is that Kenku are particularly famous as spies and bards, or for their bizarre cult-like behaviours in certain towns, ones that seem to have underground shrines dedicated to darker Travesties, where the Kenku give worship to Vox, whom they hope will return their wings to them, something that was supposedly stolen from them eons ago. It also appears to be somewhat of a tradition for Kenku to become bards, using their abilities to mimic the voices of other performers. However, they may struggle with original material, and mostly form cover bands.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
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