Kenku
The Kenku are a race of birdfolk that were among the first to arrive from the Elemental Plane of Air. Rumored to have lost their wings and voices for some ancient crime in the Air Plane, there is an undeserved reputation of Kenku as untrustworthy or dangerous. They are among the most numerous birdfolk in the known world, but have no true homeland, though the Aerie of Nabiu is probably the closest, having been a true home until the arrival of the Aarumites and the loss of most of the Nabari Plateau. As a result of this, and centuries of discriminatory agitation, Kenku are subject to discrimination throughout most of Galisea, causing many to flee for better pastures in Leandris and Felora.
Kenku are often relegated to the menial labor, with the Cenki peoples of Nabiu among the most commonly enslaved in southern Galisea. Even when not enslaved Kenku find it difficult to overcome discrimination and find themselves in low-end labor. This is despite the fact that Kenku, with an immaculate ability to duplicate almost anything they've seen, make them excellent craftsfolk and printers, something which they do frequently find success with if given the opportunity. Many Kenku find themselves taking to the underworld, with their talent for copy making them excellent forgers. Many more turn to a life of adventure, seeking wealth and opportunity with a band of other outcasts.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Kenku are unusual among the birdfolk in that they possess a more typically mundane general body plan. Lacking wings they have four limbs, two legs, and two arms and a head. Kenku hands have tactile fingers, and their feet have more birdlike talons that can be used to manipulate large objects if required. Their faces are decidedly avian, much like the other birdfolk, with two eyes a single beak and two small, generally not visible ears. Unlike the others however, Kenku almost universally take on the features of Corvid birds, especially crows and ravens.
Biological Traits
Kenku have fairly short lifespans for sentient beings, typically living to be only forty five or perhaps fifty years, and virtually none living naturally past sixty. Kenku in certain special positions with access to exceptionally powerful supernatural abilities or training can live significantly longer, with the oldest recorded Kenku living to see five centuries. Typically however, a Kenku expects to die in their forties, though exact lifespan can depend on a number of factors such as profession, social class, and access to healthcare and magic.
Kenku are significantly stockier than most other birdfolk, with a relatively short, squat body shape. They are however of a noticeably lighter build than most other sentient beings, a remnant of their lost time in the Air Plane. Kenku typically stand between one meter and fifteen hundreths, and one and three tenths meters, usually on the taller side of that range. They usually weight between thirty five and fourty kilograms, though this is significantly more variable than height depending on lifestyle of the Kenku in question. Kenku are relatively graceful in comparison to most other sentient beings, with better reaction times, and dexterous builds.
Kenku generally resemble various species of corvid in their appearance, leaning towards the traits of crows and ravens. This means most Kenku have dark feathers in a thinner coating than most other birdfolk, and usually have dark beady eyes. These traits are common throughout all of the main birdfolk ethnicities, and Kenku display more phenotypical uniformity than most others. However, it is not unheard of for Kenku to exhibit the traits of other corvids, with jays being the most common type aside from the norm.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Kenku are the most communal of the birdfolk, preferring to live in large tightly nit courts. Among their own kind, they thrive in this environment, living for complex political intrigue within their communities. Kenku outside their own communities still tend to seek crowded areas, preferring to live in major cities whenever they have the chance, living among others and learning their ways through impressive mimicry. A rare few Kenku are much more solitary beings, and it is these strange Kenku that most often take up adventuring.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Kenku originally found themselves deposited in Galisea alongside their Aarakocra cousins when they arrived from the Elemental Plane of Air. They lived in near the Indric mountains for a time, but were driven to the Nabari Plateau during the Feloran Invasionary period. Since that time, Kenku have been spread throughout the known world as a result of enslavement, and diaspora. Kenku populations are largest in the southern Nabari Plateau, but there are significant communities in Cyrenica, Terruk-Mal, Aeilla, and Leandris, with a few living in Felora as well. Outside of Nabiu, the largest free population of Kenku lives on the Squawk an island in Leandris where many have escaped their mistreatment to establish a new home of their own.
Average Intelligence
Kenku are fairly intelligent, as befits most members of a sentient race, but are not especially noteworthy in that regard with the some of the brightest and dimmest minds found among their number. However, with that said, Kenku do almost universally possess strong, typically eidetic memories and can, if they have the skill almost anything they have witnessed. A rare few can even copy skills and magical abilities this way. This is in fact, how the Yamutid was learned from Qwarshi Aarakocra.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Kenku have surprisingly strong senses for sentient beings. This however, is not necessarily a result of their senses themselves however, rather the nearly universal eidetic memory that most Kenku possess. They are predominantly sight oriented beings, but also do have strong senses of hearing. They struggle to sense things in the dark lacking effective night vision and lacking the hearing to compensate. Kenku have strong sensory awareness, and can orient themselves effectively on even limited sensory information.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Kenku lack a language of their own, as their voices have been stolen from them. Rather they adopt the languages of the communities in which they moved, and most have assembled a fairly effective recreation of the common pidgin, especially if they live in southern Galisea or further south. Among their own kind, they have retained through generational memory most of the Auran tongue which is still used for ritualistic purposes. Aside from this, Kenku adopt a great many languages, or choose to communicate through sounds they have heard in their lives rather than work with a limited vocabulary.
Lifespan
~45-50 years, rarely up to ~60 years
Average Height
1.16-1.29 meters
Average Weight
35-40 kg
Related Organizations
DnD (5e) Traits
- Medium size
- Base walking speed of 30 feet
- Proficiency with Common or Auran
- Proficiency with two of the following skills: Acrobatics, Deception, Sleight of Hand, or StealthÂ
- Advantage on creating exact duplicates or forgeries of existing objects
- Can mimic sounds heard previously. Those hearing those sounds must make a Wisdom check vs. Kenku's deception
- +2 to Dexterity Score, +1 toone other ability score
