Kenku
"Rats with feathers they call them. At least rats are clever enough to come up with their own sounds" - anonymous Tyrian watchman
Kenku are a species of monstrous, avian sentients hailing from the eastern Iroan islands of Kaira. They are closely related to the aarakocra but have lost their ability to fly as well as their ability to speak through language. Most folk attribute this to the Reckoning of Temekan, when it is believed the kenku split from the aarakocra after being cursed by their creator and patron, the goddess Myurdin. As a result of being an intelligent race without the ability to form language except through mimicry, kenku are usually found at the margins of mortal society.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Kenku are often described as medium-sized humanoid corvids and appear to be descended from the corvid branch of the aarakocra family tree. They are bipedal with four limbs, two legs and two arms, each ending with four digits. Their hands and feet are bare like most birds and their bodies are covered in an iridescent layer of dark feathers. Their heads are often hunched forward, their faces boasting large, forward facing eyes and ending in a large, straight black bills. Despite being covered in feathers and having some vestigial flight feathers along their upper limbs like many birds, kenku cannot fly. This, along with their inability to form language, is believed to be the result of the curse Myurdin placed upon the kenku following the Reckoning of Temekan.
Genetics and Reproduction
Kenku, like their aarakocra cousins, mate for life and are remarkably devoted to their spouses. Once bonded, kenku create nests made out of scrap cloth, sticks, and furs to warm their eggs. Females lay clutches of three to seven pale bluish-green, brown-blotched eggs. It is traditional for females to spend the rest of the incubation period brooding over their clutch while the male goes out to provide for the family. This period usually lasts about 36-42 weeks, depending largely on the climate. In same-sex or same-gender couples, females still often brood over their nest in turns, while males from the flock assist them in their efforts. If the couple is comprised of two males, both males will ask a female from the flock to brood for them, while they both go out for work. Once hatched, baby kenku fledge their feathers after about another six weeks. Fledglings reach sexual maturity around age ten and full adulthood two years later.
Growth Rate & Stages
Kenku mature faster and die younger than most mortals. A kenku reaches sexual maturity around age ten and full adulthood around age twelve. Kenku typically live for around sixty or so years, though there are reports of them far exceeding that, making it to age ninety. This is substantially shorter than their cousins, the aarakocra, some subspecies of whom live to over a century.1
Ecology and Habitats
Without wings and the ability to form language, most kenku live in the urban environments created by other intelligent races. In these circumstances, kenku often find themselves on the edges of society, eking out an existence as thieves, beggars, and spies. Their yearning to return to the sky often means they make their homes in ramshackle tenements and decrepit towers. Additionally, their hollow bones allow them to live in structures that would collapse under the weight of most humanoids, protecting them from other mortals and monsters that would wish them harm.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Kenku are omnivorous and their tough beaks can break down almost anything. In their urban habitat, they see little difference between buying and eating bread from the market or the trash heaps and even hunt small rodents. As a result, kenku are often seen as unclean or dirty eaters. They are extremely opportunistic, and sometimes accidentally steal food without realizing it belongs to someone else. Still, some kenku are considered excellent cooks, if they have been trained by non-kenku or have access to non-kenku recipes.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Kenku live in small, extended family groups called 'flocks.' Flocks are led by the oldest and most experienced kenku with the widest store of knowledge to draw upon. These leaders are often referred to by kenku as the 'Flock Master' or simply 'Master.' Although they cannot improvise or create new things or ideas, Flock Masters usually have a large enough body of knowledge and experience that they can put together multiple plans with a variety of outcomes, confident in the abilities of their followers to carry out their visions to the letter.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Average Intelligence
While exceptionally intelligent, kenku are unique among the sentient races for their inability to be creative thinkers. They struggle to invent new ideas or create new things and can rarely modify or improve objects in their possession. However, this does not mean that kenku lack the ability to learn new skills. In fact, kenku have extraordinary memories and after only a short demonstration, they can often repeat complex actions or phrases verbatim. This makes them highly sought after in many detail oriented but mundane trades such as stenography, crafting, and even mass production of artisan goods such as painted pots or illuminated manuscripts. This trait also makes them ideal minions, spies, and scouts for they can observe the actions of others and then perfectly replicate or recall them at a later date.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Likely as a result of their corvid morphology, kenku are diurnal and lack any specific abilities that would assist them under the cover of darkness. However, they do have exceptionally eye-sight for diurnal animals and excellent hearing. This strong auditory sense allows them to mimic sounds and noises to an even greater degree.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Without the ability to form language, kenku names follow much different conventions than other races or cultures. Kenku often have two names—one given to them at birth by their parents and used only within a family, and one they choose upon reaching maturity to signify their place within the flock.
Family names are held in secret and often reflect the culture or ethnicity of the kenku family. They are only ever written down or occasionally mimicked after a non-kenku says the name aloud.
Kenku class names typically fall into one of three catagories and make no distinction for the sex or gender of the individual:
- Kenku thugs, warriors, and toughs adopt noises made by weapons, such as the clang of a mace against armor or the sound of a breaking bone. Non-kenku refer to the kenku by describing the noise, such as Bonesnapper, Ironclang, or Drawnsword.
- Kenku thieves, criminals, and con artists adopt animal noises, typically those found in urban settings. This is so other kenku can call out to it while those who overhear them mistake their cries for those of common animals. Non-kenku use names that refer to the sound made or the animal the kenku mimics, such as Barking Dog, Squeaker, or Catscratch.
- Some kenku that pursue legitimate trades choose names that sound like noises made in the course of the craft. A sailor duplicates the sound of a fluttering sail, while a smith mimics the clanging of a hammer. Non-kenku describe these folk by their trade sounds, such as Sawboard, Jingles, or Scrawling Pen. Kenku in these professions often are also more likely to include their family name, in an attempt to integrate into the society more fully.
History
The current state of the kenku race can be traced back to end of the Mithril Era some thirteen hundred years ago. During the The Mithril Era, the kenku were one of several subraces of aarakocra, the favored race of the Sable Witch, the goddess of magic and prophecy. After ascending to godhood and blessing her followers with the avian abilities of flight, the aarakocra lived as proud members of the Great House of Temekan. However, some of the aarakocra wanted more arcane knowledge and power. They became greedy and looked for a way to further advance their station.
Around this time, another influential Temekanian stumbled upon the workshop of Myurdin. With the help of these ambitious aarakocra, he deciphered Myurdin's work and orchestrated a coup against the royal family of Temekan. He became known as Ozha-Ban, the Godking Pharaoh of Temekan. Many came to follow him and even worship him as a deity.
The aarakocra race became split over Ozha-Ban's actions, with some denouncing their maker Myurdin as nothing more than a petty illusionist compared to the Pharaoh. Others maintained their loyalty to Myurdin and sought her guidance. The Sable Witch, a goddess of prophecy looked into the future and saw what was to come from Ozha-Ban's actions. She cursed the fallen aarakocra. She took their flight; for their ambition had soared beyond their humility. She took their language; for, in revealing her secrets to this outsider, their tongues had become good for nothing but mimicry. With no use for these fallen flocks, the Pharaoh exiled the kenku to edges of his kingdom to the isles of Kaira.
But like the cursed kenku, Ozha-Ban's greed and craving for more arcane power consumed him. He, in turn consumed his country, sacrificing hundreds of thousands to perform dark rituals that would extend his life and those of his followers. The gods of the Heavenly Council were horrified by the Pharaoh's actions and so the Reckoning of Temekan began. Many other followers of Ozha-Ban were similarly cursed or driven into the darkness of the Doom Caverns by the Heavenly Council. They became known as the drow, the duergar, and the svirfneblin. In someways, the kenku were lucky their patron cursed them before the Reckoning, allowing their souls to remain untainted by the dark magics of the Doom Lich. However, even after centuries of atoning for their treachery, the kenku remain cursed and cast out of mortal society, living at the edges of a world they once thought they could rule from the air.
Footnotes:
1.Aarakocra are unique among mortal races for the variety of lifespans found between subspecies. For example, while the kakapo aarakocra can reach over a century in age, others such as the huītzilin aarakocra are sexually mature by age three and die before they see twenty.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Origin/Ancestry
Iroan/Kairan
Lifespan
60 years
Average Height
1.5 m (5 ft.)
Average Weight
24 kg (53 lbs.)
Average Physique
Kenku have hollow bones and avian body plans which make strength-based physical exertions difficult to maintain for long periods of time. However, it also means that they are incredibly quick on their feet. They have some of the best reaction times among mortals and are often exceptionally good at acrobatics, gymnastics, and light weapon combat.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Kenku are covered in dark, iridescent feathers similar to those of other corvids. Their beaks, scales, and talons are usually black to dark grey. Their eyes range in coloration, from pitch black to brilliant yellow.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
Comments