Songsiren

"Gods above, they are stunningly beautiful...."

— An admirer

Sirenical

Born from the essence of sound, the songsiren is a small bird, much like that of a starling. Their bodies are wreathed in the delicate energy of the world around them, giving them the ability to harness the whispers and screams of the Eight Lands. Through this energy they can soar in silence, or screech a powerfully concussive call from their small form.
Their dark feathers shift with the energy they harness, becoming irisdescent and ever-changing. When a songsiren wishes to fly silent, their feathers return to pure black, whereas if they decide to emit their concussive call their feathers will pulse through colours rapidly before they scream.

Call to call

For a songsiren to reproduce, it must accelerate itself to rapid speeds, usually by diving down through the air. At the peak of its speed, it screams its loudest screech, forcing the air to shatter ahead of it and creating a copy of itself diving alongside it. A songsiren can only ever duplicate itself twice in its life, once halfway through its life and again at its end. The act of creating their final copy kills them.
While they are born from sound, they feed as any regular bird would; on berries, worms, and other small insects suitable to their diet. They live in alone or with their copy, never with any greater numbers. Their nests are in the hollows of tree trunks, giving them a safe place for them to rest.
Songsirens are one of the few magical creatures of the Eight Lands that are not hunted, even if they would be prized for their beauty. Every part of them would be useful within alchemical preparations, however their nature and their call deters even the most determined hunter.

Lifespan

3 years

Average Weight

80 to 100 grams

Average Length

8 to 9 inches

Average wingspan

15 to 17 inches