The Flock

The Flock is a kingdom which is fairly new. Less than 200 years old. It is a kingdom wholly ruled and shaped by a single person. The elder Witch, Karac, the Crow Queen. Karac, being an Elder Witch, has near god-like powers when it comes to her theme. Crows. Though, over a thousand years of freedom in the skies has left her bored. So, she decided to dabble in politics. She claimed the Unkind Skies as her own and welcomed anyone who wished to migrate. Being Wyrd herself, Karac has no qualms with allowing Wyrd people to live in her land. The result is that Wyrd refugees flock to her kingdom. Now, over 25% of the population is Wyrd in some way.
The Flock is strange compared to other nations. Its high amount of Fae, Stringless, and Gnarled re-contextualize everything from trade to law. The circus is a popular profession, and being strange is celebrated, not a sin. Of course, these ideals spit in the face of Veritism, which is in a cold war with The Flock. They can do very little to stop them, the defenses of The Flock are too dangerous and Gnarled warriors are fearsome.

Military

Anyone can join The Flock's military if they wish. However, most soldiers are not given the choice. Instead, they are simply assigned military duty. If you are a citizen of The Flock and have a Wyrd power that would be useful in defense of the kingdom, then you will certainly become a soldier. Otherwise, the crows judge you at the age of 15 and determine if you are military material.
The strongest tool to The Flocks military is the crows at their command. Flying clouds of death which will rip apart anything that they are directed at. These crow weapons are aptly named Murders. The Fae of the Crow Queen are able to control and direct them. The next best tool for The Flocks military is their use of Wyrd magic. Gnarled who can control fire, near-immortal Stringless, and even Fae without a Witch are common enemies of a Flock airship.

Crow Queen's Crows

The Crow and any bird in the same family is the most common bird in the Unkind Sky by far. Crows and Ravens are the most prevalent. This is largely in part of the Crow Queen's ability to summon them. Karac uses these Crows to great effect in her kingdom. Anything a crow sees or hears, Karac does as well. This means the vast majority of her kingdom is always in her sight. They are perfect spies for her. When the crows form a murder, the individual crows form a hive-mind-like psyche. As more crows are added to the murder, the more intelligent it becomes. Ten crows can read and write, while upwards of 50 crows have been known to perform complex mathematical formulas.
Spies are not the only thing the Crow Queen uses crows for. Some of the crows are chosen to be defenders. They grow to roughly the size of a pony and ward the edges of the kingdom from stray attacks. The defender crows are often accompanied by the Crow Queens Fae. Her Fae are crow-like humanoids which can fly for hours at a time. They are her messengers and bureaucrats.

Wyrd populace

Over a quarter of the population is Wyrd. This means that special laws were put in place. Wyrd powers do not need to be categorized, but murder with a Wyrd power results in execution. The Circus is a very popular profession for the Wyrd of The Flock. Some performers become the equivalent of celebrities even among the neighboring kingdoms. People from as far as Mokso will travel to The Unkind Sky just to watch these Circuses. Sometimes, the Circuses will even travel out of the Unkind Sky to perform. But, they must be careful or inquisitors will hunt them down.

Appearance

A native member of The Flock is unsurprisingly crow-like. They have long thin noses, thin faces, and have black hair. It is a common misconception that natives of The Flock grow feathers from their hair, though it is a common decoration. Their skin is pale-white on average.

Personality and Mannerisms

People of The Flock are very suspicious. When they meet someone know, they tend to keep their distance. However, once you become familiar with them you will discover they are hard workers with a healthy amount of respect for their peers. They are likely the least judgemental people in the world. They are as likely to accept a talking pig as they are a 15 ft Vadathan. The magic of Karac does slowly rub off on them. This equates to birds not viewing them as a threat, and often flock to them.

Government

The Flock is surprisingly bureaucratic. Not nearly to the extent of Mokso, but more so than most. Paperwork is delivered by Crow-men and everything is kept track of. The actual government functions similar to communism in the regard that everything is shared. Crow-men follow this without difficulty, even having the idea of trade foreign to them. However, the human populace is a bit less strict in some areas. Markets, where people barter goods, are not uncommon but money is rare.

Power

The Flock has a large amount of Wyrd, and they use this to their advantage. Often sending out Wyrd assassins to high paying clients. Information is another commodity that The Flock has in abundance.

Naming Traditions

Family names

Names in The Flock are fairly simple. A Given name and a Family name. Common given names are Gerrit, Dolf, Arron, Loes, Pien, and Valerie. Family names vary but are usually descended from another nation.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

The Flock is new, less than a few hundred years old. This means that the vast majority of its members came from other nations. So blends of Krithian, Vadathan, and even Mokson culture can be found almost everywhere. Particularly in food and speech patterns.

Average technological level

The Flock has among the lowest technology level in the world, but they make up for it with magic. Their airships are poorly made, slow, and uniquely bird like.

Coming of Age Rites

When a child turns 14 years old, a crow is assigned to the child. For one year, the crow observes the child in secret. Once this year is up, all of the crows that observed a child that year flock together and determine what job the child should have in the kingdom.

Funerary and Memorial customs

When someone dies, a funeral is held before the body is placed in an empty field. The loved ones then observe a flock of crows and raven descend on the body and either devour it or take it to the Crow Queen for her to eat. Outsiders believe this practice to be cruel, but the populace know it to be vital to keeping the crows as their defenders.

Common Taboos

It is a cultural sin to harm a crow. Doing so will likely cause a mob of angry citizens to lynch them in the cities.

Common Myths and Legends

The Flock knows where it came from, thus it has no myths. However, many of the populace worship the Crow Queen as a literal goddess. They also tell stories of the Crow Queens adventures throughout history.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Eye-catching physical properties, such as bright eyes, unique nose, or uncommon hair, is a common way of determining beauty. Strange and odd is popular in The Flock, and Wyrd mutations which are pleasing makes someone very popular. However, grotesque mutations are still grotesque.

Clothing

Cloth tends to be black, and crow and raven feathers are used in almost all forms of clothing. The rich will wear feather cloaks and dresses, and bird masks are popular among the young. Though, recently there is a popular fade of bleaching feathers to be bone white. This is almost exclusively done by children and teenagers seeking to make their own identity.

Courtship Ideals

Marriage is rare in The Flock. It serves no purpose in the eyes of the government. However, couples in love will often build a home together to raise children without the paperwork of being married. When marriages are performed, a crow or crow-man officiates the wedding.