Dawn College Murder

by Tara O'Niell

Dawn College specializes in the study of the arcane, and after so many centuries, arcane magic has seeped into every facet of the grounds. At some point near the beginning of New Dawn Era, the Crows of the College developed an abnormal level of sentience. Over the next several centuries, the murder of crows that inhabited the college grounds appointed themselves as guardians of the grounds. They are collectively refered to by the students and faculty as the 'Dawn College Murder,' a name they regularly make fun of for being 'unoriginal.'

The pesky students need watching. So Krecaw watch.

— Kercaw, leader of the Dawn College Murder

When the Crows become bored, they have been known to heckle students and steal unattended scrolls, books, and magical items. They can typically be pursuaded to return them, if the victim can identify which Crow took it.

Security

Day to day, the crows serve as a loose vigilante security force. They have been known to peck and defecate upon students who are not behaving in a manner deemed appropriate by the crows. Students engaging in less-than-savory shenanigans have discovered that the crows can often be bribed with a shiny bauble, but they prefer magical shiny baubles.

Kawkraw likes the shinies. Kawkraw keeps them in our nest. The favorite one? A shiny stone. It glows sometimes and someone talks to Kawkraw sometimes. Kawkraw's make stole the stone. It is the favorite.

— Kawkraw of the Dawn College Murder

Defending the School

When the College is in distress, the Crows will unite in an agressive attack force. They are able to magically transform, their bodies becoming larger and their claws being instruments of death. It is theorized that their altered form is some sort of eldritch based magic, but the Crows will not consent to be studied by the academics of the College.

The tend to attack enmasse, swarming enemies. There are records of a swarm of the Crows taking down an adult black dragon some time in the early Shealar Period.

It has been many centuries since the school was openly attacked, so it is unclear if the modern generations of the Dawn College Murder retain the abilities and skills of their forefathers.