Kenku

Once, the kenku were winged messengers of Maeve the Raven Queen. They acted as her eyes and ears in the mortal realm, and guided lost souls to the afterlife. But during the Dawn War, Tharizdun cursed them in retaliation for Maeve's attacks on him. He stole their voices and their wings, and cast them back to the earth to wander in confusion for eternity.
Because of Tharizdun's curse, kenku are wingless, and unable to speak their own words or even come up with original ideas. They can only copy. When they talk, it is in the voices of other creatures, or in sounds that they've heard. Their lack of capacity for original thought makes them easily swayed by other creatures, so many kenku end up as minions to criminal masterminds, but they also make excellent scribes and factory workers if they have the chance. But they rarely get that chance.
Inwardly, though, every kenku feels a deep longing to fly in the sky, create things, and speak in their own voice. Some will go to great lengths to get hold of something like a broom of flying. A few that have been introduced to the idea even travel the world in search of a cure for the curse.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Kenku are avian in appearance, but wingless. Their small frames are mostly covered in black feathers, and their limbs are bare and scaly like a bird's leg. They have the head of a raven, complete with a large, black beak. In many ways they resemble aarakocra, but they have no wings or even a tail.
The few surviving depictions of ancient kenku show them with a tail made of feathers like that of a raven. Instead of arms, they had feathery wings with small fingers at the forward joint, similar to some winged dinosaurs but more dextrous.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Kenku usually stick together in flocks, occupying any tall structure they can take over such as an abandoned temple or ruined tower. The leader of the flock is the oldest, most experienced member, who is often called Master. Many flocks operate as criminal gangs in the service of a mastermind, while others pursue a legitimate living as work crews.

Civilization and Culture

History

Before they were cursed, the kenku were proud servants of the Raven Queen. But they have since forgotten where they came from or what they were made to do. Modern kenku have little in the way of culture or society; with their capacity for original thought destroyed, they are doomed to be thrown about by whatever wind picks them up, and that often means being taken advantage of by more creative people. Many end up working as thieves or thugs for some crime boss. More rarely, a flock may be persuaded to take up a more honest living. Kenku make great scribes, spies, messengers, and scouts, because they can remember and reproduce the things they see or hear with perfect accuracy. This also applies to observing how to do things.
In Vesperia, the story is basically the same. Kenku have a bad reputation, but some places are more hospitable than others; much like their mother country, Vinland employs kenku messengers in long-range relays across the kingdom, for example.

Lifespan

60 years

Average Height

5'

Average Weight

115 lbs