Kenku
Overview: Kenku are a race of flightless, avian humanoid scavengers, who most closely resemble crows or ravens, and live in the deep Underdark. Their origin remains a mystery, even to them, although they have a great many creation myths. Some claim they were a troupe of Vrocks punished by the Demon Lords, some claim they were created as servants to another, forgotten Demon Lord, some claim they have simply always existed in the Underdark, predating all recorded history, and some say they’re all changelings who forgot how to change form except for their voices. Whatever the truth, Kenku exist in a unique niche of the Underdark ecology, at the fringes of society, but never fully apart of it.
Physical Description: Kenku look like short, humanoid crows, with black beady eyes and long, dark hued beaks. Their heads, torso’s and upper arms are covered in feathers, usually black, while their scrawny lower arms and legs are bare and scaly like a bird’s. Their anatomy functions much like the crows they resemble.
Kenku average a height of four feet, and have hollow bones, making them exceptionally light, rarely exceeding 75 pounds. They prefer to wear loose fitting hooded robes and tunics of black and brown. Removing one’s hood is seen as an intimate gesture, and is rarely done outside of mating.
The only sexual dimorphism Kenku display is that females have very slightly shorter beaks and feathers. The difference is so subtle that even those who’ve spent much of their lives among Kenku can’t easily notice it, but Kenku can not only easily tell their genders apart, but insist that the difference is dramatic, and are often baffled that others can’t see it.
Kenku can mimic any sound or voice they have heard, with varying degrees of talent dependent on the individual. Some are hatched without the ability to generate new sounds, and can only mimic others, although this is rare.
Personality: Kenku are, on average, flighty, cowardly, selfish individuals, who are willing to lie, cheat, steal and deceive to achieve their self-serving ends. Concepts of honor and pride are foreign to them, instead prioritizing survival and wealth above all else. Cunning and quick minded, they are intensely aware of their low position on the food chain, and prefer to avoid the ire of stronger creatures, unless the scales are heavily tipped in their favor. Although they are selfish, Kenku work exceedingly well in groups, especially with each other, and prefer working with allies over being alone. However, they are prone to abandon their companions and flee or surrender the moment things go bad, or when they no longer see any profit in staying.
In combat, Kenku prefer to attack with overwhelming numbers, or any other advantage they can get, flanking and backstabbing their enemies, and fleeing the moment they're targeted. They frequently will harass and frighten their foes before battle with mimicked sounds to create the illusion of greater numbers. Almost all Kenku can, and do, use bows, and prefer short blades in melee. However, they also have a deep appreciation for the artistry of swordsmanship, and it’s not uncommon to find more experienced Kenku favoring exotic blades.
Relations: Kenku have an unusual, parasitic relationship with their Underdark brethren. Although they rarely participate directly in civilization, they are always lurking at its edges, pecking away at it, acting as bandits, thieves, mercenaries, spies and assassins. But most of all, they are scavengers, who chase battles to strip the dead of their belongings. While few others actually like the presence of Kenku, they provide enough services, and cause little enough harm, that they are generally ignored.
Some Kenku flocks are willing to contract out their collective services, and pledge their loyalty to a superior. Most know that a Kenku’s pledge is meaningless unless made to another Kenku, but they will generally remain loyal as long as they’re paid, and they are frequently willing to work for far less than others.
Alignment: Lawful Evil works for the flock following rules between themselves, and as an average alignment for kenku individuals. Kenku individuals often range from Chaotic Neutral to Lawful Evil, although they are more greedy than violent. Good individuals, although rarer, are not infrequent, and are still welcomed among their flocks.
Kenku Lands: Kenku claim no lands of their own, instead living a nomadic existence, setting up hidden camps and aeries or operating out of the slums of large cities. They have complicated migratory routes they travel in the Underdark to avoid staying in one place for too long, routes which they keep secret from outsiders at all costs. They also have an uncanny knack for turning up at battle sites after a conflict, and often remain encamped nearby while they strip the place clean.
Kenku Society: Kenku are organized into large, familial flocks, rarely consisting of more than 50-150 individuals, who are very close knit and distrusting of outsiders, even other Kenku. These flocks consist of several allied families, each of which answers to a patriarch or matriarch. Beyond this, their organization is very loose and fluid. Some have a primary patriarch or matriarch who rules the entire flock, others share or constantly vie for power, and some simply follow the lead of whoever is loudest and most eloquent at the time.
Kenku have a specific mating season, that being June and July, and these are the only months eggs can be fertilized. During this time period, Kenku attempt to attract mates through dance, song, and boasting of their feats and guile. Sometimes multiple flocks will come together during this period to mingle, and marriages will be arranged to promote good relations, or even to merge two flocks into one. Kenku are highly monogamous, and even death is not seen as a permissible excuse to take a second mate, though cheating still does occur, and is cause for much scandal.
Although Kenku wedding ceremonies differ from flock to flock, most of them revolve around an elaborate tea ceremony in which a rare, Underdark exclusive plant known as 'Lockroot', a poisonous aphordiasic, is used, granting them a delirious night of colorful, hallucination filled mating.
Kenku eggs are laid in nests of 2-5, and take roughly one month to hatch. Children are usually raised by their parents, but the entire flock helps and participates in the rearing. Each family often has a particular profession they specialize in, but
Kenku are commonly free to choose their own calling, and families frequently host and train others in their specialties. Almost all flocks, however, train every single child in the use and maintenance of the bow, so even the most benign of Kenku are often capable archers.
If a flock grows too large, or their internal relations become too tense, several families will band together and split off to form a new flock. This can be an event worthy of celebration and a grand farewell to beloved friends, or a bitter, spiteful parting, and the beginning of a grudge which may last generations.
Worthy of special note is the Kenku's tendency for insanity and madness. Whether it's born from paranoia, visions, demonic influence, or a superstition taken too far, insanity is a common affliction among the Kenku. Rather than reject the afflicted, they will go great lengths to accommodate them, resulting in every flock of Kenku having their share of eccentrics, and the species as a whole having a reputation for being crazy.
Religion: Kenku are most often polytheists, respecting and worshipping all gods and Demon Lords. They do this mostly out of fear or self-interest, either to win a god’s favor or appease their wrath. Each individual flock has a great many superstitions, such as believing meat cannot be eaten if it’s been cut with a pointed dagger, or that a forked crack in a wall is a sign of waiting disaster ahead. The origin of these superstitions is often lost to time, but Kenku nonetheless place great stock in them.
Language: The Kenku language consists of a mixture of caws, words, and mimicked sounds, making it virtually impossible for many others to learn, let alone pronounce. To make matters more complicated, Kenku often have accents or phrasings particular to a region, a flock, or even just a family. Kenku guard their language covetously, and only rarely teach it to outsiders.
They are much more likely to trust an outsider who displays a knowledge of their language, but those seeking to learn their tongue should be wary. The Kenku language has many hidden codes in its words which, if spoken by outsiders, may convey a completely different meaning altogether. The most common example of this is an added vowel at the end of the Kenku word for ‘hello’, which if spoken by an outsider, means that they cannot be trusted. If a Kenku was forced, under duress, to teach an outsider his language, he could teach him this variant greeting instead, as a way to warn his fellow birds.
Names: Since Kenku can duplicate any sound, they have a staggeringly large vocabulary of names, many of which are literally unpronounceable by others, a fact the Kenku thoroughly enjoy. When dealing with non-Kenku, they will refer to these names by a description. For example, a Kenku whose name sounds like the clinking of coins might be called Clink. When Kenku choose names others actually can pronounce, they tend to prefer sharp, harsh names. Kenku example Names: Tikik, Carak, Nikaw, Onyk, Bukko, Clink, Whistle, Howl, Squeak, Clang, Scratch
Adventurers: Kenku adventurers are rare, as the profession requires a level of bravery most Kenku lack. When they do occur, they are most likely motivated by a desire to amass large amounts of shiny treasure for themselves, and tend toward rogues, bards, or warriors.
Kenku mages have little to no contact with the Nine Orders, and are usually taught the Art by family members, although many flocks have no mages at all. They have great reverence and fear for the Orders, but few are willing to abandon their flocks to join, as their nomadic lifestyle, and the labyrinthine nature of the Underdark, means they may never be able to find their flock again.
Kenku clerics are very rare due to the polytheistic nature of most flocks, and when they do occur, they tend to stay with and try to convert their flock rather than leave.
Kenku Flocks: These are a handful of the many flocks which populate the underdark.
Dust Talons: One of the oldest flocks, the Dust Talons are industrious miners who carve out networks of hidden tunnels to avoid detection. Exceptionally cautious in their dealings and actions, the Dust Talons long and storied history has seen them become keepers of a great deal of rare, forgotten Underdark lore, and purveyors of knowledge.
Windsweeps: A flock known for their exceptional running speed and endurance, the Windsweeps survived by being able to move faster and quicker than anyone else. This flock was eventually cornered and captured by Shaahesk and sold into slavery, where their talents have seen them become highly prized and demanded as messengers.
Knifeyes: A flock known and named for their unusual knack at crawling up people and stabbing them in the eyes with knives, a reputation they have embraced. The Knifeyes are primarily a bandit flock who prey on the weakest and most defenseless targets they can find, and trade almost exclusively with other Kenku. They answer to both the names ‘Knife Eyes’ and ‘Knife Yes’.
Tealfeathers: The Tealfeathers, named for the subtle blue sheen at the end of their feathers, are one of the few flocks to have members in the Violet Order of the Skull. They actively train new Kenku mages, and trade and rent their magical talents to others. A magocracy, those without magical talent are seen as existing solely to serve the flock mages. Known to have an odd superstition in which spells are forbidden to be cast in your own voice, for fear that the Vortex will claim it.
Voiceless: A flock incapable of original speech, who communicate exclusively in mimicked phrases and sounds. The Voiceless are prolific slavers and smugglers, and are considered to be among the most ruthless and hateful of Kenku, even enslaving their own kind. Their reputation has resulted in pretending to be Voiceless a common means of intimidation between Kenku.
Sorrywings: The Sorrywings are a flock of assassins for hire, skilled in the arts of stealth and subterfuge. While they are far from the greatest assassins in the world, they are nonetheless skilled, although rely a great deal on soothsaying, divination, and superstition. When not plying their favored trade, they act as merchants and fortune tellers. Their name originates from their tendency to politely apologize to their victims, a superstition they believe absolves them of sin.
Bayonets: One of the few genuinely feared flocks of Kenku, the Bayonets are an exceptionally skilled band of mercenaries knowledgeable in guns and gunpowder who operate exclusively in the deep Underdark. As many covet their secret art, they are even more wary than most Kenku, and have been trained to choose death over capture. They charge a high price for their services, but more than earn their pay, and are capable of turning the tides of war.
Sellhearts: A nomadic flock which sells the services of its individual members for prolonged periods of servitude. They can be found in the employ of many lesser houses, estates, and groups of the Underdark, serving as everything from butlers, to tutors, to hitmen. Atypically loyal to their masters, they will only refuse to act against other members of their own flock.
The Bound: A flock which exclusively serves the Crowmeister, a demon made of a swarm of crows who all speak at once. While the behavior of the Bound seems normal at first, everything they do is in service to the Crowmeister. They are incapable of even imagining another kind of existence; to them, service to the Crowmeister is no different than breathing. Any pairing of a Bound with another Kenku will result in all of the children also being Bound, suggesting their nature is tied to their blood.