Mortal Races: Aarakocra and Kenku

Stories of bird-people are usually dismissed as no more than travelers' tales, but they are true. During the Hostwar, the angels took the souls of the dead and created avian bodies for them, so they could serve as scouts and aerial troops. As a result of their origin, their souls are unable to move on. They cannot die except by violence, and their souls are then bound to Tellaia, unable to reincarnate. What's more, they are unable to have any children. Most bird-people have withdrawn from a world that instinctively fears them, and they dwell in the most isolated places. They live lives of austere purity, praying to the Supreme One to intervene and undo their creation. Occasionally, one of their ever-dwindling population will leave home in disguise, trying to discover the secret of how their race can die once and for all.

While the bird-people originally accepted their curse voluntarily, one tribe cursed Paradiso and turned to other masters for their aid. These corvid-headed bird-people are the most commonly encountered (although they are still extremely rare). They sought the aid of devils to undo their curse, a bargain that made them forever outcast from their kindred, and made a deal to steal and deliver the dead to them in exchange for help. The devils never intended to help them, and many bird-people have given up on the bargain, but some still attempt to consume the souls of the dying in a vain hope that it will give them their freedom. This is the cause of the sinister reputation of crow-headed tricksters and their association with death. This is why plague doctors' masks are made in their image, as a warning to others to avoid them when they go about their work.

Every bird person has been around for thousands of years, and the weight of time is a constant strain upon them. Therefore, they have devised a special magical ritual designed to strip one of their kind of their memories. Once complete, the bird-person is given a new name and becomes the closest thing to a child that there is among them. These fledglings must relearn everything. The exiled kenku also use this ritual, but because they do not have access to their homes, it is not always done properly.

Image result for illuminated bird person
Art: Detail from a Book of Hours. Anonymous, 1485.

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