Kenku are a race of birdfolk in Abmarah, similar to their counterparts from the Forgotten Realms. They were created in the Beastbirth alongside most other beast races through the god Omegus.
Haunted by an ancient crime that robbed them of their wings and speech, the kenku wander the world as vagabonds and burglars who live at the edge of human society. Kenku suffer from a sinister reputation that is not wholly unearned, but they can prove to be valuable allies.
Feathered folk who resemble ravens, kenku are blessed with keen observation and supernaturally accurate memories. Although they evolved from avians, kenku had no wings or capacity for flight. None of them can remember the origin of the first kenku, however, and they often joke that there are as many kenku origin stories as there are kenku. Some of them paint their genesis as a curse, being a flightless bird people doomed to mimic other people's creations. Other kenku recite cryptic but beautiful poems about their advent being a blessed event in which they were sent into the multiverse to observe and catalog its many wonders.
Kenku lived in close-knit gangs, family groups, or clans, commonly called "flocks". These flocks were distrusting of outsiders, even of other kenku. They established aeries or nests, usually hidden and often near large cities or at least in civilized lands.
Above all else, kenku wish to regain their ability to fly. Every kenku is born with a desire to take to the air, and those who learn spellcasting do so in hope of mastering spells that will allow them to fly. Rumors of magic items such as flying carpets, brooms capable of flight, and similar objects provoke a great desire for the kenku to acquire the items for themselves. Despite their lack of wings, kenku love dwelling in towers and other tall structures. They seek out ruins that reach to the sky, though they lack the motivation and creativity to make repairs or fortify such places. Even so, their light weight and size allow them to dwell in rickety structures that would collapse beneath a human or an orc. Some thieves' guilds use kenku as lookouts and messengers. The kenku dwell in the tallest buildings and towers the guild controls, allowing them to lurk in the highest levels and to keep watch on the city below.
As a result of their lack of creativity, kenku function comfortably as minions of a powerful master. Flock leaders enforce discipline and minimize conflicts, but they fail at effective planning or crafting longterm schemes. Although unable to speak in their own voices, kenku can perfectly mimic any sound they hear, from a halfling's voice to the noise of rocks clattering down a hillside. However, kenku cannot create new sounds and can communicate only by using sounds they have heard. Most kenku use a combination of overheard phrases and sound effects to convey their ideas and thoughts. Given that kenku can duplicate any sound, their names are drawn from a staggering variety of noises and phrases but often simple and mono-syllabic.
By the same token, kenku have no ability to invent new ideas or create new things. Kenku can copy existing items with exceptional skill, allowing them to become excellent artisans and scribes. They can copy books, make replicas of objects, and otherwise thrive in situations where they can produce large numbers of identical items. Few kenku find this work satisfying, since their quest for the freedom of flight makes them ill-suited to settle into a routine.
The most commonly accepted origin for the Kenku's curse is their servitude to the god of knowledge, Gunian. According to legend, the kenku betrayed their master. Unable to resist the lure of a beautiful sparkling treasure, they plotted to steal the item and escape to the Material Plane. Unfortunately for the kenku, their master discovered their plan before they could enact it. Enraged, Gunian imposed three dreadful curses upon them. First, the kenku's beloved wings withered and fell away from their bodies, leaving them bound to the earth. Second, because their ingenuity and skill had turned toward scheming against their patron, the spark of creativity was torn from their souls. Finally, to ensure that the kenku could never divulge any secrets, their master took away their voices. Once he was satisfied that they had been sufficiently punished, the kenku were set loose on the Material Plane. Since then, the kenku have wandered the world. They settle in places that accept them, usually bleak cities that have fallen on hard times and are overrun with crime. Some believe that the curse was not out of revenge, but payment taken by Gunian for a knowledge now-lost.
Other than the Shadowfell, Kenkus are mostly found in southern Aurial and have spread across much of the Blood Sea. A large population of kenku live in the city of Taltigo within the Lunar Îles Protectorate. Many 'Tengu' kenku have found homes within the cities of the Cinoh Shogunate.