Brinemarch Sun Crows
Appearance: Black corvids with bright yellow markings beneath the wings. Easily missed unless in flight or mid-rite.
Behavior: Absolute scavengers. Mimic other animal calls, camp noises, human voices. Highly intelligent. Monitor any fire outside of a boat.
Countermeasures
I. Crows Are Circling (Passive)
- Silence: Extended quiet limits their mimicry.
- Combat: Killing a crow may scatter the flock (morale check).
- Bribe: Offer shiny objects or food (resolve via Reaction Roll).
II. Crows Are Dancing/Singing (Active)
- Imminent Danger: A predator or enemy is approaching.
- Action: Flee, prepare for combat, or present tribute.
- Negotiation: If the threat is intelligent, treat as an encounter.
Reaction Roll (Against Lured Threat)
| 2d6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2–5 | Hostile (Attacks or hunts) |
| 6–8 | Wary (Demands or threatens) |
| 9–12 | Accept Tribute (If offered) |
Modify based on offerings, history with the creature, and presence of iron (±1).
Language Growth
The Sun Crow is not a true talking-beast. The more familiar or friendly the party becomes with a flock, the more language one (per player) crow will acquire.
- Day One: One crow begins echoing single words from one character. Add one mimic per day until every character has a mimic.
- Day Two: A crow learns two phrases and begins expressing simple intent.
- Day Three+: Crows display improvisational mimicry, including improvised phrases and impressions.
- Lure Action: The flock mimics shouts, cries for help, or predator calls to draw in a regional threat (Terror Bird, Knight-Raptor, patrol, etc.).
- The Rite: If the target dies alone (unwitnessed by humans or true speakers), one crow may perform the rite—taking the victim’s form, voice, gear, and memories. It becomes a Doppelgänger.
Paranoia & Signs
- Mimicry: Distant voices, pleas for help, familiar calls when no one is nearby.
- Luring: The cry of a predator that shouldn’t be here.
- Warning: Crows visible when someone scouts ahead, falls behind, or lies dying.
- Echoes of the Dead: A Doppelgänger may reuse a known phrase—or smile the wrong way.
Doppelgänger Rite
Returning to their true form requires attending a solitary death with no true talking beasts as witnesses. A group (1d6) will quietly observe a wounded or isolated target.Crows carry what they can to nests, forming ground caches of shiny objects, buttons, stolen keys, and rune stones at the nearest stable landmark.
Flocks that have performed the Rite dispose of the body and gear in the nearest river.