Kenku

"You say you didn't threaten him? Interesting. Let us hear what you sounded like last Tuesday at the docks. [Sound of a seagull cry, followed by the suspect's exact voice, distorted by wind]: 'If he doesn't pay, break his legs.' [Sound of a coin hitting a table]. That will be 50 gold for the consultation. Pleasure doing business."

— Click, Private Investigator and Notary Public

Origins: The Great Silencing

• The Myth: Ages ago, the Kenku betrayed a Master (a god, a demon, or an Archfey) who stole their voices and their wings so they could never fly away or lie again.
  

 
• The Adaptation: Instead of wallowing, the Kenku integrated into the developing cities of Humans and Elves. They realized that in a world of liars, the creature who can only repeat what they have heard is the most valuable asset in the room.
  

 
• Urban Dwellers: You rarely find Kenku in the wild. They are creatures of the cobblestone, living in the densest parts of cities where there is the most "audio data" to collect.

Cultural Values: The Verbatim Truth

• The Legal System: Kenku are the backbone of Cruinlagh’s justice system. They serve as Court Stenographers, Witnesses, and Notaries. A contract spoken in the presence of a Kenku is more binding than ink, because the Kenku can replay the verbal agreement perfectly for the judge.
  

 
• The Soundboard: A Kenku’s mind is a library of sounds. To be a "well-spoken" Kenku means you have collected a wide variety of voices, accents, and noises to construct complex sentences. They value "new sounds" like a dragon values gold.
  

 
• The Splicers: This is the dark underbelly. Criminal syndicates of Kenku use their gift for Audio Deepfakes. They can record a noble saying "Kill that bug!" and "Wow.. the kings ball! I want to go!" splice the syllables together, and play back "I want to Kill the King" in the noble's exact voice. They are the ultimate blackmailers.