Nevermore

Cryptologic Name: Grimm corvus
Planar Origin: Remnant
Habitat: Temperate forests, urban/suburban/rural areas
Diet: Omnivorous; subsist primarily through scavenging carrion as well as eating small seeds, nuts, and berries

Appearance & Morphology
The nevermore is the only known avian of the grimm genus. These creatures are similar in size and coloration to the common raven, with a distinctive mask of bone covering their face (a feature common amongst grimm) and two pairs of fiery red eyes. Each nevermore has markings on its mask which are unique to the individual and range in color from orange to violet but are most commonly red in hue.

Magical Abilities
The nevermore has minor prophetic powers, which appear to be limited to the foretelling of misfortune to those living beings around them. It is believed that their two sets of eyes are the source of their prophetic powers; the front pair of eyes seeing things as they are, and the rear pair seeing into the future. As with most prophetic arts, it’s unknown whether a person’s knowledge of impending misfortune can alter that person’s fate, or whether that knowledge ultimately leads them to the very predicament they have been warned about.

Behavior
Nevermores are highly intelligent, and as such will often try to warn those beings for whom they have forecast disaster by singing to them. They are most vigilant in their warnings when they have been domesticated and sense impending danger centered around their owners and others who they have developed an affection for. Unfortunately, nevermores have thus far not shown any capacity for human speech or other methods of precise communication, and therefore cannot be specific in their warnings; there’s no way to know whether the bird has foreseen a paper cut or your untimely demise. There is, however, a great deal of speculation as to the specific patterns in their songs corresponding to the nature and/or severity of events, but there is no conclusive evidence as yet to support that theory.

Field Notes

• Despite the relative ease of training these birds, they are not a very popular creature to be kept as pets. This is most likely because people tend to be rather unnerved by both their appearance as well as their powers. Mages have been known to go mad from hearing the songs of the nevermore and becoming overly paranoid about the nature of the misfortunes they are fated to endure. They are also often blamed for such calamity purely by association, though it is widely accepted in the cryptozoological community that these birds are not the source of the bad luck, but simply harbingers of it. Nevertheless, most are more comfortable living in ignorant bliss of their future misfortune.

  • There have been some, on the other hand, who are on the opposite side of the fence, adoring their relationship with their nevermores, and actually training them to respond in the event of an emergency. According to Chairon Merivell, a respected collector of a variety of magical birds, he taught his nevermore to hit a “life alert” button (a muggle device used to aid those in danger/having a medical emergency) when the creature sensed mortal peril in his future. This training has yet to be proven as Merivell has yet to be involved in anything particularly life threatening.