Kenku

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Greyhawk Creature
Kenku
A kenku, as depicted in Monster Manual III (2004).
General information
Alignment:Neutral or neutral evil
Type:Humanoid
Subtype:Kenku
First appearance:Fiend Folio (1981)

Kenkus are a race of humanoid birds.

Ecology

Kenkus hatch from eggs like birds do.

Environment

Kenku dwell in nests or aeries that are often built near human cities until the age of nine, when they set off on their own with bands of like-minded kenkus. They often dwell in human cities, running criminal enterprises and confidence schemes.

In the Flanaess, kenku have been encountered from the Duchy of Berghof in the Hold of the Sea Princes, to the Gnarley Forest, to the Cairn Hills.

Typical physical characteristics

Despite their birdlike appearance, kenkus lack wings, instead having human like arms, with talons in place of feet. Kenkus are covered in russet-brown feathers and have black beaks, but have a relatively humanoid build. Though more agile than humans, they tend to be physically weaker as well. They have small black beady eyes and are quite light for their size due to their hollow bones. They average five feet in height and weigh roughly 75 pounds (32 kilos).

Kenkus commonly wear brown robes held in place by a sashes of the same color. Kenkus often conceal weapons beneath these robes.

Alignment

In the first and second editions of AD&D, kenkus were said to be neutral in alignment. The third edition Monster Manual III stated that "most kenkus are evil," but that good and neutral kenkus did exist, and that "most kenku characters tend toward neutrality," presumably referring to player characters.

Society

Kenkus are often thieves and assassins, fond of kidnapping as a source of revenue. They live in tight-knit clans called flocks.

Religion

Kenkus often worship their racial deity, Quorlinn. Others turn to darker deities like Pazuzu and Vecna.

Language

Kenku understand Common and their own language, known as Kenku. According to Fiend Folio (1981), they cannot speak aloud, instead communicating among themselves using telepathy. In third edition they can not only speak aloud, but they are expert mimics with the ability to imitate the voices of others to a high degree of accuracy.

Mythology

The kenku race is said to have been created by the same non-lawful sky god who accidentally created Quorlinn as a way to keep that trickster god busy.

One myth claims that kenkus originally had wings, but that after being decimated by a plague they swore allegiance to the demon lord Pazuzu. After a few generations, however, the flighty kenkus abandoned their worship of Pazuzu, and Pazuzu responded to this infidelity by cursing them with winglessness.

Creative origins

Kenkus have their basis in Japanese mythology as tengu, a race of arrogant tricksters and thieves with bird-like heads or long noses, adept at craftsmanship, and masters of the art of Japanese swordplay, or kenjutsu.

Publication history

The kenku was first statted for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game by Rik Shepherd, published in White Dwarf Magazine and the Fiend Folio game bestiary. Kenkus appeared in The Sentinel by Graeme Morris, which is set in the Hold of the Sea Princes. Oriental equivalents of the kenkus, the tengu, appeared in Oriental Adventures (1985). In second edition AD&D they appeared in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989) and the Monstrous Manual (1994). Their god Quorlinn was introduced in Monster Mythology (1992). A group of kenku fought to possess a silver statue in "Tamara Belongs to Me," one of the adventure cards in From the Ashes (1992). A kenku NPC appeared in The Complete Book of Villains (1994) and a group of kenkus formed the basis of one of the adventures in Monte Cook's non-world-specific adventure anthology A Hero's Tale (1996).

In third edition, kenkus were reimagined as crow-like, rather than the hawk-like beings they had been in previous editions. In this respect, they were more similar to the tengu of Oriental Adventures, who had also appeared in the third edition version of that book (2001). Their alignment was changed from predominantly neutral to predominantly evil. They appeared in the third edition Monster Manual III (2004) and a similar version of the creature appeared in the fourth edition Monster Manual 2 (2009). An adventure involving kenku appeared in Dungeon #120.

Bibliography

  • Botula, Kirk. The Complete Book of Villains. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.
  • Burlew, Rich, Eric Cagle, et al. Monster Manual III. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004.
  • Cagle, Eric. "Ecology of the Kenku." Dragon #329. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
  • Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume Two. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
  • Cook, Monte. A Hero's Tale. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
  • Haener, Timothy J. "The Forsaken Arch." Dungeon #120. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
  • Heinsoo, Rob, and Steven Schubert. Monster Manual 2. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2009.
———. Monster Mythology. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
  • Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.
  • Turnbull, Don, ed. Fiend Folio. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1981.
  • Wyatt, James. Oriental Adventures. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001.

    Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Kenku Monster Dragon magazine #329 68-72
Kenku Monster Fiend Folio, AD&D 1e 56
Kenku Monster MC2 - Monstrous Compendium Volume 2 Insert (Kenku)
Kenku Monster Monster Manual 1, D&D 5e 194
Kenku Monster Oerth Journal #10 12,13,16
Kenku Monster Oerth Journal #16 65
Kenku Monster WG12 Vale of the Mage 62
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