Empakomu

A bright shine of light in your eyes and the feeling of small talons grabbing onto your hand. That is the last thing you remember before a black bird has flown away with your wedding ring.

At a quick glance, these black birds seem little different from earth’s crows or ravens, albeit a bit bigger. But upon closer inspection, one will notice the myriad of features that make this creature unique. Its black wings are tipped in an almost pale white colour that seems to shimmer as they approach their targets, the almost jeweled looking claws that adorn its feet and the piercing eyes that appear to stare into your soul. The hue of an empakomu’s eyes and talons seem to denote what region they are from.

Perhaps it is due to centuries spent in the vicinity of creatures like fowldyr, maybe their powers predate the fowldyr, none can remember anymore but these small birds have the ability to sense items imbued with the same energies that cause fowldyr to be born. Most of the time the energy that is in these objects is nowhere near enough to create a fowldyr but that doesnt stop many a noble from claiming that the ring the Empakomu stole would have one day turned into a great fowldyr.

The closer these birds get to an item that emanates their desired energy, the brighter the tips of their wings shimmer, allowing them to blind their prey as they swoop in to grab the item. These hauls are flown back to the empakomu's nesting area and is used to build or enhance their nest. The feathers of the Empakomu retain their ability to detect sentimental objects for several hours after being shed. This makes them a valuable resource for people looking to track down lost items in a small area.

The empakomu also tend to nest in areas that are suffused with the same energy as the items they keep, making area's of cultural or historic significance rife with empakomu nests and reports of stolen items.

While the humans of Tyrth have their grievances with the empakomu, the one's who truly have the most strained relationship with these birds is the fowldyr themselves. Because of the immense emotional energy stored within their vessels, fowldyr act like a beacon for the empakomu and it is not uncommon to see these little black birds resting on the horns of a fowldyr or even on thier shoulders when in their common form. The birds feel truly at ease when with a fowldyr but that desire to stay with that energy causes some of the empakomu to try to steal parts of the fowldyr's vessel so that the empakomu can bring it back to their nest. This is especially true of vessels that are large and can more easily have pieces taken.

There is an ancient wives' tale that a flock of Empakomu near a ceremony or celebration is a sign of good luck from the genuine feelings pouring off those taking part, while another story says a flock of Empakomu is a sign that a fowldyr will be born soon. Regardless, these thieving little birds will never cease to be an excuse for citizen's everywhere to blame when important things go missing.