Witness of War: The Ainn Bhæygðr

Witness of War: The Ainn Bhæygðr is a tome stored within the libraries of Chalimar.

## Description

Written by the acclaimed historian and philosopher Nicraven Meiphyrello in response to intermittent resurgences of the faith of the Ainn Bhæygðr in diffuse colonies across the Ahlusian content, Witness of War: The Ainn Bhæygðr discusses what is known of the seemingly primal and paganistic entity.

## Research

### Completed by Arnica - Inquiry (Study)

Long have corvids attracted the focus of the Principal Races, with scholars remarking of their notable intelligence compared to many other conventional avian species, and bards and poets for their cultural significance - particularly those of crows, rooks and ravens. For many, the creatures have come to be associated with foul or ill omens, most likely due to their dark feathers, haunting cries and calls somewhere between a croak and gurgle - both evocative of mortality - and their predilection towards a diet of carrion. Corvids are a common sight at sites of conflict, feasting upon the dead, which has only further tied the association with calamity. Maligned by most of the populace for sake of superstition, to the people of Lylcairn, and to a lesser extent those of Courrakey, corvids were seen as providers of prophecy, and thus sought out to aid in avoiding decisions that would ultimately result in disaster. Legends speak of a bird, the actual size, colouration and nature of its species variable depending on the storyteller, but unified in at least one truth - that this bird had simply a single eye set into the centre of its head, directly in line with its beak.

The *Ainn Bhæygðr*, translated into Ahlusian Common most frequently as All-Sight Rook, Raven All-Eye & One-Eyed Crow, had gained the gift of prophecy, and thus ensured its continued thriving by lingering at the site of battles yet to come, ready to feast upon the ruins strewn before them. Atop a tree, the bird would wait and watch, tasting at the lifeblood yet to be spilled, the mortal souls yet to be scattered. The frequent battles and feuds between the Lylcairr tribes meant that sightings of this *Ainn Bhæygðr* were commonly reported, though not treated as an ill omen as so frequently seen elsewhere in the continent. The *Ainn Bhæygðr* did not declare the battle accursed, that all participating would meet their demise, but rather simply that the battle would occur, as a messenger and herald of what was inevitably come to be. Elsewhere, folk would pray for victory over their enemies, or the strength to shatter the resolve of their foes and throw back invaders, beseeching Kroai and Tohmos, or perhaps even entities more Malign, but those that sought out the *Ainn Bhæygðr* did so to give them the conviction to face what approached, so that their actions would be deliberate, purposeful and enacted at the full extent of their vigour and might, confident in their path ahead.

Like many of the beliefs of the conventionally uncivilised populace that resides within the Forest of the Forgotten Folk, most scholars and philosophers dismiss the significance of the Ainn Bhæygðr as little more than animism and other paganistic frivolity. While some have sought to catalogue all beliefs, regardless of their origin, acceptance and potential merit, others have responded more harshly, deeming it heresy that should be purged. Woe be unto those villagers that spy the Ainn Bhæygðr on the morn when they wake, for the torches of the neighbouring Realm are soon to grow close. My personal interest comes from reports that colonies outside of Lylcairn dedicated to the paganistic spirits - *Ainn Bhæygðr* included - have been found amongst isolated communities, often goliaths, giants and aarakocra, despite seemingly never having come in contact with any Lylcairr shamans. Whether this could be used as credence to the existence of such an entity, or simply that of the predilection of sentient races to attach divine reason to what may simply be natural occurrences, remains to be seen. Regardless, the role and meaning of the *Ainn Bhæygðr* is known to most across the continent, even if they do not acknowledge it. It is widely believed by the etymologists based at the College of Anthropology in Halima that the name of the entity entered public circulation shortly after Aita's Second Gift, when expedition leaders from Codorne clashed with Lylcairr warriors - and on the capture of the latter and questioning on why they fought with such fury, the tale of the Ainn Bhæygðr foreseeing the battle as inevitable was entered into military reports. In time, *Ainn Bhæygðr* became corrupted into that the *Anbhigor*, and from there into *Habingor* and finally *Harbinger*, the name given to any entity that heralds the approach of something soon to occur - and has since been used to describe a range of occurrences and in a variety of contexts.