Bestiary

The thieves carry the egg back to Malfeas. Once there, the spiritual thread connecting the fetish egg with the raven or human who would grow up to become a Corax begins to fray. After several weeks, the spiritual thread snaps. If heroic wereravens rescue the fetish egg before this connection vanishes, all is well, and the young Corax eventually undergoes her First Change, experiencing nothing worse than periodic nightmares.

However, once the connection snaps, the young human or raven becomes catatonic. Most die soon after. At the same time, the egg begins to decay, soon leaving nothing but an empty shell. The thieves plan a far more terrible fate for the egg. In Malfeas, they place it in a foul birthing pit along with a stolen human infant.

Here, the thieves perform the Rite of the Broken Wing, a hideous mockery of the Rite of the Fetish Egg that connects the stolen and dying egg to the infant next to it. Completing this relatively simple ritual requires the ritemaster it to shatter systematically every bone in the left wing of a captive bird. Although agents of the Wyrm can use any bird, most prefer to use a raven — or a captive Corax.

If the Rite of the Broken Wing fails, the egg dissipates and the infant dies. If it succeeds, it binds the two together in a horrible imitation of what should happen to a young wereraven. The damage to the egg and the corrupt energies of Malfeas both serve to warp the final creature. The Corax call these cursed unfortunates Buzzards or Scabs.