The gorcraw was a kind of carrion-eating bird.[3]
And when morning mists lift over the bloody field
Where the vultures and gorcraws have come to feed,
Then comes the herald, tabard all bright, revealed
Description[]
These birds appeared as crosses between crows and turkey vultures or buzzards.[3] They were usually black, but could be purple-blue, and young gorcraws could be mottled white, beige, or even brown, often blending them with forest detritus.[1] Most gorcraws, about the size of a sparrow, could only squawk.[5][6]
Behavior[]
Gorcraws were rapacious, but slow and slothful. Though not very smart, they were not stupid, either: they were impatient if anything, unlikely to wait for prey to die, preferring to fly off and seek it elsewhere.[3] These animals were known to eat young of the same species.[1]
Gorcraws were known to love the taste of blood and sarsson mixed together.[7]
Abilities[]
According to people familiar with the matter, a gorcraw was close enough to a dire crow.[8]
Combat[]
Gorcraws hunted, like shrikes did, when they were desperate, but they were not agile fliers and made for poor birds of prey. They generally avoided any creature larger than themselves or humans, as they were nearly defenseless against farmers, or even children. They didn't get close around anyone with a large stick, recognizing those as sufficient to injure or kill them.[3]
Ecology[]
Gorcraws were carrion birds, and occasionally hunters.[3]
History[]
The word "gorcraw" originated in Sembia, and may have been occasionally mixed up with the close-sounding gorscraw.[6] Some reported the name as deriving from its appearance being so close to that of a "noisy black crow".[3]
In the 14th century DR, gorcraws lived in Marsember,[5] and in the Storm Horns.[2]
Appendix[]
Background[]
The gorcraw is likely named for the carrion crow, a type of crow, which is known in some parts of England as a 'gorecrow' or 'gorcrow'.
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2009-02-25). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2009). Candlekeep Forum. Retrieved on 2024-02-14.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ed Greenwood (2002-09-02). How Wisdom Came to the Maimed Wizard. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2006-03-25. Retrieved on 2022-10-24.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2009-02-25). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2009). Candlekeep Forum. Retrieved on 2024-02-14.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (December 2014). The Herald. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0786965460.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ed Greenwood (May 2005). Elminster's Daughter. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 6, p. 106. ISBN 978-0786937684.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ed Greenwood (2024-02-12). Gorcraws (Tweet). theedverse. Twitter. Archived from the original on 2024-02-13. Retrieved on 2024-02-12.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2010-07-28). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2010). Candlekeep Forum. Retrieved on 2024-02-14.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2009-02-25). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2009). Candlekeep Forum. Retrieved on 2024-02-14.