Even some spirits in the Shadow will acknowledge the Corvian's role and give way. Most denizens of the underworld will respect this symbol and stand aside, partially out of respect for the natural order of the Underworld but also out of fear for what the totem might do if his servants were interfered with.
The Corvian can will the mark to glow brightly as a badge of sorts to indicate that he is on important business for Death Raven and should not be interfered with. This symbol marks the barer as a representative of Death Raven and many ghosts and spirits will recognize its significance. When a Corvian undergoes the First Change, he is branded by Death Raven with a spiritual mark on the palm of his left hand. What became of them after that is unknown, some think they simply went to their final rest early, after all one cannot really be a prisoner in heaven but most Corvians agree that it is wrong to step over the stones, it is not their fated time and it is a failing of their duty to put themselves above their charges. There are stories of Corvians who went one step further, who stepped over the stones and tried to get closer but once they had done so, they found they were trapped on the far side. They can see something vague in the distance, shapes, lights, but they can never quite make out what it is. It is here that the Corvians say farewell to the soul and send it on its way. As they lead the soul, they reach a point of no return, a place marked with a row of stones beyond which nothing can ever return. The apprentice carries these souls on to whatever comes after, skipping the ghosts normal fate of anchors and the Underworld.Ĭorvian's don’t actually know where the fated souls and forgotten concepts go when they die, their purpose is to act as guide, to carry the souls on to their destination but to never know what that destination is. Referred to as the "Pilgrim", his role is to carry away the souls of those few individuals who have been touched by fate in some special way. The apprentice deals with more earthly human matters. When an idea has no place in the world any longer and none living remember it, the Shepherd swoops down to carry it away to wherever concepts go when they die. He takes the souls of cities and civilizations, words and thoughts. This Corvian rarely bothers himself with human souls and instead is charged with the death of concepts and ideas. One of the Corvians always acts as the mentor and master of the other, he serves Death Raven more directly and is referred to as the "Shepherd". Once the name has been devoured, neither the new Corvian nor anyone else can remember what it was. The first change is a traumatic experience, the soon-to-be-Corvian is forced to look into the face of death and to confront his own mortality as Death Raven rips out and devours his birth name. If a Corvian dies, Death Raven chooses a suitable replacement. The number of Corvians remains a constant: one master and one apprentice.
Death Raven chooses his servants although no one can say what this choice is based upon. Strangely (for a spirit), Death Raven seems to spend most of its time in the Underworld and is rarely seen in the Shadow.Īlthough Corvians have Beast Kin, very few ever go through the first change and it does not seem to be a matter of genetics or random chance. Unlike Uratha totems, it rarely stays at the Corvians side or becomes directly involved in events, leaving its servants to handle things on their own.Īll Corvians do have a direct connection with the spirit though and it tends to answer them when they have a request so long as it's an important one dealing with matters of death and the soul. Those who look upon it catch vague glimpses of their own death reflected in its glossy black feathers, filling them with dread.ĭeath Raven acts as the totem to all Corvians even though they do not normally have a pack but it tends to be a more distant totem. The Corvians are unlike other Changing Breeds, they often seem to have a closer connection to the dead of the Underworld than the spirits of the Shadow and there are only two Corvians at any one time, a master and an apprentice.Īll Covians are the servants of Death Raven who often appears as a huge black raven, twisted but beautiful. Just as psychopomps serve as the guides to the souls that have descended into the Underworld, the Corvians act as the guides on Earth, leading souls on to whatever comes after. The term "Corvian" here refers specifically to wereravens and not to other similar birds like crows and magpies.įor thousands of years the Corvians have served as the guides and messengers of the fated dead. Corvians in Caligo Mundi differ significantly from those described in the Changing Breeds book and this document outlines the Corvians nature and abilities as they are used in our game.
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