Storm Crows are a greater cousin of the so-called mortal crow. The mortal crow has inherited much symbolism from their nature as scavengers and dark creatures. Warriors see the crow as an ill omen, the caw of the crow is the call that will bring them to the beyond. But the Storm Crow is not like their mortal cousin. The Storm Crow is the scavenger of thunder and lightning. As the clouds form, the storm crow begins to gather, their caws as cries carrying through the stillness before the storm. Those who know the signs know that this means that the spirits of lightning are gathering in those clouds.
The storm crows are not actually scavengers, they are predators who hunt, kill, and rip apart spirits. They are very obvious when they gather to gorge themselves on the spent spirits of lightning as they return to the sky, but they also haunt graveyards, wizard towers, and anywhere else spirits can be found. Their relationship to death and storms means that they are considered an ill omen.
The storm crow has dark grey feathers, which is hard to differentiate from the darker black of crows, unless you are looking at both of them. Their claws however are made of pure silver, which they are hunted for. They are a little larger than crows, almost as large as ravens but with the beaks of a crow. Their cries are indistinguishable from crows, and they fly in very large murders like their mundane cousins.
Storm Crows are prized as pets by the minor occultists of the world. The few people who can feed a storm crow will keep them as an early warning system, a spooky thematic accent, or, one of the few ways that an occultist can become aware of spirits without The Gift. Storm Crows are smart enough to recognize faces and will befriend those who manage to find them food, keep them safe, and keep them warm. Of course, they resent those who keep them caged or harm them. They are a communal bird, and desire to stay with their murders, so finding a lone Storm Crow to domesticate is rare, but not impossible.
There is much debate about the ethics of keeping Storm Crows, with churches of good often associating them with evil due to their foodstuff including the restless dead. This is often portrayed as Storm Crows swarming around graveyards and attacking ghosts, and some graveyard keepers do keep a roost in the graveyard to keep spooks away. This, of course, lead to some who were buried without ceremony being attacked in their afterlife. Many churches will burn those who keep Storm Crows as a precaution.
Silver Talons: Storm Crows have talons made of pure silver. They count as a weapon Pow+1, VA -, WS - and count as a Spirit Weapon. Their talons can be sold quite easily for money in any market that takes silver. They are substantial enough to be melted into a coin or two.
Steeped In Omens: Storm Crows are masters of finding spirits to feast upon. This is because they have a minor sense of the future. As such, they will start to flock whenever spirits are about to swarm for scavenging, or when lone weak spirits are about to appear. This minor sense gives Storm Crows an Astrology die on any roll except Martial or Physical skills.
Spirit Eater: Storm Crows can, and must, eat spirits. They often will draw minor spirits from foodstuffs in order to be satiated, but the item has to be substantial enough to have a spirit. For example, they can eat whole roaches, but ants are insufficient due to their lack of individual drive. If they cannot partake of these, they begin to fade until they become spirits themselves. Storm Crows can also eat memories. The giver of the memory must freely remember the memory for the crow, or the memory must be picked out of the skull via the top of the skull.
A Burning Wheel Monster Every Week