A little kenku wearing, leather cap and goggles, is falling. They are sitting in the cockpit of a contraption that was intended to soar on it's frame and double canvas wings. Instead it is plummeting from the great height it was launched from. The prototype propulsion engine has stalled out and is refusing to start. Propellers lifeless. This looks like it will be their last failed attempt. 00:27 "Of course it failed" the kenku thinks to themselves, "It was just a dream." The kenku stops struggling with the controls and sits back in their seat. They remember the childhood dream of wings, discovering talent for working with their hands, trying to find a master craftsman who would let them apprentice and being turned away because no one would trust a "thieving kenku" with their trade. Finding an apprentice who didn't mind spending his spare time teaching them. Finding a friend in him. Sharing a dream. Building together. Experiments. Models. Attempts. Failures. More Experiments. Despairing but knowing that if they believed enough they would succeed. Because their friend said so. Their friend became the voice they didn't have. He'd get the materials they needed. Placated the people anxious about their experiments with a friendly laugh and smile. Made sure the kenku was welcome wherever they were. The kenku had thought they had all the time in the world... but their friend had been hiding he was sick and after a while couldn't manage to hide it behind his laugh and his smile. He never missed a launch, though the kenku knew he was in pain. He would be there with that Wand of Featherfall without fail, ready to catch them if they fell. Until one day he couldn't be there. The kenku is falling. They kept trying. They kept trying because their friend said that they were going to fly. They believed it. They kept trying. Their friend wasn't gone because their dream was still alive. They kept working even after the people stopped talking to them because they didn't like the kenku mimicing that boy's voice. They kept trying, even after they couldn't buy more parts because the people wouldn't sell them and told the kenku to leave. They found a way to keep building and they kept trying. But every machine failed. If they could just get high enough... One last launch... And now the kenku is falling. 02:05 The wind ripples across the kenkus beak and feathers. The view is spectacular and the ground is rising to meet them now. 02:27 The kenku closes their eyes. They feel the wind rising to meet them. They think of their friend and how he would have loved to be here right now. Just to feel this wind on his face. But then they remember, he is here... The kenku takes hold of the controls again. "Come on..." The Kenku mimics the phrase said so many times, "Let's fly." Feeling the wind rising to meet them the kenku begins to steadily pull up on the controls feeling the updraft against their feathers. They pull the switch to reignite the engine. Life! The propeller begins to move again but it needs to spin soon! They do not oversteer in panic as they hear the ground's rapid approach. They pull up and up and up. The earth is seconds away. But the wind is under them and the propellers roar! 02:58 The kenku soars! Dust is left on the ground as it is left behind! The kenku flies! They fly and they screech with joy and whoop in their friends voice! They are free! They are free and he is here! They climb into the clouds on great wings. Their canvas and frame wings painted with black crow's feathers. They now have a whole world to see. It will be greeted with a young man's voice declaring: "Ace, The First Flying Kenku, pleasure to meet you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYIoXhADs04&list=PLDLMsp75WzhSEg95cbYzItMOmHPOPliub&index=6
Somewhere in the world of your D&D campaign,
00:00
A little kenku wearing, leather cap and goggles, is falling. They are sitting in the cockpit of a contraption that was intended to soar on it's frame and double canvas wings. Instead it is plummeting from the great height it was launched from. The prototype propulsion engine has stalled out and is refusing to start. Propellers lifeless. This looks like it will be their last failed attempt.
00:27
"Of course it failed" the kenku thinks to themselves, "It was just a dream." The kenku stops struggling with the controls and sits back in their seat. They remember the childhood dream of wings, discovering talent for working with their hands, trying to find a master craftsman who would let them apprentice and being turned away because no one would trust a "thieving kenku" with their trade. Finding an apprentice who didn't mind spending his spare time teaching them. Finding a friend in him. Sharing a dream. Building together. Experiments. Models. Attempts. Failures. More Experiments. Despairing but knowing that if they believed enough they would succeed. Because their friend said so. Their friend became the voice they didn't have. He'd get the materials they needed. Placated the people anxious about their experiments with a friendly laugh and smile. Made sure the kenku was welcome wherever they were. The kenku had thought they had all the time in the world... but their friend had been hiding he was sick and after a while couldn't manage to hide it behind his laugh and his smile. He never missed a launch, though the kenku knew he was in pain. He would be there with that Wand of Featherfall without fail, ready to catch them if they fell. Until one day he couldn't be there.
The kenku is falling.
They kept trying. They kept trying because their friend said that they were going to fly. They believed it. They kept trying. Their friend wasn't gone because their dream was still alive. They kept working even after the people stopped talking to them because they didn't like the kenku mimicing that boy's voice. They kept trying, even after they couldn't buy more parts because the people wouldn't sell them and told the kenku to leave. They found a way to keep building and they kept trying. But every machine failed.
If they could just get high enough...
One last launch...
And now the kenku is falling.
02:05
The wind ripples across the kenkus beak and feathers. The view is spectacular and the ground is rising to meet them now.
02:27
The kenku closes their eyes. They feel the wind rising to meet them. They think of their friend and how he would have loved to be here right now. Just to feel this wind on his face. But then they remember, he is here... The kenku takes hold of the controls again. "Come on..." The Kenku mimics the phrase said so many times, "Let's fly." Feeling the wind rising to meet them the kenku begins to steadily pull up on the controls feeling the updraft against their feathers. They pull the switch to reignite the engine. Life! The propeller begins to move again but it needs to spin soon! They do not oversteer in panic as they hear the ground's rapid approach. They pull up and up and up. The earth is seconds away. But the wind is under them and the propellers roar!
02:58
The kenku soars! Dust is left on the ground as it is left behind! The kenku flies! They fly and they screech with joy and whoop in their friends voice! They are free! They are free and he is here! They climb into the clouds on great wings. Their canvas and frame wings painted with black crow's feathers.
They now have a whole world to see.
It will be greeted with a young man's voice declaring: "Ace, The First Flying Kenku, pleasure to meet you."
A kenku in a flying machine?
I'll go with this instead:
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Going to need a harder song.