Seven-faced Bird

Description

The Seven-faced Bird is a large bird, a relative of the grouse, found most commonly amongst the forests and river valleys of the East. It takes its name from the belief that its distinctive face is capable of seven emotional expressions, a trait mentioned in an ancient poem attributed to the early Shogunate poet Hu Daileng.

The male Seven-faced Bird is larger and much more colorful than the female, with a distinctive fleshy snood that hangs from the top of the beak and a wattle extending below. The head and neck in both sexes is bare, displaying bright blue and red colouration. The feathers of the tail can be raised in a fan-like display, particularly common during (often aggressive) courtship displays by the male birds. The call of the birds is a distinctive 'gobbling' noise.

The birds are capable of flight only in short, low bursts, with juveniles favouring the air more than adults, who take to flapping only to aid in climbing short trees or large rocks.

Variations

There are three variations of the Seven-faced Bird, found in different areas of the East.

- Courageous Seven-faced Bird: The variation found in the Northeastern Threshold around Linowa, predominantly brown in feather.

- Oscillated Seven-faced Bird: A smaller and less numerous variation, found in the area of Rokan-jin, Talinin, Bloody River, and Ardeleth. Its feathers are a beautiful iridescent bronze in colour.

- Whiteplume Seven-faced Bird: A domesticated variation found at the southern end of the range, as far south as Greyfalls. It is the largest variety, and most meaty, though some say its meat is less flavourful. Its plumage is predominantly white.

Culinary Uses

The meat of the Seven-faced Bird is popular amongst the tribes dwelling across its range, who cook it in all manner of ways. Its size makes it well suited as centerpiece for large festivals and celebrations. Some tribes are able to produce a preserved jerky from the meat to carry with them while travelling or over cold winters, while others eat the eggs of the bird.

Outside their range, they are viewed by most chefs as merely a gamier version of chicken, slightly harder to integrate into recipes, though some in the Hundred Kingdoms have a tradition of deep-frying whole birds in nut oil on celebratory occasions.

Uses for Feathers

The feathers of the Seven-faced Bird are also considered of use, with many local tribes employing them as decorative elements in traditional dress. In Greyfalls, the down of the Whiteplume variant has been used to stuff pillows for export to the Blessed Isle, while the larger feathers are dyed in all manner of colours and patterns for use in fans (another major export).

The feathers of the Oscillated variant, with their distinctive sheen, formed part of the tribute paid by the Rokan-jin and Talinin as satrapies of the Realm, also processed into fans, but with the loss of those two kingdoms the flow of such feathers to the Blessed Isle has entirely ceased.