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InformatusMagna / GrimmBestiary / AerialSpecies / GB-AS-001
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Humanitas Regnabit Valeo Invicta.
NEVERMORE
AVESMORTIS TENEBRIS
Overview: No clarion call, war-drum or alarum-bell can hope to inspire more despair or horror than the ghastly cries of the Nevermore. They are the most populous avian Grimm in all of Remnant, and this ravenous maelstrom of feathers and talons can block out the sky with a thousand wings – or two.
/
Physical Description: Nevermore are aerial Grimm that are capable of flight. They resemble the Corvidae family of birds, which include ravens, crows, magpies, jays, and jackdaws. Like every other Grimm, they possess an inky-black colouration, blood-red eyes, and osteoderm facemask. Their beak, feathers, and bone structure are all analogous to those possessed by normal birds. The former two are extremely sharp and are composed of keratite proteins, while their hollow skeletons allow for ease of aerial movement.
Coloration aside, Nevermoretraits reminiscent of other avian (and in some cases completely different) species. Their osteoderm facemask is topped by a bony crest jutting out of their head, like the extinct Pteronsaurii that dominated the skies during Remnant's Prehistory. Adult Nevermore sport shaggy, feathery manes around their neck that resemble those seen on some Afrani vultures. Most distinctively, Nevermore have articulated claws on each wing like by the Atlesian Urvogel and the Opisthocomidae family of birds. Unlike them, Nevermore have four digits instead of three, and one of them is opposable. Nevermore have been shown to use these wing-claws to crawl on land or climb rock faces.
Of note is that Nevermore possess four eyes, but especially large specimens are known to have six eyes. By having multiple pairs of eyes, Nevermore possess the depth perception and binocular sight that predator animals have, and the wide field of view possessed by prey animals whose eyes are on the side of their head.
Nevermore are notorious for having the widest range of sizes compared to other Grimm. The wingspans of juvenile Nevermore tend to be in between 9 cm and 14 cm in length. However, there are recorded sightings of Adult Nevermore that have an estimated wingspan of up to 110 meters long.
A Nevermore's Telltale Heart is in the middle of their torso.
To support their massive wings, Adult Nevermore possess massive sternums, which are comprised of dense ossanoctae. This makes perforating their Heart surprisingly difficult.
/
Incursion Stratagems: Nevermore serve a myriad of roles during Grimm Incursions depending on their size. Before the attack commences, juvenile Nevermore will scout out the targeted area, taking note of its defenses and population density before relaying the gathered information to the rest of the Scourge Swarm. Once the attack commences, thousands of juveniles will be sacrificed to soften up human air defenses and minimize the damage taken by larger Grimm.
Flocks of juvenile Nevermore will disable Anti-Air Cannons by overwhelming their targeting systems through sheer numbers or clogging the gun's barrels with their corpses. They can also swarm and isolate unwitting individuals, who are pecked and scratched to death by hundreds of beaks and claws.
Adult Nevermore serve as aerial shock troops during a Grimm Incursion. Their deafening cries and massive size can demoralize military personnel and potentially compromise the defenders' chain of command. They also see use as aerial tanks, since they can withstand surprising amounts of punishment.
Despite its relative inaccuracy and difficulty penetrating structures, their Feather Barrage can easily displace regiments and can ravage entire city blocks if the Nevermore is situated high enough.
/
Huntsman Engagement Doctrine: A juvenile Nevermore can be easily dispatched by a well-aimed Dust Round of sufficient caliber. Unfortunately, Huntsmen tend to engage multiple juveniles at once or one massive adult specimen. Adult Nevermore are highly specialized aerial combatants – they can swoop down and divebomb their targets, emit cries that can reach up to 105 decibels, and most dangerously of all, bombard their enemies with razor-sharp feathers that can reduce a person to a bloody smear. While not the most effective melee implements, a Nevermore can utilize its wings, beak and talons in close combat, to devastating effect.
Under no circumstances should you engage an adult Nevermore alone. To do so is to invite death. If you are caught out by one in the open, escape is your only chance of survival. Look for an enclosed area that the Nevermore cannot follow you through, such as a cave or building. Only by working together can Huntsmen stand a chance.
Despite their proficiency at ranged combat and aerial supremacy, Nevermore have one glaring weakness – their vulnerability to fire. Because of their hollow bones, even a simple hairline fracture can completely hobble a Nevermore. They rely on their thick, bristly feathers to absorb punishing blows and redirect sharpened blades before they rend their flesh. Burning away a Nevermore's feathers renders it unable to fly and exposes it to a killing blow. Additionally, fire-based munitions can eliminate juveniles by the dozen.
Because of this, explosive, incendiary and plasmic weapons are invaluable against Nevermore. These include (but are not limited to) flamecasters, pulse rifles, Fire Dust Grenades, Helios missile warheads, Promethene Sentry Towers, Atlesian Solnitse Batteries, and Mistrali Fire.
Unfortunately, most of these weapons tend to be inaccurate, have a limited range, or can cause immense collateral damage when improperly handled. Combined with the sheer fear they strike in the hearts of man, only the steadiest of hands and steeliest of souls can withstand the assault of this skyborne devil.
/
Addendum GB-AS-001: The Mistrali Razorwing [Pugionem alatum] have been observed to possess numerous physical similarities to the Nevermore:
Both species are airborne Grimm that highly resemble birds and other avians. Both species possess articulated phalanges on their wings. Both species primarily attack by pecking, dive-bombing, and scratching at their targets. Both species are capable of deafening cries that they use to disorient their enemies.
However, Razorwings tend to be far smaller than Nevermore, and the latter's bodies appear far more humanoid in structure. Razorwings possess fanged mouths instead of beaks, long spiked tails instead of tail feathers, and a bipedal gait with a saurischian skeleton. Razorwings are also incapable of using the Nevermores' signature feather barrage. It is hypothesized that the similar features of the two species are a result of convergent adaptation.
/
Addendum GB-AS-002: An Adult Nevermore with a measured wingspan of 72 meters was slain by eight Huntsman Aspirants during the Induction Ceremony of the Collegia Illuminaria, more commonly known in Modern Mythic as Beacon Academy.
During the mock war that was participated in by a hundred Aspirants, the Nevermore suddenly emerged from a mountainside cave that the Beacon faculty had overlooked. To better observe the participants' capabilities under duress, select specimens of Grimm are incorporated into the ceremony. As a result, most of the aspirants mistook the Nevermore to have been purposefully released by Beacon. This unforeseen event led to a minor Grimm Outbreak that was quelled before it could become a full-scale Incursion. None of the Aspirants or Faculty were killed, but numerous Aspirants were heavily injured.
The Aspirant who landed the killing blow is 16-year-old Ruby Rose, who was fast-tracked into Beacon Academy following her detecting, reporting, and helping to quell a Beowolf Outbreak located in the gated subdivision of Patch [1].
The following events have skyrocketed Miss Rose's fame not just in Patch, but in the entirety of the Prefecture of Lyonnesse. In addition to her exemplary academic performance at the Signal Preparatory School of Combat, her guile, combat prowess and mechanical proficiency resulted in her being admitted to Beacon two years early, with Headmaster Ozpin himself sponsoring her education. For her part, Miss Rose refuses to attend interviews and is seemingly uncomfortable with her newfound fame. Her father, Professor Taiyang Xiaolong of Signal Preparatory and former member of the disbanded Venator Team STRQ [2], has denied invitations from regional holoreporters and news-scribes for the sake of his family's privacy.
/
Addendum GB-AS-003: The following transcript details an unreleased interview between Charlize Cornflower-Llanfair, investigative news-scribe for the Veridian Daily Herald, and Nora Valkyrie, an Aspirant who witnessed Ruby Rose slaying the Nevermore firsthand. The interviewee was approached at a noodle shop in downtown Couronne and consented to being interviewed by the Herald.
However, when Valkyrie informed her team about her interview and how she was approached by Mme. Llanfair, the newly formed Hunting Party 'JNPR' approached the Herald and asked the editorial staff to withhold the interview out of respect for Ruby Rose's privacy. While initially hesitant, the Herald was forced to comply when two of Valkyrie's team members threatened legal action against the newspaper.
INTERVIEW WITH NORA VALKYRIE: DATED RC:10.29.3023
+ COMMENCE TRANSCRIPT +
Mme. Llanfair: You have my thanks for agreeing to this interview, Mademoiselle Valkyrie.
Mlle. Valkyrie: Nora's okay. Being called madmos – maddei – being called ma'am just kind of makes me feel old, y'know? Haven't even had my mid-life crisis yet. Here's hoping this wasn't it, heh!
Mme. Llanfair: Understood, Miss Valkyrie. I understand that you were present during the Illuminaria Incident 3 that culminated in the slaying of an adult Nevermore?
Mlle. Valkyrie: Right, the giant Stymphal [4] – so this is what this interview's about? I mean, now that I think about it, it's all the rage in Beacon right now. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wouldn't stop talking about it! Like, Yang wouldn't stop egging Ruby about it, and people are comparing her to Pyrrha [5] which in my opinion is taking things way too far, because Pyrrha is literally the Mistralian Whirlwind and any one of us coming close to her is honestly -
Mme. Llanfair: Excuse me, but can we backtrack a little bit? We would appreciate it if you can shed some light on how exactly four Aspirants – one of which is sixteen years old, mind – managed to vanquish a Grimm of such size. How did this come about?
Mlle. Valkyrie: …man, I don't even know how to put it into words. Everything just happened so fast, you know? I mean, I was in No-Man's Land and chasing down Dove Bronzewing because he had our flag, when we hear this deafening shriek that made all of us just…kinda stop. Something shattered, and then something darker than black flew into the battlefield and we all just scattered. Renny [6] grabbed me by the hand and we ran and ran and ran, as fast as our legs could take us. We didn't know where to go. We just needed to get out of there as soon as possible.
Mme. Llanfair: A perfectly understandable response. That must've been horrific; I apologize for forcing you to recall such a memory.
Mlle. Valkyrie: It's alright. Ren was a lot more scared than I was. He thinks he does a good job of hiding it, but I can always tell. We were so thankful we met up with Pyrrha when we did. Oh, we also got to know this guy in a Beowolf pelt and a huge shield! Too bad the Death Stalker kinda put a damper on the whole thing.
Mme. Llanfair: Did the Nevermore arrive alongside the Death Stalker?
Mlle. Valkyrie: Yeah! It was when everything went from bad to worse! We were trying to flip the Death Stalker over and trap it inside one of the trenches, when the Stymphal bursts out of the trees, and this girl was shooting it in the face trying to draw it away from us, and this other girl was punching the absolute daylights out of it, and – ooh! Weiss Schnee was there! And she was working with Ruby! She launched Rubes – I probably shouldn't call her that because I don't know her very well yet, but she isn't here so might as well – into the air and she chopped the Stymphal's head off like it was nothing!
Mme. Llanfair: Did you witness the moment where the Nevermore was slain?
Mlle. Valkyrie: Sure did – Rubes was like, spinning in the air while surrounded by petals! She looked like Fleetfoot the Ferret if he was really into flower arrangement! Weiss boosted her up with this giant glowing snowflake and then she crashed down into the earth splattered with ichor, and it was so cool! Brothers above and below, it was so damn cool! You should've been there! I can't put it into words how awesome it was!
Mme. Llanfair: …thank you for your time, Miss Valkyrie. That shall be all.
Mlle. Valkyrie: Yeah, if I could – wait, you're not even gonna ask me about how we absolutely trounced the Death Stalker?! Because that was just as awesome as what RWBY did! Arguably even more so! I freaking grabbed it with my bare hands and sent eleven bajillion gigawatts straight through its noggin! Then Pyrrha stabbed it in the face with its own tail, which was so cool, and Jau –
+ END TRANSCRIPT +
Footnotes:
1. See Veridian Daily Herald, RC 6.17.3024 Issue, 'Prodigy Signal Student assists in quelling Unholy Insurrection!' [ ▲ ]
2. Former Beacon Hunting Party comprised of Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiaolong, Raven Branwen, and Qrow Branwen. While Xiaolong and Qrow Branwen remain active-duty Huntsmen, Raven Branwen has been decreed Hominis Traitoris Ultimus and is currently a wanted fugitive. Summer Rose was Ruby Rose's mother, and was killed in the line of duty. [ ▲ ]
3. The name used by most news outlets, including the Herald, to refer to the Induction Ceremony incident. [ ▲ ]
4. An alternative Mistralian term for Nevermore. [ ▲ ]
5. Pyrrha Nikos' decision to enroll at Beacon Academy would be publicly revealed a week after the Induction Ceremony. The suppression of this information was requested by Aleksandro Nikos, Chief Financial Officer of Neoptolemus Holdings S.A. [ ▲ ]
6. Lie Ren is Nora Valkyrie's legal guardian and fellow teammate. The two of them were the only survivors of the Battle of Black Lotus, where the Mistrali provinciae of Kuroyuri ended up falling to a Grimm Incursion. [ ▲ ]