Alkonost
Slavicbirdfaeenchantmentprophecy
Lore
Alkonost is a Fae—an avian spirit that inhabits the borderlands of sea and birch grove. In the field she reads like a myth made flesh: a faint, oily scent of wet feathers and summer grass hangs in the air; her song is a crystalline, bell‑clear aria that pulls the world inward and makes listeners forget small griefs and old names; the temperature around her falls a degree or two, an uncanny coolness like dusk under leaves, as if the world takes a breath to listen.
Origin: Slavic • Eastern Europe (Rus')
Classification: Fae (Bird-Spirit)
Field Notes
Observations
- A single, pearly feather left at the waterline and a clear, ringing note at dawn or dusk that silences other birds.
Encounter Advice
- behavior: Solitary and circumspect: appears at dawn and dusk, migrates between hidden coastal isles and inland groves, sings to weave bliss or erasure rather than to hunt. Rarely approaches settlements except to answer a summons of longing or to mark passage between worlds.
- interaction: Approach with distance and ritual restraint—observe from cover, do not attempt to mimic her song or lock eyes. Leave a short offering and wait; listen for a single phrase, then withdraw. If you become overly entranced, cold water on the wrists and the smell of smoke or iron help restore presence.
- offering: Honeyed bread, a simple song returned from a safe distance, a small silver trinket or milk placed at the grove edge.
Abilities
- Blissful OblivionIts voice induces overpowering rapture and erases immediate memory of pain and duty in all who hear it, leaving listeners dazed with bliss.
- Halcyon BroodWhen Alkonost broods or lays on the shore, the surrounding waters fall unnaturally calm for days, sheltering ships and stilling storms.
Weaknesses
- Cold IronContact with iron disrupts its song-magic and causes the Alkonost intense pain, breaking its enchantments.
- Clanging NoiseSustained loud noises—especially church bells or hammered metal—prevent its song from taking hold in listeners' minds.