Gorekrows are a race of shapeshifting beings who share the alternate plain of existence known as The Plain of Sorrows with The Black-Eyed Man (also known as Jack). As with Jack, nothing is known about the origins of this mysterious species. The species name partially derives from their habit of taking on the form of scavenging birds, namely that of crow-like creatures.
History[]
Out of all the entities associated with Jack, the most mysterious are the race of shapeshifters known as the Gorekrows. Nothing is known about this secretive race, even their true forms remain unknown. It is said that they occupy the same plane of existence as Jack, known as The Plain of Sorrows. While there, it is claimed that they feast upon the rotting corpses of Jack's victims, but this has never been proven.
The race is known for its uncanny ability to predict events such as murders, disappearances, and natural disasters; appearing in these areas days, and sometimes weeks before they occur. In many of these cases, the events they anticipate are not always those committed by Jack himself, with some natural, while others committed by other supernatural entities.
On occasion, they will appear before a person that will be directly affected by the event, oftentimes they are silent, while other times they have been known to utter short sentences in the witness' own language. The words spoken to witnesses often tell of impending doom. For this reason, they have often been called Harbingers of Doom.
Apart from their occasional encounters with the human race, attacks by individuals are an extreme rarity if any such interactions even exist. Even though they are sometimes associated with Jack, Gorekrows are never encountered when Jack is nearby. This could possibly stem from the race's fear and reverence of him as they will usually leave the area upon his arrival. They will also not appear as the events they have predicted occur and have never been seen during the actual events.
Description[]
Although it's implied through their preference of taking on the forms of bird-like creatures, and occasional humanoid bird forms, the true form of the Gorekrow race is unknown. However, all forms retain pure white eyes. There are two different forms that the race has been known to use. One is that of a humanoid with features similar to that of ravens and crows. In this form, they are described as being very thin, almost emaciated, and covered in black feather-like hair. Their arms contain features that are both bird-like and humanoid in structure but are thinner, and the forearms longer in comparison to humans. The face is for the most part, humanoid, with sunken white eyes with no pupils, and a beak-like mouth. They have also been known to take on a more human-like form, but these occurrences are rare.,
The form that the race is mostly seen as is that of a raven or crow-like creature sometimes referred to as "Demon Crows" or "Demon Ravens". When compared to actual ravens and crows, there are significant differences between the "imitation form" and the forms of which they are imitating. Eyewitnesses immediately notice the individual's pure white eyes in comparison to the black eyes of ravens and crows and the size being slightly larger. The feathers are more ragged, almost as if they are older feathers glued onto their bodies. The legs and feet have more in common with birds of prey rather than the scavenging birds they partially resemble. Unlike the familiar sounds of ravens and crows, the Gorekrows, while in this form, emit an unnerving sound that resembles a high pitch laugh.
Powers and Abilities[]
Shapeshifting[]
The Gorekrow is well known for their shapeshifting abilities. Although their preferred forms are those of birds and bird like creatures (namely "Demon Crows/Demon Ravens" and the "Human-Crow/Human-Raven" forms), they are capable of shapeshifting into anything they wish, and have been known to take on the forms of coyotes, dogs, deer, and (in one encounter) the form of a deceased loved one. Imitating the forms of animals and specific people, they partially acquire a small portion of that species' abilities and, if a specific individual, the partial memories of the person they're imitating. Due to their shapeshifting abilities, the true form of the Gorekrow race is unknown, but could possibly be bird-like in appearance.
Flight[]
While in their bird-like forms and humanoid-bird forms, a Gorekrow is capable of flight. While airborne, they can reach speeds of 43 miles per hour depending on the size of the form they choose.
Access to The Plain of Sorrows []
Similar to Jack, each member of the Gorekrow race is capable of teleporting to and from Earth via access to their home dimension of The Plain of Sorrows. However, their teleportation ability from this access is limited and not as powerful as Jack's.
Telepathic Connection[]
Each member of the Gorekrow race is capable of establishing a limited telepathic connection to nearby individuals. Through this connection, they are able to fully learn the connected individual's native language and small pieces of their memories. This connection can only be established when the individual is in close proximity, and all the acquired memories appear to fade once the connection with the individual is lost.
Premonitions[]
Perhaps the most well-known characteristic of the race is their ability to see into the future, predicting events such as murders, disappearances, and even natural disasters. The true extent of these premonitions, if such parameters exist, is unknown, although they have been known to appear days, even weeks before the events transpire.
Trivia[]
- The Gorekrow race was originally intended to make an appearance in the now-canceled video game adaption of The Nightmare of Samuel Ward.
- The Gorekrows name was partially inspired by the similarly named Gorcrows from J. R. R. Tolkein's Middle-Earth Universe.
Images[]
A Gorekrow in the form of a Raven.