"And by the Word Unutterable, shall the Gates be thrown open..."
From the Rite of the Initiation of the Adept of the Mystery of Justification
The Devouring Word, also known as the Unutterable Word, is a magical utterance known to the devotees of the
Mysteries of the Raven; it is imparted to them at the fourth degree of initiation. It is considered imperative that the word
never be spoken outside the context of its correct ritual use; in the right ritual context, it is said to be allow the working of a number of different feats of magic, depending on the will of the speaker, though the rites are not taught until the higher degrees.
The precise origin of the Devouring Word is unknown, though it is commonly said to have been delivered to the kenku by their legendary heroine
Screech of Iron-Against-Iron.
It is generally held that only
Kenku are capable of pronouncing the Devouring Word. It has no written form, and is considered to be impossible to transcribe.
The Truth?
Comments made by the shade of
Stone Skittering Down the Mountain might be interpreted as implying that the Unutterable Word disclosed to initiates of the fourth degree may be only a fragment of the Devouring Word, the complete form of which is sought by the renegade
Key Turns in the Lock. The memories of
Echoed Murmur, and some comments made by
Ambrosius, suggest that this may well be the truth.
Qi'eka'a has claimed to have taught the
Ravens of Death a method by which they could combine fragments of the
Song of Creation in order to shatter the soul of
"Aziz-Ulibor"; it is possible that this refers to the Devouring Word. If true, it implies that the "curse" levied upon the Kenku that stripped them of flight, speech, and the creative spark, may have not been divine punishment for some great sin as is claimed by the first four degrees of the Mysteries of the Raven; nor even the death-curse of a
Paragon; but perhaps either an unexpected side-effect of the use of the Word or a sacrifice which the Ravens of Death considered acceptable to ensure the binding of Aziz-Ulibor.
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