" Pyraean folktales claim that during the Dark Days, every time a Strix fell from the sky, a deathmaiden was born. They were shadows made solid, darkness personified, who took on the form of the dead and haunted battlefields. Instead of letting the dead find their place among the stars, the deathmaidens tried to ensnare the lost souls and lead them into the endless black abyss of the dark realms. "
― Nicki Pau Preto , Heart of Flames (Crown of Feathers #2)