From the introduction: Many years before the great mage Ornovael founded the Dark Rookery, he was a wizard of ordinary abilities but extraordinary ambitions. His love for avians in general and owls in particular drew him to research as much as possible about all such life-forms, for he considered winged creatures to represent the pinnacle of creation. His industry at learning all there was to know about birds quickly exhausted all sources of lore in the world, but Ornovael’s thirst for knowledge remained unquenched.