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Cryptic Creatures and Demi-Humans
Chupacabra – These small nocturnal critters are much more than mere animals. Intelligent and cunning, but motivated primarily by hunger, survival, and greed with just a dash of hedonism. They go to great lengths to avoid ever being seen or noticed by common folk, and they are masters of stealth and mimicry. Often, if they happen to be heard ot spotted in the dark, they’ll pass themselves off as raccoons, foxes, or coyotes. They have little respect for property rights, happy to feed on farm animals and unsecured root cellars alike. They tend to live in underground clans, which can be as small as a dozen, or number in the hundreds. Though individually weak and mostly running from threats, their cunning and strength of numbers should not be underestimated.
Werewolf – There’s a long story here, about a a nordic tribe who joined their spirits with a pack of wolf totems to defend their lands from a massive primal wolf by the name of Fenris, and ended up staying joined. Most true werewolves are descended from this tribe one way or another. Out on the Roarin’ West you’ll probably only see one of a few different varieties.
- The Faila and Conroch Clans: Notable for their general friendliness towards strangers, and usually having brown, with a few reddish pelts among them. Usually of an Emralish heritage, they tend to operate as nomadic family groups and not stay in any one place too long. Rarely would they turn their claws on a human, much less eat one, but they have been known to turn to banditry, smuggling, and crime to make their living. In most cases, they’ll greet a stranger warmly and invite them for a drink around their fire, but the family groups tend to be loyal to a fault. Crossing that is one of the few sure ways to provoke violence from such a group. The other notable exception to their hospitality is that the two clans themselves have a passionate rivalry, bordering on hatred for one another. A Faila will not abide a Conroch, and vice versa.
- The Rougarou Packs: These could scarcely be more different from the Emralish werewolves. Rougarou pelts tend towards lighter shades, even going blonde or white. However you’ll not likely have time to check, as the rougarous have lost their sanity, and their humanity, having been reduced to roving packs of feral bloodthirsty fiends who wander the southern territories and swamplands. They will happily hunt down small groups of humans whenever they come across them, often in pretty large packs. The only reason they aren’t better known to the first umvelt is simply because such attacks rarely leave witnesses or survivors, as the rougarous have just enough wit left to avoid large and well armed companies.
- The Loup Garou Brotherhood: As far as anyone knows, these Gaulic werewolves do not have an official presence in this great land anymore, but they are worth mentioning as it was a branch from this line that had some sort of breakdown in the years since they arrived in the new world, and became the fallen rougarou. This fact is known, though the Loup Garou see themselves as an honorable knightly order, and would refute and resent any such claim. It is not known how or why they fell, and the Brotherhood have no interest in explaining, if even they know. As much as they see themselves as heroic and good, in truth they mostly trouble themselves with internal politics, and occasional scuffles with the Anglic Lycanthropes, paying little attention to human affairs, and rarely providing tangible assistance. They would have it known that they always bear pristine white pelts, as is marked on their shields and coats of arms.
- The Lycanthrope Society: This fancier breed of Anglic werewolves have, unfortunately, made a lasting, though small, presence here in Atlantica. They are notable for their pure black and well-groomed pelts, often adorned with jewelry and armor even in lupine form. Like the Brotherhood, they prefer the full lupine form, rather than the half-bestial hybrid forms preferred by the Faoladh, Conriocht, and Rougarou. Unlike the Loup Garou brotherhood, however, the Lycanthropes have no truck with humility or honor. They see themselves as royalty; superior in every respect, and far above any filthy humans. Their unfortunate method for proving and showing off their superiority takes the form of their favorite pastime: hunting humans for sport.
Ogre – Ogres in the Roarin’ West are not the beasts of Europan folklore, but they may well have a similar origin. To understand what an ogre is, you must first understand the substance known as “Villigalium”. It is also referred to as Promethean Sludge, Black Goo, and in it’s crystalized form: Prometheum. It is commonly known that promethean sludge is highly toxic, and has a magnetic reaction to living matter. It can then mutate and cause terrible, irreversible harm to those who come into contact with it. What is less known is what becomes of the exposed.
The victims of Villigalium exposure most will never see are often called Ogres because many of the varied potential mutations involve unproportional growth of body and limbs, and the development of a monstrous appearance and large size. They may also grow extra features such as horns, tusks, eyes, additional limbs, even tails. Ogres often maintain much of their mind and personality, but the social consequences of such a transformation are isolating and demoralizing in the extreme, as such many vanish into the wilderness to escape fear and persecution, Severing what remains of their tattered ties to humanity. Ogres seem to age very slowly, and after many years of living as a beast or a hermit, and being thought of as a monster, many have turned to violence and extreme territoriality, some even consuming humans as an easy meal.
Ogres are not universally evil, but they are universally strange, monstrous, powerful, and capable of great violence.
Chimera – Like an ogre, a chimera is an animal who has come into contact with, and been horrifically twisted by promethean sludge. Like an ogre, their bodies become twisted, overgrown, and misgrown in strange and monstrous ways. Like an ogre, each chimera is relatively unique, and may even seem to be a conglomeration of more than one animal.
Unlike an ogre, chimeras are most often insanely hostile to other lifeforms. Luckily, they are also more rare than ogres, as common animals tend to have much more sense when it comes to letting themselves be exposed to Villigalium in the wild than do humans who seek it out for a profit.
Dybbuk – Humans are often the targets of possession by different kinds of spirits. Some people, such as those in a coma, or after a lengthy battle of wills, may become a kind of an empty vessel, mindless and, some would say, soulless. These perfect hosts are known as dybbuks. It looks human, and functions as a human, but without direct possession by an outside spirit, would let itself wither and die of thirst three feet from a glass of water. It is rare for a shade or other spirit to specifically attack a human with the end-goal of essentially killing their minds and transforming their body into a dybbuk, but not unheard of. It is considered a deeply evil act. Dybbuks will only last very long if the spirit is careful about maintenance, which is rare. Often they quickly begin to smell, and may decay into a grotesque state, but as they do not feel pain, they may continue for some time beyond the willpower and tolerance of a human. This makes them strong and dangerous beings to fight, but they can be killed, for unlike the shade, the Dybbuk is still technically a living being.
Promethean Sludge/Villigalium – While well known as a substance greatly desired by scientists and inventors as a powerful fuel source with many strange properties, there is a good reason to place this enigmatic black goo into a bestiary. It is very unfortunate that the World of Tomorrow’s desire for more this “Villigalium” to experiment with has kicked off a rush for pioneers, explorers and prospectors across the Roarin’ West to find and harvest the stuff, for it’s danger cannot be overstated. Contact turns human beings into twisted and hideous ogres, and animals into horrific chimeras.
What’s more, while it is said to be drawn to living matter in an almost magnetic way, this is a lie that has been spread to help first umvelt layment collect it some some measure of preparedness for it’s proclivities. It is, in truth, not a magnetic attraction so much as an intentional one. Perhaps even a form of hunger. Villigalium actively seeks to contact and alter any living form who come close enough for it to sense. It has even exhibited an animal cunning, waiting for the right moment, or attempting to lure targets into a false sense of security.
What it is, how it came to be, is utterly unknown. It is known that it exists in many places deep beneath the earth, in small and few quite large pockets. It’s effects maybe seen in folklore throughout human history, and even the oldest spirits can say little about it. One of the more frighteningly plausible theories from the first ancient world phiosopher to study its true nature, is what gave it it’s name. She posited that this material may have been the true catalyst for the creation of life itself.
Zoadaemons
Daemon animals are a kind of primeval being. They are often called First Animals, or Progenitors. They are sentient and embodied spirits with numerous natural powers, such as immortality and mental communication. Legends tell that many of them agreed to become guides and guardians for mankind, or to keep mankind from transgressing against the rules of their own politics, when mankind was still new. In truth there are probably many more daemons out in the world, but the ones people most likely encounter are those who are seeking or willing to bond with a human, and share their powers. In return, they gain those experiences and knowledge.
Kin Daemon– These daemons may take the form of nearly any animal, and are quite varied in both motivation and personality. They can communicate telepathically with the human they are bonded to, as long as they are fairly close, and what is more, can empower that human, offering not just a portion of their own reflexes and strengths, but some minor physical alterations as well. In dire situations, the Kin Daemon and the human partner may perform a ritual allowing the totem to completely possess, and much more dramatically alter the form of and empower the human’s body. During this time, the daemon’s own body is left unconscious and vulnerable.
Primal Beast – These daemons are somewhat different from the Kin variety. They are often larger animals, and then even larger than those animals normally should be. They are proud, and often very ancient. Primal Beasts do not deign to possess their human partners, should they take them on at all, but will grant more lasting physical changes, such as generally increased strength, size, and more acute senses. They often see themselves as teachers, mentors, or even commanders, more than friends or partners. Their telepathy is much shorter ranged than even Kin daemons, but they share an empathic sense with their human partner that is significantly greater in range.
Familiar – Familiar daemons are the least able to physically alter their human partners, and are often seen as a more intellectual breed. They have been more prominent in recent centuries in Europa, but are not unheard of among Indeus medicine folk as well. The strength of the Familiar is that their telepathy is much stronger, and their range nearly unlimited. It is so potent that they and their human host can share their senses even at great range, with, say raven familiar acting as the eyes and ears, possibly even the voice of a human partner hundreds of miles away. After a few years, their minds can even reach the point where they can no longer tell each other’s thoughts apart, and see themselves as one mind with two bodies. As such, Familiar are much more discerning about choosing a human partner, and much more interested in what they will gain from it than kin daemons which tend to see themselves more as siblings and friend. Many Europan familiars are part of the fae compact.
Spirit Entities
Spirits are beings that exist, though they have no physical body. Oftentimes they can be seen with an acute enough perception, though the knowledge of them helps open those doors of perception quite a bit. Many spirits seem to have purposes in the world, as well as associated powers, goals, and limitations. Some may have the power to possess humans bodies and minds. These can be categorized in the following ways.
Elemental/Sprite – These petty nature spirits are one of the basal spirits. Which is to say: they form naturally and do not “come from” any other spirit or being. While technically an ethereal being, elemental sprites often possess and inhabit a particular force of nature, albeit usually a small one. A fire sprite might inhabit a n ember, a camp fire, or a candle flame. A water sprite might inhabit a puddle, or a persistant drip. There are also wind sprites that makes a little whirlwind of dust and leaves. They generally are either passive or mischeivous towards humans, and many humans of the first umvelt might encounter two or three in a day without even realizing it.
However, being spirits, they are malleable in their form and purpose. Negative interactions with humans can rile them up into tornadoes, storms, wildfires, and floods. With persistant interaction, they may atually become a trickster who focuses on and delights in mischief. Under extreme circumstances, they feel the need to ounish and take vengeange blindly against humanity, they can become a fury. As a mere sprite, they cannot possess anything but a small amount of their own element.
Shade – The second basal spirit, these are not naturally formed except in as much as humans are. When a human dies, their own natal spirit generally “passes on” to whatever ethereal realms we might imagine. However at times unfinished business or some kind of fear of passing on may cause that spirit to stick around, and become a shade. Shades are dangerous to deal with for a number of reasons, even without them having to be overtly hostile.
Firstly, being a shade is apparently pretty confusing. Without a physical body to ground them, they cannot fully keep track of time and organize memory. Thus, they will often act on their urges regardless of their own intention. Firstly, a shade cannot possess a human body except under one of two circumstances. Either that possession may be permitted by the human, or the human may be so terrified that they offer up no resistance. Shades can manifest undirected telekinetic force on the way to becoming a fury, but they may use this as a mechanism to achieve that terror, mostly upon victims of the first umvelt.
Most shades, however, are tragic and desperate creatures. Under monlight, they may faintly be seen, and in absolute silence their whispers may be heard. They may beg and plead to be allowed to possess a body to finish their business. However, once they have that body, they have it completely until they surrender it. Instances of someone ejecting a shade on their own are rare in the extreme.
Given their confusion, many shades may have trouble remembering whatever promises they made to obtain said body. Some may forget that they died, and begin reenacting the circumstances of their death, or otherwise caring little for the health and wellbeing of their generous host. For these reasons, it is recommended that one be very very careful when interacting and doing favors for shades.
Tulpa – The third basal spirit, Tulpas are not naturally formed, but rather they are born from the power of a conscious mind. Often they are made accidentally, but experienced pracitioners may form and design them intentionally. They are essentially a living projection of the imagination, or a dream. Once manifested permanently, they may be percieved in the mind’s eye of anyone in their proximity. It is an odd experience to encounter a being that is not physically present, but that you, and everyone with you can imagine being physically present, all seeing the same thing and hearing the same words in their imaginations from the imaginary entity. Tulpas cannot possess, but they may enter and manipulate dreams. However, doing this makes them extremely vulnerable to manipulations and alterations by a canny target.
As such, tulpas can ‘look’ like almost anything or anyone. They are also known to have their own life and personality which begins as a derivation of that which was imagined into them by their creator. However, the more people they experience and interact with, the less they match up with the orginal creator’s idea of them, as they grow more complex from more and differing perceptions of themselves.
There is a long history behind the ethical debate of creating a tulpa carelessly, to be a servant, or even to fulfil intimate urges. Many practitioners adhere to the philosophy of treating a tulpa as one would their own child, creating and treating them with the same respect, restraint, and care that this would entail.
Tulpas may eventually take control of their own existence, severing the connection with the mind that created them, becoming a muse, or resenting those connections such that they become a nightmare.
Trickster – These spirits most often form from tulpas or sprites, operating as Dream Tricksters, or Elemental Tricksters. Though their means of manipulation may vary, ther goal is generally simply to cause problems for humans, or serve one human in such a way as to torment them by granting ther desires in an undesireable way.
Many mediums (those who deal with spirits in a professional capacity) see this as a critical development and the ideal point to intervene and talk a spirit down. Becoming a trickster can be a short road to developing into a fury or a nightmare, which are much much more dangerous to human lives and minds. With care, they can return to a basal state, or advance to something more benevolent.
Fury – One of the most violent fates a person can meet in the Roarin’ West, or anywhere for that matter, is to be the victim of a fury. They are spirits of rage and vengeance. When a human mind is consumed by grief, hatred, or rage, a fury may be drawn to bind itself to them. It will not possess them as a shade will, rather it will act like a parasite, feeding on and guided by the direction provided by the physical mind. The infleunce of the fury will be to heighten and strengthen the negative emotions of their victim, while also empowering them with elemental power.
Thus empowered, the human will be enticed to cause greater and great acts of violence and destruction with that power, being further and further consumed by it. At the height of such an episode, the human’s body will convert completely to join with the element, causing a natural calamity of incredible size. Such an event can destroy a city, freeze everyone in a town solid, or drown whole counties. As with any such disaster, the fire eventually goes out, the waters recede, and neither the fury nor it’s victim of the fury is found again.
The safest option is to put them down. Once the victim has died, if the fury wasn’t able to complete it’s self-annihilation, it may still abide to find a new victim unless it is bound and stored. While instances of talking the victim into rejecting the fury are rare in the extreme, there has never been an instance where a spirit has been changed from a fury back to a less destructive form.
Nightmare – Nightmares are similar to furies in that they are spirits of rage and fury that seek a human host to empower their destructive urges. Usually they will attack a vulnerable target’s dreams by acting as a dear friend, creating terror and then acting as a rescuer. They coddle and dote on their target, manipulating them by their desires and fears, making promises as their only friend attempting to isolate them from the emotional connections of their waking life. Victims who fall prey to this will desire to spend more an more time asleep. This eventually allows the fury to manifest in the real world, using the human mind as a kind of fuel. This can happen for only a few minutes at first, and longer and longer as the subject sleeps. Eventually, the subject falls into a permanent coma, and the fury can now manifest into the real world at will, generally carrying the human victim’s unconscious body within their form.
The form is not limited by biology or physical law, and is generally a form designed to cause as much pain and terror as possible to whatever agenda the nightmare may have. Unlike the fury who lashes out blindly or pursues whatever aims the victim may have felt vengeansce for, Nghtmares often are more sentient, and have a very specific agenda of their own. An abused tulpa turned fury may seek out its original creator, once it has manipulated a victim into powerful its hateful manifestation.
Even if the fury is stopped and banished or destroyed, few are the victims who awaken from the coma it has induced, and none of those who do are ever quite the same as they were.
Muse – A muse is a spirit who is also bound to find a single human and attach themselves to them. They are drawn to talent, inspiration, and dedication. This can have both positive and negative connotations. Their purpose generally is to inspire, to render assistance in acts of artistry and creation, or to meet lofty and ambitious goals.
The human will often experience them similarly to how they would a tulpa, except that they alone will be able to see and communicate with them. Muses have aided artists, yes, but also generals, kings, entrepreneaurs, and even children in the form of an imaginary friend. At times, a human patron of a muse will not even realize for a length of time that the muse is not merely a mortal friend. In any case, a muse in attendance can make legends out of men and women, turning talent into greatness.
However, there can be a downside to the benefits a muse offers. The first is that they can become jealous, believing the work of ther patron to be of utmost importance, such that if something or someone else enters the person’s life which may threaten the work, or replace their interest in the work, the muse may seek to sabotage or turn them away from the distraction. In other cases, the muse’s help can also lead to unhealthy obsession with the work and emotional instability.
Most muse-patron relationships are healthy, but they can also be rare. And just as the human may become distracted from the work, so too can a muse sometimes find and turn to a new patron.
Ancestor – When most die, their spirits pass on. Shades who have met their needs and overcome their chains may also pass on. There are many questions and debates as to where they pass on TO, but regardless, some may, at times, return. Many cultures have ancient means by which to summon their ancestor spirits for a visitation which may rarely last long. The primary power of ancestor spirits deals with memory.. They may communicate through memories, awaken or suppress memories, and will often help their living descendents, as often, in the way that they think will help, as the way in whch they may be asked to help.
However, there is another more dramatic effect an ancestor spirit can accomplish. They can perform a possession upon a dead body, inhabiting and animating it. This has been known to happen when the ancestor may need to act to save the lives of their ancestors. In one famous incident (famous within the 3rd umvelt, at least) an ancestor summoned many more, and created small army of the walking dead to achieve their aims.
Weaver – These spirits are as rare as they are secretive. They rarely reveal themselves and their powers are both potent and subtle. A weaver seems able to manipulate fortune itself, controlling luck both good and bad. This makes them formidable as both allies and enemies. They rarely deal directly with people, even in the third umvelt. The most contact people will have with a weaver comes in the form of a “goodluck” charm, or a more potent item such as a Devils Dollar, that can be as harmful as it is beneficial. It is not known how exactly these items are empowered, either through being altered or affected by the weaver, if they may contain a weaver spirit, or if they may simply be a the focus of a weaver’s attention.
Degha – Of the beings in the world, the Degha are some of the most powerful and universally malevolent. There is no known way to kill or banish one, and their power to possess and then alter human forms is unrivaled. No one can say for sure from whence they came, but clues and history indicated that some, at least, have been worshipped as gods in the past. There are two aspects to the Degha which mitigate their evil influence. The first is that there are relatively few of them, and they seem to act with individual motivations and goals. Rarely do they seek to conquer or control large areas of land or population, they seem content to prey upon humanity as they encounter them. Each degha is unique, which also leads to their other arguable weakness, which is that they seem to have preferences to their behavior and choice of hosts that they follow as closely as may be considered rules. These rules apply for certain to the husks they leave behind.
Each of the husks are the result of a human possessed, corrupted, and then abandoned by a Degha. There are a few different types who may create husks we might define as “vampiric” but among the most prolific deghas in this area is well known, for he seems happy to let the name of Dracula be popularized and widely feared. Other, lesser known Degha include Red Jack, known for creating ghouls, Zokalka, the father of chirops, and a mysterious shadowy presence called Skowma, who the Indeus peoples of the nations along the Front Range fear and will speak not of. There are maybe a few dozen known Degha in the world, and certain societies and factions take great care to be as aware of their movements as possible.
Afflicted Husks
Husks are former humans corrupted by a Degha spirit and transformed thereby into a tragic and monstrous being. Their altered form, and specific strengths/hungers/weaknesses all depend on the specific Degha who possessed and altered the human victim. They are neither dead, nor undead, simply changed.
Vampire – Vampires are excellent at maintaining a human guise. As long as they stay fed on human blood at least every three days, then their fangs alone may betray them. Bloodstarved vampires may become more and more monstrous, resembling ravenous fanged corpses. There are a few varieties of vampire, stemming from similarly oriented Deghas, but the most common possess the ability to induce a trance in humans through their speech alone. These vampires may use this to obtain permission, but their weakness is that permission must be obtained to feed on a human or cross a threshold, and cannot be truly forced.
Ghoul – The ghoul husk is one of the least problematic of the husks, but is also less able to hide in plain sight. They are grotesque of feature, with pale rotting skin, many sharp teeth and long clawed fingers. They often disguise themselves as best they can with a hood. They are driven by the need to consume dead flesh. The longer dead, the better. While they may go so far as to attack, kill, and bury humans for later, most will seek out a graveyard to inhabit. This makes them better able to live out of sight, but among the cities and towns, as they avoid the living in most cases. Their weakness is a terrible hydrophobia.
Chirops – A husk with a particularly monstrous appearance and appetite, the Chirops has often been mistaken for an alternate form of the Vampire in pulp fiction, and has often been thought by the rare witness to be a Gargoyle given life. In truth, they are their own kind of abomination. In their truest form, they appear to be a large and hideous batlike creature the size of a man, with savage fangs, wings, and hooked claws. By consuming the vast majority of a victim’s blood, they can assume their victim’s form. This lasts between three days and a week before they begin to revert and must hunt for a new body. The most tragic part of the Chirops affliction is that unlike a Vampire or Ghoul, their hunger is not all-consuming until they are in their most savage state, and neither is their conscience numbed. When fully starved, they will go feral, and kill at the first opportunity. Until that point, they must hide their growing monstrocity and perhaps choose a target deserving of death to prevent the random murder they will otherwise commit. But they must do so with full conscience and faculties.
Kavra – The most monstrous and nightmarish of the already nightmarishly afflicted, the Kavra can never hope to be mistaken for a human in form; almost serpentine body shape, but with long loping legs and clawed, dragging arms on a hunched body, their serpents face, under a crest and mane of ragged feathers, have no teeth. Whispers of Skowma and her beasts grow more common and more terrified the closer one gets to the Divide, leading many practitioners to believe she originates there. Once someone has been twisted into a kavra, the know only the desire to swallow children, alive and whole. They will kill viciously to achieve this twisted end.
Lamia – There are three known varieties of lamia, but they all have a similar effect on their victims. Their hunger is not for flesh or blood, but rather for an emotional connection. Through this connection, they will slowly drain their victim’s life force. The more they absorb, they more they gain otherworldly animalistic qualities. The full process can take a one to two weeks. The closer they come to the end, the weaker the host becomes, and the more overt and aggressive the lamia will be in defense of that relationship. The three known forms of Lamia are serpentine, vulturine, and leonine. When the human is drained of their life fully, they are petrified into stone, salt, or sand, respectively, as the lamia reaches their final form. This state which lasts only a single day before they become once more fully human in appearance. Unlike most husks, the lamia may live as human, without needing to feed, but many find this nearly impossible, as the process will manifest against their will with any human to whom they become emotionally close. The state of their final form is also deeply addictive, and Lamias will generally seek to attain it as often as possible. If a Lamia can bring themselves to leave in the middle of the process, the victim may slowly recover if their constitution is strong enough. If the lamia is slain before petrification, the victim will recover almost instantly.
Gruloch – Unlike other husks, the Gruloch is not driven by hunger, but rather by a desire to remain human. Their appearance is not altered by the initial possession, but they will slowly begin an irreversible transformation, becoming more and more icthyan in appearance. Consuming fresh human brains can stave off the progression of the transformation, but it cannot reverse it. The process can take months or years if they continue to feed, but eventually, the Gruloch will instinctively seek out the ocean which they enter never to return. If they cannot reach it, they will die gasping, as a hideous fish-like monstrocity. Even from early stages, Grulochs have an intense allergy and revulsion towards garlic.
Fae Beings
The Fae compact is an ancient agreement, as old as the dawn of humanity itself, between groups of supernatural creatures in regard to how they should deal with and tolerate humanity. There is a difference however, between beings who are members of the fae compact, and those beings described as “fae”. Most fae beings are members of the fae compact, but not all. And there are numerous non-fae beings (such as many Familiar totems) who are often part of the compact. The following beasts are called fae because of their unique semi-physical qualities. They seem to have bodies, and if cut, they will bleed, but their existence seems flexible, their forms malleable, and they feel at times more like physicallized spirits rather than spirits inhabiting mortal bodies.
Kelpie – These beasts are known to terrorize waterways in almost every corner of the world. They have many names, such as merrow, fish-guardian, water-horse, and bunyip. They are dark, semi-amorphous beasts who can stretch and manipulate their shape at will. They are nearly universally territorial, hostile, and predatory. Many folk-stories exist of a strange horse offering a convenient ride close to a deep and stagnant pool. When mounted, they dive into the water with their victim, dragging them deep to consume their favorite bits. In many tales, they are partial to livers.
There are several ways to safely deal with a Kelpie, however, and ways in which they tend to betray their intentions through impatience and lose potential victims. Besides their impatience, they are proud and like to show off. They can often be tricked into speaking, or shapeshifting to accommodate a potential victim’s desires, and betraying their nature. They also do not like to be too far away from their murky water, so once one escapes sight of that, one is generally safe. When facing a threat and direct aggression, Kelpies will often simply not emerge.
Kelpies do not always wake the form of horses, but they are always dark of fur, pelt, or scale, and have a distinctly water-soaked appearance. They have been nown to look like giant fish, or large hounds as well. Kelpies have been known to “partner” with humans the way a Totem might, but this usually results in a kind of absorption. The dual being may see the human partners aims and reason for bonding through to the end, as if the human’s personality were intact within the Kelpie, but after that, the human form and personality rarely reveal themselves again, and it does seem more like a consumption of the human’s mind as well as their body.
Pookha – These fae are rarely hostile. More often they are either intensely shy, or playful tricksters. Their appearance is almost ghostly, usually taking the form of a pale white or albino animal, with an ethereal affect. They also often have unusual features for the animal, siuch as unexpected horns, feathers, abnormally lithe limbs, unexpected tails, or even wings. Examples of the Pookha in folklore include the Europan Unicorn, the famed White Stag, the Kitsune, or the Atlantican Jackalope.
Their abilities suit their predilections well, for they can render themselves invisible and intangible, traveling with the wind at great speed. This helps them vanish from all aggression, and appear wherever they will. They cannot necessarily pass through barriers or tight spaces this way, so they have been known to be trapped and forced into a bargain.
Poohkas may be willing to deal with humans, and will then be able to carry that human partner with them, sharing their impercievability and speed (though at the Pookha’s instigation, not something the human can initiate and control). However they are difficult to convince, being creatures of shyness to the point of cowardice, or obnoxious tricksters who are as likely to leave you a hundred miles into the wilderness as help you reach your destination.
Darkling – The most enigmatic of the fae beings, so little is known of Darklings as to render them almost disbelieved even among the circles of the third umvelt. They appear as dark shadowy figures, often with glowing eyes. They hunt and haunt humans with the seeming aim of making those humans vanish. There is rarely any kind of a struggle, and it may happen in the blink of an eye. Many more have reported seeing or being stalked by such a being than have actually vanished, so it is equally likely that terror is their aim as much as anything. Sightings may also precede misfortune, which they may or may not truly be the cause of. What can be said with certainty is that no reports exist of a human being taken by a darkling returning to describe where or how they were taken. Communication with a darkling has, similarly, never been reported.
Famous darklings are potentially numerous, as reports may range from the Grim Hounds and Banesidhes of the Emral Isles, to the Mothman, the Tall Man, Bloody Mary, and the Rue Maiden. Even the boogie-man that haunts the bedrooms of children may be a Darkling. It cannot be said for sure.