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Ice Sprites
Ice sprites, named for their habitat, are small, winged humanoids found only in cold weather systems. When the storms and cold disperse, the sprites melt away.
Category: Weather
History
While they are commonly found within winter storms, they are rarely directly perceived and thus have no true lore attached to them.
Jack Frost is occasionally referred to as an ice sprite, however this is an incorrect association, as Jack Frost’s characteristics do not indicate he is an ice sprite.
Traits and Behavior
While similar in appearance to common sprites, they have more in common with fire sprites, as ice sprites are created by, and exist solely within, freezing weather. They have the appearance of small humanoids with wings, usually in fractal designs and exclusively in icy tones. Their body temperature is low, below freezing as well, and they can freeze small objects and bodies of water with their touch.
They are primarily diurnal and are less often found at night. Their fractal wings often throw small rainbows around them. They find and locate blizzards and wintery regions as their homes. Should they become trapped in a warmer climate, usually due to a weather pattern dissipating, they melt away. They are more often found in extreme regions that can sustain them year round, but their life span rarely extends over a year or two regardless.
Ice sprites appear more drawn to cold areas than the cause of these events, but the exact relation is not known. They feed off of the intense light reflected off of ice, and do not appear to find a need for sleep or other food.
Whether ice sprites have a language is unknown, and many speculate they can communicate through subtle changes in their own coloration, as they appear to have an internal glow.
Ice sprites are most active during storms, flying and dancing in the wind and snow, freezing over leaves and icicles and leaving frost patterns on flat surfaces. They do not appear directly bothered by people or other living creatures, to the point that some believe they aren’t aware of anything else except the movement of the storm.
They only seem to procreate in the sense that when a few fully grown ones are found in an area, eventually smaller ones will also appear. If these are created through any kind of sexual reproduction, or simply spawn as a result of the concentration of cold and light, is not currently known. They do not appear to have any clear social structures or communities, despite rarely being found alone.
Weaknesses
Ice sprites are severely susceptible to heat. If for any reason, you need to rid an area of ice sprites, a fire and torch are enough to take one or a small number out. For larger numbers, such as in a blizzard, best to ride out the storm before making any such attempts.
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Ghost Ships
As their name suggests, ghost ships are haunted ships set to the sea long after the last of their crew has passed on. As with a haunted house, a ghost ship will have absorbed the dead and is itself alive in a similar way to the spirits that sail it.
Category: Apparition
History
There are a large number of supposed ghost ships. The most well known one is that of the Flying Dutchman, captained by Davy Jones. The mere sighting of the ship was known as a death omen, as any sailor that spotted its sails would shortly after die in an accident. Davy Jones himself was known to be an extremely cruel captain in life, and in death would drown entire crews at once.
The sighting of a ghost ship in general was seen as an omen that nobody onboard would ever see land again, no matter the specific ship sighted.
Traits
A ghost ship is a ship that went down with crew still onboard, enough people for their ghosts to power the ship and allow it to continue sailing. Should a ship go down with no crew, or only one member, the ship will go to rest and the souls will move on. If the crew trapped onboard include the captain, however, the ship is more likely to rise and continue sailing regardless, often calling other lost souls at sea to join the crew. This can result in many lost souls joining one ship even if they had never been onboard.
The Flying Dutchman is a notable example of this, and is in fact well known for gathering souls lost at sea. These souls can eventually move on, but the longer they sail on a ghost ship, the more likely they become part of the ship itself, unable to ever leave unless the ship itself is sunk.
When a ship first rises, the crew will continue their last journey. If they can successfully complete the trip, the ship and its crew may be released to move on; in these cases, the ship returns to where it originally sunk. Ships that were making a single trip therefore rarely become ghost ships for long, as they have a final destination to allow their crew to disembark. Ships that didn’t have a specific goal, such as naval ships or marauding pirates, are the ones that become permanently haunted. These will continue their last mission, but often can never complete it and remain trapped, patrolling eternally.
The U.S. Navy considers lost submarines as still on patrol, passing messages and holiday greetings to all of these missing ships as though they are still completing their mission, and in some respects they still are. Their crew likely contains other lost souls from the wars they fought in, caught in the pull of the ship like a moth to a flame. Being a lost soul in the open ocean is a lonely existence, and souls will seek any company they can, even in who would once have been an enemy in life.
An established ghost ship may travel widely, depending on its final mission, and the sighting of one is indeed a bad omen, as bad weather and turbulent waters follow in their wake. Whether they cause them or intentionally sail within them is unknown, but wise sailors will take the warning they offer. The ships themselves are harmless; their crew will neither notice nor acknowledge the living; they are only halfway in the living world. Should one manage to step foot onboard a ghost ship, the crew will only be barely visible, moving to keep their home afloat without pause.
The ship itself may fight to keep you onboard, however, if you enter; they are kept moving by the collective energy of the dead, and a new soul is a way to continue moving. Any sailors who die in the wake of a ghost ship may find themselves onboard, and setting foot onboard is akin to entering a labyrinth. The rooms will warp and move, attempting to keep you inside long enough that you can join the crew.
While the ship and original crew will continue their original goal, new souls may pursue their own goal and therefore can be freed. As stated, though, the longer a soul is onboard, the more they mesh with the original ships goals, at which point only freeing the whole crew will release them. Some ships have been released by the end of the war they fought in, or the end of the dynasty they served. Others by the death of an enemy the captain had sworn to defeat, if the circumstances allow for it.
The ship itself can theoretically be exorcised, though no known attempts are documented, and the ship will fight to keep its crew. Sinking the ship itself could free the crew if the ship is thoroughly destroyed, however, the ship can repair itself over time, and may gather an entirely new crew if the first one has been released. Places like the Bermuda Triangle has many such ships sailing in it, which have been destroyed and been rebuilt by dozens of crews, the original crew long since moved on.
Weaknesses
As with the banshee, they are an omen to be respected and heeded instead of dock the ship if possible.
If you wish to free the souls onboard, you are facing an uphill battle; the easiest way of doing this is determining the ships original goal and helping them accomplish it, without yourself dying in the storms that chase their wake. If this is accomplished, the ship should free its crew and sink back to the depths, but as you cannot ask the ship what it aims to do, this can be a trial to do.
You can also destroy the ship, but be aware: even if most souls onboard are freed, occasionally some souls remain attached to the ship, and nothing will free them. This is true of Davy Jones, who has captained the Flying Dutchman for so long he and the ship are the same, and no amount of destruction will keep him or the ship down for long.
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Wolfs bane
Also known as Aconite, Monks hood, or Queen of Poisons, Wolfs bane is a poisonous purple flower known for being a werewolf deterrent. It can be found in the northern hemisphere, often in mountainous regions.
Category: Plant
History
Aconite was a popular poison in a number of Greek myths, including Medea poisoning Theseus, and supposedly came from the drool of Cerberus. It was also used in wolf traps, as it was believed to be one of the few things that could kill a wolf.
Traits
While the family of flowers in the aconite family can come in a variety of colors, ranging from pale pink to deep indigo, the Wolfs bane variety needed to take down a werewolf is only found in some shades of purple. It grows as a bunch of small flowers on a tall stalk, with large spiked leaves around its base. They can grow in most temperate zones and are relatively easy to cultivate, making them a popular protective plant.
The sprigs themselves, either picked and dried or still growing in the ground, offer a mild protection against man supernatural creatures. The most notable one being the werewolf, but other nocturnal creatures such as the vampire and chupacabra have been known to avoid the plant as well. A border of the flowers around the base of the house would be sufficient to ward off most opportunistic creatures, though they can bypass it if determined.
While the flowers are the recognizable part, to use it as a poison, one must cultivate the roots, where the poison is concentrated. Drying the roots and grinding them to a powder is the easiest method of use, though boiling down the roots while fresh is better for medicinal use. Please note, only trained medics should attempt to use it as medicine, as it can very easily be overdosed on.
The poison is a neurotoxin; early symptoms will be abdominal pain, followed by numbness and tingling at the extremities, before the heart stops or the victim stops breathing.
Werewolves are more prone to this poison than others, and a standard adult dose will kill a werewolf, where in normal cases one would need to greatly increase the dosage of any medication or poison to be effective. They will be forced back into their human form if they are poisoned, and the effects are fast.
Vampires are also weak to this particular poison, and will avoid it when possible. Should they be poisoned, as they are undead the neurotoxin will not effect them in the same way. Instead it will cause paralysis, partial or full, and this may last for hours or even days. So long as the vampire does not starve, they will eventually recover. Other supernatural creatures will face similar symptoms to the werewolf and most mammals if exposed. Non-corporeal creatures are generally not affected, as the poison requires a physical presence to have effect.
To grow wolfs bane, the plant does best in temperate areas and once established is a hardy plant that will come back year after year. It prefers the shade, and gardeners will usually place it at the back of garden arrangements due to its’ height. While only the roots are used for creating poisons or medicine, the entire plant is poisonous and should not be touched directly or eaten under any circumstances. It is less likely to be fatal this way, but it is still not a pleasant experience.
Weaknesses
Wolfs bane as a deterrent around a dwelling can ward off curious creatures and opportunists, but is less effective in defending against more determined individuals. Using it as a poison is effective, but primarily against werewolves and to a lesser extent vampires. The most effective poisoning method is by ingestion, as skin contact doesn’t usually transfer enough to provide a fatal dose, which limits its usefulness as a protective element.
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Jack-o’-Lantern
The jack-o’-lantern comes from Irish origins, of a carved vegetable holding a light to ward off evil. While often done with a pumpkin, they were traditionally carved from turnips.
Category: Object
History
The jack-o’-lantern is a hollowed out vegetable, carved with some kind of gruesome or terrifying face and lit inside with a candle. They were used to ward off evil spirits and demons that are able to cross to our world during the fall, especially at Samhain, which is at the end of October as the harvest ends. Some modern Halloween come from these older traditions, such as dressing up in costume after dark, to confuse the demons roaming the earth.
One legend attributes the origin of this tradition to a man called Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil into a deal where he would never collect Jack’s soul. Details differ, but the consistent trait is that Jack somehow trapped the Devil using a cross and only let him free when the Devil agreed to the deal. When Jack did eventually die, Heaven wouldn’t take him, and the Devil couldn’t bring him to hell. The Devil tossed him a burning ember to guide him, and he wanders the earth for all time, using the coal to light a lantern carved from a turnip.
Traits
While designs of carved pumpkins differ, to create a true jack-o’-lantern you must carve a face, one that is truly terrifying or gruesome, and it must be lit by a candle. Any vegetable will do here, but a turnip is the better size if you intend on carrying the lantern, while a pumpkin is more ideal for protecting a building.
To create a lantern, you must do the carving yourself, and light the lantern yourself just at sunset for maximum effectiveness. So long as the lantern is correctly lit, it will continue burning until the sun rises. While the lantern is lit, the person holding it, or the house it sits in front of, cannot be approached by anyone with ill intent.
The jack-o’-lantern only works for protection in the fall, with its best protection during Halloween itself, and becoming less effective as time goes on afterwards. Powerful supernatural creatures, or people with less negative intentions, can overcome the protection it offers during these times.
Weaknesses
Besides the physical limitations of a lantern carved from a vegetable, a jack-o’-lantern is weakened if the vegetable it is in breaks down or decays. To maintain effectiveness during October, the month where the lantern is most powerful, having several and keeping a sharp eye out for rotting pumpkins is the best way to overlap protection
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Fungus Lure
A carnivorous plant found only in the deepest of caves around the world, fungus lures draw in prey by imitating human speech.
Category: Plant/ Caves
History
Fungus lures are rarely, if ever, depicted in any historic tales beyond speculation. Tales of people going searching in the mountains or cave systems and never returning are often blamed on more exciting creatures and villains.
Traits
Fungus lures are bio-luminescent fungi that usually have the appearance of cave moss or occasionally small mushrooms. They generally glow blue or green, and are often home to other small cave creatures, creating pockets of life in the darkest of caverns. The visible portions of the fungus will only cover a small part of the ground, while its roots and feelers may extend for great distances and even cover an entire cave system.
It will shrivel and die if exposed to any form of light for very long, even artificial lighting, so can only be studied in darkness. Therefore, there is limited information on its’ appearance beyond its glow. The lures’ smell has been described as ‘fresh’ by those that have encountered it, as though one was standing near an opening in the caves and was about to be back in the open air. The lure apparently tastes of nothing in particular, and is not poisonous but not overly nutritious to most species.
The lure is entirely cannibalistic, growing on and then feeding from corpses of anything that has died in the caves in which it lives. In many cases, the fungus is merely opportunistic; there are plenty of other species living in the dark, and all things must eventually die. The fungus lure spores can live many years as dried out dust on cavern walls waiting for the right circumstances to let them grow.
But the lure lives in very isolated caverns, the better to avoid the light of the sun and of creatures that create their own light. Its’ habitat and feeding patterns being so at odds, the fungus lure has developed a method of aiding it in feeding. Besides the scent, which draws lost travelers towards it instead of leading them out of the caves, the lure has a more direct ability, that of apparently calling out in a human voice.
This is done by a variety of vibrations through the cave walls, using its own extensive root system to create a semblance of an echoing voice. No matter how close one gets to the fungus itself, the voices it produces always sound distant and like an echo, to lure anyone listening further into the caverns. Some reports indicate it shouts for help, others that it apparently calls the listeners name, like a search party. A few reports indicate the voices sound familiar, and at last one case mentioned that they thought they heard barking, when they were searching for their lost dog. It is unlikely all of these cases are true, as the fungus does not appear to be a species capable of thought, and in any case has no way to hear a name or word and repeat it. The variation in what people hear is generally assumed to be wishful thinking or hearing what one expects to hear rather than personalized lures.
Once a potential victim has been drawn in deep enough, the fungus changes tactics, exuding a chemical that induces drowsiness and exhaustion. It works slowly, but unless the victim manages to leave the fungus’ region of caves, they will eventually succumb to the fumes, and sleep. If they sleep, they will not wake up; the chemical is lethal. Once the victim is dead, the fungus will release its spores to latch onto the body and begin to grow. They will feed off the body until it is entirely consumed, bones and all, with the fungus growing over the body to spread feelers and creeper roots on the walls and ground of the cavern. When the body has been consumed entirely, it will once again begin luring new food to it.
There is evidence that the fumes the fungus gives off to kill its intended prey also aid in the decaying body providing more nutritious food for the fungus, as the bodies that the fungus killed itself appear to provide a home and food to the fungus for far longer than bodies that died in other ways. As an interesting note, magical creatures that also live in caves do not appear to make good food for the fungus, and appear to be at least partially immune to it. Kobolds are not only immune, but often eat the fungus as a delicacy, and some communities farm it by feeding it meat and carcasses from the surface. The belief is that the fungus needs the nutrients available from the surface but cannot itself tolerate the sun, so takes them from its victims, thus it prefers other species that live in the sunlight.
Weaknesses
The fungus is most dangerous when traveling alone or without a light. Always carry a light when exploring, even if you are lucky enough to have cave-dweller night vision, and whenever possible have a partner or group. The fungus begins by making its’ prey confused, so keeping a level head, a map and a light on you is the most important factor.
If you find the fungus, which can be recognized by its’ glow, turn around and go back the way you came. If the fungus is visible enough to be glowing, you are in the center of its extensive root system and are being poisoned by the toxin it exudes. If you are fast enough, you may escape without long term effects, but you will likely feel ill and nauseous for some time, especially when exposed to sunshine.
Finally, pay attention to what you can smell. Fresh air is usually the sign of being close to escaping a cave, but if you should be nowhere near an opening, or it seems too good to be true, be aware that you may be being led further into the dark.
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Sirens
Native to the Mediterranean, the siren is an oceanic creature that lures sailors to their deaths against the cliffs.
Category: Aquatic
History
The most well-known legend of the siren is the tale of Odysseus. In this tale, the crew has to fill their ears with wax to ensure they cannot hear the sirens’ call, while the captain Odysseus tied himself to the mast so he could listen. Unlike the modern depiction, in this story the sirens did not sing to lure him in; they instead told him that they had news of his homeland and his family, who he had not seen in many years.
Traits and Behavior
Sirens are an exclusively female species found in warm ocean areas, living on coastlines and cliffs. They have a variety of appearances, with the one consistent trait is the face and head of a human woman. They can fall into three main categories of appearance, with some overlaps, and all three will live in large communal groups.
The first group is similar to a harpy, part human and part bird. These sirens usually have the head of a human and the remainder of the body is avian, but there are some sirens that have human arms and a birds legs and tail. Their feathers are generally neutral colors, similar to seagull and albatross coloration, and are usually water resistant. Some sirens can fly, but many have only vestigial wings. A small number of harpies also have beaks or a beak-like jaw, but this appearance is rare. They prefer to perch on taller rocks above the water.
The second group closely resembles classic mermaids, with a humanoid upper torso and the lower body of a fish. Unlike the mermaid, a siren’s tail will be that of an eel or shark, and will not have a scaled appearance. The separation of the two parts will be in coloration only; the siren’s skin will be the same on all parts of their body. They spend most of their time at least partially submerged, leaving their torso and upper body exposed for their lure. Their tail is usually in tones of grey and blue, and their upper body will have any range of human skin tones.
The last group is the most human in initial appearance, taking the form of a woman with no unusual physical traits. However, up close, sirens will often have eyes resembling a cuttlefish, and they will have a mouthful of sharp, needle-like teeth. While human in appearance, they will always have gills and can live comfortably underwater.
All sirens will have what appears to be long hair, usually dark in color, that acts more akin to a jellyfish’s tentacles, and can distribute a sting to their prey while the prey is enraptured by their call. While they are famous for targeting humans, they also hunt a variety of fish and even seabirds if they are available. They are exclusively carnivorous.
Sirens lay eggs in large clutches, with only a quarter surviving to hatching. The eggs are laid in communal nests, and are raised by every member of the flock. Any mature adult siren can lay eggs, and as there are no males they do not need to be fertilized. Sirens often form romantic bonded pairs or groups, and usually remain in the same flock they are born in. If the flock becomes too large for their area, a group of younger sirens will leave to set up new grounds, but they will often visit their family.
Sirens live by luring ships to crash into the rocks on which they live, and salvage both food and supplies from the wrecks. They will eat the sailors, as well as any food that was on board, and they greatly enjoy salvaged items like jewelry or clothing. Their homes, carved into the cliffs or even built from the remains of ships, are often decorated with salvaged items mixed with shells and rocks found at the bottom of the ocean. Sirens cannot swim too deeply, and stay in shallower water, but they often trade with deeper sea creatures for items that they gather on land. While sirens rarely go far from their cliffs, they will collect feathers and dry flowers that can be found nearby.
To lure sailors, sirens will often sing or call out to them as they pass. The siren’s voice is hypnotic and will lure people in. Survivors report hearing beautiful music, secrets or things they want to know, even being seduced by the siren. It appears, however, that the siren call is whatever the listener wants to hear, thus the wide variety of reported sounds. Sirens themselves do not hear the hypnotic qualities of their voices, so they often sing their own songs, and are singing in their own language, not any human one. They also enjoy singing underwater, which usually sounds like whale song.
Sirens can live for up to 200 years, and the oldest of the oldest flock are considered the chief. Beyond death, the flock can collectively remove a chief from their position through a vote, which exiles the former chief to a lonely rock side. The flock may visit to care for them, but they will not be allowed back to the flocking grounds to avoid a power struggle. To do this is rare because of the severity of the punishment for the former chief; more often the other flock members will form an informal council to limit the chief’s power if they are abusing their position or are no longer capable of leading.
When a siren dies, their body fades into sea foam and they disperse into the ocean.
Weaknesses
Sirens do not actively attack anyone unless they get close enough to use their hair to incapacitate their victim. Their true threat is their voice, and therefore the best way of staying safe is to block their voice out (as in the Odysseus example of wax in the ears). If they cannot get you to come close, they will move on to another target rather than pursue.
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Manticore
Originating in Persia, the manticore is a cat-like creature known for imitating humans and luring them into the wilderness to be killed and eaten.
Category: Forest/Nocturnal
History
The manticore is a kind of boogeyman or legend used to keep people, especially children, from wandering deep into the woods and jungles. They are known to entirely consume the bodies of their prey, so their victims are never found.
Traits and Behavior
Manticores are felines, similar in size to a jaguar or leopard, and some species have spots and markings that can be mistaken for these other big cat species. Their coloration varies depending on the region they live in, most often in shades of brown and grey for camouflage.
Their face highly resembles the face of a human, an older man with a long beard that is in fact the manticore’s fur and small mane. They have humanoid eyes, with rounded pupils instead of a slit one, and the colors are usually brown. Most have heavily furred eyebrows that further give the appearance of a human face, not a feline.
The manticore’s tail is a unique physical feature, as it is sparsely furred, mixed with long spines that can be shot out or used to stab others. The spines are poisonous; one spine is enough to take down a fully grown human or similarly sized animal. The poison isn’t lethal at that volume, as the manticore prefers live prey, but it will cause complete paralysis that can last for hours. The spines lay flat and aren’t always visible unless the manticore has their tail flared; this has resulted in manticores being mistaken for jaguars or other cats until their face is shown.
The fur and spines of a manticore are incredibly valuable items sought by poachers and collectors, and are believed to give strength and immunity if worn. The fur is known to be surprisingly rough even without the spines.
Manticores can make a low calling sound that resembles the sound of a clarinet or bassoon, and has often tricked people into thinking there was a settlement or other people in the area and follow the sound deeper into the woods. The sound has been described as mournful and alluring, compared to the call of a siren. While animals are usually scared away by the noise, humans report an inescapable desire to find the source of the noise, and even a great longing to seek out the sound. The manticore has also been mistaken for a person from a distance, their face peering out of trees or the underbrush. A few humans said the face specifically resembled someone they knew, though this is not always mentioned.
Once the manticore has either ambushed or lured their prey out, they typically use their spines to immobilize them, then eat their prey live. Their jaws are capable of dislocating and can often eat the entire body in a single sitting, before hibernating for weeks at a time to allow for digestion. Because of their size, they only occasionally seek out humans as prey, but they are opportunistic if the chance arises.
Manticores are largely solitary, living alone in dens made in fallen trees or caves, and may go months without seeing another member of their species. In the spring, a male manticore will travel to find a female, and if they mate will remain throughout the pregnancy and early infancy of the kits before returning to his own territory. Manticores are not necessarily monogamous, but compatible couples will more often than not go back to each other every mating season.
Manticore kits are born without their poisonous spines, in groups of four to five on average. The spines will begin to grow in at around 6 months, when they also begin to learn to hunt. They are raised by their mother for their first year, then will slowly move out as their hunting skill improves. Females may stay longer than males with the mother manticore, but only by a few months.
Manticores are carnivores, hunting animals like deer and birds. Besides their poisonous spines, they have a secondary set of teeth to hold potentially struggling prey until the poison takes hold. They eat all parts of their prey, including the bones and fur, leaving no sign of their existence. This is part of the reason they are blamed for the deaths of so many people, as anyone missing in a manticore territory. They usually sleep for days after eating, going down to rest in their hidden dens.
A manticore can feasibly live for 50 years, if they survive their first three years away from their mother. Young manticores are the primary targets of poachers seeking their fur and spines. Older manticores are deemed harder to hunt, primarily because they sleep longer between kills and are therefore harder to find.
Weaknesses
The poison from a manticore takes effect within a few minutes of being struck, and lasts for several hours depending on volume injected and body weight. If you are hit, the manticore is likely to kill you while you are unconscious. The best bet is to wear clothing intended to keep the spines from being able to reach your skin, if you will likely be interacting with them.
The manticore’s other danger is the call that so inexplicably lures people in. It isn’t intended to be a lure for people, it in fact is a sound that is meant to call to other manticores, but the effect it has on people is clear and dangerous. How strongly it effects a person seems to vary, but there is no safe way to know how strong your resistance is. The safest way of handling the situation is to always go into the woods in a group, and to constantly check with each other. The effect is not lessened this way, but a manticore is more likely to retreat if a group comes thundering through the underbrush towards it.
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Soul tree
A deadly, parasitic plant, the soul tree exists in two dimensions simultaneously and infects people in their sleep.
Category: Apparition/Plant
History
Soul trees are not a well documented species, as the deaths they cause are difficult to attribute to them. Many cases of people dying in their sleep are speculated to be caused by soul trees, but once the host has died there is no way to confirm. They are primarily documented in recent studies of the metaphysical plane, which does not account for many tales or legends.
Traits
Soul trees start as a small seed, about the size of an apple seed. The seeds exist in two planes of existence; the real, waking world, and the astral plane. The astral plane can be accessed in a wide number of ways, including some drugs and meditations, but is primarily accessed via dreams. While the seeds do exist in two places, they will only sprout and begin to grow if they are consumed by a human (or other intelligent species) while in the astral plane.
To accomplish this, they will appear as a wide variety of fruits in the astral plane, to entice dreamers and travelers to eat them. The seeds in the physical world are housed in bitter, poisonous fruits, and so fall from the tree largely untouched by anything. They will sit dormant unless the astral version of the seed successfully begins to grow.
The seeds will take time to grow, aided by both the physical nutrients of the body they reside in, as well as the continued access to the astral plane. People who only reach this place during sleep may never produce enough energy for the seed to sprout, but continued travel there will allow the plant to grow faster. If the seed successfully becomes a sprout, it moves to the next phase of its lifecycle.
As a sprout, the soul tree directly feeds on their host. In the physical plane, the sprout grows and appears normal, with smooth grey bark and small, rounded leaves with a single point. They are often mistaken for apple trees, and some have even been grown intentionally by people who aren’t aware of their origin. The fruit will not grow until they reach several years of age.
In the astral plane, the roots begin to spread through the dreamers’ form, widely regarded as the soul, starting on the inside of the body before making their way to the outside from any number of openings. As this body is not technically physical, the soul can continue to move around and have no issues for a long period of time, allowing the sprout to continue feeding and growing.
Eventually, the sprout will either grow too large for the soul to continue moving, or will overtake the soul’s ability to continue feeding it without issue. At that point the soul becomes immobile, stopping where it is on the astral plane as the soul tree roots spread past the body itself to the ground. In the real world, the sprout, now a proper sapling, will possibly start growing fruit.
The soul, unable to continue moving or returning to the body, will cause the person to sink into an immobile sleep resembling a coma, and cannot be woken up. They will eventually die, but the tree, with its’ roots now established in the ground in the astral plane, will continue to feed on the body until it is completely consumed. The persons face is often still visible in the bark in either form of the tree, the only obvious sign of the soul tree’s existence.
The tree, once it has killed its’ initial host, can live up to 100 years. The physical tree does not need to be anywhere near the host person.
Both the spiritual tree and the real one are tied together, and the death of one will be the death of the other.
Weaknesses
The part of the tree in the physical realm is as vulnerable as any plant, and if it is killed the parasitic branch in the infected soul will also die. If caught early enough, the host will survive and recover, though they may carry long term symptoms of fatigue and insomnia. The sprout in the astral plane cannot be physically harmed until it makes its’ way out of the body, but at that point is far harder to remove without killing the host.
The issue is the finding of the sprout, as it can be anywhere in the world. In order to find the tree, one needs to find the sprout within the astral realm, which can be used to track down the physical one. The full process requires a complex tracking spell, so is better left in the hands of an expert.
To confirm if a person has been infected, the easiest way is to check their breath while they are in the astral plane. While their spirit is there, their breath in the real world will smell of rotting fruit, and they will be lethargic and more tired every time they sleep long enough to dream.
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Moon Drops
A rare and extremely delicate flower found only during the full moon, these plants can grow anywhere in the world.
Category: Plant/Nocturnal
History
Moon drops are associated with the fae, often appearing in faerie circles and at their feasts and celebrations. They are also associated with prophetic visions and the future. Traditionally, a potion made with moon drop blossoms can assist the drinker in seeing the future.
Traits
Moon drops are small white flowers that grow in clusters low to the ground. They glow in the dark, and in dark enough situations the petals show additional glowing patterns, though these aren’t always visible to normal human eyes.
They can grow almost any place in the world, being incredibly tolerant of both heat and cold. They are usually found along paths or in grasslands, but can also be found in forests, deserts or even city sidewalks. Moon drops are difficult to kill, as their root systems go deep, and they are fairly resistant to weed killers. They prefer places with a large amount of light.
To bloom, moon drops require moonlight. They will absorb the light over the cycle of the moon, blooming during the full moon. The blossoms will die by the time the moon has waned to a half, and the plant will go dormant and appear to die entirely for a year and a day. At that point, the leaves will sprout again, and the cycle will begin again. Moon drop flowers live for three to five years.
Moon drops can provide prophetic dreams if properly distilled. Making a tea or even wine from the petals will give the drinker visions in their dreams, which can be hard to interpret. Using the roots will provide a stronger, clearer vision, but the concentration can be addictive, and drinkers will often struggle to separate past, present and future. This stronger drink has been used by prophets and oracles, and consuming it for long enough will result in permanent prophetic abilities, but these cannot be turned off or ignored, so this is not recommended. The leaves do not have any prophetic properties, and are in fact highly poisonous.
Moon drops are often sought out by the fae, who may set up party grounds around places where the blossoms grow. The fae are largely immune to the effects of the prophetic visions, only receiving a mild euphoric sense of the future, so moon drop wine is a popular beverage at these events. It should be noted that a human drinking this wine at such an event will likely have hallucinations instead of dreams, as it is impossible to sleep at a fae party.
Many other magical species seek out moon drops for their prophetic properties, mostly other nocturnal creatures such as pooka. They often eat the blossoms outright, which has a strong but very short effect on some species (humans will not experience this).
Moon drops spread their seeds at the full moon, which resemble dandelion seeds with a mild glow. They can survive for many years before landing and rooting.
Weaknesses
Moon drop flowers can be killed if they are deprived of light (sun or moon) for a full moon cycle. If you have them growing somewhere you don’t want them, or are concerned they will lure in something dangerous, cover the plant entirely with a bucket or tarp.
Consumption of moon drop tea or wine made from the flowers is not dangerous, though people who consume it long term are known to become more attuned to the magical world. This can be a benefit or a detriment, depending on your perspective. This effect will fade over time if you stop drinking either substance.
Tea or wine made from the roots is addictive, and the effects can be permanent if the drink is consumed for long enough. As the visions this will produce are vivid, uncontrollable and will increase in length and frequency over time, neither root wine or tea should be consumed. The visions will, however, be clearer and less up for interpretation.
The leaves of the plant are poisonous in all forms, and should not be handled directly. The poison acts as a paralytic, stopping the heart and lungs. It can be stopped with immediate medical attention, but is usually deadly. For this reason, it is highly recommended that any plants growing in a yard or personal property should be killed.
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Kelpies
The kelpie is a Scottish water creature, who tricks humans into joining them in the water to drown and eat them.
Category: Aquatic
History
Kelpies are water spirits known for drowning their victims after enticing them to follow them. This is usually in the form of a horse or person, convincing the person to follow them into deeper water. Kelpies are carnivorous creatures that will eat their victims after drowning them.
They are more often found in rivers, and are generally depicted as male. They are often associated with the fae.
Traits and Behavior
Kelpies are born when someone drowns in a large body of water. They are not technically the ghost of the drowned person, but an amalgamation of the energy of the death itself and the water. When born, they are small, and usually appear as a small, jelly like creature that scavenges on the bottom of the water. As it feeds, it grows, until it is able to shapeshift.
Adult kelpies are shapeshifters but favor the form of a horse (or other riding animals, depending on their region) or a person. Whatever form they take, they are always black in color, and their eyes are either yellow or gold. They often glow. Their hair is always dripping wet, and usually has weeds or water plants stuck in it.
Kelpie skin is naturally sticky, and can even suck things into it somewhat, which the kelpie uses to trap their prey once they make contact. There does seem to be some control over this, as the kelpie doesn’t have things constantly stuck to their skin. The effect is so strong, however, that the only survivors have had to cut off the body part attached to the kelpie.
This skin texture is due to their body not truly being made of muscle and flesh, but instead the jelly substance that their younger form appears in. They can shift and squeeze into any opening, no matter the size.
Kelpies live in the body of water they are born in, and only travel away if necessary to hunt. More often, they will just expand their hunting territory to account for their growing need for food. They have no issues being out of the water, but live in underwater caves or crevices and have fully functional gills. Kelpies are carnivorous, and almost exclusively hunt humans. If there is a lack of food, they may hunt other animals, supernatural creatures, or even other kelpies.
To hunt, smaller kelpies may take the form of a small animal or child, appearing to drown to lure others into the water to help. At which point they will drown and kill their would-be rescuer.
Adult kelpies will often walk along the shores of their home and entice people to attempt to ride it, even kneeling on the ground to assist if anyone approaches. If someone takes up the bait, they will immediately run into the water and drown their rider. Pookas often use similar methods to lure riders, but pooka are not hunting and usually will allow their rider to leave if they were able to hold on.
Kelpies may also take the form of a human, luring humans to join them alone near their shores to drown them. They usually use seduction to do so, showing no preference for any particular gender or even age. Kelpies themselves have no gender, though they usually appear in male forms when they shapeshift.
Kelpies are technically immortal, not aging once they reach adulthood, but they can be killed by various means, and at which point they change back to their jelly appearance, and will dissolve over time into sludgy pond water.
Weaknesses
If you can get a saddle and bridle on a kelpie, they will not be able to drown you, and can be ridden safely. However, once the bridle is removed they will immediately attempt to kill the one that rode them and any of their loved ones, so this is not recommended.
Kelpies can supposedly be killed by a silver bullet or blessed weapon.
The Creature Compendium
A guide for the supernaturally inclined
The Creature Compendium 