Archive for Creatures

Used, Broken, But Unending.

“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime” – Ernest Hemingway, 1946

Po…Po…Po Po Po…Po…Po…Po Po…

Alternative names: The Eight-Foot-Tall Lady 

Hachishakusama is a spirit that abducts children on the edge of puberty. She takes the form of an unnaturally tall and lithe woman. A long white dress clings to her body. A matching wide-brimmed sun hat casts a shadow over her beautiful yet cold face. A haunting, deeply masculine voice chanting “Po” always accompanies her. She haunts the liminal spaces between civilization and wilderness such as farms, country homes, and suburbs. She has even been encountered at parks in dense urban areas. 

She first makes her presence known to a child she intends to steal while the child is alone outside. After initial contact she withdraws, making no attempt to harm the child. This begins a campaign of terror that lasts 1D20 days. Over the course of days, Hachishakusama will appear to the child at random moments, a hungry, sinister expression on her face. Most often she will appear at a distance, though only for a moment, vanishing in a blink. In some reported cases, she will stare at a child through a window at night. She makes gestures to the child, beckoning them to come to her. Hachisakusama is also capable of mimicking the voices of adults the child trusts, though the “Po” runs under her words. 

 He was so damn insistent I almost did it just out of frustration, to get him to shut up. I didn’t know why it had to be done in some dank, musty old cellar, though I do now. He said the location and the work of the alchemist, some ancestor of his, had to be kept secret. Clearly he was correct.

Defiler of the Forsaken

For a scavenger, Patience is the key to the Pantry.

-Delia Owens

Much like the greater variety of this creature, Lesser Shepherds / Shepherdess’ of The Black Goat begin life as a normal human. They too had mother’s die during childbirth, but never as part of a formal ritual to Shub-Nigguruath. During their childhoods they receive none of the special diet or training of Greater Shepherd or Shepherdess’. None of these creatures had any connection to a cult of the Black Goat with a Thousand Young. They are created when an unlucky individual whose mother died in childbirth eats or drinks something made from the black milk of a Sacred Ewe of Shub-Nigguruath. This is close enough to the criteria for creating a Greater Shepherd or Shepherdess that it triggers a similar transformation, albeit one resulting in a less powerful version of the intended creation.

These creatures start out as human. They are chosen before their birth for the honor of becoming a guardian of a site sacred to the Outer Goddess Shub-Niggurath. Their mothers are ritually sacrificed to the Shub-Niggurath at the time of their birth. The babies are then raised by the cult they will one day serve. These chosen children receive mental, physical and spiritual training, as well as being fed special diets, in preparation for their future role. Once they reach adulthood they are given a ritual drink, triggering extremely painful physical alterations, forever changing them at the cellular level. This agonizing process takes a full day and night after which they are granted special powers and protections by the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young. They are now a Shepherd or Shepherdess of The Black Goat. 

Many cultures feature legends of uniocular people or monsters: the Arimaspi (Greek), Likho  (Slavic), and of course, Cyclopses. Japan’s Hitotsume kozō and kasa-obake, both being  somewhat cute, mischievous yōkai are closest in depiction and demeanor to these pests, which  likely originated the myths of monocular entities. The character of Slimer from the  Ghostbusters franchise is a binocular cousin to this strain of goblin.  

“Out, damn spot! Out, I say!” 

–Lady Macbeth

Star Ridge Manor is a combined assisted living and memory care facility set on a sprawling old estate atop the local landmark known as Star Ridge. Star Ridge was originally the estate of Dennis Landry, a wealthy local robber baron who occupied it from 1880 until his death in 1925. 

In the rafters of the half-fallen barn, we saw her, the source of our torments for almost a year. The flashlight beam fell across the horrid, yet human face. Her black eyes contained all the hatred in the world. If she could have killed us with a simple glare, she would have. She spread her wings, and hissed and clicked, making noises impossible for a human throat. 

Alternative names: Owl Witches