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.
If the child has not voluntarily approached Hachishakusama at the end of 1D20 days, she will grab them and vanish. No one knows why she targets children or where she takes them. It is speculated she feeds off the life force of children. Whatever the case may be children taken are never seen again.
Spells exist that dissuade Hachishakusama from a target. Often, these are days-long rituals. Performing these rituals may provoke the spirit to take a child earlier.
Only those targeted by Hachishakusama or those that have somehow escaped her can perceive the entity. Certain spells and artifacts may reveal her presence to others.
No one is sure of Hachishakusama’s origin. There were scattered reports of a similar entity in early 20th-century Japan. A rumor says that it was imprisoned by monks for most of the 1900s but somehow escaped in the 1960s. It shares similarities with the Slender Man; the two may be related. Though most often seen in Japan, in the 21st century she has been encountered in the Americas and Korea.
Hachishakusama, relentless kidnapper
| STR | 100 | ||
| CON | 55 | ||
| SIZ | 100 | ||
| DEX | 60 | ||
| INT | 50 | ||
| POW | 100 |
Average Hit Points: 15
Average Damage Bonus: N/A
Average Build: 2
Average Magic Points: 20
Move: 8
ATTACKS
Attacks per round: None
If attacked, Hachishakusama makes no effort to defend itself and seems to ignore attackers even if they somehow harm her. She will simply withdraw from an area.
| FightingDodge | N/AN/A |
Armor: None. Non-magical attacks do not harm Hachishakusama. She will regenerate in 1D4 years if she is somehow reduced to 0 hit points.
Spells: Unknown
Sanity Loss: 1/1D4 to encounter Hachishakusama.
Bruce is a sociology student and co-host of The Crypt Keepers podcast
