Beast of Land Between the Lakes, Greater Independent Race
Set in western Kentucky, and situated between the Kentucky and Barklay Lakes, Land Between the Lakes is one of the few true wild places remaining east of the Mississippi. Towns and old family farms are few and far between; there are many places in the 170,000 acres of dark, ancient forests that humans have never set foot in. There is much superstition about the area, tales of indian curses, vengeful ghost carrying out centuries old blood-fueds, and degenerate wild-men. It is also home to a ferocious and bloodthirsty monster known only as the Beast of Between the Lakes.
The Beast is something not entirely human and not entirely wolf. It is like a Hollywood werewolf brought to nightmarish reality. The monster stands over seven feet tall, and is covered in long, matted hair. A repugnant stench of rotting corpses follows it. Hateful red eyes burn bright in a wolf-like head set atop a massive, primitive human-like body. It preys upon the livestock of local farmers, and the ocassional human, ripping them apart with claws and fangs, always killing more than it can eat. Locals can tell stories of hearing the Beast’s mournful and pained cries filling the land’s forests.
No one knows for certain what the monster is, but anyone who has lived there for long knows about it and has their theories. Some think it is the result of an ancient Indian curse, something called up to revenge one wrong or another. Others think it was something once human, but degenerated into something less after years in the wild. Still some believe it to be a predatory cousin to Bigfoot. No matter the theory, none are very satisfactory. Whether it is one monster or an entire race is up for debate; some speculate it is related to the Beast of Bray Road in Wisconsin.
Authorities in the region do their best to cover up reports and activities of the Beast, including the slaughter of an entire family of four a few years back. They know if the truth were known, it would destroy the tourism the area depends on. But as human development encroaches on the Beast’s territory, and more tourists come to the region, the Beast’s misdeeds will not remain secret for long.
Beast of Between the Lakes, Wolf-Like Horror
Char. – rolls – avg.
STR – 4d6+6 – 21
CON – 3d6+3 – 14
SIZ – 3d6+6 – 15
INT – 1d4+2 – 5
POW – 2d6+6 – 13
DEX – 2d6+6 – 13
Mov 12 – HP 15
Av. Damage Bonus: +1d6
Weapons: Bite 35%, damage 1d10 + db
Claws 35%, damage 1d8 + db
Armor: 2 points of thick hide and fur.
Spells: None
Skills: Hide 70%%, Stalk 70%
Sanity Loss: 1/1d10 to see the Beast of Land Between the Lakes.
Bruce is a sociology student and co-host of The Crypt Keepers podcast
