The Spinebreaker

Summary

In the dead of night, on wings of silver silence, it comes for you. Seducing with words so fine, it will crack you spine.

In recent years, the Spinebreaker has become a sort of folktale on Cadalyn. It moves from village to village, never targeting more than a person or two before moving on. It predominately targets men, biting through their necks with inhuman strength, leaving its victims with a shattered neck and shriveled brain, deprived of its fluids.

Spread

This story is mostly known in the smaller villages and towns along the Inari river in Cadalyn. What- or whoever is causing those deaths seems to have originated far in the north and has gradually moved south.

Variations & Mutation

These last few tendays, new variations of this tale have started curating, each more violent than the next. Some victims supposedly had their whole spines ripped out, while others had their brains taken out completely.

Cultural Reception

Many of the victims were people rumored to be having an affair or otherwise being unfaithful. Because of this, some people see these murders as justified. In fact, there have been a few break-ups because of the Spinebreaker, as people feared they might be targeted next. Those people have become somewhat ostracized in their communities because other members of the community saw that action as an admission of cheating.
There are some speculations as to what is causing this manner of injury or death. A woman, scorned by a past lover, now taking revenge. Some sort of wild beast, targeting men because they typically are bigger and provide a greater source of nourishment. Maybe a weird sort of vampire, as all the victims seem to have been murdered during the night.
At the very least, people are grateful that those murdered this way do not make for fearsome undead should they be resurrected. The few victims that were not discovered in time to be burned had little to no coordination, and some even appeared paralyzed to a certain degree.

Date of Setting

772