Barghest (bar-gest)

Description

The Barghest is highly difficult to define, as they are able to transform at will. Along with the fact that, apart from the occasional outliers here and there, no two Barghest hold the same base form.

However, never let it be said that Humber Dumblfeet quit in the face of the impossible.

In base form, the Barghest almost universally is lupine in structure, sometimes with the head of a man, goblin, or other humanoid, on occasion it may even have bat like features on top of these. Additionally, they can range in height anywhere from 6-8 feet tall. It has also been discovered that their height determines what they are able to transform into, I.e. a 5ft Barghest is limited to anything 5ft and below. Lastly, all Barghest universally have some form of yellow interwove with their disguise such as fingers, hair, birthmark, toe nails, eyelash, etc.

Behavior

The Barghest is believed to be related to the Leucrotta, and as such possess almost supernatural abilities. Namely, their ability to seamlessly transform as they please, with the only tell tale signs being some form of yellow on their personal. It is unknown why this is the case, but two theories have been suggested.

1. So that others of its kind can identify the disguised Barghest, and thusly know that this area is “off limits”, of sorts.



2. It is a genetic defect that all Barghest possess, and they simply adapted to it by selectively keeping part of themselves yellow.

The Barghest has developed a very unique diet, not only feeding on meat, but also feeding on the life energy of other creatures. While it’s not fully understood how or why, it is believed they do this to fuel their ability to transform at will. Using it almost as a fuel source, so that they may shift in and out of the different forms they choose. Of course, how they go about acquiring them is entirely dependent on the age of the individual.

Juveniles, being incapable of transformation, are left to fend for themselves. And so they will choose smaller, easier game. This often entails children, small to medium animals, and the elderly. They will almost solely rely on ambush tactics, stalking their prey until it finds itself alone. At this phase of their life, it is believed they begin to build their repertoire of forms they will morph into as an adult, along with learning the habits of different creatures. At this stage, they solely depend on the meat for nutrition.

As they age into an adult, they will begin to develop their ability to transform and consume life energy, most often developing the former before the latter. This is the stage that people are most often familiar with, as they will begin to infiltrate their preferred food type and begin hunting. And with their disguise being nearly seamless, some specimens can go decades without notice, with a particular one playing the part of a “blind beggar”. Additionally, many assume that Barghest are incapable of speech, and thus can be easily rooted out. And while this may be true for the more inexperienced ones, they can in fact speak to a limited degree. Though it takes a great deal of effort, and it doesn’t always come out right. At this stage, the Barghest must kill its prey before it can consume its life energy, and must transform to its original form.

Finally, the elders. These are the most dangerous, and rare, of all Barghest. Highly intelligent and resilient, they have developed several new abilities. Namely, they are able to “siphon” the life energy from others much more passively, thus avoiding the need to outright kill, while also allowing the Barghest to maintain its disguise. Some have even learned to use this life energy in other ways, performing such actions as spell casting.and even somewhat controlling the actions of those around it through, what has been dubbed, “soul manipulation”. Instead of being an outright kind control of sorts, the Barghest can instead manipulate the actions of those it has fed on, often forcing them to further enhance its disguise by playing varying roles. For example, if a Barghest had come into possession of a shop, then it may use those it’s fed on as employees. Luckily, Elder Barghest are extremely uncommon, and in truth only a handful have ever been found.

A notable case of a Barghest running amok was when one hid as a “ferrymen”, taking individuals to and from Jotunheim. Of course, not all his passengers would make it, but it would cleverly space these deaths to seem as an accident, never over indulging. Uniquely, this Barghest could speak, and was even described as a kind soul, a far cry from the “creepy” and “evil” nature usually associated with Barghests.

But one day, by complete happenstance, this “ferryman” was killed in a bandit raid, during which he revealed his true form. This was the first ever sighting of a Barghest.

Due to their nature, the Barghest is assumed not to have any native enviroment, instead adapting as is needed.