Boggle

“A piece of advice. When venturing where Boggles roam, especially if you are researching them for the guild, always pack at least seven pairs of undergarments. The first three are to appease the local Boggles, the fourth is for the Boggle you forgot about, the fifth is for the Boggle you didn't know about, and the sixth is to bargain for your now oil covered research notes. If your lucky, you'll get to keep the seventh...”

- Humber Dumblfeet

Basic Information

Anatomy

Head

Uniquely Ugly

All boggles possess two large pointed ears, which sit on either side of a bulbous head, with gnarled, misshapen teeth lining their maw. Here, however, is where all similarities end, as each individual boggle is unique in appearance. While some may have a smashed pug-like face with an upturned nose and flaring nostrils, others may possess a button-sized nose sitting crookedly on a lumpy, misshapen face. People widely accept that the chaotic nature of their fey origins is responsible for these wildly varying traits, despite not fully understanding why.

Body

Bouncy Boys

As previously stated, each boggle is unique in appearance and shape, with relatively few similarities. That being said, however, there are a handful of universal features shared between all individuals. These include their hunched stature, their small frame, and their hairless, rubbery hide, which can range anywhere from blue to black.

Additionally, it has been described that their hide is oddly stretchable and compressible, possibly, in conjunction with the oil they can produce, aiding them in squeezing through tight spaces. But as a boggle gets older, this quality diminishes greatly, the oldest of specimens having lost this quality altogether, while the youngest are remarkably bouncy.

Appendages

Knuckle Draggers

The arms of boggles are often disproportionately long compared to their bodies, with their legs being much shorter. This results in boggles often dragging their knuckles along the ground as they walk. The degree of disproportion varies wildly from boggle to boggle and therefore warrants only a modest mention.

Abilities

Slip N' Stick

Boggles, while generally weak and inconsequential, possess a handful of abilities that aid them in their escapades. For example, one of the oils produced from the boggles' pores is both flammable and highly slippery. Using this oil to great effect, they can either leave a trail as they drag their knuckles, much like a slug, or simply coat their entire body in it. Not only can it help them squeeze through tight spaces, but it also makes it nearly impossible to grab hold of them. And should one make the mistake of stepping on a pool left by the boggle, then there is very little one can do to regain their footing.

In addition to this, the boggle can produce a secondary type of oil that, while still flammable, is highly adhesive. Not only are they able to use this oil to climb nearly any surface or to gain a firm grip on whatever pilfered goods they’ve acquired, but they can also produce it in large enough quantities to seal a small opening or render a pursuer immobile.

Interestingly, researchers have observed that the two oils have neutralizing properties towards each other. With said bypruduct produced by the interaction losing all its adhesive and slippery properties. It is, however, still flammable.

Pollydoor Traversal

Perhaps the boggle's most infamous ability is that they are able to create invisible magical openings within a closed frame. As to what defines a frame, it can include things such as an open window or a doorway, a gap between the bars of a cage, or the opening between the feet of a bed and the floor. Of course, this rift is quite unstable and will disappear after just a few seconds. But more often than not, this is enough time for the boggle to step, reach, or attack through it.

Most often, they will use this ability to spy on others or for the pilfering of goods beyond their reach. However, it has been observed that they often use this ability to evade potential consequences of their actions.

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Behaviour

Pranksters at Heart

Second only to their innate love of theft, boggles delight in tomfoolery, especially at the expense of another; in other words, they love playing pranks on others, both harmless and harmful. From laying oil slick traps to putting venomous snakes in one’s bed (although the venomous nature is often unintentional), a boggle can and will find any number of ways to pester and annoy those around. Often targeting the ‘grumpy’ or ‘sad.’

Of course, from the boggles perspective, these practical jokes are well received and in good fun, and will become confused when their target reacts with hostility.
In some cases, it is from this confusion that a cycle will often begin, with the boggle determined to find a practical joke that everyone will enjoy. Only to escalate with every ‘failure’, with the desperate boggle often requesting the aid of other boggles in finding the perfect prank.

As such, one may assume that the correct course of action would be to feign enjoyment, but this approach can also have unintended consequences. While a boggle may be satisfied and leave, it is far more likely that they will take this as an invitation and proceed to play more and more pranks, perhaps even including other boggles in on the fun. And as more boggles are included in the 'fun,' there will inevitably be a tipping point in which the situation becomes far too dangerous to be ignored.

For these reasons, the best course of action is to simply ignore these pranks, depriving them of any appreciation. While not guaranteed, this often results in the boggle growing bored and moving on to another target.

Well Intentioned

Despite common belief, a boggle's intentions are rarely malicious in nature; excluding their innate love of theft, their actions are more commonly done with good, if not misplaced, intentions. In support of this, it has been shown that boggles are far more attracted to the lonely and downtrodden, such as a crying or lonely child, with their tomfoolery and misdeeds intended as a way of helping to lift their mood. They are thought to do this because they are lonely, having been born from these emotions in the feywild. Of course, this also means that once established, a boggle nest is quite difficult to get rid of, as they will be reluctant to return to their solitude. It also means that where there may be one, there are many.

Sadly, also due to their fey nature, these noble intentions do not always translate into their actions. Wholeheartedly believing their pranks and practical jokes to be all in harmless fun, they truly do struggle grasping the notion of one not enjoying it. And even when one does enjoy these jokes, feigned or true, this only results in further misunderstandings. With the boggle being under the impression that you are both the audience and the willing recipient for its tomfoolery.

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Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The two oils that are created by the Boggle are excellent glue and grease for a variety of diverse applications, despite the fact that their production and utilization are now subject to stringent regulations. On the other hand, because of its flammability and its propensity to turn inert when the two compounds combine, as well as the dubious procurement of supplies on the already highly regulated species, it is only actually employed when a more affordable option is necessary.

Poor Thief's

Unfortunately, the boggle is a hot commodity within the black market, albeit to a much lesser extent than has been seen in the past. This is partially due to their unique properties and primarily due to their unique personalities; both thieves and ignorant settlers falsely believe them to be excellent tools or sources of entertainment.

For thieves, they believed that the boggles innate ability to transport between a frame and an empty space would be an excellent method of stealing usually inaccessible items. As a result, many amateur thieves would purchase one for themselves, with these schemes usually failing on several levels. The first being their failure to account for the boggles short attention span and simple mind, with the thief unable to control or guide them in any meaningful way. This often led to the second failing, which was the assumption that the boggle would simply teleport back after stealing anything within reach—which they did not. And even should they convince the boggle to return, due to their definition of 'valuables' being frustratingly different from ours, an order such as ‘steal anything of value’ would result in any number of things being returned, most if not all of which being useless to the thief.

Poor Pets

But while this practice fell by the wayside for most thieves, with only the occasional fool making their own attempt; sadly, the same cannot be said for the other inhabitants of Jotunheim. Many are drawn to their inquisitive nature and delight in the stories of their escapades. So, despite their current reputation as a poor choice, a handful of individuals still maintain the belief that they would make excellent pets.

Ignoring the obvious dilemma of ‘owning’ a sentient creature, these poor fools learn of their folly rather swiftly. What may begin as the occasional laugh at their clumsiness soon turns to frustration at yet another thing having gone missing, never to be seen again. And what starts as a series of harmless pranks soon evolves into a hazardous gauntlet not so easily avoided. Which is assuming the boggle even chooses to stay, as their oil won’t only clog every pore of one’s home but also means that even the slightest opening can be squeezed through. Additionally, they can simply access what isn't squeezable, is simply accessed by transforming frames into portals.

Unfortunately, this ultimately results in many abandoning their boggles to the elements or simply allowing them to leave of their own accord with the assumption the small, frail creatures will perish to the elements. But far from perishing, the boggles thrived. And what began as a handful of feral pets soon turned into an explosion of invasive species. And with no creature able to get past their oils, few are ever predated upon. It was only thanks to the initially controversial culling enacted by the Slayers that their numbers are as low as they are today. Which, to keep this low population, the Slayers enforced upon settlements several laws; something only rarely done concerning the most serious of issues. The summation of these laws made it illegal to own or transport boggles unless they were specifically approved by the guild.

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Geographic Origin and Distribution

Invasively Widespread

They are theorized to have originated from the Nowhere Forest and would later form the small colonies that are located in the surrounding Jungle of Secrets. Today, they have spread to every corner of Jotunheim, in no small part due to the black market and illegal pet trade, and they have found particular success in Dreyla.

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Average Intelligence

Simple Minded

Believed to comparable to a small child and the average crow, the boggle is certainly no fool, but far from genius by any regard. Often becoming frustrated by problems and dilemmas they are unfamiliar with, they will retain the lessons they learn heavily, and even pass those lessons onto other boggles. For example, should one (somehow) learn how to open mechanism of a sealed door, this will quickly spread to other boggles until all are in the know.

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Civilization and Culture

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Irksome Pests

Generally considered a nuisance by most in Jotunheim, the Boggles knack for theft, pranks, and general tomfoolery has landed it in a unique position of both hate and love with the people of Jotunheim.

While many consider the boggles as common pests, similar to vermin, many have a fondness for them, enjoying their whimsical fun and lighthearted nature. Some people even keep them as pets, although owning boggles is typically heavily regulated, if not outright illegal, in large towns. But whether or not the recipient of said pranks and thefts enjoys their presence matters very little to the boggle. Instead, research reveals that boggles actually derive more joy from interacting with those who don't, rather than those who do.

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Scientific Name

Faeraleum furtes (Oil Fairy Thief)

Lifespan

25 years

Average Height

2ft-3ft

Average Weight

55ibs

Geographic Distribution

• Brambleshear Groves
• Dreyla
• Ibrul
• Ivory Peaks
• Ivory Walls
• Nowhere
• The Twisting
• Varn Mountains

"When you’re missing this n that,
Don’t blame the family cat!
T’was the Bogey Men who stole your hat!

When you’ve lost all the plates,
When frogs hop round the bed,
Don’t blame the fates!
Blame the Bogey Men instead!"

-'Beware the Bogey Men' A popular children's nursery rhyme within Jotunheim.