Tauvicrease
"It done ate my dog."
Imperfect Beings
Account 1
Account 2
Account 3
Overview
"It's scarce I hear tales told o' good deeds from Half-Folk. They're demon spawn if you ain't heard; made by them Threadweaver witches, long 'fore the governy were a governy. Those satyrs n' minotaurs may've tricked the others with their tales but I got a good sense of people (if you're keen to call 'em such). Now, livin' north o' the monasteries I consider myself educated. I know ain't no claim gonna matter without some proof. Luckily, I done my diligence and I been staying up watching our cattle each night. Probly thanks to my watchin' that we ain't lost no more. Course, if no cattle bein' taken then I ain't got no proof. Luckily, one of 'em Half-Folk slipped up in earshot from me when they was comin' by our town.One of them monastery men came down here to inquire 'bout the situation, and I gave 'em my piece o' mind. They ask how I could prove what I were sayin', and I said what I knew. I said them 'Tauvicrease' always come down in the spring times when those streams start fillin' through our planes. Now, weren't shortly earlier that one of them Half-Folk came to our tavern, and oh did he slip on his words. I o'erheard him say that they gotta get back down south once the streams go kickin' up again. Followin' the streams? Looking like bits and pieces of other creatures? I said that I think them Half-Folk're eaten our cattle or takin' 'em for whatever nefarious deeds they got goin'."
"Well, I'on't know what to say. It done ate my dog. I had a bloodhound, see? Used it fer huntin' cross the river out west; when we were done she slept by the well, not a bowshot from the house. Now, I knew that dog better'n I know my two boys so believe me when I say somethin' was wrong with her. See, we'd hunted that night and got a few rabbits, but I felt somethin' cool on the air hind my back, all the walk home. I ain't one to call myself scared though, so I ignored it. Back home, the dog was keen to come in the house- course the wife says no dogs in the house, so we leave her scratchin' at the door. Took a while but she calmed down and went out back to her spot by the well. Now I gotta soft spot for that dog, so once the wife goes to bed I figure I'd let the dog inside 'til the wife got up 'fore sunrise. So I get my torch 'n' my boots 'n' some rabbit 'n' I head for the well, 'cept ole Dragas (that bein' my dog) don't want nothin' to do with me!She's all hidin' hind the well, peakin' out at me, her eyes lookin' rabid in the dark ('course that just bein' the work o' the torch, I figure). Now, once I step up with the rabbit she nips at me! That ain't like her, and not wantin' to foster bad behavior, I give her a little slap. It seemed that set her straight, but I let her sleep outside. Now, next mornin' when the sun's up we hear some rummagin' in the kitchen. I get up and see ole Dragas eaten' from the cabinets! I snip at her and she turns to look at me and hear me when I say that ole creature weren't my Dragas. It had a droop about it, you know? Teeth ain't right, ears ain't right, and skin 'bout as thin as silk. If what yer sayin' bout these 'tavicreas' is as you say, then I'd say that's what got my Dragas. No, I don't think that creature the night 'fore was Dragas at all. I weren't able to see it in the dark o' night, but I know inside that weren't her. Dragas were a good dog, ain't no way she'd act like that; the moon'd sooner hatch spiders."
"I'd consider myself an expert hunter if that's what yer asking. Been down south to the Lyslure and even hunted some goblins for the Hestafulks. For pay, the Hestafulk Family brought me on a voyage to Urr Island for a big game hunt, even let me keep the spoils. I'm not sayin' it to talk myself up, just to let you know why my word matters. Now, I also gotta say that I hunt with the best information: That is, I hunt by what the Eldurstery slates say. The way I communicate that to my employers is: goblins got souls, Urrfolk got brains, and any hunt's gonna have some consequence. Wish I could say that phrase didn't lead to more questions. So if you want my opinion? I hunted a few beasts people claimed to be Tauvicrease and here's what I found: rabid dogs, goblins, and a whole lot of misunderstandin'. Most of the time these "dastardly demons" don't exist or are just the biggest demon of all: kids with too much time. Hard to say a skinchanger's attackin' when all they're doing is cow tippin'.Now, that isn't to say there ain't some truth to the matter. One day I followed a trail of bear tracks; this hunt was of my own accord since the bear was eating my turkeys. I made my way up there, set out some bear traps, sprung some net traps, and set up with my crossbow outside its cave. I'm afraid to say I fell asleep in the tree, but I woke up when my traps sprung. The bear was all tangled in rope, front leg punctured in the bear trap, and it was wailin' to the ground. It wasn't the kind of groan you hear from a bear, though. It was chopped up, in a manner of speaking. Say if a bear's throat spoke with a bird's cadence. I shot with my crossbow and incapacitated the beast; it fell to the floor and I made my way to it. The creature wasn't dead but it was close. The look in its eye... evil. Up and down its fur I saw some scarce feathers and its throat had grown to a gizzard. Sad to say, I didn't leave it alive for the brains to use as a specimen; if I knew they were interested, maybe I would have. By the same token, I'm a man of the gods. It ain't in my nature to let a demon live and it ain't in my nature to let somethin' suffer."
The tauvicrease are a recent phenomenon (ca. 1960 NG), with the first possible tale of their existence originating around 1900 NG. Being present for so long with so little concrete evidence has led to some parties attempting to separate fact from fiction. While major organizations such as the Rembrandts and Eldursteries are too preoccupied to deal in minor folk tales, aspiring students at the Euvurcrest's bard college have attempted to cobble together patterns through various experiences. The following are three different stories acquired through the grapevine and shared through secondary sources.
The tauvicrease are a recent phenomenon (ca. 1960 NG), with the first possible tale of their existence originating around 1900 NG. Being present for so long with so little concrete evidence has led to some parties attempting to separate fact from fiction. While major organizations such as the Rembrandts and Eldursteries are too preoccupied to deal in minor folk tales, aspiring students at the Euvurcrest's bard college have attempted to cobble together patterns through various experiences. The following are three different stories acquired through the grapevine and shared through secondary sources.
Social Parasites
Skinchanging
The tauvicrease change form based on what they consume and require several prey items to fully assimilate a different form. Sightings state that some farmers have noted cows in their field appearing similar to dolls, rather than animals. Upon being noticed, these creatures typically flee. Others look like "animals, but off" according to farm hands.
More novel sightings include a combination of features between animals, say a doll-like bobcat with an alligator's snout, allegedly seen in Peatwood territory. Such combinations of features have brought Half-Folk under suspicion for agrarian peasants, as the tribal people are often blamed for mishaps across the grassy planes.
Most lords and scholars consider Half-Folk suspicions dubious, as the tauvicrease have shown no signs of mimicking sapient creatures, be they humans, orcs, reptilians, or goblins. Whether this is a limitation of their ability or diet is unknown.
Unknown Motive
The tauvicrease show a preference for domestic species but lack any known motive. Given their caution and methods of hunting, their intelligence may be similar to a wolf or domestic cat. Regardless of their cautious approach to interactions, authorities recommend avoiding the tauvicrease, given their inability to reason.
Such limited intellect means that the tauvicrease only aim to survive as any other species would; some alleged sightings reinforce this claim, as tauvicrease under a "greater form" may choose to eat inferior beasts, even though it will impact their form. For example, tauvicrease in the form of bears have been noted as preying upon flocks of turkeys when hungry.
Of course, most sightings are invalidated and the tauvicrease are still considered a rumor; precautions are provided to concerned townsfolk, but all recommendations align with common responses to dangerous or rabid animals.
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