Manananggal

The full moon is the sole light in the otherwise dark Payapa night. You walk the beach silently, a sudden feeling of unease thrust upon you. And you hear it. The dreaded tik-tik. You run, run without a care of where you go; anywhere but here. The tik-tik grows softer, and your heart thumps louder. No, no, no.
It's too late.
There it is.
The leg-less torso. The enormous bat wings. The hideously disfigured face.
The manananggal.

When the moon is full, a small number of people take to a banana tree, lather themselves in oil, grow bat wings, and separate their upper body from their legs. Known colloquially as the Payapa vampire, the manananggal prowls the night in search of prey.

Basic Information

Anatomy

When the full moon is not out, the manananggal is not a manananggal, but a normal human. But when that bright orb shines in the sky, the features of the person are disfigured and marred, wings of a bat grow on their arms, and the body is separated from the stomach.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The manananggal preys primarily on pregnant women, using its long tongue to suck on their blood and the heart of their fetus. They eat people alive, feasting on stomachs, livers, and hearts.

The manananggal's signature hunting strategy is their ominous tik-tik sound. They emit the noise with their tongue. The closer the manananggal, the softer the tik-tik sound. This confuses their prey, leading them into the creature's clutches with ease. Children are taught of this tactic at an early age, but many still die or disappear at the hands of the the manananggal.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

The manananggal appears with a hideously disfigured human face: eyes are gouged out, nose and mouth are cut up.

Any facial disfigurement in the manananggal form disappears when they rejoin with their legs.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The manananggal is native to Payapa beaches.

Average Intelligence

Much of the creature's human logic is limited by the effects of the full moon; their only desire and motivation is prey. They are still highly intelligent, however. Their tik-tik strategy is well-feared by children and adults nationwide.

To Kill a Manananggal

The manananggal only dies if its upper body is not returned to its legs before the sun comes up. The distraction of a manananggal is the most common tactic used by demon hunters to kill them. Like western vampires, the demons also avoid silver and light.

Demon hunters also employ the use of salt or crushed garlic, throwing them onto the pair of legs left under the banana tree. The manananggal will not be able to rejoin with their legs, and they will die at dawn's first light.