Bogsmotherer

"When traveling the road to Ravenscrag, make sure to follow where man stand foot. As if you get lost in the swamps, what you'll be found by may not be what you'd like. As those that lost their ways also seek company."
-Resident of Ravenscrag

Basic Information

Anatomy

Bogsmotherers can be any humanoid or animal species, be it natural or magical. Most of the time, they are infected humans and a small percentage of other species. Some slow vermin and animal, but also reckless entities traveling in the bog can also be made bogsmotherers.

Genetics and Reproduction

The only way for bogsmotherers to "reproduce" is by parasitic infection. Usually, they won't tirelessly follow their prey once they infected them through vomiting means. Living person would then feed the parasites in their stomach until said entity takes control of the body.
They usually reserve this fate on the rich they see, or when they are full. When they manage to grapple a victim, they force their target's jaw to open and vomit in it a generous amount of putrescient vomit. If the victim doesn't die from shock of pulmonary edema, the infection will follow in their digestive system.

Growth Rate & Stages

A functional bosmotherer will stay in it's state until the parasite reach full adulthood, which then detach from it's host to hunt more easily. This can varies, but most of them reaches it in about 8 weeks if they get a frequent feeding of game or sapient victims.

Ecology and Habitats

Bogsmotherers reside exclusively in swamp areas where they attacks victim getting away from the roads. However, a couple of specimens can go up to you sewers underground of cities, which can create a deadly epidemic if the sewers arent secured and sanitised regularly and any bogsmotheres residents removed.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The bogsmotherers still need to eat to keep their parasite alive, so they mostly eat on raw meat whenever they can.

Biological Cycle

Bogsmotherers reduce their rotting process by staying under bog and swamp water. Most minerals where the waters they go buy have an reaction to their body which dampens the rotting process. For this reason, they are rarely active toward the winter season as some gets trapped.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

As the name implies, Bogsmotherers are mostly found in swamps and bogs. They usually come from the swamp nearby Ravenscrag, but some ill-intentioned cultists and alchemists got specimens to spread on other regions.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Bogsmotherers, because of their original curse, get a particular efficient scent to detect metallic elements. This comes from the patient zero's greed. Rich travelers, adventurers or tax collector are more at risk to be detected by them.
Aside from that, they have usually impaired perception due to their rotten nature. They, however, are quite effective to detect ripples in the aquatic bodies they may lurk in.

Civilization and Culture

History

On the first years of the foundation of Ravenscrag, a murder occured nearby one of the South West bridges passing through the bog.
Having learn of the passage of a tax collector, a desperate cutthroat went to murder to collector, killing both his bodyguards and the collector. However, during his looting, a contingent of Silver Falcons (the local military force) came nearby. Finding no way to escape, the burglar jumped in the bog, trying to escape stealthily in the bog.
However, during his escape, the haunted woods started to weight on him as he felt his purse heavier and heavier. As he was getting tired, the loot fell in the bog water. Refusing to leave his ill gotten gains behind, he tried to swim and it get it back. In this ordeal, he swallowed swamp water and started to get sick. The onset time was acute as he started convulsing, finally drowning in the bog.
The haunts of the marsh nurtured his gruesome death into his remains to make it a grim shell of it's self. A monster which consumed filth to indulge in his sin.
Now, the bogsmotherers haunts the swamp, looking for rich passerby to share their filth and some flesh to feed on those cursed lands.

Common Myths and Legends

Due to the presence of Silver falcons passing by that caused their doom, the bogsmotherers keeps a part of the fear of the original.
Since the Silver falcon wear a noticeable silver helmet, anybody wearing a big noticeable amount of silver on them, maybe it be a weapon, rosary, helmet, armor, or anything visible enough, the bogsmotherers will be shaken and attempt to feel back into the waters when possible.

Lifespan

8 weeks (depending on feeding frequency)