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Mègatjá

Description

Out in the cold a person wanders. For reasons they cannot explain they feel themselves drawn to the frozen lake, staring out over the ice. Then a sound, a rustle and they are gone. Fey can be capricious and their morality differs from mortals, they simply abide by their nature and their instincts. The mègatjá may not hold evil intent, but its behavior certainly is. Stories often portray them to be the result of women who drowned either with child, or after having been betrayed. In reality they have never been human and they do not understand mortals, they only know that they hate being alone in the cold waters which they call home. In theory they can move on land, but they do so rarely and are cursed to feel a strong pull to the water. Their appearance varies, but generally their upper body represents a female mortal. Their appearance can vary based on their preferences or even differ per observer. But below the waist it changes, a long snake-like body extends throughout the waters and reaches out with several tentacle-like appendages that can grasp any unfortunate victims.

Intelligence and Behavior

As mentioned, the mègatjá feel a strong desire to no longer be alone and they will pull in others to warm themselves and satisfy their desire without regard for the danger that presents to them. In fact, they will consciously drown others so they cannot leave them, even though they will soon after get bored of their now-deceased prey who no longer provides warmth. They usually hide out under the ice layer covering frozen lakes, from where they can easily pull through any unlucky passersby. If people do not come close enough they usually try one of two commonly observed tactics (varying per individual). Some pretend to be a person drowning and begging for help, while others take on a more beautiful appearance in an attempt to lure a person in. In both cases they can supplement these with some of the innate enchantment magic that their kind is known for. If confronted in a fight, they will use this magic as well to more forcefully draw people in and drown them quickly, or they manipulate the ice and water around them in retaliation. In most cases however, they tend to take the safer option and flee. Few could follow and best them underwater after all.