Wendigo
The Wendigo is a being that thrives at the intersection of myth and reality. In the uncivilized world in which Pyre finds itself after the apocalypse, the more civilized and organized peoples tell stories around fires in the evenings about strange sightings in the forests - sounds without source, phantom lights, dead animals without a clear cause of death, and a larger than life humanoid that looms over them and, if you cannot escape, makes you its next meal. Many shrug off these tales as mere rumors, but few can fully put out of their mind the many stories where small groups go out into the wilder world never to return, sometimes vanishing with a terrfied scream. Those who claim to have seen a Wendigo describe a humanoid figure ten feet tall or taller, with the head of an herbivorous skull, like a deer or elk, eyes glowing with blue flame. This creature emanates an aura of death, sapping the very strength of those who lay eyes on it, and it is impervious to weapons. None have ever been found dead.
The reality is more complicated. These creatures that have been witnessed by a handful of those living at this time do exist, and tend to be terrifying and dangerous to come across. These creatures are not predators, however, and do not normally seek out hapless travelers. Rather, the creature belongs to a larger collective of people who have chosen to conceal themselves from the broader society out of fear of being attacked for their different ways. These people call themselves the Wendigo, the name which has been applied to the more terrifying among them due to the few interactions in recent history between the Wendigo and the more mainstream societies. The Wendigo peoples tend to be nomadic and naturalistic, with different tribes having different economical emphases from hunting and gathering to subsistence farming to utilizing the magical tools and powers granted to them by Oyl use and consumption to create food and shelter for themselves.
The creature known as Wendigos to broader societies are created through a spiritual ceremony. A woman, no more than one month pregnant, may be chosen by the spirits to bathe in the Spring of Generation . When they do so, during the full moon, the spirits will infuse the child with power. These children are much taller and stronger than the usual folk and exhibit magical powers from a very young age. Their eyes have a distinct light blue hue which flares when they tap into their magical powers. They tend to rise to lives of prominence within their communities and often become leaders. They are unusually long-lived; in fact, nobody knows what their natural lifespan is. After many many decades, perhaps centuries, of life, these people tend to lose their grasp on their humanity and their memories of their former lives. In the Ceremony of Calling, these individuals are sent away from the community with the blessing of the spirits to stalk the wilderness around their home communities and protect the community from threats, both physically and also as a fearsome presence to deter intrusion. In the years following the Ceremony of Calling, these individuals find themselves losing their sense of individuality and becoming one with the natural world. They often clad themselves in natural clothing and armor, and take on animalistic characteristics. Their connection to Oyl magics become even more concentrated and they can accomplish what most would consider miracles at a whim.
The reality is more complicated. These creatures that have been witnessed by a handful of those living at this time do exist, and tend to be terrifying and dangerous to come across. These creatures are not predators, however, and do not normally seek out hapless travelers. Rather, the creature belongs to a larger collective of people who have chosen to conceal themselves from the broader society out of fear of being attacked for their different ways. These people call themselves the Wendigo, the name which has been applied to the more terrifying among them due to the few interactions in recent history between the Wendigo and the more mainstream societies. The Wendigo peoples tend to be nomadic and naturalistic, with different tribes having different economical emphases from hunting and gathering to subsistence farming to utilizing the magical tools and powers granted to them by Oyl use and consumption to create food and shelter for themselves.
The creature known as Wendigos to broader societies are created through a spiritual ceremony. A woman, no more than one month pregnant, may be chosen by the spirits to bathe in the Spring of Generation . When they do so, during the full moon, the spirits will infuse the child with power. These children are much taller and stronger than the usual folk and exhibit magical powers from a very young age. Their eyes have a distinct light blue hue which flares when they tap into their magical powers. They tend to rise to lives of prominence within their communities and often become leaders. They are unusually long-lived; in fact, nobody knows what their natural lifespan is. After many many decades, perhaps centuries, of life, these people tend to lose their grasp on their humanity and their memories of their former lives. In the Ceremony of Calling, these individuals are sent away from the community with the blessing of the spirits to stalk the wilderness around their home communities and protect the community from threats, both physically and also as a fearsome presence to deter intrusion. In the years following the Ceremony of Calling, these individuals find themselves losing their sense of individuality and becoming one with the natural world. They often clad themselves in natural clothing and armor, and take on animalistic characteristics. Their connection to Oyl magics become even more concentrated and they can accomplish what most would consider miracles at a whim.
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