My father had told me stories of my encounter with the beast since I was a little girl. It barreled through the edge of our village— these were the days before our nation was formed— and many of our tribe perished in the attack.
When it approached me, hungering maw wide open, breath hot on my tiny face— I didn't cry. It was then that my father began to play his ceahv— causing the thing to split into many, smaller bodies, and scatter back into the jungle. I can barely remember any of this, and he always said that this was for the best— this is one of the few things we ever agreed on.
— Rahe Hahdh?
Ahndel Veha, literally translating to "Acoustic Maw" is a powerful beast that stalks through the jungles of
Ytoulch Chotol,
? along the edges of
Hanviehl.
? The musical nation was formed to defend against the beast, and its people work diligently each day to keep it at bay.
Ripple Effect
Ahdnel Veha was discovered several hundred years ago by one of the myriad
Linnh tribes— who were subsequently killed by the beast. Soon after, other tribes near the lush rainforest of Ytoulch Chotol met similar fates, until Ahndel Veha approached the
Viehl tribe. Upon this chance encounter, the tribe was in the midst of a ritual that involved an instrument sacred to them— the
ceahv.
?
This caused the beast's hide to ripple like water, before violently rupturing as it split into many smaller versions of itself— which scattered off into the jungle. It reformed soon after, however, and attacked the tribe again— managing to kill several families before being stopped by a man who, going off his gut, faced the beast by playing his ceavh. Once again, Ahndel Veha split into many, and ran into the jungle. Learning from this incident, the Viehl began to keep watch— with musicians poised at the edges of their territory to keep them safe. Eventually, the beast would move on to other neighboring tribes, destroying them as it went. As fewer and fewer remained, the surviving Linnh began to flock to the only safe haven they knew— the lands of the Viehl.
Several hunting parties were gathered, some merely came back empty-handed, while others didn't return at all. None were able to kill the strange creature— only split it into smaller pieces. The only damage that could be done was to the smaller Ahndel Vehas' teeth— which would repair themselves before their next encounter, as if they had never been touched. Some began to take these teeth as trophies, and these hunts for would become fairly commonplace over the years. Today, the nation of Hanviehl keeps Ahndel Veha at bay with a constant patrol of musicians along their borders— as the beast appears almost instantaneously whenever, and wherever, the music stops.
I never wanted to face the beast— but my Lahs, my sweet Lahs...did. And she died doing so.— Rahe Hahdh
Appearance
Ahndel Veha appears as a large, quadrapedal beast that stands about 10' tall, and 15' long. Its head possesses neither eyes nor a nose, instead housing a large mouth— filled with bright white, pointed, teeth— and four ears, two on each side. The body of Ahndel Veha is comprised of a strange, viscous black liquid that undulates with the beast's heartbeat— if it even possesses a heart.
The Left Ear
Ahndel Veha is not a
monster— and is, in fact, an aspect of
Qetlon, formed from the dead god's left ear. As an aspect of the great, decaying god, Ahndel Veha possesses incredible power. For one, it seems to be able to travel throughout its domain almost instantaneously— by entering and exiting condensed
planes. It does not possess sight or smell, but instead has an uncannily strong sense of hearing— allowing it to hear whenever the music that protects Havnviehl stops, or when prey is nearby.
Its body, being made of a strange, black liquid, allows objects to easily pass through it without doing any harm, such as weapons, trees, or walls. Even its victims, who it appears to "eat" fall through the other side, though often without their ears. The only exception to this are its teeth, which unlike the rest of its body— are solid bone.
Myth
Many of the Linnh believe that Ahdel Veha committed a great and terrible sin in a past life, and has been given its current immortal form as punishment. Some even believe it is their duty to torture the beast, and engage in hunts with great fervor. Many bring home teeth taken from the beast, as trophies, and for use within
eyahdve? ceremonies.
A particularly small subset of Linnh, however,
worship the beast— believing that they are meant to be killed by it. This cult, the
Ahndel Dohedsah,
? believe that the original Linnh tribes should have accepted their fate, and that they must now usher others towards their deaths, to make up for their ancestors' sin. Members of the cult remove their ears during initiation, lessening their ability to hear as a show of faith in Ahndel Veha.
I'm organzing a hunting party— composed of the best soliders, musicians, and hunters I know. I told them that we saved our people once, and now it's time to do so again. But I lied to them, for once, this isn't for our people— this is for Lahs.
— Rahe Hahdh
Oooo recurring characters are awesome and omg their ears?! It takes their ears?! That's terrifying in a low key kind of way. Like initially it isnt that bad but then consider implications. No more music and sound sure, but you'd also stumble like a drunken fool cause ears are also important when it comes to balance. Horrifying... I did find a little typo... maybe. "with musians poised at the edges of their territory to keep them safe" are musians a special thing or did you mean musicians? Regardless, it's another awesome, horrifying critter to add to the list. Well doen!
Definitely a typo, thanks for catching that!