Peuchoytz

Pook-oh-yih-tih-z

Be wary when the time comes to harvest, never turn your back on a cornstalk— for it may be something else entirely.

— A farmer's warning

Peuchoytz, literally meaning false crop, are monsters that lie in wait for their prey— hiding within corn fields.

Appearance

Peuchoytz are covered in dull, green skin stretched thin over a spinal column that reaches several feet above the tops of their teardrop-shaped bodies. Their spines are topped with long, wispy hairs, giving the appearance of a cornstalk when obscured.

Habitat & Rest

Peuchoytz live in most places humanity has called home, and most importantly— grow corn.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Monsters

Average Height

8'

Average Weight

50lbs

Average Length

1'6"

Behind these hairs is hidden a sickly yellow stinger, around 2-3" in length. Their bodies have an almost uncannily human-like facial structure, replete with an upper jaw, cheekbones, and foreheads— except that they lack any distinctly human features beyond this. Upon these mockingly familiar shapes rests five spider-like eyes and mandibles. Beneath the "jaw" creep four insectoid appendages, upon which the creatures slowly locomote.

Habits

Peuchoytz wander into cornfields after the stalks have had ample time to grow. Upon arrival, they will lie in wait for prey to happen by. Once close, they whip their spines forward in order to poison their prey— who are then paralyzed long enough for the peuchoytz to bite into their neck, placing a final note upon their lives. Particularly hungry peuchoytz may become emboldened, and venture beyond the field they had been hiding in to hunt.

A Quelled Threat

Most farmers are at least moderately skilled in felling monsters, and as civilizations grew, so too did the number of farmers supporting them.
Tricks to avoid or fell the hungering beasts were passed along in time, and their kind slowly but surely dwindled as fewer and fewer humans fell prey to their traps. Today, peuchoytz are uncommon sights, one may encounter only one every four years within their own fields.