Lesshirius - Leshens
We never hunt in these woods. Never. Even if it means the whole village starves.There is always a price to pay for those who feast upon the flesh of their fellow man. The Leshen is one such creature, all fear it and no one dares speaks it name. Once a Human eat Human flesh the Unseelie energy of woodlands can take control of the body and transforms into the beast with the Human still trapped inside, a Leshen. They will forever hunt in hopes of satisfy their endless hunger. Once they find prey to hunt they never stop chasing and survival is unlikely. Leshen are known to play with their food before eating it, making howls and mimicking human voices to drive its prey insane. You can never outrun it for it can hunt for hours without rest and you cannot in a building for it can unlock doors with ease. They can uplift trees and cause stampedes of nearby most of which would cause famine to the region. They also can create ice storm and block out they sky with clouds. When it finally catches you, it will be a slow and painful death to follow. Once it is done eating it will hibernate for month or even years before it awakens again. Wounding it by normal means won’t work either since it can regenerate. One of the few ways to survive is by staying very quite and still. If it will not see you due to its poor eyesight but never look at it in its eyes or you will be sorry. The most effective yet most dangerous course of action, is cutting out its icy heart with a silver blade and shatter it.
This is the most well understood version of the Leshens, passed down from old Ammeriam myths of seeing Leshens feasting off of Human cadavers. However, the truth is often much more tragic and mundane. While yes true several Leshens often undergo the strict dietary need of humanoid meat, the unfortunate reality is they are not drawn to this fate by their own choice, or their own hunger. But rather it is a curse put upon them by the Unseelie Queen, MAB. Often when one does not pay homage to the Queen of Air and Darkness before entering one of her woodlands, or her subjects woodlands, if one is to perish there they will soon rejoin the ranks of the living, but within the Runewilds dark court as a cursed creature. A tresspasser, and the punishment is eternal servitude. Leshens dwell in dense, primeval woods. Fiercely territorial creatures, often caring for nomadic tribes of 20-60 individuals, they hunt with stealth and cunning as their only companions. They use their inborn magic to control the plants and animals within their territory – and so, when stalking them, half the battle is merely getting near enough to strike. Leshens do not fight alone. They can summon swarms of crows to distract and harass their enemies, and even call upon wolves to fight with them. They seem to prefer nighttime and darker underground areas. Obairix is the home of most of the Leshen population outside of the Runewilds, but there are noticeable populations of Leshens on the planet of Gaia, particularly in nuculear winter lands, but more often then not these individuals are completely disconnected from their original race's heritage, and instead work as druids and mages, scaring people away from their chosen lands with their grusome looks.
