WARNING: This page includes spooky imagery and describes what some may consider to be gruesome and disturbing.
Everything you need to know about...
Spites!
For as long as wyngrew have recorded history, the magical entities known simply as “Spites” have existed. Thought to have first come in times when there were high levels of magic, (such as the early warpstorms) spites entered the world to feed off negative emotional energy.
Spites are simply referred to as “monsters”, as they are drawn to all things negative, and feed on the magical expulsion of wyngrew especially. (Although they will target any magical creature)
Spites: The Consumers of Magic
Every Wyngro is born with magic, and thus, a magical aura that is unidentifiable by wyngrew themselves. But not however, to the all seeing spite.
Researches have confirmed that during times of ‘stress’ is when a wyngro’s magic is most detectable from paranormal-type entities like the spites. As such, spites prefer the negative emotions layered within the magic a wyngro will give off. Certain spites are even specifically attracted to certain emotions.
For instance, a Yittle enjoys sucking the magic exuded by a “paranoid” and “fearful” wyngro. A Nocoff however, enjoys the feeling of “grieving” and “loneliness” most of all.
Some more dangerous spites, such as the “Kindrin” and “Deelagun”, are attracted to pain and intense suffering, and will likely cause this torture themselves in order to inflict the emotion they desire to feed on.
What are They?
A spite sucking the magic of a wyngro can cause the following symptoms, but is not limited to:
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Fatigue
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Dizziness
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Nosebleeds
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Nausea
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Depression
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Weight Loss
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Fevers
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Migraines
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Anxiety & Paranoia
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Short-Term Amnesia
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Seizures (In bad cases)
These are all also symptoms of a very rare disease in wyngrew called “Manafew” which is a term for a wyngro so devoid of magic, that it’s as if a spite is actively sucking them dry, even when there is no spite. These symptoms are also present in the famed “Banishment” where a wyngro’s magic is completely removed. (Only able to be performed by King Zenith to the most dangerous criminals)
Because of the severity of a wyngro being drained of magic, and the kind of suffering it can bestow, spites are taken very seriously in communities and prevented at all times.
Spite Prevention - Nova Trees
Each town has centered in it, a single nova tree. This tree sprouts upwards from the ground in a crystallized shape, and will grow as large as the town’s wyngrew around it provides it magic to grow.
Novas are a very rare and necessary part of wyngro lives, as they contain a very powerful positive magic that ward off spites. While it is not necessarily a shield, a nova tree provides a very good repellent to all spites coming in contact with the town and the citizens inside.
Spites are attracted to large amounts of magic, and especially when wyngrew cluster together in groups or communities-- doing so can leave themselves vulnerable to spite attacks.
This is why every town has its own nova tree in the center. There is just something about the magic a nova produces that repels spites. Spites aren’t necessarily hurt by the novas, they just avoid them.
However, if magic levels are too high, (Warptide is a particular concern sometimes) it causes them to become ‘frenzied’, requiring larger-than-usual amounts of their food source, turning even more mundane spites' ‘fun’ and ‘innocent bad luck’ into a need to cause real terror and pain, attacking wyngrew directly (or more aggressively than usual in some cases, depending on the ‘species’ of spite).
Some towns set up additional gates and “spite-proofing” with special barricades, but everyone knows that nothing can truly stop a spite from getting in, as many can fly, go through walls, shape-shift etc.
They don’t seem as big of a problem in smaller, farming communities such as Wynsiph where the level of magic use is relatively low. More magic-centric cities have bigger problems with spites.
Many of these cities have specific jobs for wyngrew training in battling spites that come to close to town.
How Spites Think
Spites do not think and process the world the same way that wyngrew do. While each spite is somewhat different from another in temperament, (much to the same ways animal personalities can vary) they do not possess the ability to branch from their ideals, and think on more of a “hive mind” then having a complex soul.
They have very limited speech, if at all. (depending on the type of spite) Most just whisper/mutter things they know will disturb a wyngro.
It’s debated whether a spite can truly feel pain or not. Some say they are incapable of feeling pain, as many organizations have attempted to torture spites for information but were never able to collect anything wanted. Spites will often show reflexes of pain when attacked, but it’s theorized that they merely use it as a sympathy tactic in order to survive.
How to Fend off / Kill a Spite
Nowhere in wyngro society is it unacceptable to kill spites. They are considered soulless monsters and encouraged to be eliminated.
While some spites can be physically attacked and killed, some can only be killed with magical attacks.
Some spites leave physical bodies around when they are eliminated, although these “physical vessels" do not decompose in the same way that normal living things do. They more or less begin to become absorbed into the air very quickly.
Others immediately get absorbed into nothingness once they are eliminated, such as weepers, who retain barely any physical form at all and appear almost completely ethereal.
Spite Hunters:
A guild exists in the country of Ennth called the "Spite Hunters". In this guild found all over the land, small teams are built from communities in exterminating spites found troubling local areas. While some Spite Hunters are founded in the communities that needed protecting, others travel from town to town, providing their services to towns in need.
These groups can be composed of a single wyngro fighter, or army sized, depending on the area and type of spite being hunted.
In order to join the Spite Hunter guild, an officially licensed teacher must train and pass you. They may take a single pupil, or an entire class.
Where do they come from? How do they come about?
No one has ever seen a spite birth and thus it is unknown how they spawn or are created. Some believe they appear out of thin air from the magic of the world itself. Some believe they are born deep underground or far above in the clouds where the atmosphere is unreachable to wyngrew.
Shrouded in mystery is what truly makes spites scary to wyngrew, as the uncertainty of why they exist is what unnerves civilization most of all. Do they have a purpose? Are they only a result of some disastrous event in history?
Types of Spites:
Every spite is vastly different from the other, although they all have a number of identifying traits that tie them together:
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All consume magical energy in the form of negative emotions.
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All seem to share a vague hive mind overall.
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All Spites have sharp, pointed teeth. This seems to be what they consume magic with.
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Spites are usually more akin to frightening wyngrew, rather than hunting/killing them like a normal animal.
How to portray Spites within the group:
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As of Warptide 2018: Since the nova tree was destroyed, spites are no longer warded off and will creep in, especially at night. Spites like the shambles, nocoffs and yittles are often seen lurking in town. While most spites do not attack unless in defensive, they still consume the magic around them. This can cause sickness in wyngrew close enough so it is advised to not stay out past dark. Please be aware that kindrin and deelaguns are rare and do not wander into communities.
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Make sure to read about each type of Spite, where they live, how they interact with wyngrew, and if they are susceptible to magical or physical attacks. Not all Spites will physically injure a wyngro, so try to be accurate when writing stories!
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Wyngrew cannot have Spites as pets, friends, or caretakers.
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Spites should not be portrayed talking/having personalities/depicted as complex characters.
Types of Spites we know of so far:
Yittles
Ethereal Percentage: 20% Magical 80% physical
Taste Preference: Fear, Confusion, Paranoia
Locations: Lurking everywhere, but mostly in heavy forests-- places where they can hide. They are able to reside right outside a nova tree's aura, so they are commonly seen right outside Wynsiph. (Or rumored to be seen. No one ever gets a good look)
Intelligence: 7/10
Threat level: 4/10
Sightings: Common
Appearance:
Yittles are tall, slender spites with pale skin. Their limbs are very sharp and faded with a red tint, giving them the impression of being stained with blood. They are known for their crescent moon head shape and green, glowing, sideways eyes, as well as a toothy smile. Yittles stand as tall as a biped Wyngrew, making their hidden appearance even more unsettling. Was that shape from a Wyngro, or a spite...?
Society:
Yittles are the most common type of spite and usually a staple image when Wyngrew talk about them. This is most likely due to their unsettling appearance.
Tastes & Tactics:
This breed of Spite seems to feed off of paranoia and fear. Yittles largely keep themselves hidden, only to appear in odd places to give their targets brief glimpses of an unnatural creature outside their window, on a ceiling, half in shadow, etc until maximum fear and paranoia is achieved. However, if cornered or caught, most Yittles are skittish and quick to flee, although some have been known to attack Wyngrew if backed into a corner or starved enough. They have very sharp claws and can inflict massive damage if provoked.
Yittles are famous for their nature of picking a single wyngro ‘target/victim’ and making their life miserable for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Yittles break plates, leave open doors and windows that had previously remained closed, and scratch softly at doors and windows in the dead of night, leaving their victims no time of peace.
Most lone travelers, lucky enough to avoid the attention of more dangerous spites, are likely to be targeted by Yittles. Feel like someone is watching you, though no one is in sight? Do you keep catching glimpses of something moving or grinning out of the corner of your eye? It’s likely a Yittle … or a few … following such an easy target.
Dealing with a Yittle:
Most wyngrew are advised to at least have one traveling companion when making long journeys. Because though one Yittle is hardly a threat, if enough Yittles become attracted to a lone traveler the group may grow frenzied and bold enough for more daring harassment. Such as boldly showing themselves now and again, grinning and laughing before vanishing back into cover, along with bolting in to bite or scratch when the lone traveler tries to sleep, eat, or drink.
While not outright fatal, such harassment often causes enough stress on a wyngro that their distress can attract other types of spites, which can potentially be far more dangerous than a pack of Yittles.
The most effective means of making sure Yittles leave you alone is quite simple: travel in good company, and laugh off any Yittle attempts at making you feel uneasy. Yittles are very skittish Spites, and will not often do anything more than harmless attempts to unsettle a gro from a distance so long as there are more than one.
Yittles are easily slain through physical or magical force if caught or cornered. The trick is: they are seldom seen, let alone put into such a tight spot. They are also very tricky to hit as they are very slick and quick.
Weepers
Ethereal Percentage: 90% Magical 10% physical
Taste Preference: Fatigue, Annoyance, Gloom
Location: High above ground. They float aimlessly until a storm shows above a community. They some times float close enough to the ground to be seen, but it's rare.
Intelligence: 5/10
Threat level: 1/10
Sightings: Uncommon
Appearance:
Weepers are gray, cloudy spites that are almost all ethereal in appearance and They have long, wispy appendages that seem to trail off in a vapor-like smoke trail as they float through the air.
Society:
Weepers are a very seldom seen Spite not many wyngro will encounter face-to-face in their lifetime. These ethereal Spites live at high altitudes far above the ground, often hiding within clouds and working together to create storms. Most wyngrew know of their existence though, and a common saying on rainy days is "Come in out of that weeping rain!"
Tastes & Tactics:
Weepers are unique in the way they choose to effect and drain their victims: instead of directly hunting or hurting a wyngro, Weepers create rain clouds and thunderstorms to affect wyngrew far down below, causing widespread dreariness and misery to feed off of.
Weepers are unique in their ability to even slightly affect towns and cities protected by nova trees, due to the far distance from which these Spites do their work. These weather Spites do not often cause much harm beyond a few miserable rainy days at a time, and are considered very unthreatening to the health of most wyngrew. Though, very rarely, Weepers have been known to gather in unusually high numbers for reasons unknown, creating lingering storms that not only cause misery, but ruin crops and cause numerous accounts of sickness from those wyngrew affected. The only recorded cause of such a ‘Super Storm’ was many decades ago, and it’s cause is still unknown.
Dealing with a Weeper:
Some large cities have been known to employ winged wyngrew with strong ice or wind magic in order to disperse Weepers and keep such moral-draining storms away for important celebratory events. Weepers, though completely immune to physical attack or harm, are easily dispersed with strong wind magic or scared away by strong gusts of cold icy wind. Weepers would rather avoid wyngrew from a close range anyways, so many towns merely accept that Weepers will pass by eventually and it's just a part of a storm. Small towns don't even bother trying to deal with them.
A very mysterious spite:
Weepers, because of their elusive, hidden nature, are one of the least studied spite, and thus easily the most mysterious of all spites. Although many tales tell of Weepers that somehow end up stranded at ground level will sometimes be able to adapt by converting into a more physical form as they desperately try to find enough magic to float back up to the sky. They are nearly helpless on their own.
Nocoffs
Ethereal Percentage: 50% Magical 50% physical
Taste Preference: Loneliness, Neediness, Grief
Location: Anywhere that Nocs reside
Intelligence: 9/10
Threat level: 3/10
Sightings: Uncommon
Appearance:
Nocoffs almost always resemble a noc, almost identically so. They are shape-shifters, but this is the only shape a Nocoff seems to be able to take.
When wyngro backs are turned, however, their true form reveals a shadowy husk with glowing white eyes, sharp teeth and large clawed hands. Basically, a floating, haunted version of a noc. This form is very rarely seen, however, as a Nocoff will do everything it can to fool the unsuspecting victim for as long as possible.
Nocoffs are especially rare and not common enough to be found regularly by wyngrew. We do have a Quest you can do involving Nocoffs, however!
Society:
Nocoffs are one of the few species of Spite that can be found inside a town or city with a nova tree (though only if a wyngro 'lets them in' and takes the 'little lost Noc' found elsewhere home with them). Nocoffs cannot enter a protected town or city on their own.
It seems due to the close and personal nature Nocoffs have with their victims, and the large amount of direct magic they consume every night, that they are able to remain close to what most other Spites consider a repellent.
However, Nocoffs are not completely immune to the effects of the nova tree. There have been a number of documented cases of Nocs being revealed as Nocoffs when their owner was too close to (or touching) a nova tree. This is usually only the case if the Nocoff hasn't consumed enough magic though.
Tastes & Tactics:
Nocoffs specifically shape shift into the form of an innocent Noc in order to be taken into the shelter of a wyngro home, only to transform into their true form at night or when the wyngro is sleeping or distracted. This is when it feeds off the loneliness and grief that a wyngro who is so desperate for affection will take a Noc in for. Even if the wyngro is not a very stressful personality, the Nocoff is a very devious, intelligent spite that can bide its time and wander out at night to find better victims.
These insidious Spites, fortunately, are often found out due to the sometimes dramatic effect they have on their victims. In most large towns and cities, it’s well known that a ‘lost’ Noc looking for a home is usually too good to be true. Nocoffs tend to be a much bigger problem in smaller settlements, where Noc pets are a rare and sought after commodity many are willing to overlook a little speciousness for a rare and loving companion pet.
Dealing with a Nocoff:
Often times, the best thing to do once a wyngro finds out their Noc is really a Nocoff is to simply dump the Spite off at the edge of town, but that’s easier said than done in most cases.
The victims of Nocoffs often have a hard time letting go of their new ‘friend’, because in most cases the Nocoff is their only ‘friend’.
Nocoffs seek out the loneliness specifically for this purpose, and will often wait at the edge of town in their Noc guise, weeping and ‘pining’ for the poor wyngro to come back for them … or to pick up a new victim, whichever comes first.
Nocoffs, much like Nocs, are not physically very dangerous to most adult wyngrew and can usually be killed through normal physical or magical means of force. Most try to take care to eradicate such Spites, particularly with how deeply these monsters can ensnare their victims.
Russell will not allow Nocoffs in his town, for instance, and will destroy them on sight if found out. These pests can hurt more than just the wyngrew they're staying with, after all.
Kindrin
Ethereal Percentage: 10% Magical 90% physical
Taste Preference: Pain, Horror, Loss
Location: Far outside of wyngro communities, well away from heavily traveled paths. You need to really be exploring in the middle of no where to come across one.
Intelligence: 6/10
Threat level: 8/10
Sightings: RARE
Appearance:
A rather large Spite-- the size of a Standard adult bipedal, whose silhouette vaguely resembles a headless wyngro. Long, powerful ear/arms for grabbing. Dark, creepy, bulbous eyes. Large, gum exposed teeth, with nostrils on its abdomen, and unnaturally bent legs. They also have markings that wyngrew say resemble blood running down its body. A permanent stain from all those they've tortured.
This spite is terrifying in appearance, and plagues the nightmares of many wyngrew.
Society:
Kindrin luckily do not often roam and are restricted to their territories far off the beaten path, which can be identified by uncanny “braiding”, such as blades of grass, vines, and objects lying around.
Turn back if you see unusual amounts of braided flora. They are obsessed with braiding things with their ear/arm appendages.
They seem to stay very dormant until they sense a creature with a magical essence nearby. They often feed on Runeboos when wyngrew aren't around.
Maybe wyngrew are led in by the shriek of a screaming runeboo, and only end up in the clutches of a kindrin.
Dealing with a Kindrin:
Kindrin are extremely dangerous Spites, and should never be approached by the unprepared or a novice Spite hunter. They are agile and powerful opponents, often using unpredictable and odd movements to ensnare even the most wary wyngro. When seeking an escape from a determined Kindrin, a quick flash of fire or light magic tends to hurt their large, bulbous eyes, giving a potential chance for a cornered wyngro to flee but beware: such a tactic also enrages these Spites. If an enraged Kindrin get’s it’s ‘hands’ on you, it’s going to rip something off. Their main method of attack is to immobilize you somehow.
Because these Spites are typically loners, the best course of action when seeking to slay one is to bring a large group of capable fighters and simply cut the monster to pieces, as most killing methods won't work. These things are difficult to kill.
Tastes & Tactics:
This is a very dangerous spite that enjoys the slow torture of a wyngro or other magical creature.
They will often ensnare an unsuspecting wyngro that has wandered too far from town into a trap and then begin to maim them. A Kindrin will avoid actually killing a wyngro, instead using gruesome and barbaric torture techniques to keep them in one place while they suffer. Although many wyngrew end up dying from their wounds after a Kindrin is done with them, too weak to find help.
Reports of encounters with Kindrins include being strung up in trees with painful injuries, dragging mangled bodies all over, slowly biting into limbs, tails, ripping wings off, and even more strategic methods, such as slowly stretching the body or limbs, or slowly peeling the first layer of flesh off a wyngro. They like to experiment, so there’s no limit to the creativity of a kindrin. They also have limited speech, and will whisper creepy things while working on their victims to inspire more horror. This speech is mostly copied from fragments they hear from wyngrew around them. They cannot actually converse.
Shambles
Ethereal Percentage: 20% Magical 80% physical
Taste Preference: Repulsion, Fear, Shock
Location: Along well traveled paths, heavily wooded areas, near water, wherever bugs reside. They avoid dry areas.
Intelligence: 2/10
Threat level: 4/10
Sightings: Common
Appearance:
Shambles stand as tall as a wyngling, so they are rather small, but can be very dangerous due to their extremely sharp beaks.
Their bulbous eyes jut out from their heads, and have very visible red gullet. They have barbs that protrude from their necks, and insect-like legs that skitter as they walk.
They make hissing-like noises when distressed or threatening.
Behavior around wyngrew:
Shambles generally like to skitter past a wyngro just enough for them to be seen but not attacked. Sometimes they just hiss nearby to cause a reaction. They enjoy the feeling one gets from the "heeby-jeebees" of seeing a creepy bug nearby. They also tend to swarm together, so one may be bold enough to approach and even crawl onto a wyngro just to inspire a panic.
Their shells are very hard to pierce, but their weak-point resides in simply cutting their head off by their softer neck.
When in fear of being killed, a shamble will resort to stabbing a wyngro, which can be lethal if hitting an artery where no healing is around.
They also have sharp barbs that will come off and attach to the wyngro, causing infection and difficult to pull out.
Behavior without wyngrew:
When no wyngro is around, shambles will just stand still with their mouths open and attract bugs to crawl down into their gullets. They act as a carnivorous plant, emitting a sweet, addicting smell from their bellies that insects cannot resist.
They have no interest in runeboos, and coexist with the animals of the world much like an animal themselves. They only seem to be focused on tormenting wyngrew, and no other magical beings. (This is unlike other spites, who will enjoy sucking any kind of magic)
Sageistro
Ethereal Percentage: 10% Magical 90% physical
Taste Preference: Pain & Shock
Locations: Hot and arid climated areas
Intelligence: 2/10
Threat level: 4/10
Sightings: Common around areas with cacti
Appearance:
The sageistro is a tall, plant-like spite that resembles that of a cactus. The appearance is so uncanny in fact, that it is near impossible for the untrained eye to tell it apart from its succulent counterpart. Much like its cactus counterpart, every sageistro appears different, from the amount of "arms" it has, to the holes that make up its haunting "face".
Sageistros take on various shades and hues of green to further blend in among their environment, so you'll need to practice in order to correctly spot one.
Society:
Sageistros are obviously most common when there is an abundance of cacti, but there are stories of them taking on the shape of other large flora in different regions as well. This is why it is highly cautioned when travelling through a cactus forest, as it is very likely you will come across a sageistro without even knowing it. That is, until one grabs you.
For this reason, many towns located in drier climates have experts that go out to seek their extermination. There are many signs that single out a sageistro from other cacti, but they vary so wildly from each spite, that it can be difficult to determine.
This is especially true for each area, as the sageistro will adapt to its individual surroundings. No one knows where they come from either, as new spites are found popping up the next day at times. Do they rapidly grow from the ground? Do they shuffle closer while no one is looking? Many studies have tried to find the secret, only to come up with theories.
Regardless, the sageistro is a dangerous inconvenience for sap collectors and travelers alike, so keep an eye out if you ever find yourself surrounded by cacti!
Tastes & Tactics:
Sageistro are ambush attackers, preferring to sit and wait patiently for any unsuspecting wyngrew to come along to seeking shade. The second a wyngro has their back turned unsuspectedly, BAM! The sageistro will strike by wrapping all of its available arms tightly around the wyngro, skewering them with its many needles.
Interestingly, there are very few cases of a wyngro dying from a sageistro. This spite seems to be more interested in the shock and pain of the initial grab than anything else, and often lets its victim go after they stop moving for a while. The more a wyngro struggles in its grasp, the tighter the hug will become causing further pain.
Spotting a Sageistro:
Upon first glance, it is difficult to tell a cactus apart from a sageistro, and the information below is not always consistent or universal with every location. Therefore it's advised to speak to a local expert when traveling, but here are some common traits to look out for:
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Sageistro are often isolated from other cacti and flora.
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Cacti more often have sap dripping down the sides, whereas sageistro do not.
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Cacti flower a couple times a year whereas sageistro do not. Not every cactus flowers on time with the season, so this isn't always consistent.
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Sageistro protrude long, wrinkly claws from their arms, but these are often hidden within its skin. Flyers who get close enough might be able to identify the holes they recede from, however.
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Some wyngrew are able to identify from the scent, as a cactus has a more pungent scent than a spite.
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Tapping a normal cactus will often produce a different sound than a sageistro would, but it's not recommended you get so close as to tell.
Fending off a Sageistro:
If you do find yourself face to face with a sageistro and are unable to avoid one, the best thing to do is run before it catches you. Sageistro can unearth themselves from the ground and scuttle after you, but they are not able to catch up if you're in a full-on sprint and often quickly give up.
If all else fails and you do get caught, however, use fire! It's always advised to have a fire rune on hand if you have no fire magic skills, as sageistro hate the element and will retreat if they are confronted by it.
Thankfully, sageistro needles are not venomous or cause any ill effects aside from pain. If you find yourself covered in prickles, a visit to the doctor is advised so that they can be removed properly. Removing them incorrectly can cause them to get infected or even damage nerves, so it's advised that you do not try to pluck them out yourself.
Hook Lungs
Ethereal Percentage: 20% Magical 80% physical
Taste Preference: Fear of drowning
Locations: Large lakes
Intelligence: 3/10
Threat level: 6/10
Sightings: Uncommon
Appearance:
Hook Lungs are about half the size of a fully grown standard wyngro, (around coatala size) making this a frighteningly large lake creature.
Their bodies come in all sorts of slimy colors to reflect the body of water they’re taking residence in, while their heads remain a sickly fleshy pink color. They’re covered in webbing from head to toe, and support insect-like limbs.
Society:
Hook Lungs are generally found in isolated lakes far from any other source of water, as this attracts travelers to go have a swim from a long journey. Every so often they appear in lakes with larger communities, but are usually wiped out due to the residents' fear of them. They can be particularly problematic in a town that is not familiar with them and dealing with them. Sometimes you don’t know one has taken residence unless someone gets attacked or is reported to have drowned.
Tastes & Tactics:
Hook Lungs fester at the bottoms of a lake, hiding in the murky bits until the water above is disturbed enough to prey. They are usually dormant when lake activity is at its peak, preferring isolated incidents rather than attacks while a crowd is present. This is why you likely hear about nightly lake visits going wrong when it comes to a hook lung encounter. However, if a hook lung is starved long enough, it’ll try to hook anyone it can find. For you see, the hook lung desires the fear of drowning most.
Hook Lungs wait until a wyngro is alone, or far enough from crowds before it strikes. Its main method of attack is to swim up and bite a leg or arm of a swimming gro. This bite sticks the gro with one of its hook-like teeth. The tooth becomes dislodged from its terrifying lips and stays attached by an incredibly strong string. It will usually drag the wyngro down into the depths before the victim even knows what happened, giving little time to think. One thing that’s very interesting about the hook lung, is it does not consume its victims at all. Once a wyngro stops struggling, the hook lung will often dislocate its tooth and swim away. If a wyngro does manage to unhook themselves, the hook lung will also not come for a followup attack. This attributes further to their desire for fear, and not death. They seem to absorb this fear better for surviving victims, but if a wyngro is unprepared and cannot unhook themselves in time, drowning can still occur.
Surviving a Hook Lung attack:
If you get attacked by a hook lung, there are two tactics you can use to make an escape. First off, take a deep breath as soon as you feel the pain of getting stuck by a hook. The attack will likely feel like a hit and run tactic, where something bites you and runs away. While most are getting their bearings and trying to figure out what’s going on, you need to be taking a deep breath and reaching towards the hook before you get dragged down. If you keep hold of it, you’ll likely be able to dislodge it rather quickly. Anyone who’s fished should understand how to dislodge a hook, so practicing on a fish is extremely helpful.
If you are caught off guard or having a hard time dislodging the hook, the last resort is to play dead. Do this ONLY if you are able to hold your breath longer than a minute. Hook Lungs vary when they release their victims, so you’ll need to be committed if you go limp. You’ll know its about to unhook you when you start to feel slack on the line. Do NOT make a move until you hear it swim away. Sometimes a hook lung will give slack to see if you’re still alive before taking off.
Hook Lung Removal for Spite Hunters:
Going after a hook lung who’s been sighted in a lake can be a difficult task, because they like to stay hidden from attackers, so finding it is the tricky part. They often hide in the deepest depths, under rocks, or in clumps of seaweed. They even go so far as to flatten themselves against the lake floor. If discovered, they will often hook and run, dragging the gro for a few seconds before releasing them, in order to disoriate and focus attention on rescuing that gro instead of hunting it. So be sure to swim in groups.
It’s no secret that finns are a hook lungs worse enemy. This might be why hook lungs reside in lakes instead of the ocean (where finns usually reside). Not only can finns breathe underwater, but they have excellent swimming skills and dormant water boosters to hunt hook lungs with ease. Sometimes finn Spite Hunters will often do mercenary work in traveling town to town in search of this work. Gros with finn ancestry are also good candidates, especially if they hone gills. Hook lungs specifically do not target gros who can breathe underwater, likely able to detect there is no fear of drowning. This may also be why they are so difficult to find when a gilled gro is hunting them.
More barbaric ways of easily hunting this spite were to take a town resident that was deathly scared of the water and throw them into a deep part of the lake while hunters stood waiting on land, waiting for the panicked gro to get hooked before diving in to eliminate the spite.
Weapons used on hook lungs range from harpoons or spears, to nets in order to trap it, but your best offense is water magic. Although underwater magic can be difficult to control, having a master of it in order to prevent the hook lung from getting away is a powerful tool that cannot be overlooked. These things are slippery and retreat quickly, so you’ll need to be fast!
Tickwooks
Society:
Tickwooks can be a common problem among travelers. Not so much an issue with nova tree protected towns-- they seem to stay far away from large communities. In order to encounter one, you’ll need to venture deep into the wilds with a small scouting party. Spite hunters are often enlisted to kill these spites along popular paths leading in and out of towns, in order to make travel more safe.
Tastes & Tactics:
Tickwooks prefer to hunt their prey slowly, and only target wyngrew. When no wyngrew are around to detect, they go into an idle state, resembling a stone statue until activity picks up again. This is why many are seen covered in moss and vines-- the sign of an old tickwook.
Although this beast is blind, that doesn’t stop it from detecting wyngrew. Instead, it pings the stiff plates on its back with its coiled tail in order to triangulate subtle movements in the surrounding area. No one knows exactly how it can do this, but something as subtle as a heartbeat can be picked up by this monster. Although standing still will make it take slow its progress, it will always find you if it's around. As it flicks its plates with its tail, it makes a ticking noise, like that of a clock. You’ll be able to hear this loud ticking echo through the area as it grows louder and louder… but when the ticking stops all together… that’s when you know it's targeted you, and you need to run.
They pick their prey carefully and usually go in while wyngrew are stationary or resting. This creates a constant sense of unease for travelers, which the spites feed off of, even if they cannot catch you.
Ethereal Percentage: 10% Magical 90% physical
Taste Preference: Anxiety of anticipation, Pain, Dread
Locations: They can be found in nearly any location, but are mostly found in heavily wooded forests. This gives them an advantage to not being seen.
Intelligence: 4/10
Threat level: 7/10
Sightings: Uncommon
Appearance: Tickwooks stand at approximately 7 feet tall, almost reaching the mass of a gorge in size. They often have a slimy green body, but range in color depending on their environment. They are identifiable by their mechanical looking limbs and almost robotic movement, as well as the flat long plates covering their bodies. They have a constant toothy smile, capable of deadly bites.
Despite the patterns on their heads that indicate eyes, the tickwook is actually completely blind.
Dealing with a Tickwook:
They are very slow, so keeping on the move and steering away from the ticking sounds will usually be enough to keep you out of trouble. Most wyngrew do not willingly approach these spites, as they are very dangerous in close encounters.
Slightly larger than most wyngrew, tickwooks make formidable foes, able to snap their toothy jaws open and grab at you with quick, mechanical movements. Their fangs are not the only thing that can move quickly however, as their tail can also be a dangerous weapon if you try to get behind it.
Its skin is extremely thick as well. Almost metallic when you try to pierce it with weapons or fire magic. (similar surface to shambles)
Its biggest weakness is the fleshy pink surface on the back of its neck. This seems to be an exposed eardrum of sorts, allowing the tickwook to pinpoint your location so accurately. Slicing it up and damaging it enough will usually result in the spite losing that ability, allowing parties to get away without worrying about it following. However, tickwooks often hunt in groups. So getting one off your back is not enough to secure your safety.
Completely killing this spite is difficult, as it's sturdy, to say the least. Like many spites, these creatures seem to keep moving, even when limbs are dislocated and mangled beyond what a normal creature should be able to survive. Spite hunters usually work in teams to wrange it in rope and chains to immobilize it, then drop it in a hole or area that cannot be reached in order to secure the area. Completely killing it is possible, but takes so much time and strenuous action that it’s often not worth the work. Many groups have been known to hack away at a tickwook for days before dismantling it enough to claim it “dead”.
Deelagun
Ethereal Percentage: 10% Magical 90% physical
Taste Preference: Pain, Agony, & the fear of death
Locations: Deelaguns live far off the beaten path and usually far from larger wyngrew societies. They prefer deep wilderness, and only actively hunt seldomly. Preferring to make each victim they acquire last a long while.
Intelligence: 6/10
Threat level: 9/10
Sightings: VERY RARE
Appearance:
Deelaguns are very large spites, over 6 feet tall and 20 feet long. With serpentine flexibility, the deelagun is muscular and agile. Its mouth is filled with sharp teeth, and seeing it roar with an open mouth is a frightening sight.
With its 3 dark eyes on its face, along with a row of them going down its long back, it's nearly impossible to catch a deelagun unaware. These eyes glow when a deelagun absorbs its victims’ magic (often taking the color of the magic type being absorbed). A deelagun’s insides are completely lined with teeth, and its black, oozing blood will cause infection if it gets into a cut or your mouth.
Deelaguns are colored dark purple with a white mask on its face and white-tipped tentacles that grow mostly along the face, neck and back end.
A deelagun’s back legs appear backwards and broken, giving it an uncanny appearance as it skitters along the ground and towards its victims. It can reverse and run just as fast backwards as it can forwards, being able to bend its head back and see with its multiple eyes.
Society:
Deelaguns are almost exclusively spotted out in the wilds, far away from wyngro habitation. Just spotting a deelagun is said to be an omen of bad luck, and most wyngrew are advised to swiftly leave any area a deelagun has been sighted.
Deelaguns have little reason to fear wyngrew, even in larger groups. So if one is actively hunting, even traveling together will not keep it from seeking out the ‘perfect’ victim in a trading caravan.
Deelaguns often create a hidden ‘nest’ of sorts for themselves, be it a cave, dirt den, or other dark, hard-to-find space where it can lie in wait until its hunger grows enough to rouse it into a hunt. These lairs are often littered with the remains of past meals, mostly tattered clothes and cracked bones. Curiously enough: these lairs are also generally close to (or have) a source of clean water. Near these dens the local trees are often completely covered in scratch marks, left from the deelagun’s long claws as it makes its way around.
Tastes & Tactics:
Deelaguns are picky: they often use a blitz tactic to burst into a group swiftly before grabbing a single chosen victim and hauling them away swiftly, screaming, back to wherever it calls its lair. Deelaguns are completely immune to magical attack: something in their hide swiftly absorbing magic around them to the point of making all magical attempts useless. Deelaguns often pick very magically-inclined (and physically-weaker) wyngrew just for this very reason: they are the easiest prey item available that provide the most magical food.
Deelaguns have been known to travel great distances from their chosen lair in order to claim a victim (due to living so far off the beaten path, and being so picky with their prey). And once they have chosen a victim, nothing will stop them from hunting their prey. Even if they must wait for extended periods of time.
Deelaguns have been known to stalk the same victim for months, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Survivors of deelagun attacks are few and far between, as most taken are never seen or heard from again, but from the few survivors, we know this much: deelaguns are much like kindrin in their joy of pain. Using their long claws and teeth, deelaguns superficially injure their captured prey with dozens upon dozens of shallow and deep cuts, physically and magically draining a victim until … the deelagun leaves. When the wyngro tries to flee, thinking this their chance, on the deelagun comes out of nowhere, snaking around trees and obstacles only to catch the wyngro again and drag them back to its lair again. And again. And again.
This ‘catch and release’ method is hypothesized to completely and totally break down a victim in a slow, grueling torture that slowly breaks down all hope and instills a learned helplessness in the victim as they slowly starve and weaken from the deelagun’s repeated drain on their magic and blood (along with other spites like yittles often hanging around a deelagun dens to ‘scavenge’ what they can of the lone victim). Only once a wyngro has completely lost the will to fight does a deelagun finally end it: swallowing the victim whole for final digestion.
A deelagun’s insides are largely just teeth. It's theorized the victim may be, potentially, swallowed alive until they finally bleed to death from a thousand cuts.
Dealing with a Deelagun:
The only way to kill a deelagun is to overwhelm it and slowly cut it down. Although projectile magic like flames will not hurt it-- magic can still be used to help a wyngro move, defend, and dodge a deelagun enough to attack it physically.
Most deelaguns are smart enough to realize when they are the one being hunted, and will retreat to fight another day. Only when the spite is obsessed with a specific target will it refuse to back down. The beasts seem to fixate on one thing at a time.
Deelaguns are agile and their emaciated-body is only built of bone and muscle: with a flexibility that makes them able to completely turn in on themselves and each tentacle able to actively grab at limbs. It’s a long and bloody fight in order to bring down a deelagun.
Most of the time, those taken by deelaguns are simply given up as ‘lost’. With miles of uncharted wilderness to check, and no way to track a swift-moving deelagun, few could ever hope to track down (let alone slay) such a spite unless properly trained.
In larger cities, such as the Antova capital, deelagun sightings around the area are taken extremely seriously. Large scouting groups known as Spite Hunters will go out to track a deelagun to its nest and take it out before it becomes a problem. This may be why so few of them are found in the Antova region.
Saynamo
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Ethereal Percentage: 30% Magical 70% physical
Taste Preference: Unease, Shock, Surprise, Terror
Locations: Often hanging around abandoned farmsteads, orchards, or areas naturally growing an abundance of fruit or berry-bearing plants (which wither and die the longer a Saynamo lingers there).
Intelligence: 7/10
Threat level: 2/10
Sightings: Rare (Believed to be imagined by the delusional)
Appearance:
Saynamos are tall bipedal spites with banded bodies, that cover their faces and limbs with coarse sacks. They are taller than average Standard bipeds with arms as thick as quad wyngrew, with long dark claws tipped in blue. No wyngro has ever seen a Saynamo without its covering sacks (or at least: no wyngro has seen it and lived to tell about it). Saynamos can oddly compact their long bodies down completely into their sacks so that they are much smaller (appearing almost like an odd doll, or a heap of abandoned vegetable sacks), and often use this to their advantage to ‘pop’ up and terrify curious or unweary wyngrew.
Society:
Saynamos are an uncommon, but far from unheard of problem for wyngro farmers (especially those with large, sprawling farms). This odd spite often creeps into fields in the night, using their large claws to leave deep, confusing furrows going in nonsensical directions when no one is around. These furrows also have the distressing side effect of withering the crops around them, and leeching away the fertility of the soil itself.
This type of spite seems fond of abandoned farmsteads and orchards, but can also be found sometimes where unusually-large amounts of wild fruits and/or berries grow (though the saynamo’s presence itself soon withers everything around it). Saynamos are usually solitary spites, found alone.
Tastes & Tactics:
This spite is largely nocturnal and prefers the dark, often only moving and becoming active after the sun has mostly set or on very overcast days. Basically whenever vision is impaired and it can move better without being seen.
No wyngro has ever seen a saynamo just walking around: these spites only move when not being watched. Wyngrew can often catch a glimpse of the top of a saynamo’s head watching from deep in a crop field, only to blink and the spite to have disappeared into the sea of plantlife. Many gros claim to just be “seeing things” when spotting the distant silhouette of a Saynamo, or catching it out of the corner of their eye.
Saynamos may be large in size, but are not known to be outright deadly. This spite likes to creep up on lone wyngrew (or lie in wait somewhere) and give the wyngro a massive ‘surprise’ of the worst kind: grabbing them in its claws and stretching its stitched mouth open wide to show off the dark void of its mouth. A small peek under the hood that will cause you to faint instantly. Many gros who have claimed to encounter a Saynamo at face value have said that it took away their ability to scream, and awake alone without a voice to call for help. Some doctors have claimed the trauma is what disrupts a victims voice. Other healers say the spite can literally steal your voice to use for fooling others later. There have been so few cases of a Saynomo actually being encountered in this way, so there’s really no clear answer.
Dealing with a Saynamo:
Because Saynamos are so rarely seen up close, and only “attack” lone victims, it’s widely debated if they even exist at all. Many victims are claimed to be seeking attention or some kind of fame from their claimed attacks, as there were no other witnesses to prove their tales.
They are said to affect the quality of crops, even to the point of destroying entire plots, but it is very difficult to prove whether it’s the cause of a spite, or some other issue.
Because they don’t tend to move while being watched, a saynamo can actually be approached in the daytime or confronted directly, but their terrifying, uncanny scarecrow appearance leaves even the fearless gros unsure of whether to actually attack it or not. It’s been said that they will endure all sorts of attacks and intimidation to allude to their fake appearance, only to spook the life out of a gro when they are looking at it the wrong way and open its mouth to make the gro faint and for the spite to flee.
A lot of gros have theories about how to safely remove a saynamo from their land, like singing loudly outside, having a bonfire nearby and pouring salt into the flames, and even leaving novas around the area. (Though because of the rarity of novas, this is likely a risk because thieves will be a problem then) Wyngrew have been known to try all sorts of things to rid them of these bad spites and avoid confrontation.
Pelt Prowler
Ethereal Percentage: 85% Magical 15% physical (Depending on how many pelts they've built up)
Taste Preference: Unknown, as the Pelt Prowler is mostly attracted to dead bodies.
Locations: Can be found in any area, but prefer quiet, isolated dens & forests to hide in.
Intelligence: 7/10
Threat level: 7/10 (depends on the size)
Sightings: Uncommon
Appearance: Pelt prowlers are one of the few spites that can have widely varying appearances. It hides its true forms underneath its victim’s skins, making it hard to accurately measure size and body shape. Most spite hunters do agree that this spite has tar-like flesh, antennae, white glowing eyes, and long blade-like claws for skinning and sewing together the carcasses it finds. It is found lurking around spots that have a lot of unburied or unburned dead, so that it can sew together the remains into a gruesome coat. Size tends to vary greatly, anywhere from the size of a wyngling, to a near-behemoth that can tower over a house.
Growth & Habits:
Pelt prowlers start as vulnerable little drippy black beings with needle fingers that they use to sew the pelts of the dead they find. It prefers more isolated locations with a good spot to make a “nest” in. Caves, secluded groves, hidden valleys, abandoned buildings and so on.
The den of a pelt prowler is often littered with leftovers from its victims. Decapitated limbs, unusable horns or bones, and all the innards. It’s often a horrific sight with a stench of blood so thick that spite hunters often use specialized cadaver-tracking boos to locate the hard-to-find prowler hideouts if one has been sighted nearby.
This hermit-like spite is more likely to retreat and avoid fights it cannot win, as it's more interested in growing large and more powerful before taking on wyngrew. For you see, pelt prowlers tend to lose this kind of caution as they grow larger. Thanks to the efforts of the Spite Hunter Guild, these spites don't often manage to reach unusual sizes. Only in the rare instances were a pelt prowlers comes upon a large amount of abandoned bodies (usually from abandoned battlefields, or places where natural disasters or plagues have occured) do most pelt prowlers get the chance to have an overabundance of fresh skins to harvest.
If gone unchecked, however, a massive pelt prowler can be a very difficult spite to destroy, as it seems to somehow gain strength from the layers of carcasses it sews to itself.
Tastes & Tactics:
Pelt Prowlers will usually go after local wildlife as older skins rot off of their bodies, and are forever replacing and altering pieces of their “clothing”. Wyngrew pelts are by far preferred by prowlers, and this spite will wander throughout a wide range as it patiently searches for the perfect lone victim to hunt.
They prefer to move about at night, and retreat to their den during the daylight hours. Prowlers appear to avoid well-lit areas, if only so they can move around unobserved.
This spite is often noted as making sounds akin to a wyngro weeping or crying, in order to draw curious or concerned wyngrew away from more well-traveled paths and into the pelt prowler’s range of attack. Some pelt prowlers with relatively small “coats” of wyngrew skin even pull off a convincing act of seeming like an injured wyngro in distress as they weep in the dark. It is all about deception, luring in vulnerable victims, and adding to its collection. For this reason, the pelt prowler is considered very dangerous, and spite hunters will investigate an area thoroughly to destroy one.
Once they have a wyngro alone, prowlers move swiftly and efficiently. The claws on their hands are sharp enough to effectively sever flesh and bone in one swipe. If big enough, the prowler will simply cover its victim completely with its horrifying coat in order to suffocate the wyngro or animal.
Many accounts tell of one wyngrew going to a friend’s aide after an unexpected pelt prowler attack, only to be attacked themselves. Prowlers love to add variety to their coats.
Many hunters theorize that pelt prowlers have a preference for certain types of wyngrew pelts. Wyngrew with many markings, soft fur, glossy feathers, shiny scales, thick pinata tufts, or elegant hair tend to be more likely to be singled out. Although this varies case by case, so there's no telling what a pelt prowler will prefer.
Note: Image above is an unusual size and depicts the giant Pelt Prowler of Wynsiph.
Dealing with a Pelt Prowler:
Pelt prowlers must be sought out and destroyed before they become too powerful. Any report of a possible prowler in the area should be alerted to the Spite Hunters Guild and dealt with immediately. Due to the elusive nature of this spite, bait is usually used in order for a spite hunting team to lure one into the kill zone. A coatala skin of fine quality, for example.
Usually, a small hunt team is required to go in quietly so the prowler is not spooked into hiding. Full-body armor is usually required to take on a pelt prowler once that spite is cornered, otherwise the chances of losing a limb when in close-quarters with the spite are far too high.
The goal of defeating a pelt prowler is to cut away at its "armor", and dismantle the skins hiding its true form. As its skins are cut away, the spite becomes smaller and weaker. It usually begins to wail and scream, perhaps in an attempt to scare off its attackers.
Once the last skin is pulled off to completely disarm the spite, its black blobby body is revealed, making it completely vulnerable to magical attacks. Burning it alive, zapping it with electricity, or even submerging it in water can completely destroy the spite. Take caution however, as it's incredibly slippery in this state, allowing it to escape into the forest, gutters, or even through a small hole if able. Piercing physical weapons do not seem to hurt it either, as they simply get absorbed into its gooey body. Many amateur spite hunters have wasted entire hunts by dismantling a pelt prowler, only to let it slip back into hiding to slowly grow back into a monster.
A creature that is said to be so dangerous, that no one has ever seen one and lived to tell the tale. Those that say they have, offer inconsistent stories, spread through different pockets of time and space. This has made it very difficult to prove the existence over the years, creating the legend we know today as the "Wither".
Most chalk the legends up from old stories based on encounters of mysterious and rare spites that had not yet been able to be fully documented. The Kingdom of Antova does not officially recognize the wither as a real spite, making its existence highly speculated at best. Here are some of the most popular theories about withers:
Master of Disguise: The wither is a spite that appears normally as a regular wyngro, able to adapt to social norms of its mortal counterparts. It is highly intelligent, able to have full conversations and trick unsuspecting wyngrew of any danger. It is a hungry, greedy beast, always starved for the consumption of flesh and magic. No one knows just what type of magical preference it has, as attacks and disappearences wildy vary from wyngro to wyngro. Regardless, it will use its disguise to get close to unsuspecting wyngrew. Once it has your trust, it will transform into its true spite form and latch onto you, never letting go until you are consumed.
Wither Form: Obviously getting its name from its emaciated appearance, the wither is described as a twisted, lanky creature with stretched black limbs and a skull-like face, often seen with twisted horns. Its eyes are pitch black, its pupils shrinking into tiny pinpricks of white that will haunt any who look into them. Many say the wither can hypnotize its victims once you look into its eyes, and will have you walking willingly into its long claws. Another distinguishing trait that most stories are consistent with is the wither's ability to open its chest and ensnare any wyngro it has in its embrace. Its ribs open up into a toothy mouth that will grab and pierce your flesh, giving the creature an easy opportunity to bite into your skull and consume your soul. Withers leave no trace behind.
Wither Hunts in History: In the olden days, wither-mania was extremely prominent in small towns, sometimes tearing an entire village apart. History books often tell tales of neighbors suspecting each other of being withers, causing outcries of public executions in order to reveal a potential threat. This included many accounts of innocents being brutally murdered by their townfolk, so laws were put into place to amend these ways.
The tells of a wither: Rumors spread of all the different ways to prove if someone was a wither, from cutting them and being able to see the color of their blood, to testing them with specific riddles and questions. Many common theories consist of the following:
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Withers have black blood
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Withers wear clothing to cover their rib cages.
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Withers cannot eat sweet foods, as it burns their tongues.
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Withers cannot eat food at all, as they don't need to eat.
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Withers cannot use magic. If they do, they are merely hypnotizing you.
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Withers cannot cross a flowing stream.
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Withers cannot enter a domicile that has been blessed by a lantern.
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Withers are scared of lanterns, as lanterns can more easily detect them.
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Withers can heal any wound without the use of light magic.
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Withers are afraid of fire, sunlight and lightning storms.
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Withers have unusually long arms and fingers.
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Withers cannot comprehend complicated emotion and often question it.
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Withers never have living family, so strangers wandering into town or claiming to be orphaned/do not have a family tree are highly suspicious.
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Withers' footprints disappear faster than a normal wyngros'.
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Withers have claws that grow so fast, they often need to file them on tree bark. Beware if you see signs of clawed up trees near a town.
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Withers have an aversion to bright colors like yellow and orange.
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Withers hate wynglings, because younger gros can more easily detect their smell.
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Runeboos & Nocs are often unfriendly to withers.
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Withers often can be seen whispering to other spites.
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Withers avoid stepping on mushrooms and other ground-dwelling fungi.
The Wither
Mythical transforming spites of legend
Other Spite Sightings.....
There are many different kinds of spites in the world... only time will tell how many....