Hiraeth Creature #1176 - Sriskran“Travellers who have gone off the known paths of the western

Hiraeth Creature #1176 - Sriskran“Travellers who have gone off the known paths of the western wilds have told tales of being accosted by dancing shadows with eyes of brilliant gemstones. Run-ins with these fluttering spectres often result in the victim feeling much more fragile than they did before, leaving them feeble for days or even weeks— a very dangerous state to be in when out in the wilderness. Many believe this to be the curse of some kind of werebeast, but the culprit is actually the Sriskrans: dusky creatures with vampiric tendencies. With no proper mouth to eat, they instead drain the vitals of victims through eye-contact, casting some kind of leeching magic tied to vision. Their gaze is hypnotic and taking too long of a glance at them will put their victims in a trance. The parasitic spell is only cast upon being within reaching distance of the Sriskran, but the mesmerism effect can be felt from much farther, so being aware of the Sriskran before they’re aware of you isn’t always a guaranteed advantage. They are somewhat brittle creatures that can be reasonably chased off but one needs to also avoid eye contact in order to threaten them. From their sight, they steal away one’s inner magic, their blood, and even some of the essence of their soul if they stare too long. Sriskrans aren’t known to completely consume their victim and while everything they take away can be restored through rest, it is not a state most would ever wish to be in voluntarily. Having the raw being of a soul tampered with can have lasting, negative consequences throughout one’s life.Sriskrans are not native to Hiraeth’s wilds, as they once gathered in swarms in the Land of Giants. To feed from the world’s largest beasts, they had to risk being crushed and had to work in groups to properly hypnotize and subdue their gargantuan prey. When the Giant’s March began and the towering behemoths struck out to cause ruin and strife to the Kingdoms of Hiraeth, the Sriskrans followed. Finding the world outside their old territory was a blessing, as the folk of Hiraeth matched them more evenly in size and were much easier to entrance, allowing Sriskrans to hunt alone. For a time before they realized the advantages of subterfuge, many of them were frantic and confused, and were often left skirmishing with the survivors of the Giant’s rampage. Since then, oral tradition has not been kind to these creatures, and very few find sympathy for their strange way of feeding. While many still prowl the western woods as beasts, some Sriskran are said to have found a new life as the familiars of witch covens in the far reaches of the travelled wilds. They feed gradually and slowly from their host, and in turn are tasked with guard duties, reconnaissance, reagent collecting and message delivery. A tamed Sriskran often is given a leather harness and hood for protection and so outsiders to the coven grounds will know they are safe from their infamous gaze.” -- source link

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