Name: Motsin
Description: Often seen as a thick smoke-like substance, walking in the forest usually close to the border with the Bad lands. It seems to blend with the darkness and shadows so no one can see it coming. It’s a ghost, it’s a predator. It attacks on sight but it seems to pick its prey based on some yet to be fully explored criteria.
Location: Along the border with Bad Lands
History: No one knows where this creature came from, but everybody knows it has been in the forest for as long as anyone can remember. Some say, it just appeared right after Moseke put up the wards and from that people believe that Motsins are the souls of the deceased, of those trapped behind the wards. And so these Motsins are looking for a way to the beyond but are bound to Idalos with their extreme hate towards the plague and anything impure or corrupted. Be that the land itself, or people.
Appearance: There are many ways to describe the Motsin for they seem to be as individual as people themselves. But one overarching trait is that they appear as this sort of mirage, a ghost, an apparition.
They can vary in height from 3’11” to 6’2”. But its size doesn’t seem to impact its strength.
Motsin will often appear out of nowhere, thanks to the fluid shadows that cover its main body. The shadows form a smoke-like outer layer of the Motsin creating the main component of their camouflage.
However, rumours have it that if one looks well enough and deep enough, they may be able to catch a glimpse of a humanoid shape within the smokes. But as of to-trial, there are no solid accounts of that observation as no one has yet dared or survived an encounter with the Motsin.
Lifespan and Development: No one knows how the Motsin are born. They come and go as they like, when they like and there is not that many of them it is said. Any tracking proves almost impossible, even harder than tracking animals like Etojere.
There is a theory of how they may be birthed. After a Motsin has fed on a human and the Motsin considers the human impure enough, the dead body will receive a fraction of Motsin's own flesh so that it undergoes a transformation and becomes a Motsin. But that's all it is. Just a theory.
It is also unknown whether the Motsin grow in size if they're small, or how they age. But many a locals would tell you that the same Motsins have been roaming the Lori for hundreds of arcs.
The death of a Motsin is but a hope for any hunter. So far, no Motsin has been caught and examined. Neither have any hunters who claim to have escaped a Motsin shown proof of their victory.
Diet: Motsin seem to only hunt people as they ignore any other animal. Some say they feed on people's souls. Others say they feed on the bodies where they also plant a part of themselves to birth new Motsin. However, a Motsin may seize a group of people, but will start feeding only on the worst one of them all. The most corrupt and impure in spirit.
There is but a few accounts of that theory speaking of those exiled from Desnind who have been followed. When a Motsin appeared, without a hesitation it locked the criminal in place and commenced its feast. The accounts describe the scene as that of a nightmare. Motsin's shadow layer would flair up and out, turning sinister hues of blue like pulsating veins. It would approach its prey which by that point lost control of its body and cannot move. Some accounts call it the 'Motsin Grasp'. Then the moment the shadows touch the prey, a shriek spreads through the area. A mix of animal and human scream that speaks of pains and hurts beyond that of the physical. Accounts call this the 'Cleansing'. The Motsin then envelops its prey in the shadows, disappearing it away from sight. The accounts end there as whoever has observed was too frightened to risk their own life for the knowledge.
Then there is the corruption in the bad land which they seem to feed on too. Motsin seems to be the only creature able to absorb the disease from the Bad land and purify the ground in the process. It would arrive at the border and step in just a few paces. Its shadow layer flairs up and turns sinister hues of blue like pulsating veins and touches everything around itself. So far, there are only a few accounts of sightings and only by the pure Aik who have not yet stepped into the Bad lands. One account speaks of an Aik within the Bad land that the Motsin grasped but released. That Aik, is still in coma to-trial, almost thirty arcs after the incident.
So why don’t they only survive on the corruption from the land and leave people alone? No one knows, but some think it may have to do either with nutrients or reproduction.
Temperament: Unpredictable at best, focused at worst. Motsin don’t seem to have a territory they guard or take for their own. Hence you could be walking over an area free of this creature but suddenly it might pop up and decide you’re its dinner.
It is said that nothing can help you once a Motsin locks you in place. That’s when they are focused. That’s when they’ve caught their prey to feast and their shadows flair up.
Despite all of this, however, the Motsin is not an aggressive apex predator, but remains on top of the food chain for its abilities which makes it hard to kill.
Abilities:
Camouflage - its form blends extremely well into its surroundings and shadows, hiding its movements.
Silent step - like a cat walking around, the Motsin almost seems to float through the Lori.
Motsin's Grasp - a form of paralysis induced either through something the Motsin secretes into the air, or by locking your eyes with its gaze. Either way once you feel you are losing control over your limbs, the effect of paralysis are taking place and no one has yet escaped that.
Cleansing - absorbing corruption and replacing it with purity.
Credit: Returner
Notes: This animal needs to be further observed to reach conclusions. If you’d like to do so message a mod to reveal a secret for you.
