Vetala

[Bedwyr]

TITLE: // Vetala

RANK: // Anti-Human

APPEARANCE: //


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: //

Vetala are what a potentially blind man may call humanoid. They have four limbs, and two that slightly resemble hands, but that is the limits of their comparison. Their flesh is a deep grey-black tone, with green teeth, and ‘walk’ on all fours. More like skitter, as they move somewhat like a combination between a crab and a dog with their body close to the ground, and quick short movements instead of long lopes.

Green bones protrude from varying areas of flesh, most notably the spine, which is extended almost a full body’s length out its back, and is an exposed weak point of the creature. Its gaping maw is its deadliest weapon, holding a mess of razor sharp teeth pointing every which way, and keep the beast from ever being able to close its own mouth.
INFORMATION: //

Vetala are strange beasts. They are solitary creatures, but can be created in massive packs. A strange oversight, as they have no pack mentality, and will actually even eat one another to prevent the other from eating a target. Not only that, but they have no sense at all to work together even remotely, basic things such as not trying to bite prey that other beasts are blocking them from biting, leading to a frenzy that will cause them to bite anything in their way to a target.

However this odd behaviour, and potential for ‘friendly fire’ does not mean they are not dangerous. Individual ones tend to be more dangerous per Vetala than large packs, and one cannot know if they have ever truly ‘finished off’ the Vetala, because they have no standard pack size.

In addition to this their razor sharp fangs may not be able to slice through bone, but the loose gums will actually make the teeth miss bones on purpose, sliding the fangs to do the most puncturing damage to an opponent. One bite can leave their prey with all the flesh and muscle of their appendage torn through, if it is a clean full bite. Then the acidic secretions will burn at flesh, and keep the healing process from beginning easily, all too often leading to dangerous infections.

But they are some of the weakest ‘hunting’ beasts thrown from the grail, and one could be defeated with an average human and a length of rebar. Even bare well placed blows to the spine can completely cripple the creature, but their true power lies in the sheer numbers that they can appear in, and the fear that when they are all gone, it may only be a respite, rather than a win.

As they have the ability to sense and search for prana, they will actively appear around magi, and actually like the presence of a bounded field, as they are ‘comforted’ by the density of the mana in the air. They also have a hibernation cycle after spawning, where they will only wake when the presence of a magus or a Servant enters the area, the greater than average prana bringing them awake instantly.

As such one can encounter, in areas such as abandoned warehouses or buildings, potential nests and dens of the sleeping monsters, who blend into the darkness. At least if they don’t make noise and don’t have a greater than normal prana count (1 prana). Or Presence Concealment.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: //

Acidic Secretions
While among the weakest of the beasts exhumed from the Grail, Vetala have the ability to secrete a powerful acid from the areas around their claws and teeth. This acid has prana based properties, and is highly ineffective against trained magi, but tend to leave slight echoes of their passage as the skittering creatures always exude this.

The Other Four Senses
Vetala are completely blind, the eyes on the creature only established for the fear factor. It can still gaze at someone to unnerve them with its completely white protruding eyes, but cannot truly see. Instead it has enhanced hearing, tasting, touch, and smell. They will find you if you breathe, and sense the disturbances of the air to avoid incoming weapons. However their frail structure means they won’t be dodging much, if anything. Their tongue doubles as an enhanced sensory organ, much like a snakes, to taste the air with. In addition to all of this they have autonomous ‘whiskers’ which taste the area for the prana that every magus exudes and contains.

Misc Info: // The Grail Beasts encountered in the thread, Bad Enough Dudes. Put off writing this for a long time.