hollowworld.uk

Art Credit: CloveyBunn

- I R R B I E S T -
pronounced: /ir·beest/

H A B I T A T

Most accounts of the Irrbiest come from expeditions through thickly forested areas, untouched by mankind. They live exclusively in the forests of larger islands, spanning the dark pines up north to the treacherous jungle down south. However, there have been some worrying accounts of Irrbiests prowling the outskirts of civilization, the nightlights presumably luring them in.

P H Y S I O L O G Y

An Irrbiest's true shape is not fully understood; what we do know is that it's a magical black substance that takes the shape of any prey it has killed. This can range from a spider to a rabbit to a bear to a person, though it's limited to the animals native to their habitat. While you can't normally distinguish real creatures from a shapeshifted Irrbiest, there are instances of their shapeshifting having noticeable, even unsettling flaws. Such as a deer with a toothy human smile,  a spider with too many limbs, or  a deeply uncanny "person". Injuring an Irrbiest with a piercing or slashing attack will cause them to bleed a thick, black ichor. Bludgeoning attacks will feel like hitting clay and will dent their shape. Internally, they're just a writhing black ichor which they use to imitate bones and muscles. Once slain, the ichor goes limp, but they maintain their shape for up to an hour before fully dissolving.

ㅤDiet: Carnivorous, no Irrbiest has ever been observed eating plants

ㅤLifespan: Hundreds of years

[Mating] Irrbiests don't mate with each other. They only reproduce with other creatures, using their ability to shapeshift to trick their mate into carrying their offspring. A new Irrbiest is born once they eat their way out of their host parent and take their shape.

B E H A V I O U R

Irrbiests are not animals. They appear as and copy the behavior of animals, but they're not true animals. They don't exist in the natural food chain; they climb it. The most dangerous Irrbiests are those that take the shape of creatures on top of the food chain, even beasts greater than the average bear. 

Irrbiests are nocturnal and seem to vanish into the woods at sunrise. Most Irrbiests are solitary ambush predators and don't engage with groups of people or herds of animals, typically only prowling from afar until a straggler can be safely dragged into the woods. However, there have been accounts of Irrbiests stalking people for hours, just to study their behavior. Irrbiests are not mindless monsters; they're intelligent, patient, and don't always go for the kill. An Irrbiest will attempt to flee if it takes great bodily injury or is outmatched.

Capturing Irrbiests is impossible, since their shapeshifting allows them to escape most confines. One could capture an Irrbiest by nullifying their shapeshifting (see Weaknesses); however, they would die soon after. Additionally, Irrbiests cannot be tamed.

A B I L I T I E S

[Shapeshifting] An Irrbiest can shapeshift into any living creature it has killed and gain any ability that physiology grants (flight, strength, claws, etc). The transformation takes a turn and looks grotesque, violently bulging with black tissue until it settles in its new shape. Irrbiests can also shapeshift into a combination of creatures and add additional parts (limbs, heads, eyes, etc.), which increases their creepiness and allows them to combine or enhance abilities.

[Mimic] They can copy sounds they've heard before. Be it a birdcall or the words of a person, and while they can't use or understand language, they're smart enough to use these sounds with purpose (like using the screams of a wounded person to lure in people or using roars to split up groups in a panic).

W E A K N E S S E S

The Irrbiest's ichor, while organic, is imbued with magic, allowing it to shapeshift. Contact with The Mage's Reward or any other anti-arcane object nullifies that magic, causing their ichor to writhe and bubble painfully. The pain makes them thrash out desperately with powerful black tendrils. Prolonged contact kills it. Their weakness is theorized to hint at arcane origins, perhaps an ancient formistry ritual gone wrong.

Y I E L D S

Irrbiest Ichor - A lifeless, thick black slime imbued with dormant magic. No use yet, perhaps someday.

[I stole this format from Astalgon]

baller art choice