Wendaghan

Wendaghan are extremely rare Fai formed from transformed Humans. Because the transformation is slow and humans have only average mana reserves, most accounts claim that a human would need roughly seventy years in the deepest Eldritch Forest to become one completely.

Only a few dozen Wendaghan sightings have been recorded in the last several centuries, and even those accounts are treated cautiously by chroniclers.

Transformation¶

The Wendaghan process appears to be an extreme version of ordinary Fai transformation. Yaga Tree mana saturates a living human until the body, mind, and magical nature are remade. Unlike animal-origin Fai, a Wendaghan begins with human intelligence, which may explain why they are often described as more sentient, more deliberate, and more sadistic than other forest monsters.

The rarity of Wendaghan also reflects how difficult the conditions are. A human must survive deep forest exposure for decades while avoiding Fai, Forest Elven patrols, starvation, madness, and the ordinary hazards of Eldritch terrain.

Description¶

Wendaghan are described as hairy humanoid figures with no mouth, hollow eyes, antlers, and three long fingers on each hand tipped with razor-sharp nails. They stand around seven feet tall.

Their behavior is erratic. Some accounts describe Wendaghan ignoring terrified victims without explanation, while others describe them consuming travelers or leaving bodies displayed among the trees. A supposed mark of a Wendaghan attack is the victim's entrails strung through nearby branches.

Abilities¶

Wendaghan are physically powerful, quick to react, and capable of outrunning ordinary humans. Their fingernails are nearly indestructible and serve as primary weapons. They are also said to jump roughly five feet vertically, giving them terrifying mobility in dense forest.

Because Wendaghan are Fai, their full abilities may depend on local mana conditions. The weakening of Eldritch mana after The Incident may explain why some later stories become contradictory or unreliable.

Chronicler's Note¶

Personally, I haven't found any accounts of Wendaghans past 978 LC to be real, as their stories become less coherent past that point. Or maybe Wendaghans are getting stranger? Spooky. -S

See also: Fai, Eldritch Forest, Forest Elves, and Human.