Bunyip (CTL)

Bunyip is a species of Hobgoblin that likes to disguise themselves as regular house pets.

Biography
"Aww, it’s sooo cute! Mommy, can I keep it?"

The legend of the bunyip originated from the stories told by the Aborigines of Australia. According to Aboriginal myth, the bunyip was a spirit of the water from the Dreamtime that was hostile to humans, attacking anyone who ignored its bellowing warnings and approached its watery home. Along with a few other spirits, the bunyip survived the end of the Dreamtime and continued to haunt the lakes and rivers of Australia, eating unwary fshermen and sometimes crawling from the waters at night to hunt women and children. During the 1800s, continued attempts to capture or document the existence of the bunyip failed, giving rise to the expression “Why chase the bunyip?” to describe an enterprise doomed to failure from the onset. Like most legends, the story of the bunyip contains elements of truth that have been buried under centuries of superstition.

Long, long ago, the creatures identifed as bunyips escaped from the Hedge and adapted to life outside the Thorns. At frst, bunyips hid from mankind in swamps and lakes, using their fae magic to frighten off humans and larger predators. Over time, the bunyips learned to draw power from the terror they caused, drinking in the Glamour formed by the human emotion of fear. As civilizations advanced and became less fearful of loud noises, bunyips found the imaginations of children were the most fertile ground for sowing and reaping fear. Leaving the waters of their lakes and rivers behind, the bunyips adapted once more and learned how to take on shapes that delight children, enticing kids to come close enough for the bunyips to attack. Bunyips also learned to use the Glamour they drained from children to open gates in the Hedge, and in this way they spread throughout the world.

Proof that Darwinism has some effect even on unnatural creatures, the bunyips that waited until children were asleep to feast on their fears were the most successful and least likely to be discovered and killed. The surviving bunyips perfected their tactics of luring children to take them home, then slowly draining the child of Glamour. Of course, the nightly harvesting of fear came with a steep price for the children. Perhaps because the imagination of a child is much more part and parcel of the whole being than is the case in adults, or simply because young bodies and minds are more susceptible to fae magic, a child who fell into the clutches of a bunyip rarely survived longer than a month. Bunyips drained the life energies of children along with Glamour, and soon enough, the creatures began to hunger for both.

Appearance
One of the powers of the bunyip is to take on whatever form it determines a child will fnd most appealing. The lovable mongrel pup with one ﬂoppy ear, a kitten that totters unsteadily on short, stubby legs or a hamster that stuffs its cheeks full of food are all popular forms. Like changelings, the bunyip has a Mask that hides its less-than-cuddly true form from both view and touch. To all five senses of a human, a bunyip that has taken on the form of a Jack Russell dog really is a Jack Russell dog.

Viewed in its rarely seen true form, the modern bunyip is about the size of a large housecat. It has a doglike face with protruding fangs and is covered in shaggy brown or black fur. Its four legs end in three-toed feet, which are clawed and resemble the feet of a lizard. The bunyip’s tail is short and stubby, covered with shorter fur the same color as its coat. Though rarely called upon to use it these days, the bunyip is capable of producing bawling yaps, almost like that of a seal, which are loud enough to startle and scare off potential predators.

The traditional environment of the bunyip is water and the creatures still have an affnity for swimming. Though they aren’t capable of breathing underwater, the creatures can hold their breath for much longer than might be apparent, considering their size. Bunyips require food and water just like other animals and have a preference for raw meat. Unlike natural animals, bunyips can live for extended periods without sustenance, especially when they are feeding on the Glamour and life-force of a child. Bunyips feed on the Glamour created by fear in the same way as changelings, but, unlike changelings, bunyips can only feed on children. Once a bunyip has been taken home by a child, the creature waits until the child is asleep, then uses its fae magic to shape the dreams of the child into nightmares. The bunyip can harvest the Glamour from the fear caused by nightmares.

Bunyips may only harvest Glamour from the same child once a night. The side effect of this process causes damage to the body of a child, slowly draining living energies causing damage that isn’t really physical in nature so its harder to cure. When the damage wraps into actual lethal damage, the child begins to manifest ﬂulike symptoms of a high fever, runny nose and nausea. If the bunyip isn’t driven away, the energy drain will eventually result in the death of the child. It is at this point that most bunyips use their store of Glamour to open a gate into the Hedge and disappear from the home.

In the days following their initial escape from the Hedge, bunyips were the size of a wolf and fought tooth and nail to defend their territory. The creatures were predators that hunted the swamps, rivers and lakes for fresh meat. Nowadays, bunyips will ﬂee from a fight if able, opening gates into the Hedge that are too small for most opponents to follow them through. If backed into a corner, the bunyip shows its true form and attacks with its poisoned fangs, hoping to frighten an aggressor with its loud bellows. If at any point during a fight, a bunyip sees an opportunity to escape, it will take it rather than continuing to struggle. If no escape is possible, bunyips will fight to the death.

Bunyips are solitary predators that mark their territory to warn off others of their kind. It’s almost unheard of for two bunyips to battle over territory; the creatures seem to regard the idea of fighting among themselves as a waste of energy. It seems likely that bunyips reproduce in some manner, though no one has ever seen them at it or claimed to have seen a bunyip cub. The current theory among changelings or those humans who dabble in occult knowledge is that bunyips mate in the Hedge, burrowing in among the thorns. After birth, the cubs are cared for by one parent until they are fully grown, and then all the creatures abandon the den. Bunyips seem to live for between 10 and 15 years, and if they meet with a natural death, can apparently sense their coming mortality and make their way back to the Hedge to die. One popular changeling myth about bunyips is that somewhere in the Hedge is a bunyip graveyard, flled with the bones of every bunyip that returned to the Hedge to die.

Secrets
Bunyips have developed a self-defense mechanism that allows them to sense the presence of other fae creatures, including changelings. Unlike mortals, changelings can see through whatever Mask the creatures throw up and identify a bunyip for the fae beast it really is. At least as intelligent as wolves, bunyips attempt to avoid places where changelings gather and will not enter any building in which they sense a changeling. The creatures seem to realize that changelings are better able to combat them than normal humans and that their normal escape mechanism of ducking into the Hedge isn’t as effective against the Lost.

Many fae creatures have a weakness or a prohibition against certain types of activity that can be exploited to kill them or drive them off. For the True Fae, this weakness is cold-forged iron, against which they have no defense. Bunyips have two frailties as a result of their fae natures; one can ward them from a home, the other can be used to fight them. No one really understands why these things affect bunyips, only that they do.

A bunyip can only enter houses (or any dwelling place) through a doorway or through a window that has been left open for at least a week. Hanging a horseshoe, cross or any other protective symbol over a doorway or window bars a bunyip from entering through that portal. Attempting to force a bunyip through a portal that is protected causes physical harm to the creature and it will fight to escape the torment. For each turn the bunyip is forced into the threshold of a protected entrance (even through force, a bunyip is still barred from entry), the bunyip takes one point of lethal damage, which appears in the form of scorch marks on their furry hides.

Natural animals can sense something is wrong with a bunyip, even if they can’t see through the Mask. Their animal instincts recognize the presence of a predator. In the wild, the poisonous bite and loud cries of a bunyip are usually enough to defend against would-be predators or other aggressive animals. Family pets are a different story. In a home, the love and loyalty shown to their owners protect pets against the powers of a bunyip. Pets are immune to the poison of a bunyip and are deaf to their howls. A pet that has lived with a family long enough to form an attachment (note that abused or mistreated animals don’t gain this protection) ignores the Defense of a bunyip and inﬂicts aggravated wounds with its attacks.

Bunyips that are forced to share a home with other pets do their best to trick the animals outside the home where the bunyip can use its poisoned bite to terrorize and chase off the pet. Failing that, the bunyip will attempt to use its Dream-Shaping power to convince its child-victim to get rid of the pet, or at least separate it from the bunyip. Discovering the frailties of the bunyip is a research challenge.

Character Sheet
Bunyip Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 3 Mental Skills: None Physical Skills: Athletics 3 (Swimming), Brawl 2 (Tooth and Claw), Stealth 4, Survival 2 Social Skills: Empathy 4 (Children), Expression 5 (Cute), Subterfuge 3 Merits: Fast Reﬂexes •, Strong Lungs •••, Unseen Sense ••• (Fae) Willpower: 5 Initiative: 8 Defense: 3 Speed: 12 (species factor 6) Size: 2 Health: 4 Wyrd: 5 Glamour/Turn: 14/5 Weapons/Attacks: Fae Aspects • Nightmare Fangs: An astonishing number of creatures that evolved in Australia have poisoned teeth or claws. Despite being more a product of the Hedge than of mortal evolution, the bunyip is no exception. The bite of a bunyip that inﬂicts even a single lethal wound injects a fae poison that makes the victim see the bunyip as the manifestation of his deepest fears. The poison lingers in the system of the victim for one scene. • Shifting Mask': the bunyip can alter its Mask to resemble whatever kind of animal is most likely to inspire feelings of love and delight in a potential victim. The bunyip may change its apparent Size by 1 through use of this power, allowing it to take on the guise of kittens and puppies or even ferrets or hamsters. The bunyip maintains the illusion until it shifts its Mask again or reveals its true form. • Childish Desire': This power is mechanically identical to the Fleeting Spring Contract, “Cupid’s Eye”. The bunyip stares into the mind of a child, seeking what kind of pet she most desires. This power has no effect on humans older than 12. • Dream Shaping: This power is mechanically identical to the Contracts of Dream, “Forging the Dream”. This power only works on sleeping targets. Each use of the power creates one particularly vivid nightmare that the sleeper will remember upon waking. This power has no effect on humans older than 12. • Stolen Breath: By feeding on the life-force of a child, the bunyip can heal its own wounds.