Leshies

Leshies or as some call them “The Children of The Forests” are a race of naturals that are created to protect nature and everything that lives within it, but unlike Trolls who accomplish this via brute force or fauns who do this via songs and ballets, Leshies protect nature via fear, mystery and intelligence.

What is it?:

Leshies are a small race of sui-generis naturals that do what they must in order to protect nature and with each Leshy being unique they all possess different abilities that allow them to accomplish this goal, a leshy’s abilities can range from natura manipulation, control over insectoid life forms, being able to create plain tares and a whole host different abilities with all being utilise in ways that protect nature and often they aren’t used defensively or aggressively, but rather creatively. Due to their sui-generis nature Leshies are unique in their appearance with each looking completely different from another with taking over bodies, others creating their own bodies, and others in some kind of in-between state, however like most things are 3 constants with how most Leshies appear; the first is horns as all Leshies either sprout horns, grow horns over time or simply make their own horns, it isn’t really known if horns have any significant or meaning, however most cultures seem to view them as a “dominance”; the second is the presence of nature around a Leshy which can take the form of plants, birds, insects or various animals and/beasts accompanying them or staying within close range of them, within many cultures this is where the name “Children of The Forest” really shines as it is like Leshies act as messengers or some form of master to nature itself; the third and final one is more an internal factor as all Leshies possess a single large “nature covered” heart that beats in tune to the birdsong and emits growth wherever it is place, however if it dies then all nature within a wide radius will quickly and violently begin to wither, shrink and eventually die, but the Leshy will reform, live on, and seek vengeance.

Where does it live?:

Like all naturals Leshies inhabit nature whether it is on land or within vast oceans however unlike most naturals Leshies are unable to leave their domains, the reason behind this are “Leshy Totems” which give life to a Leshy and also grant it amazing abilities but also prevent it from ever leaving it’s home, essentially it’s greatest assets is it’s greatest curse. When a point of nature is under attack by elemental, environmental or mortal instruments the various creatures that live within will begin gathering all kids of material in order to construct a Leshy Totem, then after some time a Leshy will be born and it will get to work repairing the damage, healing the broken and killing those responsible, in addition you can tell a Leshy inhabits the land you are in by looking at the eyes of those who inhabit it as they will glow a dim green. After a Leshy has fixed the wrong they were summoned to fix it will take on a guardian role constantly wandering throughout it’s domain in order to do what it can to help, in addition it has been known for Leshies to help lost explorers find their way home as documented in the story “The Lionhead Leshy” where a Leshy taking the form of a “flora coated lion” guides a lost girl out of it’s domain and back to her parents, as a side note there are even more examples within numerous modern and primitive cultures of Leshy’s being helpful and caring towards mortals.

What does it do?:

Leshies are summoned by the inhabitants of a point of nature in order to help them and that is what they do, the particulars vary between Leshys as some will use violence, others confusion and there is even a Leshy that used mechs that have been fused and powered by nature itself. That being said most Leshy’s will use fear, mystery and intelligence in order to see that nature is protect; Fear is utilised mainly in their appearance and their attitude as Leshy’s have observed mortal behaviour for a long time and understand that what we fear and it uses this information to it’s advantage, in addition Leshy’s will use fear in their tactics whether that’s mimicking familiar voices or sounds, altering perceptions or similar covering all forms of light leaving their domain in complete darkness, the perfect hunting ground; Mystery is utilised mainly in what the Leshy does and how it choices to deal with those who their domain needs protection from, sometimes these can appear silly as turning a trophy hunter into a mole for killing needless or turning a mayors beehive hairdo into an actual beehive, other times they can be serious like mummifying a group of a abusive farmers in spike vines or sending an army of “enhanced” creatures to completely destroy a mining corporations outpost; Finally intelligence is utilised by a Leshy to know which route to take to make sure their domain is protected and if it can avoid bloodshed it always will, for example there was a Leshy who “controlled” a pack of wolves near a village that had been hunting too many animals, through the wolves it spoke to the village people, told them of their deeds and explain that if they continued then it would come, however instead of that being that the Leshy brought fresh meat, wild berries and medical herbs, in addition it told the villagers that could only hunt 7 deers per week and it stationed the wolves to make sure that they kept to this number.

How to kill it?:

While killing a Leshy isn’t advised as it will most likely result in the individuals immediate death, for a trained professional there are a total of 3 ways to kill a Leshy. The first is utilising pyromancy and a little expert weaponry to reduce the beast to ash but trust me when I say this will be no easy feat , however this won’t permanently kill the Leshy as it will reform a few days later stronger, wiser and angrier. The second method is to destroy the Leshy Totem, but again this is extremely difficult as not only will the totem be protected by numerous animals and beasts, but the totem itself will be shielded with only heavy pyromancy or explosive weapons able to crack it. The third and final method is only for when a Leshy is unable to fix the problem it was created to solve, by preforming a “proxy ritual” you can summon a Leshy or something controlled by it and if you are able to solve the problem then you may ask the Leshy to leave the land it calls it’s domain, however this option has only been used on Leshy’s that have proven to be more of a problem then a solution.