Abúhukü
Image © A Book of Creatures. Accessed at A Book of Creatures here
[This batch of monsters is going to be drawn from the mythology and folklore of South America, inspired heavily by @abookofcreatures and Monsters of Patagonia. If you’re interested in creature design and world folklore and not following @abookofcreatures, what are you doing?]
Abúhukü CR 4 NE Monstrous Humanoid Scuttling across the ceiling with surprising speed is a creature that appears as a reddish humanoid with an immense proboscis where its head ought to be.
Bogeys of the deep jungle, the insect-like monsters known as abúhuküs steal into villages and towns in search of blood. They are inherently cowardly, and much prefer to attack sleeping and unsuspecting prey rather than engage in a fair fight. Those fortunate enough to survive an abúhukü attack may still wither and die, wracked with intense fever and painful rashes. Oddly, abúhuküs do not prey on infants and very young children. Rather, they seek to abduct them and raise them as their own. In territory where abúhuküs dwell, the violently insane or murders are said to have been “raised by abúhuküs”. Despite their ferocious demeanor and bloodthirsty nature, abúhuküs are quite stupid. An abúhukü can easily tricked by those with keen enough senses to spot the abúhuküs before they strike and the bravery to engage them in conversation.
An abúhukü stands about six feet tall, but weighs little over 130 pounds. They are rangy and lean, with strong muscles. The sticky hairs coating their bodies allow them to scale sheer surfaces and hang upside down like a fly, as well as hang fast to their victims. Those slain by an abúhukü are typically left behind to advertise their assaults, drained to a shriveled husk and left in public spaces. This allows the abúhuküs to enjoy the terror left in their wake. Abúhuküs lair inside of caves, cliffs and in the hollows of massive trees. These lairs stink of the abúhukü’s secretions and waste, but contain trinkets and treasures collected by the abúhukü as reminders of their depredations.
