Asura, Pralamba
“Cloth Monster” © Daniel Mendes Matui, accessed at his deviantArt page here
[Commissioned by @menaceomysterio, based on the Phantom Tollbooth character, the Threadbare Excuse. Yet another monster made out of cloth here in the Codex. Along with monstrous sheep, it’s one of the themes I didn’t expect to crop up over the years.]
Asura, Pralamba CR 3 LE Outsider This tiny creature appears to be made of fine cloth, but it is stained and threadbare, crumpled into a vaguely humanoid shape.. Its eyes are hollow, and its face is contorted into an ominous smile.
The first pralamba was created by divine neglect. While a people were tormented by enemies and prayed to their patron god for deliverance, the god delayed their salvation and extended their tribulations, excusing this cruelty with the excuse that the anguish would test the faithful and strengthen them in the long run. This excuse took on a life of its own, infusing the rent garments and discarded prayer cloths of a people in misery with profane vigor. These newly created pralambas now spread the doctrine of indolence, encouraging mortals to neglect their duties and cause suffering through inaction.
Pralambas are subtle asuras, spending much of their time disguised as a small piece of fine clothing—they can alter their patterns as they desire with a few moments concentration. When held or worn, they spring to life, clinging to their victim with surprising tenacity and softening its mind with soothing whispers and magical suggestions. A person ridden by a pralamba grows uncaring and dismissive, brushing off their poor behavior with rationalizations and excuses. Those who notice and oppose this change of character are assaulted mentally, and the pralamba can inflict a cruel curse to force the issue and lock an opponent into a semi-catatonic state. Most pralambas avoid direct confrontation if able, but they do enjoy setting magically controlled puppets against their friends and allies.
A pralamba is about eighteen inches square and weighs less than a pound. They sometimes decorate themselves with fine stones or gold weave to improve their allure, but always appear slightly threadbare.
