#ustra

Ustra

RARITY: ★★★☆☆ | THREAT: ★★★☆☆ SIZE: About 5 feet tall.

HABITAT: 

Most frequently found by bodies of freshwater, even if these are only wells or small ponds. They’re an especially common sight scattered around bogs. They need to keep their skin hydrated and beautiful.

OVERVIEW:

These moist demons can be seen skulking around bodies of water. When they sense someone or something approaching, they tend to retreat beneath the surface, their presence only apparent by the bubble activity where they’re lying in wait. Ustra are ambush predators and will try to take their prey unaware, rushing to the surface when there’s a shadow over the water. They have a ring of tentacles around their mouth which they use to hold their prey fast, and they then spit digestive enzymes into the mouth of the victim, liquifying their innards from the inside out. A sure sign that an ustra hunts in an area are sacks of human and animal skin hanging around, with gaping mouths and various amounts of liquified organs inside. Ustra will often store their “leftovers” like this to save for later.

Ustra will actually consume each other, too, so there is usually only one in any given location. For a while, this led to a population decline as humans developed more and more of the available habitat, and ustra nearly went extinct, much to the pleasure of most people but the concern of a few well-meaning (super)naturalists. This has been a divisive subject within the supernatural community, with groups like the Scribes generally supporting preservation and hunters wanting these monsters gone. After a conservation campaign that involved catching and breeding ustra in captivity, they’ve made a decent recovery! In Wicked’s Rest, at least. Biodiversity win. Humanity loss.

ABILITIES: 

Ustras are supernaturally strong, and the ring of tentacles around their mouth is capable of holding anyone securely in place. 

They spit their digestive enzymes – both into their victims’ mouths to liquify prey, but also as a projectile weapon when threatened. Contact with skin causes acidic burns.

When underwater waiting for an ambush, they can be very difficult to spot.

Ustra are amphibious and can remain underwater indefinitely, and on land for an hour or so before needing to moisturize their delicate skin again.

Agile swimmers, and they can move quickly on land, their body well-adapted for fast movement in either setting.

Ustra will defend their “leftovers” hanging around from other scavengers and creatures who are also interested, and ustra often win these fights. As such, their presence can actually deter other monsters from settling nearby.

WEAKNESSES:

Ustra are not very clever; they know only how to hunt and ambush, and can be easily outsmarted. They lunge at any shadow above them, they can be baited with skin sacks of liquified food, and frankly they kill each other more than humans kill them. 

Their soft skin is easily wounded and dries out if the ustra remains out of the water for too long, making them extra susceptible to any kind of sharp force trauma. They can be killed with decapitation or vital organ injury. 

They lack teeth. While they do have claws, they use them more to support the grip of their tentacles rather than slashing with them.

Overall their senses are unimpressive. They do not hear well, their sense of smell is no better than that of a human, and they rely mostly on somewhat decent vision.