INTRODUCTION:
 

The Wendigo is a Malicious Spirit known to roam the lands of North America. They are vicious creatures and their existence has haunted the indigenous people for thousands of years. They are perhaps the most ancient line of supernatural creatures, surfacing even before  vampires and werewolves. Indigenous peoples have many tales about the Wendigo, and know well about the trail of death and deceit they tend to leave behind.

Legend has it that the Wendigo originated from the corrupt nature of early humanity and the powerful energy of nature. The blend of these two entities gave rise to a sentient malicious power, taking the form of giant animal spirits that walked between the borders of the living and the dead. These evil spirits were always lurking for opportunities, searching to expand and sate the never ending hunger. It absorbed power from the humans’ negative emotions, feeding off the hate and greed for centuries until it learned that it had the power to gain a physical body. Of course, the body was not of its own, but the living creatures it shared the land with. It found that it could gain power by shifting from one physical body to the next, learning from its hosts and gaining new abilities over time. The present day form of the Wendigo has become a force to be reckoned with among the supernatural community and they are feared among all monsters.
 

DESCRIPTION: 

 

Wendigos are the spirits born of humanity’s reprehensible actions. The negative energy that pours from insane acts of violence and hatred form into black, shadowy monsters. These black spirits roam the land, searching without fail for a host. There are three stages to the formation of a Wendigo:

Primal Form: The wendigo starts off as a mass of foul, spiritual energy that is barely aware of itself. It takes time for it to gain a conscious, and it starts of very animalistic and opportunistic.

Wraith Form: When the Wendigo achieves a certain level of cognizance, it will begin searching for a physical form to possess. More often than not, the first victim of a wendigo’s possession would be an animal close to death. The act of the possession twists the animal into something truly grotesque. They are bone-thin and rotting; as they walk, their bones creak and crack and echo in the darkness. Truly the most eerie part of them is their eyes. The unsettling life in them leaves an uncanny sense of dread in any unfortunate viewer. They range in size and shape, depending on the animal but always keep the skull from the first possession.

Final Form: As the Wendigo grows stronger, so does its need for a stronger body. Soon enough, it will have need of a more stable host. The only solution, and their real intentions, would be to possess a human. Their targets are those of the weaker willed, those who allow malevolence into their heart with ease. Once inside, the Wendigo will eat the human from the inside out, leaving room for the dark spirits to take the reigns. The first time they take control of a human body, the form isn’t quite right; they may walk awkwardly, move their jaw out of place, and maybe even pop some bones out of place. Repetition makes permanent however, and with multiple hosts will soon come a semblance of perfection-- you’d never know if it was a human that walked past you, or a wendigo.

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SPECIFICATIONS:

Wendigos are masters of stealth and have a propensity for moving fluidly and swiftly around all sorts of obstacles. They can squeeze through small spaces, move silently through forests, and stealthily in the cover of night with ease. The veins can move independently, and even form into sharp or blunt weapons at will.

However, these creatures aren’t truly in their element until they find a suitable host. slip into the skin of their victims and look like perfectly normal human beings, even taking on likeness and voices of the people they killed. Though they aren’t able to replicate the host’s memories they can pass as completely human for quite some time before someone may grow suspicious, and by then the wendigo has already found its next victim. They can do the same to animals as well, so it is extremely difficult to find a wendigo if they do not want to be found. It’s because of this level of craftiness the wendigos have survived as long as they have, the oldest and most intelligent having (moved) from host to host for thousands of years.
 

Not only are they difficult to distinguish from a normal human being, they’re also incredibly agile even when confined to a host body. Regardless of form, they have increased strength and speed, as well as enhanced senses- much like many other supernatural creatures. These factors make it near impossible to track Wendigo and their ability to shed skin doing no favors for the everyday Hunter. It takes an immeasurable amount of skill and wit to hunt and track these creatures, a task reserved for those with more experience to reduce casualties. A Wendigo without a skin is arguably more lethal and stealthy, their original body nothing but a mass of tendrils that they use to meld with the shadows or as a weapon if necessary. 

They also have the ability to manipulate the emotions of humans and animals around them. It is possible for them to corrupt the spirits of others; because of this ability they can turn allies against one another and create more negative energy to feed off of, and in turn begin the cycle for the creation of new Wendigos. Merely fostering negative emotion and turmoil alone cannot turn a human into one of these creatures, however. Once the victim reaches adequate levels of depravity is when the wendigo will move in on it’s target, breaking off a piece of its veiny innards, and plunging it into the heart of its prey.

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Advantages 

- Enhanced speed and strength, even in a host form 

- The ability to see in the dark

- Able to mimic the voices and personalities of their victims 

- Can adapt to virtually any environment and blend in with their surroundings

- Slip into small spaces 

- Can read and manipulate the minds of those who stare into their eyes

- Manipulate the emotions of other living creatures  

 

Disadvantages
- Selfish by nature; tend to be uncooperative with others including their own kind 

- Can lose their hold on their victims if not absorbing enough negative energy  

- In a constant state of starvation  

- Bound by ancient magic; can be deterred by special totems 

- Not able to influence those with strong wills

- Possessed bodies begin to decay if they don't switch hosts 

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Ways to Kill

- Fire is able to destroy their physical bodies, although a wendigo will reform again over time
- Crushing the original skull of the wendigo will destroy its connection to the physical world. 

- Specific druidic spells can destroy them for good

BECOMING A WENDIGO:

There are two methods for becoming a wendigo, and neither are particularly pleasant. A truly malevolent person in life can leave themselves vulnerable to being pursued by the sinister spirit of a wendigo, who will often follow such people and feed off the negative energy they produce. When a Wendigo gains enough energy, it is then able to attach itself to their victim’s spirit and slowly alter them. This is a longer process than the alternative, but eventually the Wendigo’s influence will overwhelm the host and take over their body completely. It’s more like being eaten from the inside out, really.

 

The secondary way to become a Wendigo starts off fairly similar to the first. A truly despicable human is vulnerable to the Wendigo spirits, but instead of being feasted upon from the inside out, the human begins to feast… on other humans. This heinous act effectively renders the human corruptible by the evil of the Wendigo spirits. Over time, as their actions continue, their humanity leaves them and is morphed into something monstrous...

 

FEEDING HABITS: 

Despite being among the apex predators of supernatural creatures, Wendigos have a limited range of food that can actually sustain them. Which makes it all the worse for a monster that is in a constant state of starvation. The Wendigo is able to gain much of its power from feeding off of the negative emotions of humans. Often they will carefully select a victim and “eat” away at their sanity by bringing bouts of pain and misfortune and absorbing the emotions. This type of feeding drains the life of their victims over time, weakening them and giving the Wendigo a constant source of sustenance. Usually after a person is worn down enough, the Wendigo is able to take possession of the body and mind, then continue the cycle in a new host. 

The hunger pains that a Wendigo feels are deep and intense, never truly satisfied even after gorging on a meal. Their physical bodies must eat and the flesh of other living things is the only other substance that will sustain them. Most don’t bother with the flesh of animals when the weak relief it provides doesn’t satisfy their urges. Instead, hunting humans is their preference ---

 

RELATIONS WITH MONSTER TYPES: 

 

Druids: Though Druids are seen as lesser magical beings, and are often looked down upon by wendigos, they are one of the few people who are able to ward off their attacks. Because of how troublesome Druids tend to be, wendigos opt to avoid them altogether.

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Hunters: Wendigos didn’t care much for hunters, only seeing them as a minor obstacle. They moved entirely too quickly for mere humans to track them. Nevertheless, the Hunter society has gained much influence in the human world, making them tempting targets for possession. ​

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Vampires: When vampires made their way North America, Wendigos soon found themselves with a competitor for food. Nothing has changed for them in the modern day. Vampires and Wendigos have a strong distaste for one another, and often avoid crossing paths whenever possible. Many vampires wreak a fair amount of havoc, and the destruction they cause is a tantalizing motivator for Wendigos to target them.

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Werewolves: The original werewolves (Lycidas) once posed a massive threat to the existence of the Wendigo; their modern forms are not as imposing. Still, that resentment lingers on. Wendigos have actively targeted the werewolves for centuries and will go out of their way to destroy any significant populations. They have a particular hatred for the Valko who are able to create more werewolves and actively target them.  

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WENDIGO Q/A:
 

Q: Have the wendigos always been a present threat or have they been lurking in the shadows until recently?
A: Wendigos have been around forever, it took them a few thousand years to get to their physical point but as they are now. They are extremely smart and cunning, and some have perfected living in human bodies.

Q: How does it feel to be consumed by a Wendigo from the inside out? 
A: #FeelsBadMan