Silesaloma
Image by John D. Batten and Gloria Carew, in the public domain. Accessed on the Multo (Ghost) Blog here
[Commissioned by @abominationimperatrix, the last of their Indian monsters. Silesaloma is the Buddhist incarnation of the widespread folklore trope of the “tar baby”, a figure that entangles a character who gets more and more stuck the more and more they fight it. A number of references assume that the story of the Sticky Ogre and Prince Five Weapons is the “original” version, and that the African American version with B’rer Rabbit and B’rer Fox somehow descends from this one. That strikes me as being more rooted in 19th century Orientalism than anything else. The diffusionist idea that all culture originated in one place and then spread through the world is long debunked (the specific focus on India being a popular variant thanks to British colonialism). I think it’s much more plausible that multiple cultures around the world would come up with the metaphor of a sticky problem being literally sticky, and a hero having to think his way out in order to become untangled. Plus, the tar baby that B’rer Rabbit encounters, along with West African and Native American versions that are more likely genuine precedents, isn’t a character. It’s a trap built by another character. Silesaloma can talk and has agency, and even is redeemed at the end of the story!]
Silesaloma CR 11 CE Monstrous Humanoid This creature is vaguely humanoid, with a head like a hawk with a beak and wide staring eyes. Two tusks curve upwards from the corner of its beat. Its skin is scaly, but growing over its body and covering it like a shroud is a mass of thick, tangled hair.
A silesaloma is sometimes called a sticky-haired ogre, for obvious reasons. Its body is covered with a long stringy pelt that secretes thick glue, and the creature is usually partially obscured by pieces of plant matter, dirt and other detritus. Silesalomas are wicked and predatory creatures, killing partially to eat and partially out of a joy for violence. They enjoy lording their strength and defensive properties over other creatures, and often intimidate their victims and play with them a while before going in for the kill.
Fighting a silesaloma with physical weapons is a daunting prospect. Arrows and bolts become stuck in the creature’s hair before they can touch its flesh, and weapons are likely to be similarly entangled and glued to the silesaloma. A silesaloma uses its hair to grapple opponents, who become hopelessly stuck the more they try to escape. On the other hand, silesalomas have little understanding of or defenses against magic. They are also somewhat foolish and prone to believing lies and tricks. Despite their usual cruelty, silesalomas are not irredeemably evil, and there are stories of some of them learning the error of their ways and seeking enlightenment, using their abilities to protect travelers instead of preying on them.
