Moosleute
RARITY: ★☆☆☆☆ | THREAT: ★★☆☆☆ SIZE: Variable; ranging from mouse-sized to human child-sized.
HABITAT:
Populated areas in a wide variety of microhabitats. Can also be found in the woods, especially areas with a lot of moss.
DESCRIPTION:
Moosleute are fae composed of moss that vaguely appear to be the shape of bipedal humanoids. They make effective nuisances, though aren’t intentionally malicious. They’re indifferent to the existence of non-fae beings and single-minded in their drive to spread the fae variety of moss from which they spring. Someone can safely walk through a colony of moosleute, as the little moss fae silently go about their business fertilizing and spreading fae moss across every surface, plant, and building they can find.
Moosleute remain passive unless their moss is harmed or a traveler is holding fire, iron, or bread, in which case they all immediately attack. Their moss is charged with natural fae magic and will quickly spread across the outsides and into the insides of buildings, which can cause structural damage. The moss then grows more moosleute, creating a cycle that speeds up the moss’s spread. Humans often don’t realize this moss is unusual, and attempt to remove it in order to stop the damage, resulting in violence. Moosleute hate bread and will attempt to destroy any bakeries they encounter.
ABILITIES:
While they aren’t formidable by themselves, they multiply incredibly quickly and use their sheer numbers to swarm opponents.
Moosleute spend most of their time using fae magic to spread the growth of moss to grow more of their kind; they always appear hard at work.
Their lack of any organs mean that piercing weapons and bullets aren’t very effective.
The most dangerous aspect of moosleute is the disease they spread on contact with non-fae skin. This disease grows moss across the skin that gradually consumes the victim until they become a mossy reanimated corpse.
WEAKNESSES:
Moosleute are easily destroyed by fire.
Iron is incredibly poisonous to moosleute and their moss, and moss won’t grow on or near iron surfaces.
They’re more instinctual than they are intelligent, and a colony’s reactions tend to be predictable to anyone who has encountered them before.
Eating caraway bread or carrot bread will cure victims of a moosleute’s moss infestation disease.
VARIANTS
BUSCHMUTTER:
This stooping figure made of white moss is often mistaken for an elderly woman at a distance. A buschmutter’s long “hair” and “dress” are actually lice-infested lichen. They’re usually surrounded by chilly mist, and their touch can cause severe frost burns. Buschmutter are aggressive towards non-fae and will unleash a breath weapon of disease spores that causes the moosleute infestation disease.
GHILLIE DHU:
First encountered by wardens in Scotland, this exceptionally tall, unnaturally slender fae is composed of black moss. Ghillie dhu are neutral or even helpful towards children, but murderously territorial towards all non-fae adults. In contrast to the smaller moosleute it often shares a colony with, ghillie dhu are very strong and strangle intruders to death.