House Spirit (Early Modern)
House spirits are a group of beings united by behavior rather than genealogy. While there are some supernatural creatures which will perform domestic duties for an incentive, house spirits are intrinsically tied to the property they live on or in. One could say that they are symbiotic with humans, but the truth is not so simple. House spirits are anything but servile. In their minds, the house they live in is theirs. The humans inhabiting it are merely tenants which they have to pick up after. Violations of the spirit's rules lead to an eviction, so to speak, where the spirit tries to force them out. Unlike mundane landlords, a house spirit is important to a home's health. They keep the house from aging, holding it together in a very real sense. Many inhabit farmsteads where the prosperity of the crops and animals is in no small part due to the house spirit's presence. As the farmers toil during the day, the spirit will do their own labor, vastly improving the health and conditions of the animals and plants. There are many varieties of house spirits. Specifics, like forms of appeasement, behavior, appearance, etc., depend on the species. Regardless of what breed you encounter, remember to show respect.
-Habitat: Coterminous with human settlements, especially farmsteads.
-Slayer Tips: Spread a fine material capable of catching invisible footprints, like flour or sugar. Just make sure not to leave it out for too long, or else the spirit will clean it all up.
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The first urban creatures of the bestiary! The brownie and nisse are based on less conventional descriptions; the brownie has no nose and a brown mantle (where the name "brownie" comes from), and the nisse has a single eye. The domovoy is based on a famous painting by Ivan Bilibin. The kobold is based on their supposed origin as the ghost of a child and their infrequent appearance as a pillar of flame. Finally, the portune and lubber fiend are here to demonstrate the size variation. Respectively they're the smallest and largest of the house spirits.
