OSR: The Wrothful Lemure - Harry Clarke Bestiary

For Emmy Allen's Harry Clarke Bestiary project.

Lamia (a disfigured child-hunting monster), Lemure (a restless dead spirit), and Lemur (a tree-dwelling primate native to Madagascar) all share a common etymological origin: an "open-mouthed, devouring spirit". The nightmare mouth-that-consumes, the distorted face of pre-human nightmares and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

In our world, the lamia, the lemure, and the lemur were split apart. Other worlds were not so lucky.

Wrothful Lemure

HD: 9 (45 HP)
Number Appearing: 1

Appearance: a human face and hair, beautiful but mad. An ape's furred body. A long tail ending in resplendent plumes and five delicate, unnatural fingers, each representing the five senses: one is an eye, one is covered in nose-hairs, one folds like an ear, one crinkles with sensitive pink skin, and one is wet and slithering like a tongue.
Voice: a deep rasping inhalation, a reverse-roar.
Wants: to devour things, preferably children.
Morality: nightmarish.
Intelligence: brilliant.

Armour: as leather. Cannot be harmed by non-magical weapons.
Move: normal, climb all surfaces, charge 2x normal.
Morale: 10
Damage: 1d8+1 stabbing insensate sword / 1d6 claw / 1d6 claw or 2d8 devour
The Wrothful Lemure is wrothful; it will attack every target it can see, including itself. If no targets are available it will stab itself through the brain with the insensate sword and lie, apparently dead, on the ground. The sword will draw itself out when a potential target approaches. No scavengers will approach a dead Wrothful Lemure.

Targets struck by the insensate sword must Save or lose all physical senses for 1d6 rounds. Even if they recover, they must Save a second time or have a random sense permanently dulled. If a target is small and particularly delicious, the Wrothful Lemure will unhinge its jaw and gobble it up.

The Wrothful Lemure attacks from ambush, striking and retreating, pursuing targets for days waiting for an opportunity to strike decisively and fatally. It haunts the outskirts of villages, desolate wastelands, unfrequented paths, half-collapsed farmyards, and old overgrown roads.

Kill one and you can wield its insensate sword, but beware. No one knows how Wrothful Lemures are born or made, and no one knows from where they get their dreadful narrow-bladed swords.

CC.BY.4.0