Howdy and Welcome to Halloween!
Thought I'd begin the 5th year of Halloween write-ups with one of the more disturbing creatures in modern horror literature, the Tuunbaq from Dan Simmon's 2007 novel,
The Terror. The Tuunbaq represents the sort of remorseless, unstoppable evil that reminds me of the shark from
Jaws with just the right amount of Lovecraftian goodness that suggests that what you see is just what you perceive.
In essence,
The Terror is about the doomed expedition of the
Erebus and
Terror, two real-life ships that were lost during the artic exploration rush, and the fictious events surrounding those two vessels. The Tuunbaq is a massive, monstrous creature that appears early and often as the ships are stuck in the ice, killing easily and disappearing into the ice. The Tuunbaq's appearance is described as a polar bear with a elongated neck (and the few pictures I found varied, hence no picture of it). I cannot describe how awesome the book is, and I strongly suggest people pick it up.
So, the Tuunbaq:
The Tuunbaq
F: Am (50)
A: Rm (30)
S: In (40)
E: Am (50)
R: Gd (10)
I: Mn (75)
P: Rm (30)
Health: 170
Karma: 115
Resources: N/A
Popularity: 0*/-10/-20 (Normal popularity/ In occult circles/ In Inuit mystical circles)
Talents
Mystic Origin*
Powers
Inuit Soul Eater: The Tuunbaq is a inuit demon, a devourer of souls (it is suggested in the book that its preference is human) and eater of flesh. The Tuunbaq is encountered as a large polar bear with an extended if not elongated neck, and seems impervious to damage. The FASERIP of the Tuunbaq represents the aspects of it in the mortal world at the time of its encounter with the crews of the Erebus and Terror. The Tuunbaq has shown the following attributes:
- Invulnerability: The Tuunbaq is completely invunerable to cold, disease, toxins, corrosives, and other forms of natural damage. While the Tuunbaq is shown to take damage, it either only does so when a maximum of Am (50) intensity damage has been done in a round. The Tuunbaq has not been shown of being able to be stunned or slammed, but it is possible and checks (especially for slam) should be made.
- Immortality: Although the Tuunbaq is not expressly suggested to be supernatural (see the note at the end of the write-up), it is assumed that it is indeed an Inuit spirit, and as such, cannot be killde in conventional means.
- Tracking: The Tuunbaq is capable of incredible feats of tracking, and does so with Rm (30) ability
- Stealth: The Tuunbaq, despite its size, is incredibly stealth, capable of attacking and killing men who are on guard for it without ever raising a suspicion. As such, the Tuunbaq is considered to have Rm (30) stealth.
- natural weaponry: Claws: The Tuunbaq's claws are shown in the novel to render reinforced wood, and can shred up to In (40) material strength. The Tuunbaq's claws halve effective resistances, invulnerability, and armor by half, as the Tuunbaq can easily pull a man apart in seconds without any effort.
- Natural Weaponry: Bite: The Tuunbaq's bite treats like its claws, and does +1cs strength damage for the purposes of attack.
- Soul Eater: If the Tuunbaq's mystical origins are to be believed, then the Tuunbaq is a soul eater. Those who suffer a kill result from the Tuunbaq must immediately make a Psyche FEAT vs. the Tuunbaq's psyche, regardless if a successful result vs. death is made. On a White FEAT, the Tuunbaq devours the soul of its victim up to -6cs, on a green result -4cs, Yellow result -2cs, Red result no psyche damage. For each successful 'soul attack', the Tuunbaq 'regenerates' Endurance ranks/Health. The attack, if successful, treats as a magical attack.
Contacts:]
The Tuunbaq has no contacts, except for the sixam ieua, or spirit governors, who oversee the Tuunbaq.
Limitations
Banishment: The Tuunbaq was supposedly banished by the Inuit Gods to the frozen north. For the purposes of consideration, it is suggested that the Tuunbaq cannot leave a specific geographic location of approximately 200 square miles, and may have additional restrictions.
Watched: The sixam ieua, or Spirit Governors are charged with watching the Tuunbaq and ensuring its captivity. The Tuunbaq cannot harm a sixam ieua, and the sixam ieua has some control over the Tuunbaq, although to be a sixam ieua requires a great sacrifice....
Pacified: The Tuunbaq can be pacified by the throat singing of a sixam ieua, rendering it as close to docile as it can be made.
Notes:
Although the novel actually states the creature is supernatural, I think that it pretty much has to be. For the purposes of this write-up, I've gone with that assumption, and have attempted to mechanically answer the Tuunbaq's abilities and how it seems that certain effects that occur within the novel are achieved. I heartily encourage people to read the novel, as it really is pretty cool, and scary!
