The Gullushang is a demonic entity which embodies hunger. It's sole purpose is the feed upon people, particularly children, where it will stop at nothing to continue feeding. It is sentient, to a point and takes as much pleasure from the pain it causes as it does from the joy of the feed itself. It is never full and always hungry. What it craves is the stress and despair of mortals and it can feed off of any mortal giving off such feelings, though it chooses to focus on the easiest targets available, which is usually children since they are both gullible and resilient. It will also feed off of the mentally ill or those lacking in intelligence who are easy to manipulate.
While it has no true physical form it manifests itself as a powerfully muscled creature with two legs, four arms, and a giant mouth about the neck. Each of its arms has a three-fingered / clawed hand upon it. Its feet are similar with three long claw-like toes. This is it's true image and it rarely exposes this image unless it cannot muster the strength for more complex hallucinations or illusions.
Behavior
The demon is cold and quick to anger. The joy is gets from hunting and feeding as well as the ancillary hurt and fear it causes are not nourishment in any form but they do drive it as much as the hunger does. It's greatest joy comes in crushing the spirit of its prey as it feeds. While sentient it is not highly intelligent nor is it highly organized. He always desires more food and more power to inflict pain but those desires are hobbled by its lack of ability to plan. It can be deceptive, but preys primarily on children because they are easier to fool. It would take an especially powerful Gullushang to deceive an adult or otherwise more sophisticated person for very long. They attempt to engender the trust of children, particularly those in desperate need of something to trust. They are powerful and can perform minor magical feats or harm others in order to gain the trust of a victim. When in direct conflict where it cannot hide, an entity will use illusions and hallucinations to evade being directly attacked and attempt to escape. It will also try to force its attackers into harming each other while it leaves, its lack of attention span means this effect is temporary.
Food Source
These entities thrive on children who are in peril, especially those with nowhere to go or no one to trust. They find it particularly easy to manipulate and feed from such children. Orphanages and group homes are the main feeding grounds, anywhere people gather to be cared for or particularly are sent to be forgotten. They will not particularly attach themselves to a single person but rather a location where such people dwell. It will attempt to manipulate mortals to maintain its food supply by making people want to or feel like they need to stay and it will also cause strife to cause more stress and uncertainty.
Reproduction
A single entity is powerful enough to feed from at most about a dozen people, at some point the entity will split, creating two entities. Since they are solitary creatures they do not feed in groups. A new entity will have the full memories and experience of its parent entity. If the feeding grounds are big enough, both entities can inhabit the same grounds at the same time but cannot be thought of as a group as they care little for each other and will not fight, rather the newer entity will usually go find another food source if its needs are not met.
Ambivalence
Despite feeding from children it does not get particularly attached to a single child. Though it will attempt to stop the removal of any child from its feeding grounds it will also not pursue said child unless there is no one left to feed from. Since the creature delights in causing as much pain as possible it will tend to not feed from a single child but rather many simultaneously. The maximum is can feed off of is depending on its strength, but they tend to get powerful enough to feed from about a dozen children before they split.
Feeding Grounds
Although it will not attach itself to a particular child or even group of children, the demon will attach itself to a location that proves to be particularly good source of food. To do this the Gallushang will manipulate a person or people into drawing Unholy Runes upon the physical structure or area it it's feeding from. The runes will give it increased strength and power in the area itself allowing it to feed more easily. Since the Gallushang uses illusions and trickery the runes often dull the senses of those within the space making it easier to manipulate them. Establishing feeding grounds is difficult as the Gallushang does not become fixated or attached to a particular person / child in the area, it must have continued contact with one or more such people.
Abilities
- Non-Corporeal
- Cause Fear
- Can cause an irrational but temporary fear of a specific location
- Draining Willpower
- Can siphon off the willpower or desire for action
- Create Illusions / Hallucinations
- Able to orchestrate mass illusions on a group or singular and powerful hallucinations on a few individuals at a time
- Teleportation
- Can teleport anywhere within a structure or property, this is limited and bound by official boundaries though it doesn't matter what authority conceived of such boundaries, it simply limited by them
- Simple Deception
- Whispers in the mind, soothing words, goading words, both soother and provocateur
- Reading Fears
- Has the ability to read the immediate fears of anyone it can see
- Reading Dark Secrets
- It is able to read the darkest secrets a person wants no one to know
- It is able to use Unholy Runes to augment its power and protect itself once it has fixated on a particular location to feed from.
Symptoms a Feeding
Anyone who is a fed from will begin to see the world through the lense of being under threat. They will lose hope and it will become harder to love, care for, and connect with others. People will tend to become solitary, less engaged, and quick to angry. When they are angry or upset they will become more prone to violence and violent outbursts. They will often start to talk to themselves and may become delusional and hallucinations from the Gallushang may persist even when it is not around becoming internalized. Victims will also show a general lack of empathy after enduring prolonged feeding. Eventually if they can survive being regularly fed off of for long enough, the victims will become aberrations and corporeal servants to the Gallushang.
Weaknesses
Like any demon it cannot be killed. Rather it must be banished. Being non-corporeal it is immune to physical attacks, except those of magical origin. Magically enhanced weapons will do some damage. It is also harmed and blocked by electrum, it cannot teleport through or pass through any barrier of electrum more than the thickness of paper. Touching electrum causes it extreme pain and drains its energy quickly.
Draining the emotional energy which feeds it will diminish its strength and make it easier to deal with.
Origins
These creatures have no direct root or origin. Evidence suggests they have existed as long as there has been intelligent life. There are not many of them though during times of war, famine, or other prolonged periods of suffering they will multiply. Records of their existence go back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.