Hurchin

A common Category of Beasts that are relatively benign, these creatures can be thought of as filling a "despoiler" role with elements of the Sabotect's hazard-creation. Unlike that type of Beast, however, Hurchins themselves are the traps. These nasty creatures are covered in various potent defensive mechanisms, such as spiked shells, poisonous spurs, volatile pustules, caustic mucus, reflexive spines, projectile quills, reactive glands that squirt acids, grasping tentacles or natural adhesives, and even puffball fungus infections. Rather than actively pursuing Men and Monsters as most Beasts do, Hurchins lie in wait, feeding on detritus, plant matter, lichens and mosses, and rotting meat. They instinctively try to position themselves in areas that are inconvenient for Men or Monsters, blocking areas frequently traveled through or manipulated by both such as roads, trails, passageways, doorways, windows, levers, switches, and the like. They rely on this inconvenience and their remarkable ability to cling to objects and the ground to interfere with travel and block escape routes for such beings in the presence of other, more powerful Beasts. This allows them to scavenge what remains of unfortunate victims who couldn't escape from these greater threats due to the Hurchin's living barriers. Hurchins are most commonly seen in ruins and Lairs, where they serve as living obstacles and cleaning crews. However, they sometimes appear in outlying settlements, crawling their way into farmers' fields, down wells, onto bridges, into silos, storehouses, barns, outhouses, sheds, and abandoned structures. Their capacities to consume large quantities of food over time and rapidly reproduce make them a quiet disaster when left unchecked. They're usually fairly resistant to injury, too, boasting remarkable defenses to help compensate for their slow movement and poor offensive capabilities. Many are susceptible to fire, but this can often be a highly dangerous tactic to employ due to where they cling, and direct attacks against them may trigger their natural defenses.
Category:Beast
Category:Canon
Category:Gaea