Tumbler

> *"So, tell me, what did you see in there? I couldn't understand you well over the phone..."*
>
> *"I don't really know, man. Just woke up in the middle of the night, TV still on... the light it gave off showed something at the foot of my fucking bed. A small, black crawling shadow, right next to me. The worst thing is that I don't think it was first time I saw it here."*
> — James Felton to David Hiers, following the former's encounter with the Tumbler
>
>

## Biographical information

### Forms

Small (3')
Medium (5')
Large (9')

## Physical information

### Height

Varies from three to nine feet depending on type

### Notable features

Undiscernable physical features
Quadrupedal slanted stature
Warbling noises upon being spotted

The **Tumbler** is an apparent malevolent cryptid that was first encountered in *Welcome to Cedarcrest* by James Rodney Felton during his night drive to the township (and later during his stay in the hamlet's Motel Six) in 1997. However, the cryptid had been seen before his arrival by others for some time, with the town sheriff Michael Vincenti noting seeing a similar creature in the Edward State Forest over a decade ago.

According ARIO documentation compiled from numerous civilian and government sources, the creature specifically stalks those that it chooses until it is spotted, wherein it will attack the individual stalked using its appendages.

## Etymology

The name "Tumbler" was informally adopted by those that share a mutual experience with the creature due to how it seemingly and constantly tumbles as it walks or runs.

## History

The first instance of something resembling a Tumbler appearing was in 1987 in the Cedarcrest township of Atkins County, New York. It was spotted by sheriff Michael Vincenti and two deputies during an emergency call within the Edward State Forest, where a couple had gotten lost and required guidance out of the area. Despite reaching the area where the couple said they were, the three officers were instead met with deathly silence and the sudden shifting of foilage. Vincenti and the two deputies swear to the present that they saw a "shadow man crawling on all fours" fifty feet in front of them near a clearing. Once it had disappeared, the sounds of nature returned to them, and the lost couple were found not long after waiting in the clearing.

## Appearance

The Tumbler is always perceived as a four-legged humanoid creature; however, its quadrupedal posture is slanted downward with its head nearing the floor. It has no discernable features, even with light present, but reflects the ambient glows of nearby light sources. Beyond its amorphous head and appendages, not much else is known about the Tumbler's physical appearance.

## Behavior and origins

The term "Tumbler", in reality, refers to multiple independent forms that sport a similar anatomical appearance. However, the origins of the Tumbler is entirely unknown, and the only true fact about its existence is that it mostly dwells within perireality as a form of camouflage. They have not yet been seen in the Other, which may indicate their preference (or restriction) to true reality and the attached perireal realm of perception.

When spotted by an animal or human with a high sense of proprioception (or, alternatively, artificial proprioceptive devices such as the Brugmann Device used by the Preternatural Investigation Branch), the Tumbler will convert from a passive to alarmed state. This **alarmed state** is marked by audible warbles and frenetic and tumbling movement, and will either attack or escape eyesight by hiding or running away. If in an enclosed area, it will seemingly disappear from perireality when it runs or after it attacks.

The Tumbler rarely exhibits direct malevolence towards humans or other beings, as it instead prefers to stalk its target. For most humans that lack proper proprioception to actually see it, Tumblers give off the sense of "not being alone" in an area due to its passive stalking state. However, in its alarmed state, its attacks can be damaging to tissue, with its various forms increasing in blunt force power when it uses its appendages to strike. The largest and rarest form, standing at nine feet when slouched, has the ability to outright knock out or even kill a human being in one or two strikes.

## Powers

* **Perireality Inhabitation** — The Tumbler exists within the realm of perireality, thus being cloaked from detection by all beings and instruments apart from those with keen senses of proprioception.
* **Dissipation** — After entering an alarmed state and not finding a natural route out of the area, the Tumbler can simply dissipate. It is unknown if the same Tumbler re-appears in the local area soon after, or if this is a type of "death".
* **Abnormal Strength** — When attacking, the Tumbler can sport abnormal strength for its size and physique, inflicting significant blunt force trauma in the process.