Boogeymen

## History

Ah, Boogeymen. These creatures have been around since as long as anyone can remember, and probably a long time before that. Born from the Underdark, they are accustomed to living in darkness, even thriving in it. They have always been social creatures to an extreme degree, interacting with practically every other race they encounter. According to folklore the race is comprised entirely of fear mongering monsters. But plenty if not most are actually quite kind, often serving as entertainers on a wide scale.

The stereotype of the evil Boogeyman originated during the Death of Magic, in which tensions ran high and people were more susceptible to stress and fear. This made it considerably easier for Boogeymen to prey on people’s fears, causing outbreaks of panic in certain areas. Since the return of magic however, the nature of Boogeymen has balanced once more with kind Boogeymen once again more common. Though the prejudice remains.

## Biology

Boogeymen possess some of the most unique biological functions of any humanoid creature. For starters, in the darkness their body grows just under a meter taller and develops a pair of horns on their forehead. Their skin also turns near pitch black in colour. This more beastly appearance is the source of their potential to terrify the unsuspecting.

They are also capable of an advanced form of echolocation. By constantly emitting a high pitched sound they can detect almost anything even at great distances, though the clarity does degrade. Boogeymen are capable of compensating for this by creating other, louder sources of noise such as shouting or playing music.

And finally, Boogeymen do not require any sort of food or water. They survive purely off of sound. Unfortunately a Boogeyman can’t just throw rocks against the wall over a cave for an hour a day, they require great amounts every so often and of a certain variety. Though there are different specifics, ‘sound food’ can best be put into three categories for simple reference:

**Neutral noise:** Literally any sound can be food, though it isn’t especially nourishing or that satisfying to consume.

**Positive noise:** Laughter, cheering, banter, etc. Any noise that is the result of a person or people experiencing positive emotions is incredibly nourishing and feels delicious. The taste is comparable to a warm chicken soup

**Negative noise:** Crying, screaming, anger, etc. Any noise that is the result of a person or people experiencing negative emotions is incredibly nourishing and feels delicious. The taste is comparable to a juicy steak.

The more a Boogeyman experiences a specific type of sound, the stronger the experience is of absorbing it in regards to taste. This leads to older Boogeymen getting more satisfaction out of the sounds that suite their palette. At first this is fine, but it can lead to extreme symptoms similar to addiction during the later years of their lives.

### **Physical Appearance**

Boogeymen are humanoid beings standing at about the height of your average human. They lack both eyes and a nose. Instead, their face has a huge permanent grin of large flat teeth going straight along the middle. The rest of their body is completely smooth with no hair or genitals of any sort, rendering them genderless. Their skin is a light grey, though it turns jet black when in darkness. Their fingers and toes end in harsher points than a human and the joints on their bodies are more pronounced, making them look bonier than they actually are. They remain the same physically from the moment they are born to the moment they die. Their muscles tend not to develop much further than a reasonably fit adventurer, with their bodies unable to absorb the same type of nutrients as the other races.

### **Psychology**

All Boogeymen are social, it’s built into the psyche of every single one of them. They need other beings to react to what they are doing in order to live. Be it fear or joy, they know that they require the company of the other races to survive. This causes a few different methods of approach to come about. There are the Boogeymen who choose to target superstitious or unsuspecting areas and frighten people in their homes at night, the ones that choose to take on the life of a performer and find others to entertain, or those who simply seek locations where there is a constant influx of noise. Regardless of what strategy a Boogeyman chooses, there have been cases in the past where two Boogeymen attacked each other over territory. While it’s usually not an issue due to how spread out the race is, it is still an issue that can arise.

Beyond this, their mental activity can be related to that of a human.

### **Reproduction**

While no one has yet to witness it, only one Boogeyman is required to give birth to another and they may do this nearly whenever they choose to. Boogeymen have a cluster of eggs resting inside of their chest cavities which they may produce from their mouths and place anywhere to gestate. These eggs will last until the end of days without progressing at all unless they are exposed to sound. As a result, the eggs are placed in areas with constant noise such as near waterfalls. Once the egg has received sufficient enough sound it will begin to grow until a full sized Boogeyman is inside of it. It will then hatch.

## Society

Boogeymen have no established community among themselves, instead relying on the companionship of the other races. They tend to flock around the louder or more meek races depending on their appetite, though many just find places they feel like they belong and will get the sound that they need.

### **Language**

Boogeymen primarily speak common, though they are able to repeat different phrases they have overheard others say in different languages. They are unable to apply the individual words in different sentences.

### **Family Life**

Though Boogeymen are highly social, they have no value whatsoever on family. When a Boogeyman is born they are simply left to gestate and hatch. After doing so, the new Boogeyman will depart to make a name for himself.

### **Everyday Life**

The life of a Boogeyman is determined by their path in life. Though it will generally revolve around being exposed to sound.

## Character Sheet Details

Racial Bonus: +30 in any 3 Social Skills.

Special Abilities: Greater Echolocation, Improved imitation after hearing a person’s voice over time

Achieves adulthood at 1 year, can live to around 1500 years.

 Female
 Male