Skinwalker

> A skinwalker is a type of witches, I supposed one could say it that way. In Navajo culture, witches are those who have been corrupted by dark magic while training to be medicine men or women, eventually performing twisted ceremonies in a perversive way to gain more magical power. No one is sure why they can turn or possess animals, mainly because of how discretive the Najavo toward those don't trust - Stop looking at me that way Black - though, after several experiments with some skinwalkers, I think it might have something to do with curses. Those of both divine and demonic magic.
>
> Seraphiel.

A **Skinwalker** is a person and/or creature that possesses the supernatural ability to transform into any animal they desire. There was originally a type of harmful witch but recently were known as a creature of the night.

## Overview

The Navajo Skinwalker is known as 'yee naaldlooshii' (Navajo for "by means of it, he/she/it walks around on four legs") and is a variety of Navajo witch. It is apparently far more common for men to be Skinwalkers, though it is possible for women as well.

There are many other horrific tales about things that Skinwalkers perform on their victims, such as using a poison powder of corpse dust made from ground infant bones (preferably the finger and skull bones of twin infants) to kill them with.

Navajo witches, including skin-walkers, represent the antithesis of Navajo cultural values. While community healers and cultural workers are known as medicine men and women, or by other positive, nurturing terms in the local, indigenous language, witches are seen as evil, performing twisted ceremonies and manipulating magic in a perversion of the good works medicine people traditionally perform. In order to practice their good works, traditional healers learn about both good and evil magic. Most can handle the responsibility, but some people can become corrupt and choose to become witches.

## Description

Skinwalkers are most frequently seen as coyotes, wolves, foxes, eagles, owls or crows and are not creatures to be trusted. Some Navajo believe that Skinwalkers have the ability to steal the face of a person, and some believe that if one ever locks eyes with a Skinwalker they can absorb themselves into a person's body, or that one's body might freeze up with fear, allowing a Skinwalker to channel that fear to gain power and energy.

A Skinwalker can transform into any animal by first wearing a pelt of the animal in order to properly transform into said animal. Similar lore can be found in cultures throughout the world and is often referred to as shapeshifting by anthropologists. Because it is believed that Skinwalkers wear the skins of the animals they transform into, it is considered taboo to wear the pelt of any animal. In fact, the Navajo are only known to wear two hides, sheepskin and buckskin, both of which are only used for ceremonial purposes.

## Appearances

Their physical appearances often appear to be Native American in origin, with facial features and skin color reminiscent of the Navajo, from which the original legends were first told. They are mildly attractive but otherwise unremarkable. Their aura, however, is what is most distinct about them.

## Personalities

In human form, Skinwalkers exhibit typical alien behavior. Quiet, distant, and seemingly uncomfortable in their own skin, they may be confused or completely disregard human customs.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Shapeshifting**: Skinwalkers can shapeshift into any animal in the world they know of, including humans.
* **Telepathy**: Skinwalkers are also telepathically linked with each other, enhancing their coordination during hunts and fights but allowing little or no privacy at any time. Skinwalkers can read other humans' minds and control them. Skinwalkers from two different groups can communicate telepathically and are able to choose which thoughts they share.
* **Voice Mimicry**: In Native American lore, Skinwalkers can copy animal or human voices to lure victims to them to feed on. They generally copy the sound of a human that is in need of help.
* **Mind Possession**: In Native American lore, if a human looks into a Skinwalker's eyes, the Skinwalker can control their mind and can magically steal their skin for their own use.
* **Magic**: Skinwalker use charms to control and kill their victims.
* **Superhuman Strength**: In human form, their strength is almost superhuman, and in animal form it is at its peak.
* **Superhuman Speed**: Skinwalkers reach great speed, up to a hundred miles per hour, which often allows them to outrun motor vehicles and have greater endurance than normal humans.
* **Superhuman Agility**: Skinwalkers possess superhuman agility. They can move, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.
* **Superhuman Durability**: A Skinwalker's bodily tissues are much harder and more resistant to physical injury than those of an ordinary human. Their bodies are able to withstand great impact forces and blunt trauma that would severely injure or kill a normal human.
* **Superhuman Senses**: Their sense of smell is so adjusted to help them identify their one enemy, vampires. It is not clear whether it is heightened in other circumstances, but they certainly know vampires at a distance, finding their smell sickly sweet and repellent. Skinwalkers' eyes are extremely sharp and can see very far. They all have excellent hearing even in their human forms. Skinwalker do have superhuman senses in human and animal form, but the Multi sense is the combined senses of multiple animals giving them a Spidey sense like ability making them untouchable, but they don't automatically have this ability they have to learn it.
* **Longevity**: Skinwalkers have a slower aging process and can live longer than normal humans.
* **Healing Factor**: Skinwalkers can heal and regenerate very quickly. While not invincible, these capabilities allow them to continue battling even after serious injury. In some cases, however, this accelerated healing can be detrimental.

## Weaknesses

* **Human Form**: While it is virtually impossible to kill a Skinwalker in human form, there are magical ways to protect oneself and even to kill a Skinwalker.
* **Magic**: Skinwalkers are susceptible to the powers of magic.
* **Bullet Dipped in White Ash**: In traditional Native American lore\*, the only way to kill a Skinwalker in its animal form is to shoot it in the neck with a bullet, dipped in white ash. (Native Americans did not have guns for centuries, while the Skinwalker Legend existed. This is likely embellishment, or a modification of the tradition of burning white ash in areas suspected of having Skinwalkers. The combustion from a gun may deliver a more direct anatheim, in an unwitting instance of accidental ingenuity.)
* **Silver**: Skinwalkers are vulnerable to and can only be killed by weapons made out of silver.