Skinwalkers

## Skinwalker

Forewarning : according to navajo legends learning informations about a skinwalker let them learn the same for you (learn a skinwalker's name and they will learn yours etc); discussing skinwalkers is a strong cultural taboo among the navajo natives for this very reason.

This article was written based on Crypto X Ing's dedicated episode, itself written by Xenunnaki using publicly available informations on the internet. No disrespect is meant to te native navajo culture (or any culture that Crypto X Ing creatures originate from for that matter). Moreover, as the show, and wiki, take no stand regarding the validity or lack thereoff of the supernatural readers are hereby warned of the possible risk of learning further about these creatures.

Skinwalkers (known in the original navajo as yee naaldlooshii) are navajo shamans having achieved a form of immortality through a deal with the evil spririt Coyote, as well as additional powers, most famously shapeshifting.

## Appearance

Skinwalkers are humans and appear as such in their natural form, though they can easily assume a different one.

## Behaviour

Skinwalkers come to their station out of selfishness : while traditional navajo spirituality emphasise the need for balance within man and nature and the importance of remaining humble in the face of the natural world, skinwalkers on the contrary reject the natural order, walking as man or beast on a whim, desecrating the dead and, most damning of all, taking the life of others to prolong their own as parasite, arrogantly deciding that they need not die like any other things in nature, that instead others must die for them.

Consequently skinwalkers are self-centered to a one acting only from a place of self interest and never form true bond whith their fellow man.

## Characteristics

* Strength : skinwalkers possess ordinary human strength.
* Resilience : skinwalkers are no more resillient than normal.
* Healling factor : while skinwalkers do not possess a healing factor as such (relying on magic to heal themselves), it is worth noting that any non fatal damage done to them in another form can be healled by chaning form again (the damage will be inflicted to the transformative item instead) this does not apply to damage to their true form.
* Speed : skinwalkers are impresively fast, able to outrun a car on foot, this likely means that all of their forms are much faster than normal.
* Intelligence : skinwalkers are trained shamans, versed in forbiden knowledge and many are hundreds of years old, thus they are smarter than the average person.

## Powers

* Knowledge : as stated above skinwalkers magically learn other's secrets as they uncover their own.
* Shapeshifting : skinwalkers can bind the soul of any animal or person to a body part taken from their corpse to create a fetish, they can then assume their shape so long as the body part is on their person (wearing a coyote pelt to turn into a coyote is the most iconic use of this power due to Coyote being the spirit patron of skinwalkers but this is only one possible exemple).
* Spirit light form : a skinwalker can transform into a flying ball of fire, flying at great speed and burning any flamable material this is a double edged sword however, as this form is spiritual in nature allowin enemy shamans to directly affect it throuh their magic.
* Vampirism : skinwalkers can, through their magic, add the lifespan lived by the beings they own fetishes of to their own lifespan.
* Shamanism : as shamans the skinwalkers can send their spirits out of their bodies in order to influence the worl in various ways : possession (this can be resisted by one of strong will or trained in the ways of a shaman) spirit healing (which can just as easily be used to induce sickness as to cure it) and wheather control (with lots of fine control as this can be used to attack someone with a tornado).
* Necromancy : skinwalkers can sacrifice any amound of their lifespawn to reanimate an intact corpse (human or animal) for that span of time. Given that the corpse need be intact to be reanimated it is likely suffiscient damage will destroy it, as well as white ash.

## Gear

* Tools of the trade : skinwalkers own various body parts from animals or people to use their powers
* Corpse powder : a medicine made from powedered human bones, it allows the skinwalker to more easily place curses on those afflicted by it, and is a fairly lethal poison in its own right

## Weaknesses

* Once a skinwalker has taken all the lifespan from a fetish its spirit depart and it loses it's power. Similarly a broken fetish is of no further use.
* When astraly traveling the skinwalker leave their defenceless body behind, making it easy to kill them if found during that time
* White ash : white ash is violently poisonous to skin walkers, it can be used directly (by making them inhale it or poisonin their food with it) or by dipping a weapon in it.