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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

WBM: Bestiary--the Bugganes

Location and General Information
The bugganes are curious creatures who tend to be bad omens wherever they are found, no matter the circumstances. They inhabit regions less populated, for there they are more likely to remain unnoticed for a time and the relatively small population of remote areas is less able to deal with a buggane properly. Finding bugganes in large city complexes is rare, and when it does happen the buggane is almost always destroyed within twenty-four hours as cities tend to have specialized keepers of the peace who deal with incidents of the odd or magical. Unfortunately for the bugganes, they are quite easy to kill: anything that can kill a human works on a buggane, though more easily considering that the bugganes tend to be rather frail in the first place.

Description
They are tall creatures covered in long, greasy hair that extends from their heads to their feet. Whether they always wear clothing is unknown. Sometimes they are seen wearing tattered robes and other times it is impossible to tell amidst the loose skin and long hair. Their arms are especially long, with long fingers and fingernails and their teeth are lenghty and sharp, creating a jaw that looks inhuman and menacing. Bugganes, however, are not intentionally violent and rarely attack people unless provoked, which is almost always anyway.

Magic
What makes bugganes particularly hated among the creatures of Altern is their uncontrollable ability to affect fate. They are attuned to the magic that flows through Altern, which results in their bodies becoming conduits through which accidents of potentially lethal consequence can occur. When they are around, people tend to die or fall victim to horrible accidents: such as falling off ladders, landing head first on a table full of knives, or even having a tree randomly uproot itself and crash on top of you. Beyond that, the bugganes contain no other magic.

Creation
Where the bugganes come from isn't entirely clear. A few humans believe that they are part of the spirit world, existing on Altern as markers of individuals who committed horrible crimes and got away with it, for one who bears the secret of horrible acts is unlikely to reach heaven in one piece. Other humans believe they are mean spirits sent from darker reaches of Altern to annoy and punish humans, though the people who believe this are rarely capable of arguing a logical reason for this. Generally it is accepted that the bugganes are simply extensions of the magic that exists in Altern as sort of "bubbles" of excess negativity that just happens to be condensed into a buggane as a way of releasing tension. It is known, however, that the bugganes do not reproduce.

Culture
For the most part the bugganes have no significant culture. They rarely interact with one another and never interact with humans. Even if they did interact with someone other than themselves they would barely be able to do more than mumble considering their exceedingly full, toothy mouths. They are more like sentient creatures who wander and cause accidental havoc.

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