Alraune

Type

Faebeast

Base HD

4

Terror

1

Height (cm)

300 (including petals and stem), 210 (humanoid)

A faebeast which resembles a woman sitting or standing inside a massive flower, alraune are to the fair folk what flowers are to men; they are plants first and people never, even if they are talking and very large plants. They are fairly dangerous and are nearly immune to the blows of normal mortals, and if the flower closes around a victim they are probably doomed to be turned into a fruit if not rescued immediately. Fire harms them greatly, and they can be made inert and unresponsive by long periods of drought. Most alraune spend their time sunning themselves or courting bees rather than fighting mortals. Alraune will tolerate a surprising amount of physical familiarity — petting the petals, leaning against the flower, even napping against it — but touching their hair triggers instinctive and murderous rage.

Despite seeming immobile, an alraune can uproot itself to walk for short periods of time, but they are unable to wander far from where they first sprouted. The nectar of alraune which pools within the flower is extraordinarily sweet and also extremely energizing. It can also be used as a lotion that brightens the skin and protects against sunburn. Most alraune will violently resist any attempts to take their nectar. It is in principle possible to set up a trade or ongoing relationship, but flowers have few obvious wants that mortals can provide. One of the few things an alraune may ask of a mortal is to take one of their fruits and plant it somewhere with good soil, as alraune otherwise simply hurl their fruit for miles in a promising-looking direction; however, there is at best mild trust between an alraune and most mortals and most would rather take their (poor) chances on their own.

The intelligence of an alraune varies wildly based on the season, and an alraune is nearly comatose during the winter but placid and personable during the summer. While the humanoid part is unresponsive during the winter, any who would try to steal nectar must beware because the flower petals themselves may react reflexively to being touched during this time. Alraune are most dangerous during spring, when they are irritable, distracted, and vaguely territorial. The scent of the flower is overpowering during the spring and can cause a variety of ill effects to nearby creatures, both physical and psychological, depending on the specific sort of alraune, so most people give them a suitable berth during this time. Their hair also sheds enormous quantities of pollen during blooming season, and alraune can be a terrible source of hay fever.