Manananggal [LINKS] (Patreon)

Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil

Bisecting Terrors of the Night

There are many creatures of the night that feast on the flesh of the living, but few match the insidious nature of the Manananggal. Disguised as a living woman during the day, the creature severs its torso from its lower body at sundown, spreading its wings to fly through the night sky. Its entrails dangle from its severed stomach and a long tongue protrudes from its mouth, seeking sleeping victims to prey upon. Some say they are created from the remains of a woman who was left at the altar, others by eating a black chick produced from the stomach of another Manananggal, but one thing is certain; to become a Manananggal is to become a blight upon the living.

Death in Disguise

 By day the Manananggal lives its life as a normal mortal woman. So long as it maintains this disguise, it is indistinguishable from the living until night falls. The transformation is gruesome and terrifying, leaving the monster free to spread its wings and stalk its prey.

Flying Nightmares

Manananggal prey on sleepers, stretching their long tongue through open windows to feast on their blood and sometimes vital organs. They are particularly enticed by grooms-to-be and pregnant women, craving vengeance and the lives of the unborn. An influx of sickness and complications in pregnancies may herald the presence of a Manananggal.

Fatal Flaws

Despite the danger a Manananggal poses, one aware of their weaknesses can easily destroy the creature by exploiting them. A Manananggal must rejoin with its lower half before sunrise or be turned to dust. Thus the creature must hide its defenseless lower half in a safe place, but close enough to return to. Those who happen upon the lower half can simply rub the connecting point with garlic, as the Manananggal abhors its stench. Additionally, the creature’s resilience can be nullified by rubbing weapons with garlic or utilizing stakes or spears made from bamboo. A prepared adventurer can make light work of this otherwise fearsome foe.

As you enter the darkened bedroom a slurping sound draws your eye to the window. As a sleeping victim lays motionless in bed, a glistening strand of flesh snakes out from its open mouth to the toothy maw of a face in the window. Its body has the pallor of death, with long dark hair falling from its head. From its back sprout leathery wings and its torso terminates in a mass of hanging entrails. As its tongue slithers from its prey’s throat, it hisses in fury and ascends into the night sky…

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