This species of fae ate dreams. But only bad ones. Needless to say, it lived near the orphanage. No child there ever had a bad dream last very long at all. -- Anon Guest
It wasn't just Elves, Wudsgaad, and Brauniin that came into Mundis Mortalidae in the beginning of the world. Of course they came with magic, but there are other things native to Nanogh that found their way through. Many monsters, and things that go bump in the night.
Some perished, needing an ecology richer in magic. Others... they found different things to sustain them.
Grayslates was dingy and dismal and depressing, largely owing to the grey slate that gave the orphanage its name. The mining town it stood in was also dismal. Hard, dark stone and difficulty everywhere. In such a place, it's easy to also be dismal, depressed, and down in the dumps.
Yet, in Greyslates, no child falls victim to such. They have bright colours, like most in Dankmine, which they use on the interiors or in art. In the case of the children, they all draw the same creature.
The adults usually dismiss it as an imaginary pet. A shared piece of kidlore that some remember fondly. Only those with the eyes to see such things know the truth.
Dankmine in general and Greyslates in particular is an ideal grazing area for Yokai'us Bakuii. The 'common' nightmare-eater. If one could call such a monster common at all.
Those who have had just a little too much alcohol can see them browsing on their horrifying hallucinations. Those who over-indulged in interesting herbology or mycotta also see them. Many mistake them for sheep.
They certainly are fluffy, but their coats are usually shades of purple. They have claws and paws, not hooves. They have a trunk, not a snout. There's tusks and odd ears and eyes in placed more 'normal' creatures would never have eyes[1].
They're also so elusive that even the Brauniin have trouble seeing them.
Dankmine stands out in that it's the only place with flocks of the beasts. And some who will let the children pet them.
[1] The Wikipedia entry has a very interesting picture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku_(mythology)
[Photo by Lou Batier on Unsplash]
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