thecreaturecodex:

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Carli Ihde, accessed at her deviantArt page here

[Of all of the fearsome critters I’ve statted up, the squonk is the one I’m most surprised to see hasn’t ended up in a Pathfinder Bestiary yet. My take is, yet again, rather iconoclastic.]

Squonk

This misshapen little quadruped is as ugly as it is
pathetic. Its wrinkled skin seems to fit poorly over its frame, bunching in
some places and sagging in others. Warts and skin tags of all sizes cover the
thing’s entire body, from its wide head to its stubby little tail. It looks at
you with wet eyes and begins to sob uncontrollably.

Deep in the hemlock woods,
loggers and travelers might hear the out-of-place sound of sobbing as they go
about their business. Those who know a thing or two about the woods will tell
that that is the sound of a squonk, crying about its hideous appearance and
ill-fitting skin. The truly knowledgeable know that the squonk cries not for
itself, but for the world. Blessed or cursed by a god of prophecy, all squonks
from the moment they are born are forever assaulted with visions of the deaths
and misfortunes of thousands of creatures. This overwhelming sadness leaves
squonks dejected and miserable, and they spend most of their time trying to
avoid contact with other beings, not wishing to be confronted with myriad
conflicting images of suffering. If a squonk can be found and convinced to
converse, it will generally prove to be friendly, albeit depressing company. If
a squonk concentrates, it can receive a more concrete vision of the future, but
such divinations tend towards the
most pessimistic answers possible. Squonks will accept payment in exchange for
using this power—after all, inanimate objects tend to have less tragic futures
and thus make better company.

Squonks are able to use
despair as a weapon, defending themselves by sharing a tiny fraction of their
visions with their assailants. Their ability to see their own forthcoming pain
gives them a modicum of defense, allowing them to react to injuries before they
occur. Wicked men of all races seek to capture and enslave squonks, either as
zoological curiosities or to try to exploit their prophetic powers. A squonk
can allow its body to dissolve into liquid, however, making them very difficult
prisoners. In addition, the other intelligent denizens of the hemlock woods
tend to view squonks with pity and affection, and a would-be squonk hunter may
find his expedition meeting with violent resistance.

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