Iniomen
From Mizahar Lore
| Valterric | |
| Frequency | Uncommon |
|---|---|
| Threat level | High |
| Major features | Pale, small, hominid, stealthy |
| Abilities | Inspires desire, uses leeching djed |
| Most common in | Nyka, the Aperture |
The Inioman is a creature that, by its very nature, remains elusive to the eyes of all. If it is present outside the Aperture, it has not been seen; neither is it seen where it is present, keeping to the shadows and just out of reach. It is blamed for most of the hallucinations that wreak havoc on the memories of Aperture survivors, but it is responsible only for those that cause desire.
When they happen upon a potential victim, Iniomen excrete a potent hormone that smells vaguely like sugar, opening the mind to the sweet ache for potential. Be it some impossible idea, a dead loved one, or even just a meal and a warm bed, proximity to the monster inspires in its victim the thought of that which it desires most. Because the Inioman is the source of the idea, so too is the victim convinced that their wish can be attained by reaching that unseeable shadow. Only the strongest minds can resist chasing it, and so it flees. It does not feed on that desire, but on the adrenaline produced and djed expended in pursuing it. The longer the victim runs, the weaker they become, and their strength transferred to the Inioman.
History
In 566, a specimen was killed by a monk initiate and brought to the Great Infirmary in Nyka for examination; written information can only tell about its starvation stage for certain, with all other aspects left to educated speculation. Tales say that the first was created when a mad leecher tried to reverse his magic to save a dying newborn, but many accept the truth that it is a simply a manifestation of stray leeching djed, born when a mage lets his magic devour his soul. There is no record of its existence predating the Valterrian.
Appearance
Rumors abound as to the Iniomen’s true appearance. Some call it a just that, a mere shadow, and others swear it to be a shapeshifter. It is neither. When starving, it is roughly the size and shape of a human infant: fat, pale, and helpless. Its movements are slow and clumsy, and at this stage it is easiest to catch and contain it. As it feeds, it grows stronger and more distinct. When its appetite is sated, it can grow to four feet and develop distinct appendages and fingers. It may almost seem human then, though few have survived to see that stage. At different levels of feeding and starvation, it may appear to be something in between these two forms, but however it fluctuates, one thing remains the same. However human their body, Iniomen lack a face. It cannot see, smell, hear, or taste, but it can sense desire, and the sentience that comes with it.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
A genderless beast, any individual Inioman can undergo a form of asexual reproduction. The process expends an extreme amount of energy and djed and is only undergone by the most powerful of specimens. Iniomen which have had many meals in a short period of time contain an excess of djed, which may physically manifest as a large bud on any part of their body. The bud is injected into a recently spent body through the eyes and mouth, sealing the orifices and removing the face. The young Inioman devours the body’s insides to gain enough energy to inhabit the skin, then uses its newly bought power to make it pliable and maneuverable.
Iniomen can be killed by using their own power against them. As it is essentially made of leeching magic, the most common way is to find a leeching mage who can remove its djed until it no longer exists, leaving a sack of flesh behind. Another means is to make it feel desire, to make it run and seek out a body to taunt. Essentially, the magic that feeds it can similarly starve it, when reversed.