August 2019 - Schneller Geist

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August 2019 - Schneller Geist (Snallygaster)

Design notes from Chris:  

In the mid Atlantic region of the USA you can drive through beautiful rolling country side.  It appears peaceful and idyllic, even romantic to roll down country roads where gloriously aged barns sit under the hot sun.  Many of these old barns showcase beautiful star shaped badges painted or even constructed and hung on their facades.  The would seam beautiful designs to incorporate in an old fashioned quilt.  Few realize their origins are much darker in nature and are wards against a demonic evil that reportedly plagued this land for centuries.

In the early 1700s as German immigrants began to arrive and settle in farming communities in North America.  Soon after they were reportedly plagued by the demonic Schneller Geist (Quick Ghost), a blood-sucking monster that preyed on livestock as well as humans.  The oldest reported sightings described a monster in various forms, but commonly described as harpy or siren-like creature.  It flew on wide wings, had razor sharp teeth and octopus-like tentacles that it would use to swoop down and snatch up it's victims to be carried off.  It would drain the blood from it's prey and leave discarded bodies in it's wake.  Farmers would hide in terror under trees when it's shadow passed or occasionally emitted it's frightening shriek described as a piercing whistle.  Old-world Celtic wards began to spring up on farms and community buildings sporting 7-sided stars and runes of protection.  These wards beseeched the gods and eath spirits for aid against this other worldly monster.  

The Schneller Geist was said be exceedingly difficult to fend off, but it did have a single weakness... the Dewayo.  The Dewayo were a monstrous humanoid offspring of the Schneller Geist that were born from their great eggs on very rare occasion.  These offspring were born aware of their condition and heritage and would immediately seek to destroy their makers for their cursed existence.    The Schneller Geist would flee in terror at the mere sight of a Dewayo, but that's a tale for another coin.