Tanys-o-moch

The Midnight Forager

written by Taylor 'Clams' Thomas

A slightly larger-than-average, reddish, glowing boar. Skittish in nature, Tânys-o-moch has a kindly, generous soul. His body emits a radiant warmth while resting, which becomes a very high heat while on the hunt for tasty morsels. Hikers make use of the melted trails left behind by his wanderings in the colder months. Oddly enough, people who have seen him up close claim that the horn that adorns his snout is an icicle. He can often be seen foraging for food in the northernmost marshes of the Gilfeather Valley. He’s fairly noticeable late at night due to his bronze glow.

The Power

A monster similar in appearance to a large, orange boar. The boar has a dark face, a long white streak along its body, and tufts of feather-like fur around its shoulders and neck. It has a single long blue horn in the center of its head and two large tusks. It has a line of white fur down the center of its back, and a whispy tail of effervecent orange fur.

An unassuming creature at first glance, do not be fooled by his kindly nature. When angered or upset, flames burst from the boar’s head and scorching steam billows from his nostrils. His icy horn is also impossibly sharp—and potentially deadly. There have never been any reported cases of Tânys-o-moch attacking anyone, but the boar is known to be temperamental, demanding a wide berth and a great deal of respect.

If spooked, Tânys-o-moch is known to release massive quantities of steam, obscuring his escape. This steam is often so dense that it’s impossible to find your bearings if it envelops you. Some locals claim that they’ve found themselves miles away after coming in contact with this steam.

It is also believed that the constant fog that plagues the Gilfeather Valley most mornings is the result of Tânys-o-moch becoming frightened during the night. Another commonly held belief is that his hoofprints make the earth around them more fertile, causing crops to flourish and flowers to bloom.

People

Every year, around the harvest, the people of the valley celebrate the blessings his presence brought them throughout the year. After the fields are reaped, farmers take the largest examples of their products to the town entrance. They leave this food in massive piles, hoping to keep Tânys-o-moch well fed throughout the harsh winters.

There is a story shared among the children of Gilfeather; sometimes on the coldest nights, you can hear Tânys-o-moch huffing and puffing because the ice is too thick, and he can’t get to the truffles he loves. On those nights, it’s traditional for children of the nearby villages to venture into the woods and leave candy and sweet breads for the boar to uncover. Adults frequently gather on the sides of the valley to watch the children in their colorful festival garb.

Notable History

“Many Harvests ago, a brother and sister went to harvest berries.

The wood by their house was barren, not a fruit to be found.

The children were competitive. Neither wanted to return home with a smaller basket than the other. They wandered deeper into the swamps, and the snow wandered back.

Before long, the sky was jet black, and the ground was sterling white.

Colder than they’ve ever been, the children begrudgingly agreed to return home.

They continued to argue and disagree at every turn.

Minutes turned to hours as they began to tire.

Unable to go on, they embraced each other at the base of an old rowan tree and resigned themselves to the everlasting darkness.

In the morning their parents, deprived of sleep, prepared supplies for a search.

As they opened the door they were shocked to see that the snow had melted.

And there were the children, sleeping soundly, atop a plump mound of berries surrounded by the hoofprints of a boar.”

—Excerpt from the Histories Of Gilfeather Valley, by Historian Campbell

Epic Destiny

Local legends tell of something called the Eternal Gourd, a source of infinite food that Tânys-o-moch is searching for. How long this search has been going on is hard to ascertain, but the valley is relatively small. If such an object exists, it must be very well hidden. Tânys-o-moch has never taken a guardian, which some suggest could be a vital next step in his destiny.

Wounds

  1. Tânys-o-moch lets out a cloud of sweltering red steam. All that touch it are transported somewhere else.
  2. The Ice Horn adorning his snout melts revealing strange barbed tentacles protruding from his skull.
  3. The fire that fills his heart grows too hot and he flies into an unstoppable rampaging charge.
  4. His tummy rumbles and the earth shudders, growing red-hot around him.
  5. After devouring enormous amounts of food, Tânys-o-moch flops over with a sinister grin and sinks into a trance. Around him, planets and vegetation grow dangerously fast.
  6. Tânys-o-moch enters a great depressive state. His fire goes out and all plant life in the valley begins to die.