Characteristics

Hasturians share the rough size, weight, and shape of humans, slightly thinner on average, ranging from 5 to 6 feet and 130-180 pounds. However, any similarities with humanity cease there. These enigmatic entities have haunting, elongated heads adorned with several undulating tentacles that are disconcertingly adept at both manipulation and extraction. Some of these tentacles, which secrete an unsettling ooze, are specialized for the ghastly task of extracting and consuming the brains of their prey. Their torsos are also adorned with additional, longer tentacles that are incredibly strong and dexterous, capable of seizing their prey with an unyielding grip.

The skin of Hasturians varies from bluish to gray, with a texture that resembles the rubbery, slick hide of a slug. Patches of dingy yellow markings, which seem to almost form cryptic patterns, adorn their skin. Their faces are chilling visages of alien horror: four immobile eyes that are black disks set within a protective transparent membrane, conveying a sense of the void. Their mouths are slender and seemingly delicate until they open to reveal rows of jagged, needle-like teeth. The ears are barely perceptible, nothing but small holes at the sides of their heads. The alienness of their form is further accentuated by the movements of their tentacles and the way they seem to almost glide when they move.

Hasturians prefer to dress in fine robes and other opulent yet concealing attire, as though to shield the mortal realm from their full, dreadful countenance. They are otherworldly beings, possessing intellects that are both awe-inspiring and terrifying. They communicate through psychic means, their thoughts intertwining into a near hive-mind that processes information with chilling efficiency. This psychic prowess can be turned outward to assault the minds of those who oppose them, incapacitating or ensnaring even the most indomitable wills. When a victim’s mental defenses have been shattered, the Hasturian will proceed with its grim feast, burrowing its probing tentacles in search of cerebral sustenance. The fresher the brain, the more delectable and nourishing it is for these harrowing beings.

History

Hasturians have had little recorded involvement in humanoid history, and reside primarily in the Everdeep and the Gre, which teems with countless monstrosities and weak-minded prey. If they have been a part of any significant events in history, none who witnessed it have survived, and this is how these nightmarish creatures prefer it. They find it much simpler to lure, trap, and consume their food silently, deep within their dark cities without attracting attention. If they have any determinable mission or purpose at all, it seems simply to consume and swell their numbers for an undetermined event in the future.

Culture

These unusual monstrosities worship a dark, sinister, and ancient god that hails from another realm outside of the divine pantheon. They share a greater connection with this hideous, all powerful monster than most high priests could ever understand. It is said that Hasturians are merely fragments of the great evil’s consciousness, and that they arrived on the material plane before worlds were born, to prepare the universe for its arrival.

Hasturians are wholly evil, and communicate amongst each other psychically, imparting information amongst their singular mind at a rate that makes verbal communication an inconvenience. These creatures view all other creatures as food or slaves, provided they have a brain, and treat them as such without discrimination. On occasion Hasturians have been known to ally with other species that are intelligent enough to carry out their plans, and too powerful to be killed without great loss to the hive. These alliances last as long as it takes for a Hasturian to get what he wants, and after that the agreement is swiftly broken, either through a rapid departure, or consumption if the partner is weak.

Ecology

Hasturians are profoundly alien entities, and their presence in the world is an anomaly that disrupts the natural order. They serve no ecological purpose and are, in fact, calamitous to ecosystems they infiltrate. A scourge to the living, these creatures voraciously consume the brains of intelligent beings and animals alike, indiscriminately thinning the populations of their hunting grounds, and leaving a haunting void in their wake.

Reproduction among Hasturians is a nightmarish and predatory process. When a Hasturian consumes a sufficient quantity of brains, or devours a particularly intelligent brain, it triggers a biological reaction within them. One of their tentacles becomes engorged and forms a small, slug-like larva within. The Hasturian is then overcome with a primal compulsion to find a helpless humanoid creature in which to implant the larva.

Upon implantation, the chosen host descends into a deep comatose state as the larva burrows into the creature’s skull. Over the course of several days, a grotesque transformation ensues. The larva feeds on and incorporates itself into the host's body, morphing the once humanoid form into the eerie manifestation of a mature Hasturian.

The Hasturians' alien nature places them atop the food chain in any environment they inhabit, with no natural predators to threaten them. They exhibit a preference for seclusion, often choosing isolated locales to settle where their grim reproductive cycle can continue undisturbed.

Beyond their monstrous physical form, Hasturians wield terrifying psychic powers, using these to control other creatures. They enslave the minds of their victims, manipulating them into constructing and maintaining their outlandish structures, and performing tasks that serve the Hasturian community. These enslaved beings are not only used as labor but are also ultimately destined to become sustenance for their overlords, providing the brains needed for Hasturians' sustenance and reproduction.

Furthermore, Hasturians possess an uncanny ability to manipulate their immediate environment to serve their cryptic purposes. They have been observed to cause localized changes in weather patterns, and some believe they can subtly influence the thoughts and dreams of nearby creatures, driving them to eventual madness. This, combined with their insatiable appetite for brains, makes them a menacing and insidious presence. The reasons behind their presence in this world and the ultimate goals of their sinister, enigmatic species remain cloaked in mystery.

Hasturian Types