Monster Hunters
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Zduhać/Aloviti/Vjedogonja/Wind Chasers/Cloud Chaser/Hail Defender/Fairy Man/Dragon Man
The Zduhać are mythical figures from Slavic myth. They are described as people capable of protecting people, homes, and entire villages from rain and hail. They are often thought of as mythical creatures, like dragons or fairies, but in human form. Sometimes they were seen as prophets and connected to angels and saints. They are generally seen as heroic figures that look entirely human, though often melancholic, thoughtful, strong, resourceful, and resilient. A Zduhać could be detected from birth if they were born with the caul still on their head, and they would also often have an affinity to crows. Some believed however that a Zduhać could only be born…
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Stregoni Benefici
The Stregoni Benefici is a unique supernatural creature from Italian belief. Sometimes they are seen as an Italian variation of the Krsnik. Their name translates to “beneficial vampire.” They are thought to be a form of living vampire, or half vampire, that repents from evil and is forgiven by the church. They abstain from drinking blood and become powerful monster hunters. Sometimes they aren’t actually vampires at all and are simply humans who dedicate their life to vampire hunting. Citations: Bunson, Matthew. The Vampire Encyclopedia. United Kingdom, Gramercy Books, 2000. Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017. Gothic Shakespeares. Ukraine, Taylor & Francis, 2008. Maberry,…
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Machi
Machi are shamans from Mapuche myth. Machi are differentiated from Kalku by their benevolent nature and roles in society. The Machi and Kalku balance each other representing good and evil respectively. Machi are most commonly women, though this refers to gender and its presentations rather than biological sex. Gender is relatively fluid among Machi and is judged on different standards, being anatomy, positioning in sexual contexts, and ritual presentation. Machi are often stigmatized as witches or sexual deviants in modern society and are frequently subject to bigoted beliefs. They are known to use familiars and will become possessed by these familiars to navigate the spirit world. Their job is to…
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Krsnik/Kresnik
The Krsnik is a monster hunting creature from Croatia. They are thought to be the only creature powerful enough to oppose the Kudlak. They are born with a caul, which would either result in Krsnik or a Kudlak. Krsnik quickly become aware of their own nature and seeks out evil to combat. It is often believed every community would have one Krsnik and one Kudlak. They are thought to have the ability to shapeshift and often takes the form of pigs, oxen, or horses, typically with a white coloration. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United…
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Dhampir/Dhampyr/Dhampressa(female)
The Dhampir are from Roma folklore. They are the children born from a human and a vampire. They are often the children of a human and a Mullo. They have psychic abilities, can detect and kill vampires, but have tragically short lives. The nature of their unnatural conception shields them from evil and assures that they will not become evil. Their life is shortened due to genetic flaws, which causes their skeleton to become cold and causes the Dhampir to die in their thirties or forties. Dhampir always seek to destroy their vampiric parent before their death. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt…