Meet the Pollex. The pollex is an evil spirit that manifests as a giant humanoid creature made of stone or wood. Pollex move through the earth as though it were water. They spend their time almost completely under the ground, with the exception of their thumbs. One thumb of a pollex (usually the left) appears to be a completely normal person (usually a human or an elf, but dwarf-thumbed pollex are not unheard of and are called Pumilo; these are always made of stone). The pollex can make the thumb move to mimic a person, and can even make it speak, but the pollex can only speak in words and phrases it has heard before. The "feet" of the thumb can never leave the ground, as they are connected to the pollex's hand, but the pollex can make it appear that the thumb is shuffling along almost like a normal person.
Pollex are created by accident when dark magic disrupts the balance of nature. When a pollex is discovered, nearby druid groves will attempt to seek it out to confront it. A pollex whose deception is discovered emerges from the earth and will attack the discoverer; however, if the discoverer asks the pollex a question immediately after it emerges from the ground, it will delay attacking long enough to answer it. A pollex subsists on the despair of sentient creatures, so it uses its thumb to trick travelers into getting lost deep in the wilderness, then feeds on their emotions as they lose hope. A pollex who is slain will be replaced by a new one within one month as long as the dark magic that spawned the original is still around. Pollex always know the nature and location of this magic.
Although pollex can move and speak through their thumb, they cannot see, hear, smell or taste with it (they can still feel, it is still a thumb, after all). Pollex can sense anything that's on the ground by detecting vibrations in a manner similar to echolocation in bats. This sense also allows them to hear what's going on above them. They cannot see birds or other flying creatures that are in the air, but if it flies close enough to the protruding thumb, they might be able to hear wing beats.
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| I am not an artist. I apologize for my terrible picture. |
Pollex are formed by dark magic that disrupts the balance of nature in a region. Many kinds of dark magic can form a pollex, but it is never intentional. Pollex are always the byproduct of an evil intention, never the intended result. Attempts to create one intentionally always fail. Here are some examples of occurrences that might create one:
1. An evil necromancer raising an army of undead bears.
2. A cult making regular virgin sacrifices to appease their dark god.
3. The ritual slaughter of unicorns to summon a demon.
4. A coven of witches killing animals to read their entrails.
I do hope you enjoy the pollex, and if you use it, please leave a comment about how it went.
