Abael

Here follows a horrific wonder, which transpired in the town of Dolina in this Year of Nagihwo 1230, on the Assembly of the Harvest. A certain young boy, no more than ten years in age, with hypnotic eyes, well dressed but travel worn, entered by the north gate. For ten days he joined the children of the school, playing and making merry by day, and whispering secrets by night. All the children of the town, in number 200 and 3, called him dear friend, and Abael by name. On the eleventh day after his arrival, no child could be found in the school yard 3 hours after dawn, as was the custom of that town. They had vanished without a trace, and the mothers and fathers ran about in desperation, searching for a sign. When night fell, most retired to their homes, exhausted with fear. When the cock crowed on the twelfth day, it was met only by the hideous giggling of Abael in the otherwise silent town. For the children had returned from their places of hiding in the night. The horrors they had wrought upon their families and neighbors defy description, leaving only their now mad teacher to live to tell the tale. Now the town is no more, and the children now do as Abael does, coming to town to sow their mischief and strife.

~ From Taubha’s Lesser Book of Names

During the Madness that overtook the Garden That Was, Abael was but a child of ten years. It is not known what kind of child they were, nor what trauma the Madness brought on, but now they are an insidious agent of the House of Ghoregh. They travel Yggdrasil, compelling children to give into their worst impulses, be they mischievous or violent.

Abael most often appears with a mop of midnight black hair and dark piercing eyes that draw you into their depths. They can take the shape of a boy or a girl as they wish, and when they speak, it is with that kind of maturity sometimes found in children that is compelling even to adults. Their clothes are always in fashion and of the highest quality, but worn out, as if they just came back from an adventure in the woods.

When using them in play, the function best as an agent of chaos in urban adventures. They come into town and quickly embed themselves within the social fabric, making “best friends” and doing small acts of kindness that always have a slightly cruel twist. As they make more “best friends” the audacity of their compulsions will grow and mischief will turn malevolent. Death and despair will soon follow unless they are stopped.