The Undefined in the Dark Below: Ferris BruBat
Species: Bat?[1]
Ability: The ability to remain unknown in darkness; Minor shapeshifting
Category: Shapeshifter; Threat: Moderate to High; Malevolence: High
Usual location: In the caves under the Twisting Magical Forest
Written by Deputy Archivist Intimo
Some creatures choose to lurk in the darkness for safety or to stalk prey, Ferris is one of the latter. It’s very rare to see Ferris out in daytime[2] and given his ability it makes it quite hard to confirm details about him, however JOS’ encounter with him on the way to the Heart of Magic we learnt more of him as a result.
Ability
Ferris’ ability means that if he was in perfect darkness you wouldn’t even register he was there unless he made it obvious he was there. As such this leads him to play on your lack of context, he could transform himself to look like someone else and if you would fail to recognise it wasn’t what things seem at first. This isn’t too dissimilar to how a Nue exists in Japanese folklore, the difference is that Ferris projects the misconception whereas a Nue seems to remove the context.
In addition to this, Ferris possesses the ability to change his own shape at will, often usually just using this to switch between having four limbs (two wings and two legs) and six limbs (two wings, two arms and two legs), however no matter what he transforms in to they all share Ferris’ distinct blue and orange colours, as he struggles to change colour, which is likely what leads to him stalking in the dark.
Magical Item Rampage
Quite recently Ferris went on a rampage and quite boldly attacking people using magical items he had discovered in the caves he makes home and at random started fights with individual before flying off in a giggling fit after one attack. The items gradually got noticed, as well as his disregard for the spell card rules as a result, and it didn’t take long for the local supernatural elders to put out an extermination mandate on the bat.
Eventually the entire incident was brought to an end by JOS[3] who managed to create a seal that stopped Ferris from running away after one attack, forcing him in to a full ten spell card duel unless he gave up the items. JOS reports he relinquished the items ran away well before he hit the tenth spellcard[4].
Eyewitnesses
“He’s a little excitable, I don’t think he’s actually that malevolent though” (Feoh Sigel)
While true, one has to be careful not to understate the abilities of shapeshifters and their intentions.
“He occasionally seems to leave his cave and goes hunting with the white kitsune” (Unnamed hunter)
Ferris shows little animosity towards other supernatural creatures so it makes sense for him to have some kindred to other shapeshifters.
Countermeasures
The easiest way to counter Ferris’ abilities is to carry a bright light source, he cannot use his abilities well if he cannot hide, and as his shapeshifting is flawed and limited to his colours, makes the fake realities he creates crumble down instantly. He’s also quite small and quite nimble so attempting to outrun him may not be for the best, as such stand your ground against him.
- Undefined “Misdirected Cry”
- Echo “Food Location”
- Unknown “Bite From the Darkness”
- Unknown “Upsweep From the Ocean”
- Undefined “Unexpected Resonance Ping”
- “Nightmare of the Unidentified” (time-out only)
- Strong Echo “Ripples of Past, Present and Future”
- Echo “Desmodontinae Feeding”
Last Word spell cards
- “343 Unknown Steps”
- “Primal Shout, Esoteric Echo”
[1]: It’s hard to say what his actual species is as he can shapeshift. Bat seems to be a common form he takes though.
[2]: Or even daylight
[3]: Feoh did attempt to fight him, but was unprepared even when working with the local bake-danuki.
[4]: This could be exaggeration on JOS’ part though.