Old Gods of Appalachia
Raw Head is a skinless human head, and Bloody Bones is a dancing skeleton covered in blood. Sometimes Raw Head is described as a head that has been skinned, and other times he is little more than a skull covered in blood. Likewise, Bloody Bones might be just a skeleton, or he might still have some bits of flesh on him.
Although they appear to be two separate creatures, they are actually two parts of one horrid thing. Easily dismissed as a bogeyman-like folktale meant to scare children, he is quite real, and although he prefers small prey (such as children), he is capable of killing a full-grown man and dragging the corpse back to his lair to be eaten. He smells like rotting meat and avoids daylight, preferring to sleep under a hollow tree or in a mine until night falls and he feels like hunting.
Bloody Bones can move and see despite not having muscles or eyes. Although Raw Head can slowly roll or even float on his own, when he needs to move in a hurry, he prefers to be carried by Bloody Bones or mounted on his neck like a complete skeleton.
It's likely that there are many creatures like this, each having a slightly different appearance.
Raw Head and Bloody Bones might have been buried deep under the earth originally until he was released from imprisonment by mining or blasting.
In some tales, Raw Head was once the hog pet of a wise granny. When a lazy hunter killed and butchered him, the granny used her magic to reanimate her dead pet to avenge himself on the hunter.
Belongs To: The Inner Dark
Motive: Hungers for flesh
Environment: Woods and mines
Health: 16
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (4 points)
Armoru: 1
Movement: Raw Head: immediate when rolling or floating. Bloody Bones: short; short when climbing.
Modifications: Attacks and stealth as level 5
Combat: Raw Head bites once per round with his unusually long and sharp teeth, while Bloody Bones slashes with his clawlike fingers. He often divides his attacks among two or more targets, and he might hrow his head to bite at a foe a short distance away while clawing at an adjacent opponent.
Although he exists as two separate physical forms, Raw Head and Bloody Bones is one creature, sharing the same health. He heals quickly if he can eat fresh meat, regaining 5 health from a meal the size of a human child and 10 health for a full-sized adult. He takes a few rounds to finish a meal regardless of its size.
Raw Head dislikes open conflict, preferring to sneak, ambush, and drag away solitary prey so he can eat it without being disturbed. He attacks groups of people only if he is desperate or starving, or has no other choice.
Interaction: Raw Head can talk as well as a human and might be willing to bargain if he isn't too hungry. In some stories, he is willing to perform simple magic in exchange for a service, but given his monstrous nature, these rewards are likely cursed in some way.
Use: Local children claim to have heard a monster prowling outside their house at night. A heavy trail of blood leads to the base of a hollow tree or an adit (mine entrance).
Loot: Raw Head and Bloody Bones always keeps little piles of bones and inedible items from his victims. A pile is likely to have some personal effects, 1d6 cypher materials, and a couple of dollars or company scrip. Rarely there might be a cypher.
Connection: The character lost a childhood friend or a relative to Raw Head. The character once found one of Raw Head's victims in a mine tunnel.
GM Intrusion: Bloody Bones performs an eerie dance, entrancing or terrifying all onlookers who fail an Intellect defense roll. Affected characters can attempt to break free every round.
Raw Head bites off a chunk of the character's flesh and swallows it, inflicting damage and immediately regaining 4 health.