Ijiraq

The Ijiraq is a predatory, supernatural entity said to haunt the white wastes and blizzard-swept hollows of northern Cairngorm. Tales describe it as a bone-white, emaciated creature with a twisted skull—a grotesque fusion of human and deer, crowned with unnatural antlers that appear grafted or affixed after death. Its long, black, spider-like fingers are the only clearly visible aspect of the creature when it moves through a storm, trailing behind it like ink in snow.   Most who encounter the Ijiraq vanish without a trace.   Behavior & Abilities The Ijiraq is most often encountered during whiteout conditions, when visibility and direction are lost. It is capable of: Perfect camouflage within blizzards or snowdrifts, visible only when directly moving. Shapeshifting, often appearing as a friend or familiar traveler to lure victims. Soul displacement, confusing the memories of those who encounter it and leading them astray. Creating a psychic dissonance, manifesting as vertigo, intrusive thoughts, or forgetting known paths. It does not hunt for food—it hunts for presence, said to feed on memory, fear, and identity.   Legends & Encounters Scholars believe the Ijiraq may have once been a guardian of something long buried beneath the snow—perhaps a relic of the Ahbaís or a prison carved by the Diochuimhne. In some accounts, it appears to protect ancient sites, only to devour those who step too close.   Most chilling are the tales of travelers following a companion through a storm, only to realize—hours or days too late—that the companion was never real.