Sticklers

Stricord, Queen of Darkness

Skoon, the angel of the sky and moon, became corrupted at the Hidden Chamber. Stricord, the demon of darkness took advantage of Skoon's grief for the love of her life that was killed in battle. The demon took over the angel's body and mind, forever sealing her in darkness. Stricord then created monstrous creatures that roamed throughout the Stricord's Scar; which covered the entire land except for Twilight Citadel and Runic Towers. Only the Dark Dwarves were truly safe, while the Naga of the towers feared the shield would fail.   One monster stood above the rest in igniting fear into the remaining, sane people of Notta. One even the only mage of madness almost couldn't kill. This creature was one of canabilistic nature. Once a proud Dark Elf or Naga, but transformed from overexposure from Stricord's Scar over time. However, there were still mind controlled people that kept their forms through strong force of will; still not strong enough to escape Stricord's grip. The monster would eat their own kind and other lesser monsters to gain strength. This monstrosity was called the "Stickler".  

The Stickler

What is that smell?

— a traveler said before becoming devoured by the Stickler

  True to its name, victims were stuck to the Stickler's body through a goo that only grew in Stricord's Scar. Those foolish enough to traverse the land or other monsters would be consumed by the slushy creature. Even though it possessed sharp talons and teeth, they only used them in battle. To feed, the still-alive victims would slowly decay and rot in the muck. Screams of agony and suffering could be heard if one was close enough to the monster's location. Those that were too weak to, whimpered as they knew their end was nearing. Most Stickler's had bone remains hanging onto their gooey skin, feeding on the marrow of the bone until they too, turned to slimy ash.   A foolish adventurerer would know they were near the Stickler by fresh, smelly rot droppings from the muck on the ground. The smell alone could overwhelm anyone and make them throw up on the ground. This would alert the creature, and the poor soul would become the next victim. Even those strong enough to resist the urge to be sick had a tough time fighting the creature once it found them.  

A Horrid Scene

Eldrinor Nocturne found an abandoned camp with signs of a harsh battle taking place. The rotting smell already gave him a hint of what attacked this adventuring camp. However, the tracks of the rotting goo led away from him, so he felt he was safe for the time being. The shadows surrounded the camp as the fire dimmed, no one available to tend to it. It was foolish to try to camp out here in the scar, even with civilization being far off. It was better to lose sleep than to wake up to a monster hunting its prey. Eldrinor didn't hear any screams, so he surmised this happened recently, but not enough to where he would be the Stickler's next piece of food. He still felt anxious as he searched for supplies inside the tents, by the dying fire, and the bags outside of the tents.   Yes, fools indeed for even leaving their supplies outside of where they slept. Eldrinor gazed around the camp more. Patches of blue and purple fur littered the ground, making the mage understand the dead's motives even more. Escapees from the reign of the Dark Dwarves, or ones who were still free, but desperate for survival? Eldrinor would never know, but he would not waste the supplies he was given by their sacrifices. A piercing scream of another monster rose from east of the camp, near enough to fear for his life. Eldrinor gathered as much as he could before shoving them into his pack, not leaving anything for the next traveler. They would spoil before they were given the chance anyway, as the monster that was heading toward this camp would have smashed and fed on the last bits.   Eldrinor ran before the monster saw sight of him. At least away from where the trail of rot led and the sound of the monstrous scream. He could only hope for his own survival as he tried to head toward Runic Towers.