Windigo (ˈwindəˌɡō)

Human Corrupted

Once the Spirit of the Windigo possesses a human it will rapidly alter their biology and physiology to suit its needs and inflict as much suffering as it can on its host. No matter how much the Windigo consumes, it resembles a tall, hairless, skeletal corpse with pale, ashen skin stretched thin over its emaciated frame, and emits a rancid stench of decay to match. The slender limbs are disproportionately long compared to the rest of the vile body with large hands and narrow feet that have been elongated by increased bone growth. The dark discoloration of its bony fingers resembles those of frostbite victims and are armed with bayonet-like claws. These claws can be up to 6 inches long on the hands and allow the Windigo to brutally rip apart still-living victims as it consumes them in a ravenous frenzy. Despite its thin structure and similar musculature to average humans, Windigo melee attacks carry a deceptive amount of brute force. Thanks to the supernatural powers imbued upon it by the Spirit of the Windigo, it displays superhuman strength, enough to easily overpower most beings it comes across. But its most alarming physical ability is its unnatural speed. Windigo are capable of reaching an unbelievable top speed of 61390.0kph (38146mph), making them completely invisible to the naked eye when running. Luckily it can only use this speed in short bursts.

Its gaunt face is horrible to behold. Like a grotesque skull with deep-set eyes sunken into blackened sockets and an enlarged jaw filled with jagged, yellow teeth like broken glass. In the vast majority of specimens, the lips have long since withered away because they've been auto cannibalistically chewed off and there is torn and tattered flesh around the ripped-open corners of the mouth. The nose of a Windigo is most often missing. Having likely rotted off due to necrosis, frostbite, or a combination of the two. The vocal cords of a Windigo are strengthened and allow for precise control and the ability to replicate a wide array of sounds. It can mimic human voices like those of loved ones and its piercing shriek can deafen anything standing too close. But how you may be asking, can a creature that is often missing its lips and cheeks produce any sound that could approximate a spoken human language, let alone with perfect accuracy? The answer can be found at the entrance to the trachea at the back of the mouth. Special membrane sheets that formed during the transformation create an ovoid valve that is consciously dilated in order to control airflow. Effectively acting as a second pair of lips inside the throat. Allowing the Windigo to retain the ability to use spoken language.

The thyroid gland of Windigo are grossly enlarged compared to that of a normal human. This hyperthyroidism is possibly what is responsible for the Windigo's insatiable appetite as it overproduces metabolism-controlling hormones. The pancreas has been mostly destroyed by this inflammation and is another contributor to unending hunger. Serotonin, the chemical normally responsible for tempering urges, is almost completely absent in the brain. Making a Windigo unable to control its cannibalistic urges. In response, the brain overproduces the stress hormone cortisol. Flooding the brain with it and causing the cells of the Windigo's body to constantly release glucose as fuel. Leading to Windigo having staggeringly high blood sugar levels. These hormonal changes strongly affect the hypothalamus, the region of the brain regulating hunger and energy homeostasis, and constantly stimulate receptors there to further exacerbate the Windigo's feelings of hunger. The stomach lining is stronger in order to combat the increased acidity of the stomach acid. Combined with a change to the bacterial gut biome, Windigo is capable of digesting anything nearly instantaneously. Its heart is made from pure ice.

The Windigo's increased metabolic rate, constantly elevated stress levels, and oversaturation of enzymes such as cytochrome P450 and glucuronidation in the liver, make drugs and poisons an ineffective method of subduing it. As its body absorbs and processes them at an insane rate.  

Supernatural Powers

The Windigo harbors a number of supernatural abilities that allow it to be more than just another feral predator in the woods. Alongside the before-mentioned super strength and speed, it also has the power to create horrific blizzards to entrap prey. It emits a telepathic field around itself that induces madness and hysteria in any human who maintains prolonged exposure. The Windigo has a strong resistance to magic-related attacks.   While susceptible to physical damage, it is capable of regenerating from all manner of attacks at an alarming rate. Quickly reassembling itself even if dismembered, decapitated, or bisected. This is the only time in which a Windigo's brain will produce serotonin in order to facilitate the rapid repair of damaged tissues. During this, the already stressed thyroid gland will produce ever more hormones to fight the appetite-suppressing side effects of serotonin. This battle of chemicals makes regeneration and or reanimation an extremely painful ordeal for a Windigo. But, this quick recovery makes Windigo incredibly resistant to conventional weapons like firearms. However, burn damage is observed to take slightly longer to fully heal. Windigo can only be killed by special means. Though this will only kill the Windigo's physical body and not the Spirit inside.

"Windigo possession leads to a complete disruption of the body's homeostasis and, much like the Spirit of the Windigo itself, is a perversion of the natural order."

 

- Unknown Algonquian biologist and scholar on the effects of possession by the Spirit of the Windigo

 

The Spirit of the Windigo affects both ends of the social hierarchy. Those at the top who are greedy and spiteful, and those at the bottom who are desperate and starving. He haunts people in their sleep. Filling their dreams with a desire to kill and eat other humans. Gnawing away at their sanity like a hungry animal. Through a process known as Windigo Pyschosis, Windigo is brought into life when a person undergoes a horrific transformation caused mostly by desperate people resorting to the act of cannibalism to survive. However the Algonquians place greater emphasis on a secondary cause of transformation, and that is by virtue of greed. Those who would put themselves above the tribe, especially in times of great strife when resources are scarce.

During the two-week period in which a person transforms into a Windigo, their body's metabolic balance is completely destroyed. The bones of the limbs experience an increase in lateral growth. The musculature remains largely unchanged, yet Windigo frequently displays abnormal feats of superhuman strength and speed. This ability cannot be accounted for biologically and must be a result of the Windigo spirit itself. As the transformation progresses, body tissues will rapidly shrink as the body reabsorbs them in a futile gambit to maintain energy homeostasis, giving sufferers of Windigo Psychosis a skeletally thin physicality. The hair falls out early on and the skin takes on a pale, ashen color, advantageous for hiding in the ice and snow. Approximately three days after possession, Windigo will lose their fingernails and begin to develop claws made of extended bone and keratin on their hands and feet. The jaw of a Windigo will grow and become filled with grotesquely long teeth that rip open the edges of the mouth to accommodate the growth.

For a more in-depth description of the biological and behavioral process by which the transformation takes place, please see: Windigo Psychosis

To Kill a Monster

Windigo is highly resilient to physical damage and while it can be killed momentarily, it will continuously regenerate and reanimate until its icy heart is removed and burned in a massive bonfire. Destroying its physical body, but freeing the Spirit of the Windigo to possess a new host. Firearms using conventional ammunition are a generally ineffective way of dispatching a Windigo and is only liable to aggravate it. As best observed in 2008, in which an Organization team hunted a Windigo in Northwest Aroostook, Maine. Multiple reports from the surviving members of the team all describe that the Windigo withstood sustained fire from a 50 cal GAU-19/A machine gun mounted aboard a UH-60A/L Black Hawk helicopter. Which ultimately proved ineffective as the creature was able to quickly regenerate its lost tissues and retaliated with augmented rancor. Though expensive and harder to acquire, it is advised to use incendiary ammunition when using a firearm to combat this monster as burn damage takes longer for a Windigo to regenerate from. Though not advisable, and impossible within the Trench, it should be noted that ever since the 08 Aroostook Hunt, the Organization, alongside the US National Park Service, would create wildfires under the guise of controlled burns, in order to weaken, and or flush out, a Windigo. Improvised incendiary weapons, such as Molotov cocktails, can be effective. If by some miracle, a Windigo has managed to be subdued, it is advised to separate the extremities from the body and scatter them before attempting to remove the heart from the chest cavity. This will delay its recovery before the heart can be successfully removed and give you enough time to prepare a suitable bonfire to destroy the heart. The heart must be destroyed as quickly as possible as a Windigo can still reanimate and operate without it inside its body.

The Spirit of Lonely Places

The Windigo is an ancient and terrible evil that has plagued this world since time and memorial. It is a blight upon the lands it blemishes with its foul presence, bringing only death and ruin. Cursed with a hunger for flesh that can never be satisfied no matter how much it eats, the loathsome Windigo is forced to constantly seek out prey. This overwhelming desire to kill and consume flesh has honed it into the perfect hunter. Able to move quickly, quietly, and almost invisibly across terrain. Windigo prefers forested environments with cold climates, such as taigas, tundras, and high-altitude mountains, despite its lack of insulating tissues to protect it from the cold and aversion to sources of heat. This is believed to be another case of the Spirit of the Windigo keeping its wretched host alive through supernatural means to prolong their suffering.

As a dangerous apex predator, most animals in the forest go completely silent when a Windigo is nearby. Due to its ravenous hunger and high success rate at hunting, flocks of scavenger birds such as buzzards, vultures, and crows often follow a Windigo at a safe distance in order to eat whatever minuscule scraps it leaves behind. The sight of an unusually large flock circling in the air can serve as an early warning that a Windigo is nearby. But it is best to remain undercover and avoid being spotted by the birds. As they may cry upon spotting you and thereby alert the Windigo to your presence.

Because of its insatiable appetite and predilection for causing mass death, a Windigo will decimate entire ecosystems quickly if left unchecked.

Ravenous Cannibal

An indiscriminate predator, Windigo will attack and consume any living creature it encounters, even former friends and loved ones. The hunger of a Windigo is like a living black hole, forcing it to seek out prey to devour constantly. The Windigo gorges itself and gluts its belly as though it will never eat again.

While humans are often cited as its primary prey, the wretched Windigo will hunt for anything. From creatures as large as a moose to even something as minuscule as a burrowing mouse. It'll even eat the fungi growing on tree trunks, and raid beehives or other insect nests if there's nothing better around. Thanks to its supernatural powers, it has little difficulty hunting other apex species such as bears and even other supernatural entities as well, including vampires, lycans, Sasquatch and its relatives, and Not-Deer. Observation of the Windigo inhabiting the section of the Trench nicknamed Hyperborea, has shown that even the mighty Norse jötnar are not safe from the Windigo's hunger. But a Windigo can never requite either its unnatural lust for flesh or its unnatural appetite. It can never stop as animals do when bloated, unable to ingest another morsel, or sense as humans sense that enough is enough for the present. The more the Windigo consumes, the more it wants to consume. Effectively creating an insatiable desire to take more and more that only worsens with each passing moment.

During an attack, Windigo will target the soft underbelly of its prey and violently disembowel them with its sharp claws. If it cannot get easy access to the prey's stomach it will switch and start attacking the victim's neck. Using its jaws to rip out the throat of its unfortunate prey. The victim will not die cleanly or well, as the Windigo will not wait for them to perish before it starts consuming them. It will completely strip a body by tearing off large chunks of flesh with its distended jaw. Once the large tissues have been consumed, it will nibble the bones clean of the smaller tissues and even break them open to get at the marrow within. Windigo do not excrete any waste.

Despite never feeling full regardless of any amount of nutrients consumed, Windigo in its physical manifestation is incapable of dying via starvation. Possibly due to the Windigo Spirit inside. As, without supernatural abilities, the extreme energetic requirements for it to so thoroughly deplete an area of organisms would've been fatal to it long ago.

"And then, through the window of the sunroom, I saw these yellow eyes in the treeline, staring at me. Just at the edge of the back patio there. Staring a long time. Couldn't see the body too well. Too dark out that night. Thought it was some kind of animal at first, till it stood up and let out this, just, unholy wail. It was not fit for this Earth."

 

- Canadian homeowner describing to Organization agents her encounter with a Windigo stalking her from outside her home.

A Life of Constant Agony

Driven exclusively by hunger, Windigo targets both humans and any source of protein available to it. Because it can not effectively fuel its body or feed the hunger inside, its mind deteriorated before its body even finished fully transforming. This is known as "Windigo Pyschosis." A fully transformed Windigo is a miserable creature that has lost all semblance of kindness and virtue or trace of the person it once was. Having given in to its darker impulses, it is completely under the Spirit of the Windigo's control and now knows only hunger and anguish. It is a twisted creature of malevolent voracity that wants everything, but will never have anything. The Windigo constantly exhibits spasmodic twitching in its arms, head, and torso which appear to be somewhat painful to the creature based on the responses they elicit. These jerky body movements are done just as unnaturally fast as the Windigo's running speed and are deeply unsettling to see in person. Spasms cease entirely when focusing on prey. Because of its unending hunger, Windigo frequently performs acts of auto-cannibalism. Gnawing on its lips and cheeks to the point of ruination. When idle, it emits raspy groans and exhalations. As a spirit of winter, Windigo displays an instinctual fear of fire. Which can be used to deter its assaults.

 

Sadistic Hunter

While its humanity is gone, higher level cognition remains. While none of these relate to compassion or morality, the detestable Windigo will speak with its victims and may play sadistic games before going in for the kill. It can mimic the sounds it hears and mimic the voices of humans in distress to lure potential victims closer. When stalking encamped humans, it is known to be much more methodical in its approach. Employing psychological warfare tactics to torment the humans, bordering on the theatrical, such as leaving the horrifically mutilated remains of prey animals in unusual places for the humans to find when day breaks. During the daytime, it will usually remain out of sight but continue to observe from afar. Waiting for a member of the party to isolate themselves before striking. At night, the Windigo will make its presence much more apparent to its human prey. Circling in the dark around their encampments or positioning itself in ways that make only its eyes shine an eerie yellow in the dark. It will vocalize by making blood-curdling shrieks and screams and possibly throwing the freshly mutilated remains of prey animals into the human camp in order to scare them into fleeing into the woods. Away from the safety of their campfire.

 

Navigating the Snow

Movement is usually done in quick, linear movements as opposed to a human's, whose movement is more fluid. While hunting, a Windigo takes advantage of its thin physique to camouflage itself among the tree trunks of the forest. Or it may adopt an arboreal approach. Jumping quickly through the tree branches or other high vantage points to get the drop on prey. They've been known to stalk prey over vast distances and frequently spend time observing human prey from afar. Possibly planning on how best to attack a group.

The forest of the Northeastern United States and Canada. Primarily around the Great Lakes reigon. In the Trench, it is relagated to Hyperborea.

While a Windigo often relies on its base animal instincts, it would be fatal to assume it is just a mindless eating machine. It still possesses the higher level of cognition of humans in its brain. Its ability to feel emotion or morality may be gone, but a Windigo still retains the human capacity for cunning. A Windigo is smart, capable of rational thought, can strategize, and possess an unrivaled knowledge of its environment. A Windigo is one of the most dangerous hunters in the world. Capable of setting up ambushes for prey or luring them into traps. It can understand and replicate human voices to separate a target from the group and use guerrilla tactics alongside a telepathic ability to induce hysteria to sow discord amongst a group to make them weaker. You're not safe inside either. Windigo can unlock doors and devour the home's inhabitants overnight before converting the space into a Windigo den. The Spirit of the Windigo absorbs all the memories and knowledge of every human being it has possessed since the dawn of time and can use that knowledge to hunt, trap, and kill its targets.

Closey attuned to the forest in which it hunts in, a Windigo possess some of the sharpest senses of any Supernatural. Not only can it see just as well, if not better, than a human, it can also see in the dark and is adept at detecting movment in its enviroment. Its hearing is incredible. Capable of sensing a human's panicked heartbeat from over a mile away.

Often plagued by intestinal parasites gathered from the excessive consumption of raw meats.

The Tale of Plawej

A piece of oral history belonging to the Maliseet First Nation tells of a Maliseet hunter of great renown and moral standing named Plawej. A pillar of his community, the village looked to Plawej as an example of justice and righteousness in the face of difficult times. During one particularly harsh winter, Plawej led a group of hunters into the wilderness in search of food. After five long days with not so much as a track in the snow, starvation was starting to set in. While off on his own away from the party, Plawej stumbled upon a lone hare that he subsequently shot and killed. Rather than bring his prize back to his companions to cook and eat, Plawej gave in to his own hunger and began eating. While he selfishly tore into his fresh meal, the youngest member of the hunting party caught him in the middle of the act. Threatening to tell the others about what Plawej was doing. In a moment of panic, Plawej killed the young hunter with his skinning knife. His current state of confusion and delirium, combined with starvation twisting his stomach, allowed the Spirit of the Windigo to enter him and subconsciously influence his mind. Convincing him to eat the young hunter’s body as a way to save himself and hide evidence of his crimes. Unbeknownst to him, his victim's older brother witnessed the entire event but kept quiet out of fear. The hunters returned to the village empty-handed. By that time, Plawej was well into the later stages of Windigo psychosis. He had grown very thin alarmingly fast during the five-day trek back home and his skin was starting to lose its color. Believing that some other form of sickness had befallen their champion, the village crowded around. When the village medicine man came to treat Plawej, he asked questions about what had transpired during their quest and why was the youngest missing. Plawej, aware of what he was becoming but not yet fully transformed and still vulnerable to manmade weapons, lied to the people who trusted him and claimed the boy had been attacked by a bear that had managed to carry him off. Burdened by guilt, the hunter who had witnessed Plawej’s sins confronted him right there in the village center. Telling the whole tribe about the unforgivable things he had witnessed the once-great man do. In that instant, Plawej fully manifested into a Windigo. With quick slashes, the monster slew the medicine man and two warriors who had been attending him. Snatching up a nearby child, that happened to be Plawej's own son, in its jaws, the twisted beast fled into the forest. Neither it nor its abductee was ever seen again.

Howard B. Harian

Howard B. Harian was an American robber baron in the coal industry in 1881. He was notorious for his disregard for the safety of his workers and their workplace conditions for the sake of profits. Squeezing every ounce of profitability out of his workforce. His company had one of, if not the, worst worker accident rates in the US during this period. Countered by also having one of the highest profit margins in the mining industry. If he had been around a little longer, his cutthroat and voracious business practices would’ve put him alongside figures such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnage. Thought unlike them, Harian was no philanthropist. His unapologetic avarice was so prolific that it caused him to lock horns with political muckraker, trustbuster, and soon-to-be US president, Teddy D. Roosevelt.

During a business trip to one of the many coal mines he owned in northern Maine, he began acting strangely. As recorded in the diaries and related documents of those close to him at the time. He began acting somewhat aggressively. At first, it was small things. Lashing out with unwarranted aggression over small things, other times he was noted as glowering at people with an uncomfortably intense gaze. The sudden increase in his unagreeable disposition wasn’t the only thing about him that suddenly changed. The mine and surrounding company-owned town nearby were isolated deep in the Maine forest. A native Bostonian, Harian was known for his intense dislike for the great outdoors, even so much as avoiding public parks. But now, he was noted as spending long periods of time in the woods. Ignoring business meetings and instead aimlessly wandering around the forest, sometimes going dangerously deep while still in full business attire. Some of his employees and servants even swore to have glimpsed him running through the trees like a veritable madman in the dark. His personal cooks and his wife noticed a strange increase in his appetite. Despite his greed, Harian was never much of a gourmet. But during his stay, he seemed to have found a new appreciation for food. He nearly ate the residence he was occupying out of house and home with the voracity of a starved wolf. What really made those around him feel uncomfortable, was when he started looking at them with that same hunger. This came to an end while Harian was performing an inspection with the project managers and foremen within the mine itself. An unexpected cave-in suddenly closed the mine’s entrance, trapping all inside. Harian, along with the other unfortunate souls, was presumed to be dead and his company soon fell apart.

Many years later, however, locals reported being stalked through the woods by a tall thin creature wearing what looked like the tattered remains of a business suit. Leading many to speculate that Harian had survived by eating the workers that had been trapped with him.

A Danger To All

Due to their eternal hunger and high capacity for causing carnage, it is of utmost importance for a Windigo to be stopped before it can destabilize or outright destroy a local ecosystem. Although Windigo have only manifested in isolated regions and encountered in forests, it is assumed that it will migrate into new territory once it has consumed all living things within its normal hunting grounds. Making it vitally important that it must be stopped, or deterred before it can find its way into a heavily populated area.

A Cautionary Tale

The most important takeaway from the Windigo is that it is much more than another spooky monster in the woods, but is a symbol of spiritual corruption, moral degradation, and greed that reflects real human anxieties even to this day. Windigo represents not only the worst that a human to do to another human being and ultimately to himself or herself but exemplifies other despicable traits. It is easy to understand the Windigo as a concept that can apply to any person, idea, or movement infected by a corrosive drive toward self-aggrandizing greed and excessive consumption, traits that sow disharmony and destruction if left unchecked. Having become symbolic for concerns such as environmental destruction, big business, consumerism, and addiction. As humans overpowered by greed are often the ones to turn into Windigos; it thus serves as a method of encouraging cooperation and moderation among the people who know of the creatures and the dangers associated with them.   It is a perverse upheaval to nature's order. In many ways, Windigo could be seen as the opposite of the Slavic Leshy