Soft, squeezable, and potentially deadly. Mallow is to be cuddled and feared!
Appearance
Mallow appears as a small gnomish-creature with soft brown hair, emerald eyes and the smoothest skin you ever felt. He stands about one foot tall and seems very cheerful all of the time. He pretends to enjoy the company of young children so they will fall asleep holding him; lovingly stroking his dreamily smooth skin and gazing into his beautiful emerald eyes.
History/Background
'Dream a dream, my soul transcend
Squeeze my heart, beg for the End.
Children’s friend, my thoughts misplaced
The velvet kiss, The Gnome’s Embrace!
Mallow, Mallow, Take me to the Nightmare’s Gallow
Naked minds are yours to harrow.
Warm my bones, but leave my marrow.
Mallow, Mallow, oh so tragic
Run away, I’ll steal your magic!'
- Children’s Rhyme about Mallow
Mallow was born of chaos in a far corner of the world, far from civilization. He has always been a very lonely creature, seeking companionship from the time he was born. He started his life feeding off the weak dreams of baby animals. As he got closer to the known world. He could sense more complex dreams, human dreams. He lusted after them. He had to have them. Now he quests for dreams in the human lands, never satisfied. He is belived to be only a legend told by older children to the younger ones to keep them up at night. But, i assure you, he is real and dangerous.
Summary
Mallow is a horrible Gnome-like creature that feeds off the pure dreams of children then when he has fed enough he tears himself from their minds and drives them insane. He fears being held for too long because he thinks he might leak some of his magic into others and doesn’t want to share.
Plot Hooks
- Mallow has invaded a small town and is going from household to household maddening children. It’s up to the PCs to find Mallow and put a stop to him.
- Mallow hitches a ride with the PCs as a child’s toy, one of the PCs (preferably a big burly fighter type) finds it cute and sleeps with it. I wonder, what could Mallow could do with an adult’s mind?
- A few years ago Mallow found a nice Gnomish wife. Now he has a family of twisted dream-eating Gnome-spawn running around the nearby country causing chaos among families with children. Each of Mallow’s children seems to have grown stronger than him. Somehow they can induce slumber and rot brains of even the most fussy children.
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This has a lot of potential. It induces the "willies". I was going to say try to stay as far away as possible from "Chucky", and i think you are. The super soft skin is creepy (good). More comments later, Pieh.
My favorite bits are that he is scared stiff of being 'held tight'/imprisoned and this line: He fears being held for too long because he thinks he might leak some of his magic into others and doesn't want to share.
Nice. Keep going with this!
drives them insane. like how?
I like it. Very Creepy in a good way.
I enjoy the little lesson about not caging things.
Idea for your RPG section: He's played as a silent figure that stands at the edge of the brush, beckoning to children to play with him in the woods. He communicates with them in dream like visions where he Lulls the children to sleep, and does his thing. He will enhance their sweet dreams until they attempt to hug or hold him. As a defense he causes them to sleep and then causes the nightmares.
Does mallow fear Captivity or confinement more? If a PC bites Mallow, is he sweet like a marshmallow? Does he bleed a white gooey substance?
Adventure hook idea: The PCs notice everyone in town is cranky. The townsfolk are talking about the children's terrifying nightmares. If only somebody can help them figure it out.
Like Murometz indicated - Keep going with this.
Fairy-Tale excerpt
But Mum, what is it I should fear?
My bed is warm, and you are near
And Mum right said, before she sped
My son, be quick and off to bed
My child, fear Mallows gentle dread
For all bad boys will dream in red
When Mallow comes to snuggle in
Dread the Gnome, with softest skin
Dread the Gnome, the hellspawns kin!
Children's Rhyme
Dream a dream, my soul transcend
Squeeze my heart, beg for the End.
Childrens friend, my thoughts misplaced
The velvet kiss, The Gnome's Embrace!
Mallow, Mallow, Take me to the Nightmare's Gallow
Naked minds are yours to harrow.
Warm my bones, but leave my marrow.
Mallow, Mallow, oh so tragic
Run away, I'll steal your magic!
Special Thanks go out to Murometz! You sure do write one hell of a poem!
A cute but nasty little thing.
...and the Phrase of the Day is "twisted dream-eating Gmone-spawn."
Creepy. My favorite part being his weird softness.
Update: Updated Graphics
Creepy.
Creepy. Yup. Good too.