"Gather 'round, lil'un's...and perk yer ears! Ol' Benlee, da Storyspinner's is gonna tell'us da tale o'da Swamp Demons! Da' Snaighim!"

            - Samsus, Churl Shaman

The Flux has twisted several creatures from across Apoc Earth and the Great Machine into perversions of what they once were. Ai, mysteriously, has seemed mostly immune to its ravaging energies; and while several L’na have been transported elsewhere, only a few cases are known of L’na being twisted by the Flux. However, the appearance of the Snaighim could well alter that belief.

What the Snaighim are exactly, can not - as of yet - be answered for certain. They first appeared in the swamps of Apoc Earth, using their subtle powers of charm and persuasion to lead many to a mysterious death. Well, it’s assumed they died, since they or their remains were never seen again, but the screams that follow, it is assumed by most that death was imminent. No one knows for certain and some even surmise that those lost to the powers of the Snaighim become the next generation of the beasts... What can be said with some certainty is that people seem to hallucinate around the Snaighim, seeing visions of lost loved ones or some other unspoken or secret desire and go running off into the swamps to meet their dooms and/or their destiny.

The L’na see some semblance in the powers of the Snaighim and those of Twilights. It is believed by many L’na who have had dealings with the Snaighim (although those are few and very far between, as the Snaighim is an elusive creature) that these creatures were once L’na Twilights who were somehow perverted by the Flux. Apparently sentient, the Snaighim themselves do not seem to know their own origins, only that they prefer to live in swamps and marshes and many have a burning desire to seek out L’na and even portals to Ai.

The Snaighim are all uniform in size and appearance. Standing around five feet all at the shoulder and roughly three hundred pounds, the Snaighim are whipcord lean and fierce. Incredibly stealthy, the Snaighim are capable of moving with little more than a whisper or a ripple through their chosen habitation of the swamps. Superb predators, Snaighim are equally at home hunting alone or in packs, depending on the situation at hand. Technically ambush predators, Snaighim will carefully stalk their victim for days, slowly working at their target's mental defenses, all the while remaining virtually invisible.

Once they are sure the victim will come to them, the Snaighim will then conjure up some illusion meant to lure the victim to their doom. Stories of ghostly lights or figures floating across the swamp, disembodied cries from lost loved ones or mounds of gleaming treasures are often heard from those few who survive the Snaighim's call. As a rule, Churl, who are often given to supreme superstition, will almost always generally flee from an encounter with a Snaighim, whom the refer to as "Swamp Demons".

For all their purported violence and negative effects, however, Snaighim seem somewhat beneficial in their own odd way. The Snaighim seem to have no tolerance whatsoever for the Undead Infection and will work tirelessly to remove the taint from their selected home territory. Further, among the Snaighim, there seems to be some innate and indescribable hatred for the Flux itself, as well as its horrific spawn, the Flux Horrors. Snaighim, upon detecting Flux, will immediately leave the area and its been theorized that they can even sense a Flux occurrence before it actually happens! If this is the case, then the ramifications are literally, staggering for the other races of Apoc Earth. If Flux Horrors are encountered in their home territory, Snaighim will immediately attack the abominations and will fight endlessly, til either the Horror or the Snaighim itself, is dead or dispatched.

Tactics: Dealing with a Snaighim is difficult, to say the least. You cannot pursue it into the swamp, as the creature generally knows the terrain far better than you. Some reports from seasoned High-bred Swamp Teams record primitive booby traps protecting these elusive and secretive creatures. It is not known if the Snaighim set these traps, or manipluate others into doing so, but the effect is the same regardless. Further, encountering a creature that possesses the ability to use your very thoughts, desires, and fears against you is unsettling at best. Most advice, when dealing with these creatures, is to get as far away from them as quickly as possible. In short: leave it alone and pray it feels the same of you.

Ironically, if you must confront a Snaighim, a L’na Twilight is an ideal weapon. Their mental magic will generally be able to counter the Snaighims and some powerful Twilights might even possess the skills to mentally track the Snaighim and hunt it down. Short of a powerful Twilight, however, bring a squad of well-trained and mentally-hardened soldiers who are willing not only to do what it takes to kill the Snaighim but also capable of killing a friend who has suddenly turned against them...