Imisuk

The Wooden People of Tavarez

"Be sure to keep the things you value close. For if you ever lose sight of them, the Imisuk will come and scurry into your room, rattling away on their tiny wooden feet, and whisk it away to their home, never to be seen again."

— Fairytales of Kollark, Vol. I

Basic Information

Anatomy

Imisuk appear as small wooden dolls with child-like proportions, with big round heads and short limbs with carves joints to allow them to move. They have very simplistic designs with hollow holes in their heads to represent eyes and mouths. They can vary in height and shape; some could have egg shaped heads while others are squished and lopsided, some can have uneven eyes or a lack of mouth. Every single doll is slightly different and seems to had been hand crafted.
When they move they make the distict sound of beads rattling inside of hallow wood.

Biological Traits

The Imisuk are completely made of wood, and are mostly hollow on the inside with no organs or muscles of any kind. Despite this they can see, hear and move around.
They are effectively immortal, they don't age or change in any physical way, and they can't reproduce. They also cannot die from age or sickness, but they still risk their bodies being destroyed. They can survive having their limbs and even their head removed and they've been known to carve their own replacement limbs if they go missing. They only way to 'kill' them is to burn their body or smash it to pieces.
They do not need to eat or breathe and can withstand extreme temperatures. While it's unknown if they need to sleep, they will become inactive after a long period of moving around. When they do, that become completely still and lifeless, like a statue. They can also do this if they are about to be caught, appearing like an inanimate object.

Additional Information

Average Intelligence

The imisuk seem to be somewhat sapient and have a sense of self. They cannot speak and instead make various rattling and knocking sounds, which seems to be how the communicate with each other. They are capable of building crude tribal villages, making tools, and forming some sort of hierarchy.
They are able to seek out interesting treasures and sneakily take them with out being noticed, and are quite talented at this. For bigger objects that will also act as a team to retrieve it safely.

Civilization and Culture

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The imisuk adore things that a shiney, colorful and all pretty trinkets and objects. They will travel all around Kollark looking for new items to add to their collection. Often these are items they believe have been discarded. Whether or not the object has actually been abandoned or is just left somewhere for a moment is of no concern to them.
Occasionally they can be persuaded to go retrieve a certain object. As well, if you give them something interesting, they will often trade something of theirs for it.

History

Long ago there was a civilization that lived in Tavarez before the imisuk. They were isolated and thus their culture and history is vague and mostly lost to time. It's said that they were the ones who created the imisuk. They carved each one by hand until there were 200 of them. They breathed life into the dolls and shortly after, they vanished.
Since then only the imisuk have lived in the remains of their their civilization, filling their once great structures with junk.
The divines eventually used the imisuk's talent for stealing things to go around and collect dangerous arcane objects and keep them safe in their magic nullifying province.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

They tend to be fearful of larger humanoid creatures and will often freeze up when they are in the presence of a person. One can potencially gain the trust of them if they are slow, calm and careful and respect their wishes.
They do not mind the devine servants that live in Leonora, as they always treet imisuk with kindness and help protect their treasures from borderless theives.

by IbbyWondrous

Lifespan

Immortal

Average Height

12 inches

Average Weight

2.5 oz

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

They are made with a variety of wood types from different species of tree, allowing for different shades of tans, browns and reds.

History

Long ago, there was a small, migrating tribe of people who lived in the could harsh mountains of what would later be known as Tavarez. However, when the Borders, the tribe were cut off from one of their main sources of food and trade, and during the hard winter, they began to starve.
Not wanting their culture and legacy to be forgotten with, they began to carve small wooden dolls, and breathed life into them. Buy the end of the winter season, the tribe had all perished in the cold. Long after their deaths, the remains of the tribe was found by Gilider the Free, who took sympathy on the people and channeled their souls into the dolls.
Now filled with life, the dolls gained magic from divines that allowed them to cross the Borders and teleport, where they started collecting items from around the world and bringing them back to their homeland, filling their once great structures with junk. The divines eventually used the imisuk's talent for stealing things to go around and collect dangerous arcane objects and keep them safe in their magic nullifying province.