Donestre

The Donestre is a beastly sentient monster that eats the bodies of its victims, save the head, incorporating them into its soul. Donestre look like normal everyday people, but have the ability to mimic the voice of any soul that they have incorporated. The Donestre is able to store soul shards from its victims by devouring pieces of a person's body or even just their blood. Once devoured, the Donestre steals specific memories from the victim forever. It the Donestre steals too many soul shards from a target, that target will resort to insanity. Donestre are the cause of many unsolved cases involving people are suddenly driven insane.
When eating a person's body, their soul is incorporated once all but the head is eaten. Once only the head remains, Donestre have been known to break down in tears - often sobbing - as the incorporated soul looks at what it has done to its own body. The Donestre is able to control the presence of incorporated souls inside of its body, so many who study these creatures hypothesize that the Donestre lets the soul weep out of respect.
More evidence of this last theory stems from the observation that many times the sobbing stage is delayed by more pressing matters, such as battle. Nevertheless the Donestre always allows time for the incorporated souls to weep over their severed heads.
Donestre are able to shift from their humanoid self to a more animal-like person. The human-self can be the form of any creature that they have devoured, while the animal life form has a snout, long claws and switches between two and four legged walking. 

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Donestre can take the form of any race, similar to a Changeling, however the form it takes must be one that it has devoured within its lifetime. The Donestre's pure form is that of a more animalistic look. It has four legs, although it can move around on two. Each of its legs holds dog like paws that contain retractable claws. These claws can reach up to 1 foot long. It's head is that of a dog snout, which holds many sharp teeth made for tearing at flesh. It's entire body is covered in short-hair, much like a dog's. A Donestre is usually quite tall - reaching maximum height of 12 feet in length, however these creatures are always skinny and lanky - with little to no visible muscle. Their skin holds tight to their bones, so their entire form is made up of their bone structure.

Genetics and Reproduction

The Donestre don't seem to reproduce, since their numbers have not increased or decreased at all since their first appearance in Ragdale in the late 200s PD. They were created through some means of dark magic, but are not able to recreate their bodies - only to hold souls.

Growth Rate & Stages

Similar to its lack or reproductive ability, the Donestre has no ability of growth or life cycle. It merely exists without any sign of growth or death.

Ecology and Habitats

The Donestre has basic humanoid needs like any person, but its ability to blend in with society grants it the ability to live anywhere. Donestre were originally spotted in relatively large numbers around Ragdale during and after the Ragdalian Genocide . Since then they have spread to every place on the continent per their own will, killing and incorporating with no clear reason as to why. Historians believe that the Donestre was the main cause of the genocide, although many others think the deaths were too sudden and quiet to be the work of Donestre.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

The face of a dog-like creature with a snout holding many sharp teeth

Average Intelligence

Highly Intelligent

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Donestre has been observed to have incredible hearing but a severe lack of eyesight. They are able to see much better in the dark than in the daytime, and don't seem to have much perception of color. Most Donestre have incredible sense of the world around them, as adopted by the souls that they incorporate into their body. This means an ability to feel movement around them (tremor sense), as well as auditory hearing and other senses of visualization. This, of course, all depends on the abilities of the incorporated souls that they hold.

Civilization and Culture

History

The Donestre appeared in Ragdale immediately after the Ragdalian Genocide . Nobody knows how or why they appeared, but it's clear that they have some connection to the genocide. After this they spread to many different locations around Crismalia, killing as they went. Throughout history they have gone fairly unnoticed by those who are not paying attention, and their historical appearances are brief and puzzling. The most significant of historic appearance was the Donestre's killing of a Nordalan provincial Lord in the year 645 P.D. which was labeled as the Murder of Lord Castidany. This drastic event brought the Donestre into the public eye, and made it a public danger, but this prevalence soon died down once again when the infrequent Donestre attacks slowed for the year. 
As far as is known by historians, a Donestre has never been killed and the number of unique Donestre alive is somewhere around 30-40.

Origin/Ancestry

Many Monstrologists believe the Donestre originated from the werewolf and vampire

Lifespan

Eternal

Conservation Status

Conservationists are attempting to drive the Donestre to extinction, rather than protect it. This is due to the Donestre being a product of black magic, and not naturally occurring. The Donestre's eternal lifespan renders it to be a major threat against humanity and civilizations - especially considering that it can live among people without being detected.

Average Height

9-12 ft

Average Weight

200-250

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Usually covered in brown short-fur, although sometimes black or grey

Geographic Distribution

• Crismalia