Hilfe-Mir
Summary
"Where's Kanda?" "Gone." "Yeah, where?" "No, gone, gone." "Why? There's someone who needs help out there." "Yeah, she went out there." "Listen! She needs our help too!" "Yeah. Listen. She's saying it the same way the other guy is. Kanda don't talk that way." "What?" "Kanda's gone, and you will be too if you go out there."Often considered the most common type of Forlorn, the Hilfe-Mir is a crash course into learning what 'caution' truly means. Its defining characteristic is how it calls out, specifically conveying the meaning of 'help me'. Its draconic manner of speech ensures anyone who hears it will, regardless of language, understand intimately the panic, fear, and desperation of someone truly wishing to be saved. It is this proverbial hook that serves as the bait for its victims. Drawn to the haunting cries of the Hilfe-Mir, people go off the certain and known paths, and into darker, unknown ones. No matter where, they find themselves in places familiar, yet strange, and ever more twisted. It's unclear if its a type of dimensional or cognitive manipulation, as the Hilfe-Mir's abilities are not well understood. Either way, the perception of such uncertainty is a clear warning sign of having fallen into the Hilfe-Mir's trap. Few, however, possess the clarity of mind to realize this. Generally, the Hilfe-Mir will be hidden in some form, using objects, scenery, or simplistic illusions to disguise its 'true' body. Closets, chests, boxes, bush thickets, and the like are the most recorded means of hiding. In general, it needs something around a 'person's' size, which can mean anything between four-to-ten feet in height. When one finally encounters the Hilfe-Mir directly, that is their last opportunity to escape. If they 'open' whatever it hides within, or reach 'through' a veil its behind, or any manner of coming into contact with it, they will be overcome by the Hilfe-Mir. The 'attack' is described in terms like harm, force, or brutality, but the Hilfe-Mir is not truly 'attacking'. It is attaching itself to its next victim, and they become apart of it; another voice crying out for help. In a sense, it is more like some paradoxical trap than an animal or being trying to inflict 'violence'. As a rule, the Hilfe-Mir cannot do anything until it is touched by others, no matter how it moves or gets closer. So long as one is perfectly still, or able to move around it, the Hilfe-Mir is effectively 'harmless'. However, it is not stupid; it will move in such a way as to force someone to touch it 'by accident'. They only start moving proactively once their cover is blown, but their next victim hasn't touched them. How well the Hilfe-Mir can 'chase' someone down is a matter of contention. Their disjointed and bizarre bodies have difficulty moving coherently, and it's more like each part of them acts separately from the others. Bound by the limitations of a humanoid form, it can get stuck on doors, half-walls, and other obstacles that most able-bodied people can get around. As such, they tend to get frustrated or stuck fairly regularly. Once that happens, the Hilfe-Mir will go about hiding itself once again. They never show any interest or concern in the fact they've been discovered, and merely lay the bait for their trap again. Depending on the specifics, this can make certain Hilfe-Mir easier to capture than others. There is no known way to destroy them, but wrapping them in sanctified cloth blessed by a divine power can serve as a prison. In such a state, though they writhe and cry for help as ever, they're completely harmless. Most Hilfe-Mir who end up captured are dropped at mineshafts and sent deep into the veltron, and hopefully never seen again. Those who know better know they're only delaying the inevitable. Incidentally, the Hilfe-Mir are often called in common vernacular as 'mimic', though there are several creatures and beings who fall under that moniker.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Hilfe-Mir's true body is humanoid in shape, insofar as having a head, torso, two arms, and two legs. This definition is rather flexible, however, as it can contort and manipulate itself into disturbing shapes and forms with some ease. It never truly breaks its humanoid form, which puts definitive limits on its capabilities. In that respect, it bears some similarities with slimes, but not to their degree.
What it actually looks like is ... difficult, to capture.
Initial reports confused it for some kind of lauraume, as its humanoid form appeared 'twisting' and 'churning' with a wood-like grain. However, an uncanny visual phenomena occurs around the Hilfe-Mir: the 'edges' of its form appear stable and solid, but anything 'internal' shifts and churns, either as it moves, or those observing themselves move around. Presumably a type of motion-based illusion, though one rooted in physical principles.
Many first-hand accounts confused a Hilfe-Mir for some kind of magical doorway or portal, but to some inscrutable place. The overwhelming sensation of 'going through' preoccupied their minds, like an invitation they knew they had to accept. This manner of compulsion is not controlling, but it is not based in magic, either. How or why the Hilfe-Mir is able to do this remains unclear, but the threat of making contact is believed to be lethal.
The coloration and texture of each Hilfe-Mir is relatively distinct, giving them a sort of visual fingerprint. The more victims the Hilfe-Mir 'joins' with, the more detailed its bizarre 'skin' textures become. Different limbs, organs, and faces can be seen bulging out of its body, pressing against its 'flesh' like a layer of sheet bedding, offering an impression of what they were. The faces of its victims, at least, appear to coincide with the 'voices' it tries to imitate, as they 'speak' when it cries out for help.
Biological Traits
Joining – Those who touch the Hilfe-Mir are touched in turn, creating a bridge between it and them. The more the bridge builds, the more they and it join together; the more one becomes more, and more become many.
Indestructible – Hilfe-Mir cannot be physically, magically, or metacognitively harmed in any discernible manner.
Geographic Distribution
Comments