Syren

On certain remote coasts and islets of Alwaus, haunting songs draw sailors to their doom, their boats and ships dashed on the rocks. The men and women who perish in the impact or drown swiftly are the fortunate ones, for those survivors who wash ashore or climb upon the rocks become living prey for the syrenne—twisted creatures combining the features of humans and fish. The hypnotic song of these creatures is unique, with qualities of both birdsong and the most beautiful human voices. Few can resist the lure of the Syrenne’s song, and those who succumb find themselves compelled to seek its source, and helpless to defend themselves against the sirens’ attack. Syrenne are intelligent, but are completely without mercy or care. These cannibalistic monsters see humans and other intelligent races as nothing more than food, yet they prefer to inflict as much misery as possible on their prey. Syrenne are as spiteful as they are craven, quick to flee should their victims fight back, but equally quick to return when they believe their prey to be vulnerable once more. In some rare cases, sirens have been known to pursue victims who escape back to outposts of civilization - only to drag them back into the cold of sea when they thought themselves safe.