Each-Bàidh (ɛx paːj)

"As an example of my thesis, examine the Each-Bàidh that terrorizes the Selkies to the north of Ynys. This beast clearly was altered by the collision of several mythological structures, some native to this world and dating back to before our arrival, others imported with the human population, and some unique to the marine lifestyle of the Selkies. It combines aspects of a marine reptile, an orca, and a horse to become a nightmare predator that specializes on humanoid prey. If this syncretization can happen by accident, imagine what we might create once we control the relevant processes." - excerpt from the lab journal of Fulmen, around the time he first established his Bestarium.

Among the Dòbhran Selkies of the Arcaibh Islands, there is no creature more feared than the Each-Bàidh. Weighing over two thousand pounds and standing as large as a horse, it is strong, fast, and lethal. It is faster than a Selkie in the water and on land, although it will never stray out of sight of the ocean. In the dialect of Eileanach spoken by the Dòbhran, its name translates to 'Doom-Horse'.

An Ambush Predator

The Each-Bàidh will often lurk in shallow waters near the shore, only to explode out of the tide when a person comes too close. It is also known to hide near the Dòbhran barges, swimming too deep to be easily seen and waiting for one of the Selkies to enter the water, snatching them and then swimming down to devour their victim undisturbed. Sometimes, it will be able to repeat this several times before the Selkies realize what is happening.

Modified by Myth

Those who have studied the Each-Bàidh believe that it has been extensively transformed by the Egregoric Force. Old stories from before humans or selkies came to the Arcaibh Islands describe an animal that was much more like other marine reptiles, who had no particular interest in sophonts over other prey. Only when the humans, and later the Selkies, appeared did the stories begin to shift. First, the reptile became conflated with a human myth of the water horse, and began to develop more equine characteristics and to haunt deserted stretches of shoreline. Later, after the Selkies were created, it became associated with the orca, the most deadly natural predator the Selkies encountered. Over centuries, stories were told about the monster, embellishing its legend and adding more details to terrify the listeners. Generations of humans and selkies believed in the aggregate creature which hunted them, and this belief was able to create the creature we see today.

Librarian's Note - Shapeshifter?

Many stories of the Each-Bàidh include the idea that this monster is able to appear as a human or Selkie when it wishes, luring its prey close before transforming into its beastly form to attack. It's a common element in many tales of semi-aquatic predators in the Great Ring, of which the Each-Bàidh is only one. However, I do not think these stories are actually about the monsters they claim to be. After drawing these many tales together, I have come to believe that there is a different hunter responsible, one that can adopt many forms and will use whatever terrifying predator strikes their fancy at the time. Who or what this shapeshifting creature may be is undetermined, but it it likely far more dangerous than the Each-Bàidh.

Monsters out of Story

The Each-Bàidh is not the only creature modified by the legends around it. The process is rare, as it demands a lot of cumulative belief and attention, but in almost every culture there is some legend that has seized the imagination sufficiently to create a living version. The Clarati sorcerer Fulmen experimented extensively with this process to create monsters such as the Dungeon Squirrels. It's not clear what causes one legend to become a focus of such focus while others do not, but once the process begins it does tend to become self-sustaining as encounters with the monster reinforce the myth. Another example of this process is the Akatake, the murderous bamboo stand of Kojima. You can read more about the Akatake here.