Louisiana Demon Toad

The River Queen

A monstrous freshwater toad that resides along the Mississippi River. It harnesses memetic properties, embedding itself as a deity to its sentient victims.

Anatomy

The River Queen's 12 feet tall (366cm~) body rises out of the murky waters. Its balloon-like body becomes a stone wall, blocking the moonlight on all it overshadows. Her skin is rough and coarse, light-catching all her intricate texture and grooves.
Her muscular limbs carry the colossal weight of her figure; thick like an oak tree and strong as a steel girder. Large scarring is visible on the left front leg.
Four rows of needle-like teeth furnish the interior of her mouth. Her unhinging jaw opens to a hollow pit that no light reaches.
Her tongue is prehensile. Allowing her to maneuver and manipulate the appendage to her will, using it as a grasping tool. Wrapping its tongue around its victim and applying tight pressure until the prey either has its body broken or asphyxiated. Its strength has strangled alligators and crushed turtle shells.
The Louisiana Demon Toad has two sets of eyes illuminating a yellow pigment. Her presence is often noticed whenever fishermen see the sunken yellow eyes below the waters.
On her back is a cluster of colorless orbs that pulsate with the Demon Toad's heartbeat. Her offspring.
She's rarely seen outside of the river, often half submerged in the waters with her head prowling like an alligator.

Behavior

The River Queen is infamous for her sadistic strategy to embed herself into the minds of humans in the form of a deity.
Accomplished by using memetic properties to invade the dreams of sleeping victims. The Louisiana Demon Toad will project itself as a divine idol of indigenous origin that will lead its followers to a great haven. It's believed the mind is at its most vulnerable when entering REM sleep, allowing the creature to manipulate the mind with no restraint.
This occurs for many nights until residents begin to form a community based on the figure they saw. Developing a mass following to the creature. Resulting in an indoctrinated army that grows with every sermon spread.
This method tends to work well with easily susceptible and low-intelligent humans; often settlements residing next to the Mississippi River. Strong-minded individuals will show resistants to the memetic powers. The Louisiana Demon Toad can also manipulate individuals outside of dreams. Yet, will find a less success rate if victims are aware of the creature's capabilities.
The Louisiana Demon Toad has gifted adjacent settlements of the river bundles of fish and food it has hunted within. This behavior reinforces the benevolent deity image of 'The River Queen' its followers adore.
The true intentions of the creature are still unknown. But expert Crypto-Anamologists hypothesize the creature to have a 'god-complex'. Wishing to spread its dogma to the country like a virus.
Other researchers suggest the idea of the Demon Toad using her followers as cattle. Plumping them up with food to one day consume the lot. With the intention to feed and birth the next generation of Demon Toads.

History

-Indigenous Origin

The Louisiana Demon Toad's earliest known sighting dates back before European colonization with the many tribal communities of Native Americans
The Ojibwe people believed the creature to be Manidoo Ziibi (Spirit of the River an ancient spirit that roams down the Mississippi, only revealing itself to distraught tribes for aid. Manidoo Ziibi manifests herself as a beautiful native woman wearing an extensively long white dress. She arises from the water and bestows the many bounties of the river onto her people.
Some native tribes worshipped the toad as a spirit that brings good wealth and food. Leaving a stockpile of food to offer the spirit will allow more bountiful harvests, fishing, and hunts to yield more with each passing year.
Some tribes further along the river, such as the Chickasaws, saw past the creature's clever disguise. Witnessing the true behemoth of horror that warps the world around it. The war tribe attempted to hunt the creature to no avail.

-Colonial Origin

Early settlers began colonizing the river banks of the Mississippi. It didn't take long until settles began to witness the anomalies of the River Queen's presence
The first early reports of the creature began in Louisiana in 1843, with many newspapers running stories on a 'large alligator that lurks in the murky river, overturning any boats in its path'. The term Louisiana Demon Toad was officiated by local Hunt Wardens gaining statements from witnesses. Though not fully witnessed by officials, The Louisiana Demon Toad was categorized in the DSA Bestiary Logs as a potential '5B Cryptid'. As years flew past, so too has the number of sightings of the Demon Toad across the length of the Mississippi River.
River towns began establishing across the Mississippi River. The river provided large yields of fish, however, overfishing became a major issue. The large amounts of fishermen and settlements around the river tipped the balance of the ecosystem, resulting in food shortages during winter. Some towns were able to persevere through the trying times while others resulted in a more askew approach. Learning from former native owners of the land, these migrants began following customs to appease Manidoo Ziibi, offering their remaining food supplies to the spirit. Seeing the river spirit in their sleep, the village folk were greeted by piles of fish beached on the river banks.
Thus beginning the mutual relationship between man and spirit...
In their sleep, villagers would occasionally receive messages from the spirit, bringing worth wisdom and commands for them to follow for further appeasement. This led to a subconscious community forming with many villages who also interacted with the river spirit, some even hundreds of miles away.
These native customs were adapted to a more modern audience, forming 'The Church of the River Queen' in 1845, originating in Arkansas. During the same year, The DSA updated the category of the Louisiana Demon Toad to a 4C Mantis, after first-hand encounters were reported between Trappers and the beast.

Reproduction

The mating rituals of a Louisiana Demon Toad have not been documented, as only one living specimen has been recorded. This is not uncommon amongst Cryptids and Beasts; as most of these monsters are created through supernatural or anomalous means.
However, the Demon Toad carries a nest of eggs on her back, suggesting fertilized eggs are present. A second Demon Toad of male origin is unconfirmed, leading to theories of asexual reproduction.
Documenting the behavior of the Louisiana Demon Toad points towards the theory that this creature may consume food to give nutrients to the eggs until they finally hatch.

Dietary needs

The creature is a predatory carnivore, dominating the river as an apex hunter. It consumes all in the ecosystem; Fish, Eels, Alligators, and even in some reports, Humans.
The Demon Toad's large caloric intake is often speculated to be used for hibernation practices, similar to bears for upcoming winter. As the Demon Toad is often sighted seasonally excluding Spring.

Hunting a Louisiana Demon Toad

At the time of this entry, no Louisiana Demon Toad has been reported to be neutralized. Its elusive nature and strong description prove difficult for even the most experienced Trappers in the region. There have been recorded conflicts with the creature, but no guaranteed weakness is located or taken advantage of.
Not only the threat of the River Queen but her loyal subjects as well. After all, It's hard to get to the Queen when there's an army between you.
Due to the large religious foundation known as 'The Church of the River Queen', the creature or spirit is considered sacred and is often defended by loyal followers. Militias have been orchestrated around the Mississippi River to protect their deity, and often visitors to towns are antagonized. Additionally, the River Queen's memetic properties allow her followers to be channeled and alerted to any dangers she is facing, like a subjective hive mind.
In recent years, Trapper scouts located around the Mississippi River have noted the appearance of egg sacks on the River Queen's back. These eggs rest between the outer skin of the creature and its muscular system that's inflated with a type of mucus it secretes.
A possible exposed weakness? Only one way to be certain...

"Her call to us in our sleep awakens us not from false dreams but the false reality we have been sedated to all these years."

- Fellow Memeber of the Church of the River Queen

Category
4C Mantis
Height
12' (366cm~)
Weight
4200lb (2.1 tons~)
Pseudonyms
The River Queen, Manidoo Ziibi (Ojibwe for 'Spirit of the River'), The Mother of Gifts

Habitat

Found prowling along the Mississippi River, The Lousiana Demon Toad often submerges herself in the waters for easy navigation.
It's rare for her to emerge out of the river, only when hunting land mammals that rest near the river banks.
Popping up in various locations:

-Mississippi River

• Minnesota
• Wisconsin
• Iowa
• Illinois
• Missouri
• Kentucky
• Tennessee
• Arkansas
• Mississippi
• Louisiana

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