Dougal

truly, more of a fey than a ghost. dougal surfaced one day as a powerful entity, gaining his power from the unseelie court and the arcane energy from wickerman rituals. the roots of a light-fearing seed spread far and wide through the soil of agricultural fields, until one day sprouting from the ground a fully formed humanoid. it was the early medieval times back then, and dougal’s sudden appearance caused fright among the rural population. distressed farmers sought to burn it, but he seemed to keep standing. others sought to worship him, in a way, and revered him in exchange for favors. and thus, his ”game” was born.

as an entity, dougal is dangerous, but keeps to his word. he respects those that participate in his ritual, and rewards them accordingly. those that fail to complete his tasks, however, meet a not-so-lucky fate. dougal is trailed constantly by the ghosts of previous participants, who appear to have suffered the same fate as he in his early years. skeletal, charred humans watch from the sidelines as participants frantically complete the ritual, there to serve as referees. there rests a deep malice within them, but worry not. they do not have the authority to harm.

dougal, however, does.

those who complete the ritual dougal beholds favorably, and he will often linger a few years around those that do. he works as a powerful deterrent against disease and misfortune, something his unsettling appearance may not suggest. he may be chatty, capricious, and snarky, perhaps. whether you’d like to keep him around as a friend however, is entirely up to you.