Mapinguari

The Mapinguari is a spirit as old as the rainforest itself. Their conscience was born while the gods still walked the Earth to shape its rivers and raise its forests, but their physical body was only conceived when said gods breathed life into the lungs of ancient beasts. Despite their sheer size, enormous strength and monstrous appearance, the cyclops is extremely docile and kind natured, often accompanied by xapiri - lesser forest spirits - looking for shelter on their long, lush white fur.

When the gods took notice of the creature born from their smithing of the Earth, an amalgamation of their leftover primordial energy embedded with both their glories and sins, they decided to take the Mapinguari with them to the Eiyemã to bask on the forests of the paradise. Despite the huge mouth on their belly, the Mapinguari nourishes themselves by filtering energy that flows on the forest of the mortal plane - this includes the leftover vital energy dispersed by living beings and organic matter, kinetic energy from the waterfalls and river flows, solar energy collected through chlorophyll, soil nutrients from the tree roots, condensation of the rainforest and unfortunately, littering as well.

When humans began reaching the Eiyemã by spying on and using the same methods as encantado folk, the gods appointed Mapinguari as the guardian of the gates to scare off invaders. But, as it seems inherent to all gods to underestimate human cunningness, braver men and women often tricked the Mapinguari and managed to sneak into the encantado realms anyways - only to, more often than not, fall straight into the Eiyemã’s second line of defense: the forest maze of illusions created by the tenacious Kaipora, the guardian of all fauna.

Seeing how Mapinguari is still mostly a beast, Kaipora has bonded with them in a friendship that has been lasting for ages. Unfortunately due to said beastliness, Mapinguari are just as susceptible as any other animal to the rise of anga sublimation: the natural occurrence that involves nefarious energy passing from the mortal plane to the Eiymã, responsible for the berserking of the creatures that live there. Kaipora has been afraid of his old friend ever being possessed by an anga abscess (a large amalgamation of nefarious energy) and being driven to madness. Such an event will certainly bring disaster and doom to the Eiyemã, and with Mapinguari behaving as strangely as they have in recent years, this possibility can’t be easily discarded as the rulers of the encantado haven would like it to be…