The Tenome – a Pale Creature

The Tenome was created for Monster Mash Jam. The prompt was to pick a favorite monster movie and write up any content for MÖRK BORG.

Inspiration was taken from Pan’s Labyrinth, a 2006 film by Guillermo del Toro, and the Pale Man. The Pale Man is based on the Tenome (手の目, "eyes of hand", or rather "hand eyes"), a figure in Japanese Mythology (Yokai).

These grotesque and alienate creatures are truly malicious and predatory. They resemble scrawny old blind men with no visible eyeballs in their face, but eye sockets in the palm of their hands instead. While they don't have the best vision, they have an extraordinary sense of smell and are surprisingly quick on their feet – there's no chance of escape. Tenomes are comparable to vampires, but instead of feeding on blood, they suck out human bones, leaving behind nothing more but a worthless pile of skin. They are victims of an ancient curse and believed to be diseased oracles, whose right hand-eye can look into the past and their left hand-eye can look into the future.

You can let your players encounter random Tenomes roaming graveyards at night or recreate the movie scene of the Pale Man's lair. I've linked the mysterious figure and child thief Tergol with the Pale Man. Are your players just curious about old folk tales, do they seek an oracle, or are they after a valuable magic treasure? Let them discover Tergol's lair and run straight into the Pale Creature's deadly trap. Have them figure out themselves what the treasure is, what it does, and how to use it. Can they escape?

Tenome and Tergol's Lair is an independent production by hi_towie and is not affiliated with Ockult Örtmästare Games or Stockholm Kartell. It is published under the MÖRK BORG Third Party License.
MÖRK BORG is copyright Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell.