BUNYIPS
Bunyips are, according to the Unseelie Accords, Trolls – and are loyal to King Dovregubbens (when they remember that he exists). They signed on as Trolls because Bunyips have the sacred duty of preventing children from drowning in billabongs.
However, eviscerating the child is considered an acceptable way of preventing a drowning.
Any time a child drowns in Australian waterways (not the ocean though), the Fae Knights of both Courts go on a rampage 'punishing' the Bunyips, so the Bunyips will literally do anything to prevent a child drowning. Inspiring a healthy terror of the water is their primary strategy. The bite marks of a Bunyip appear the same as those as any predator that lurks in their water way; mostly commonly a crocodile – either Salt or Fresh – but also pig or dog.
Unfortunately, the right to take naughty children does not let them deal with negligent parents, so the Bunyips have close contacts with child protection agencies and charities, and some work in these agencies.
The typical response of a Bunyip to finding a drowned child is to eat the body and then shape shift to replace the child; sometimes arranging their 'death' shortly later, sometimes simply shifting to have the Living Dead Power plus some acceptable cause of death; othertimes simply replacing the child and growing up in mortal society. These Bunyips are the ones most likely to have a role in mortal society.
The known shapeshifting abilities of Bunyips makes them the preferred fall guys for all sorts of villains – if a Faerie has been witnessed doing something they wish to deny, they will typically cast a glamour of themselves turning into a Bunyip and slipping into the water in front of a convenient audience: more than one Bunyip has been lynched thanks to this trick.
Bunyips enter the Never Never via the muddy bottoms of Australian waterway; preferred entrances will be 'defended' with broken glass, barbed wire, bed springs and so on. Within the Never Never, the Bunyips have a wide realm of linked lakes; some subterranean, some on the surface, some floating the air: but in the sky their old enemy Tiddalik the frog is nailed to the roof by the drill bits of mortal water boring machines.
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A new born Bunyip has True Shapeshifting and Modular Abilites, but any Power or Skill used repeatedly will 'stick' and have to be paid for – with Form Points. These changes can turn the child into almost anything – including a Seelie! However a Bunyip's parents will encourage the child to be a Bunyip; for starters the child will not be allowed out of their home until they are Aquatic. The vast majority of Bunyip children become Bunyips; to reflect this, the base 2 points for Modular Abilities can only be spent towards Bunyip powers.
Musts:
A Bunyip must have a Trouble linked to their Bunyip nature; at the very least their obligation to prevent drownings, but often mistaken identities or nemeses determined to avenge a child.
A fully grown Bunyip will have:
[-1] Aquatic
[-1] Beast Change (to the local water predator). The oldest Bunyips will refuse to travel, finding changing to an unfamiliar creature distasteful. Younger Bunyips will still have True Shapeshifting [-4].
[-1] Claws
[-1] Emotional Vampire (Bravado) While they cannot feed on True Courage, anyone taking pointless risks is a potential meal. Note that rescuing a child from the Bunyip is always True Courage - much to the Bunyip's disgust (why didn't they rescue the child before it started drowning, hmm? Stupid mortals).
[-1] Incite Emotion (Fear) and older Bunyips have [-1] At Range.
Bunyips will frequently have Toughness and Recovery Powers; the Catch is always Cold Iron [+3]. If the Bunyip Hulking Size[-1], they will also have Human Form [+1] linked to both the Size and Claws. Bunyips with Diminutive Size[-1] are more likely to also have a Flesh Mask [-1]. Since the Bunyip chooses their other powers, even if inadvertently, these can vary wildly, and depend on the refresh level of the game.
