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Astral...Thing — Description

Reports have been few and scattered. Encounters are short, the information gathered shorter, the list of survivors even more so. There are brief sightings, but they are everywhere, and that in itself is terrifying. Seen on multiple continents, yet the Academy is certain there is only one. Spotted in the golden lands one day, then later found the Land of Smoke and Spice the next. How does it move so fast? Especially when observations make note of its utterly bizarre mannerisms. It seems to hang in the air more than fly, and its wings don't often flap in synchronization with each other. Perhaps that is what makes it so unsettling, for there are many things about it that feel familiar, yet it is all just....wrong.
First reports had suspicions that it was a Fluchgeier, a monstrous vulture species that is known for its large size and predatory ways. It certainly looked like a vulture in certain aspects, but further observations would find that things still don't line up. Fluchgeiers are big, but this thing was bigger. Some claim that it was big as a battleship, its form practically blotting out the sun. Its visage also didn't fully match with the species, with notes that it is more distorted or "exaggerated." Its flight was awkward, its speed inconsistent. At times it would move so fast that it was practically teleporting, but then it crawls through the air at a sluggish pace impossible to maintain with conventional flight. Sometimes its wings don't even flap right, its body drooping and head flopping in odd ways. Its a thing that looks like a bird, yet seems to be struggling to actually act like one.
If that was all there was to it, just a strange awkward vulture, than things would be rather fine. Unfortunately, this hanging thing isn't always passive. Most sightings have it suddenly soar overhead from out of nowhere, then disappearing just as sudden as it appeared. But in rare cases, the thing has chosen to interact with the terrestrial world below. Swooping down into herds of beasts to fill its talons with squirming livestock. Attacking trade caravans to carry an entire cart off into the sky. "Landing" atop of villages in clumsy fashion, its weight and wings dropping down listlessly as it crushes homes beneath its bulk. It appears to eat and drink, consuming vast amounts in crude, messy ways before vanishing. Every encounter like this ends in destruction and death, either collateral or purposeful.
At such a size, a mere beating of its wings can unleash powerful gales to blow homes to pieces and send people flying. Its talons rip through anything they tear at, yet the cuts are far too clean. Cauterized remains from each slice propose some kind of energeiai at work, carving through matter like a bile cutter. Its beak is just the same, crunching down with destructive force, swallowing anything, no matter how inedible. But there appears to be something more to this "bird," as its attacks cause bizarre damage to the area, while the few skirmishes against it reveal strange powers.
An Academy settlement was once attacked by this....thing. Seeing it swoop down overhead, the call to arms was made. Archers loosed their bows, cannons open fired, and even a squad of flying Dracomaton was activated. With such a massive target, there was no way to miss. Yet, not a single one of these missiles would reach the bird. As the deadly rain of projectiles screamed towards the creature, it extended its wings like a sunbathing vulture and let out a piercing shriek. The air around it would suddenly flash a blinding purple, and all shots were reduced to ash. Even the Dracomaton were sent tumbling to the ground, their bodies burnt and broken beyond all repair. Folks were dumbfounded by what they saw, but they readied their weapons once more. This time, the entity was flying closer to the settlement when they fired upon it, and it screamed again. At such proximity, the effect was felt much more strongly. Not only did the arrows fizzle out, but several structures below the creature would burn and explode in an instant. People on the streets nearby were vaporized, while others felt a rush of strange energeiai blast through them. All efforts to fight back ended at that moment, many of the archers burned and sickened by this bizarre force. The creature would devour the market, then raise straight up into the air and vanish. No one knew what to make of it. But the Academy would soon develop an idea.
Astrologers would rush to the site of the attack and begin testing. Survivors of the incident were suffering debilitating sickness, while many others closer to the screaming bird already perished. The researchers would note that such effects were quite similar to what Starspawn Gamma exuded, an unseen aura of poison that degraded the body from the inside. Looking at the wreckage of the buildings, they would note a clean shape carved into them, something that resembled the bottom half of a sphere. This led to the theory that this "bird" was tied to Pwdre Ser, and had the ability to unleash a "burst" of Pwdre Ser energeiai. When threatened, it could create a perfect sphere around it made of this destructive force, annihilating anything that was caught in it. The buildings and people below it had been in range, and thus were snuffed out in an instant. The reaction from such a pulse created this poisonous energeiai that washed outward and affected those in the surrounding area. This allowed the entity to protect itself from all attacks, as long as it was aware to emit its destructive shield. With such a strong tie to Pwdre Ser, folks immediately called for the classification of "Astral Form," but there is one hang up. Astral Forms are the rare result of native wildlife being exposed to Pwdre Ser and mutating into strange monsters. While this thing looked to be the result of a vulture undergoing the process, Astrologers are not entirely sure that its origins are of mortal flesh.
While other Astral Forms are just as monstrous and dangerous, there is still something biological about their ways and behavior. A part of the animal still remains. Yet, this...thing doesn't seem to be remembering, but imitating. Its movements are too awkward and impossible for what it is supposed to be doing, its own actions not making a lot of sense. Though it does seem to eat and drink, the space between such feedings are entirely random. Some targets that would offer little food are taken out, while nearby fields full of meaty animals are ignored. At times it sloppily drinks from a lake as if it was dying of thirst, but then months would go by without it ever doing that again. Then there are those who succeeded in hitting the monster, when sly defenders were capable of letting off a stealthy shot. Ambushing archers or a silent missile, each one nailing the creature before it could emit its pulse. But then...nothing happened. Arrows would rip through its wings, explosives would take out a chunk of feathers, yet the vulture didn't react in the slightest. It kept going on as normal, as if it didn't feel a thing. The only reaction came from a missed shot, when a cannon misfired. its attack flew well over the target, but then exploded midair. At that moment, the thing let out a gargled caw and then one of its wings flopped down. The limb hung as if its tendons had been severed, but it hadn't been hit at all. Even then, the bird did not fall out of the air, it just now hung in a tilted position. It would, however, make a retreat, somehow flying away to recover from this "wound."
With these notes, the Astrologers are not confident in calling it an Astral Form, for it does not seem to be born from our wildlife. In fact, they think it may be more of a Starspawn, an entity made entirely from the star jelly. The thought is that it is not a mutated animal, but a spawn that is trying to pretend to be one. Something that has observed vultures and other birds, and is doing a poor job imitating it. If that is the case, than its biology is far more bizarre, and the way to destroy it calls for something more unconventional. Unfortunately, it will be some time before mankind can kill this thing, because one has to track it down first. Its appearances are rare and erratic, with no telling where it will pop up next. It seems to drop out of the heavens rather than fly, thus coordinating an attack will be difficult. All skirmishes last just a few minutes, and the death toll can be quite high if it emits a pulse too close to the forces. As for now, we can only plan and prepare. And keep our eyes on the skies...
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Starspawn Seetee, or also known as LA CA-CAHN-YA! (Though no one needs a hint for this one)
And so we come to the end of the spooky month where I take movie monsters and turn them into Fall of Ichor beasts! Were you able to guess them all? How well do you know your movie monsters? Some were certainly more obvious than others, but it was still a lot of fun!