Grotesquerie - Cherub

Extract from the Catalogue of Afflicted Forms. The creature commonly called the Cherub is among the most unnatural of the lesser manifestations of the Hunger, being neither fully formed as a man nor wholly without resemblance to one. The name is given in bitter mockery, for these things drift through the air with a grotesque likeness to the painted infants of church ceilings, though no sight in the infected lands is further from innocence. In most observations the Cherub appears as a small, distended body, rounded and swollen with foul gas, the limbs stunted and the head oversized, as though the creature had never reached proper birth. It is widely believed that such forms arise from the corruption of unborn children within mothers taken by the Bacterium, the body of the child continuing its growth in death, but in a manner wholly monstrous. The flesh is thin, the skin stretched tight and darkened, and the creature emits a shrill whistling or crying sound as the vapours within escape in short bursts, driving it forward through the air. Unlike other Hunger, the Cherub is not bound to the ground, but drifts and bobs above it, carried by the foul gases that fill its body. For this reason it may approach from any direction, passing over obstacles that would hinder larger forms, and often appearing where the Living least expect it. General Description The Cherub is small in stature, seldom larger than a child, yet greatly swollen about the belly and chest, so that the limbs hang thin beneath a distended sack of flesh. The head is often large in proportion to the body, the mouth open, and the sound it produces resembles at once a cry and a whistle, as if the air within it were forced through a broken reed. The creature seldom walks. Instead it floats, rising and falling with an unsteady motion, and is carried forward in short, jerking bursts, as the gases within it shift and escape. When many are present, the air is filled with these sounds, and the effect is enough to disturb even those accustomed to the sight of the Hunger. Though each individual Cherub is slight, they are rarely found alone. Disposition and Behaviour The Cherub advances without fear and will drift directly toward the Living once roused. When near enough, the body swells further and ruptures, bursting apart in a discharge of foul vapour and fragments of bone and flesh, much in the manner of the larger creature known as the Bloat. The vapours released in this manner linger in the air and are known to sicken those who breathe them, causing burning of the throat and lungs, weakness of the limbs, and a creeping corruption of the blood. A single Cherub is seldom fatal, yet many bursting in quick succession may leave even a seasoned fighter unable to stand. The chief danger lies in their number. Encounters are often marked by the sudden appearance of many at once, rising from grass, reeds, or shallow water, until the Living find themselves surrounded before the cause is understood. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities The Cherub is exceedingly fragile. A single blow, shot, or even a firm strike with the butt of a weapon is often enough to rupture the body and end its motion. For this reason, they may be destroyed quickly when encountered in small numbers. Such destruction, however, does not prevent others from coming. In nearly every recorded instance where Cherubs appeared in great quantity, the source was found to be a larger form of corruption, called by common report the Womb. This creature is believed to be the remains of a woman who died in childbed while taken by the Bacterium. The belly is torn open and greatly distended, and from it the Cherubs are produced without cease, falling or drifting into the surrounding ground. These Wombs are most often found in shallow, stagnant water, or in marsh and reed-choked ground, where their presence may go unseen until the air is already thick with the lesser forms. The Womb is slow to move, but difficult to bring down by blows to the body alone. As with all known varieties, the surest means of ending it is the destruction of the head. Strikes delivered elsewhere may stagger the creature, but will not stop the spawning of Cherubs. Field Note When Cherubs appear in number, the Living are advised not to waste time upon them alone. Their destruction gives only momentary relief, for more will follow so long as the Womb endures. Search the water. Search the reeds. Search the low ground where the air hangs foul. Destroy the Womb, and the swarm will cease. Fail to find it, and the sky itself will seem to turn against you.