Monster of the Week: The Smiling Men

Monster of the Week, March 10, 2020

Same stuff as last week, only different.

The Smiling Men

The Smiling Men are devotees of the King in Yellow, creatures who served in his court as courtiers and advisors. He has also sent them out to other worlds as his heralds and messengers.

The Smiling Men are silent and faceless except for their great, smiling mouths. They dress in formal clothing appropriate to the place where they are found. Their flesh is pale, moist, and waxy, like fat worms in a corpse. Their teeth are huge, white, and square. Their bodies are thin and tall, with long limbs, short torsos, and long fingers ending in thick, sharp, brown sails.

Where necessary, they use their physical prowess to hunt and destroy the King's enemies. Their claws and teeth inflict terrible wounds while their flesh survives all but the most terrible wounds. Their unnatural appearance strikes fear in most mortals

The Smiling Men bear texts to help open the way for the coming of the King: forbidden books of magic, copies of the play The King in Yellow, and magical items that spread faith and devotion to the King to many worlds.

Smiling Men move in jerky, inelegant steps that seem to be impossible for a creature with bones. Despite their lack of bones, the Smiling Men are very strong and very tough, resistant to blows of all sorts.

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