The Grinwolf

ENTITY FILE: GRINWOLF

Overview
Grinwolves are apex predators of the Briar Reaches, exhibiting psychological hunting behaviours that make them especially dangerous to emotionally compromised targets. These deer-shaped entities are not true animals, but semi-sentient forest constructs shaped by fear and mimicry. Their wide, human-like grins do not move—even when they speak. They are always grinning.

Grinwolves stalk those who carry deep, unresolved fears. Victims report hearing the laughter of children or voices of loved ones shortly before vanishing.

They are not wolves.
They are memories, sharpened into teeth.

Appearance

• Size: Approximately 6–8 ft at the shoulder. Tall as a horse, but much leaner.
• Colour: Patchy grey and auburn fur with thorns entangled in the hide.
• Antlers: Sweep backwards like dead branches. Covered in tiny cuts from their own motion.
• Teeth: Too many. Always visible. Impossibly clean.
• Eyes: No pupils. Deep black with a glassy shine. Reflect your worst memory.
• Gait: Quiet. Movements are jerky when seen, but they can vanish between blinks.

Behaviour and Abilities

• Lurespeak: Mimics voices of trusted people from the victim’s past—particularly when the person was afraid or comforting.
• Fear Scenting: Tracks unresolved fears like a bloodhound. The more you repress, the faster it finds you.
• Path-Bending: Trails they leave are stable until someone follows them—then the paths shift or vanish entirely.

Signs of Presence

• Laughter echoing in daylight forests.
• Sudden memories of old terrors.
• Trails that do not lead back the way they came.

Folklore and Signs

• “The Grin That Found Me”: Many who survive encounters speak of the smile they could feel watching them before they saw it.
• Children’s Rhymes in forest-bordering villages warn, “Smile when you’re scared, or the Grinwolf will grin for you.”

Effect on Earth and Human Minds

• Mild Exposure: Unease, paranoia, auditory hallucinations of familiar voices.
• Prolonged Exposure: Repressed memories surfacing as waking visions. Some victims run into roads or vanish into wooded areas.
• Long-Term Contact: Permanent dissociation, memory loops, or disappearance.

Summary for Field Operatives

Trait	Detail
Threat Level	High. Predatory, manipulative, semi-intelligent.
Signs of Presence	Laughter, familiar voices, paths that shift or vanish.
Containment Risk	Very High. Cannot be trapped by traditional means.
Engagement Advice	DO NOT engage alone. Emotional regulation critical.
	Use fear-dampening charms and memory anchors.
	Avoid following any forest trail that feels ‘too safe’.

Quote from Field Report #302:

“It knew my mum’s voice. Said ‘Come here, pet.’ I knew she was dead. But I almost followed anyway. If Jones hadn’t grabbed my coat—I think I’d still be walking.”
—FDG Audio Diary, Operative L., Farshollow Incident