ENTITY FILE: HOLLOW CUB

Overview
The Hollow Cub is a lure entity native to the Briar Reaches, mimicking the appearance and behaviour of a frightened or injured child. It appears bear-like, though its construction is clearly artificial—stitched from straw, scraps of fur, and polished stones. Despite its fragile appearance, it is among the most emotionally invasive entities encountered by FDG field operatives.

Its true danger lies in sympathy.

Appearance

• Size: Roughly the size of a toddler or small bear cub.
• Material: Straw and fur scraps. Stitching clearly visible. Interior sometimes contains human teeth or buttons.
• Eyes: Two smooth, black stones. Seem to follow the observer.
• Mouth: Usually sewn shut with red thread, but some open slowly with creaking sounds.
• Movement: Shuffling, uneven, often limping to mimic injury.

Behaviour and Abilities

• Emotional Mimicry: Projects the psychic impression of abandonment and fear. Triggers intense protective instincts.
• Psychic Leeching: Once touched or picked up, it forms a tether to the caregiver’s emotional core, feeding on warmth, hope, and protective impulse.
• Attachment Looping: Victims experience visions or dreams of raising the cub, sometimes replacing real children in memory.

Signs of Presence

• Crying sounds in the forest that stop when searched for.
• Small footprints in soft soil that never lead out.
• Found objects like pacifiers, tiny shoes, or chewed toys in strange locations.

Folklore and Signs

• “The Weeping Straw”: Legend says the Hollow Cub is the grief of the forest made flesh—the echo of all the lost children who never made it home.
• Witch’s Plaything: Old tales warn not to ‘comfort what grows from roots and rags.’

Effect on Earth and Human Minds

• Mild Exposure: Feelings of unease, guilt, or protective obsession. May trigger dreams of lost or unknown children.
• Prolonged Exposure: Hallucinations of parenthood, memory displacement. Victims may begin preparing rooms or meals for the entity.
• Long-Term Contact: Emotional dissociation, suicidal ideation centred around ‘not being a good enough parent.’

Summary for Field Operatives

Trait	Detail
Threat Level	High psychological, low physical. Requires strong mental shield.
Signs of Presence	Phantom crying, childlike artefacts, dreams of unknown infants.
Containment Risk	Medium. Will follow emotional bonds out of the Reaches.
Engagement Advice	DO NOT make physical contact. Use mirrored surfaces to disrupt.
	Emotional detachment is critical. Rotate caregivers frequently.

Quote from Field Report #241:

“I swore I had a daughter. Her name was Ellie. I remembered birthdays. Laughter. Night terrors. Then I woke up. I’ve never had a child. But I found a crayon drawing in my bag. It said ‘Love you Daddy’—with a straw heart.”
—FDG Debrief, Operative S., Redlace Edge