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Last week, I discussed the Shishi, pointing out how Americans get exposed only to western mythology. That’s not exactly true. We get only western European mythology. Nothing’s more west than America itself, and there are untapped storylines from pre-USA civilization right here on our continent, all of which are great for movies, RPGs, etc. Here’s a video from last week on native American folklore.

Of course, it just has to start with the wendigo, but that one has its own video on the same channel.

Characters like the deer woman are most fascinating to me. Much like the night hag from folklore and the 1st Edition D&D Monster Manual, the character’s threat arises as a reaction to bad behavior on the part of her target. In the context of a role-playing game, that’s the kind of story that writes itself. The PC behaves badly in a particular way, and the DM sends the appropriate monster to exact punishment. If the PC’s sin calls a creature far beyond their power level, that’s on them. (I know. Modern gamers don’t like to “lose D&D,” so you may have to power her down so there are no real consequences. *sigh*)

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