Krampus (The Horned Miser)

Krampus is a tall, goatlike humanoid with a pointed nose, swept-back horns, and hooved feet. His long, greasy tongue continually flickers out from his mouth, occasionally licking droplets of spittle from his dark brown fur. He wields a set of iron chains that act as an extension of his will. Krampus is never seen without a wicker basket draped over one shoulder, its bottom often stained with the blood of his victims. Krampus stands a little over 14 feet tall and weighs nearly 1,000 pounds.

Krampus's origin is unknown; residents of the small towns and villages he terrorizes in northern Irrisen believe the creature has always existed, coming forth once a year to punish those he deems wicked. While many legends have been told about Krampus's beginning, the most popular of them starts with a handful of mountain towns under the protection of a circle of druids. After a series of harsh winters that the townsfolk barely survived, they began to doubt the power of the druids and their rituals. As the villagers grew more resentful, the druid circle took drastic action. Under the light of a blue moon, the druids opened an imperfect portal to the primal realm of the fey and called forth the most powerful spiritual essence they could, and a new creature was born-Krampus. However, unknown to the druids, the portal had been corrupted by the villagers' bitter resentment and doubt. Instead of a central figure to lead them in winter celebrations, as they had hoped, the druids had spawned a monster who sought to punish those who had behaved selfishly during lean times.

Recognizing their error, the druids sought to banish their creation. They tracked Krampus down as he slept and shackled him in cold iron chains, hoping to subdue him and force him back to the First World. But Krampus was no fey, and cold iron held no power over him. When he awoke, he ripped the chains free, claimed them as his own, and tracked down the druids who had dared try to capture him. After their betrayal, Krampus can see no good in any mortal and longs only to punish the wicked for their selfish misdeeds.

To this day, Krampus takes vicious delight in transforming his victims into the petulant children before killing them, and no manner of sacrifice can appease him. Luckily for any nearby villages, Krampus stalks their streets but once a year.

Locals believe that Krampus makes his lair among the deep crevasses of ice somewhere within the Winterwall Glacier, which lines Avistan's northernmost reaches. No adventurer has yet braved the treacherous expanse to find and defeat him.

While Krampus is most infamous for tracking and punishing the naughty, his own sins often inform his vindictive responses to others' misdeeds. An incarnation of Krampus who arose from irrepressible greed might possess abilities that better reflect his fierce miserly behavior, emphasizing less the abduction of miscreants and more the disproportionate punishment of thieves and robbers. Such a variant Krampus might arise in different cultures that tell different stories about Krampus, or Krampus's powers and nature might drift between incarnations each time he is defeated and arises anew elsewhere in the world the following year. In these cultures or incarnations, Krampus represents a remorseless yet generous spirit who's willing to grant boons to the truly worthy while tormenting any who fail his morality tests.

Unfortunately for people in regions terrorized by this Krampus, his definition of "any who fail his morality tests" tend to be nearly everyone but the most innocent and generous of people.