Little Man In The Woods

A murdered man left unburied in the wilds might return as a being called a "little man in the woods," his decayed corpse shriveling until it shrinks to the size of a child. Denied the respect of a burial that would smooth his spirit's transition to the afterlife, he is unable to leave the mortal plane and enter the realm of the spirits. Forgotten, lost, and miserable, suffering from unbearable hunger and cold, the little man in the woods is desperate to return to his mortal home and be laid to rest properly.

Despite his understandable motives, the little man in the woods has degenerated into a foul, twisted creature. He deceives travelers with plaintive cries then begs them to lead him to a home he barely recalls. He strangles all who can't or won't aid him, including those who lead him to the wrong home or otherwise delay his journey.

The little man in the woods lays his victims' bodies out in the wilds, leaving the corpse unburied and exposed. He guards these rotting corpses over years as they shrivel and decay, until each one rises as another little man in the woods. Like any of the actions he has been compelled to perform, creating more of his kind brings the little man in the woods no pleasure.