Field Notes Vol. 1 - Elias Grinn
Hey everyone! Stephen here.
I like to play with a lot of ideas of creatures, horror entities, and monster design in my free time. A lot of it is from a lifetime of horror media, in any form I could get my grubby little hands on. From that, occasionally I get the idea to write a short excerpt about a character that comes to my head. I figure as they come, I could share them here in the fun format of a field journal / notes in the same vein as like a Sam and Dean Winchester / Supernatural way, like a real life Monster Manual. Anyways, please enjoy these fun little shorts of horror fiction, I’ll probably drop these here and there as I think of them!
The Cellar Creeper
Origin:
Once a humble groundskeeper named Elias Grinn, he was buried alive in a cellar collapse during a violent storm in 1893. The cellar was never excavated, and his spirit fused with the damp earth and rotting wood. Over time, the cellar became a supernatural nexus, drawing Elias’s rage and sorrow into a monstrous form.
Field Report:
Cellars are places of confinement, secrets, and decay…perfect for Elias’s tormented soul. He is drawn to cellars where people hide from storms, storing memories and fear. His presence is strongest during thunderstorms, when the veil between worlds is thinnest. Below is the Official A.P.I.S. Field Report:
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Entity Classification:
Type: Revenant / Elemental Hybrid
Threat Level: Moderate to High (varies with storm intensity)
Manifestation Zone: Cellars, storm shelters, underground storage areas.
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Signs of Presence (On-Site Indicators):
Investigators should look for:
Sudden drops in temperature, especially near cellar entrances.
Faint whispering or murmurs from below, often mimicking voices of deceased loved ones.
Rotting wood or stone in patterns resembling claw marks or dragging limbs.
Unnatural humidity or condensation forming in dry cellars.
Storm activity that seems to “pause” or intensify when near the site.
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Preventive Measures:
Salt Lines: Create a perimeter of salt around cellar entrances. The Creeper cannot cross purified boundaries.
Iron Talismans: Hang iron keys or nails above cellar doors. Iron disrupts its shadowmeld ability.
Storm Wards: Place storm ward sigils (e.g., Norse runes or Appalachian hex signs) to weaken its storm-sense connection.
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Strategies:
Light Bombs: Use flashbang-like devices or sudden bursts of UV light to force it out of shadow form.
Echo Disruption: Play recordings of cellar sounds in reverse—this confuses its whisper drain ability and can cause temporary retreat.
Binding Ritual: If encountered directly, a ritual involving grave soil from its original burial site and a spoken name (Elias Grinn) can immobilize it for 3–5 minutes.
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Investigation Notes:
Avoid solo entry into cellars during storms.
Never speak secrets aloud in a suspected Creeper zone.
Document all cellar anomalies—especially those involving decay, sound, or temperature.
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Reported Abilities:
Shadowmeld: Can vanish into cellar shadows and reappear elsewhere.
Whisper Drain: Feeds on whispered secrets and fears, growing stronger with each confession.
Rot Touch: Causes wood, stone, and even flesh to decay with a single touch.
Storm Sense: Appears just before violent weather, often mistaken for thunder rumbling underground.
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