Behearers
The fiends known as behearers look like floating meatballs covered in ear stalks. Having so many ears gives them an unmatched field of hearing. It's not clear why they'd need this as they have no real predators, but it does stop people talking about them behind their backs.
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| Behearer by Zuza Gruzlewska |
Behearers belong to a group of fiends known as 'bethingers'. These infernal entities look like hovering heads that have some unique organ or appendage sticking out of them. Given the range of body parts available, behearers are actually on the less obscene end of the spectrum.
People generally encounter bethingers not as foes but guides. A wily adventurer who learns a bethinger's true name can curse them to remain in one place. More often than not this will involve instructing the fiend to guard some treasure or structure. Many of the best dungeons have bethinger managers as a result (as do many of the unsavoury ones).
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Types of Bethingers
As mentioned, other varieties of bethingers are available. The following is a list of them.
- BESNORTERS: Very similar to behearers only with noses instead of ears. Their surplus of schnozes makes them adept at tracking people down - especially if their victim stinks.
- BETASTERS: From a distance these fiends look like they have thick and luxurious hair. Up close you realise what looked like hair is actually tongues. Get closer again and the fiend is licking you to death.
- BETOUCHERS: Very similar to betasters only with fingers instead of tongues - including inside their mouths.
- BEFOULERS: The most flatulent of such fiends, these guys have arses all over their domes. As you might imagine, they don't get invited to many parties, although mainly because they eat all the guests.
- BESEERS: These bethingers are covered in many eyeballs on stalks - at least they would be if they existed, anyway. As things stand, the existence of such a fiend is entirely theoretical.
- BE%$£$ERS: You couldn't describe these creatures in a polite bestiary such as this.
Creation Notes
The first bethinger in the Tumultiverse books was Gary in The Quest Factor. I thought it would be cool to have a classic dungeon monster managing Bommber's Folly, but when I checked online, I discovered that the beholders from Dungeons and Dragons are very much trademarked. At this point I thought:
"I can't just take a beholder and do something dumb like give it ears instead of eyes, can I? No - of course not. That would be stupid. What would I even call it - a 'belistener'? Ridiculous."
Five seconds later I came up with the name 'behearer' and the rest is history.
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