t is often the lot of many to suffer greatly throughout their lifetimes, as the result of one tragedy or another, and through this suffering, to experience the very depths of despair, guilt, desolation, and utter hopelessness. Such occurrences of devastating emotions have plagued men and women throughout time, bringing them to the lowest points in their existence, and it is at these times that they become prime targets for the vile gyr-dolour.

Reptilian in appearance and diminutive in nature, the gyr-dolour are physically weak creatures, standing merely one quarter the height of a man. Their coloring is dark, varying from muted browns to black and their bodies are covered in small, smooth scales from head to tail. The gyr-dolour possess two undersized forearms, which they do not appear to make use of overmuch and they walk upright, upon their hind legs, enabling them to move at a quick pace when the need arises. Small, dark eyes adorn either side of a long snout, whose short, sharp teeth see use merely as a defensive weapon, for the gyr-dolour feed not upon plant nor animal, but upon those dark and powerful emotions which emanate from our very being.

These creatures can sense the emotional state of their prey from great distances, and are often seen scurrying about the edge of town at times of great sorrow, such as the death a beloved wife, or child, waiting for a chance to find the sorrowful alone, so that they may feed.

It is the nature of the tormented soul to seek solitude, and in doing so, they open themselves, and perhaps welcome, the pestilence of the gyr-dolour. When a pack of gyr-dolour encounter a tormented soul, they slowly approach the person, cooing in an odd, sorrowful tone. It is believed that they resonate the despair back to the person, forcing them into even darker depths, until they have given up all hope and become oblivious to the world around them, so lost in the depths of despair are they. It is then that the gyr-dolour take up residence in a loose circular pattern around the prey to feed. They never touch the victim, staying just out of reach at all times, and in fact never physically harm their prey. It is in the mental capacity that the victim is harmed. Forced to relive over and over again memories of darkness and despair, resonated and amplified for the gyr-dolour's own needs until the victim's mind and body waste away and death ensues.

Once the gyr-dolour have begun feeding upon their prey, interrupting them can be a difficult and often deadly task. For when provoked into attack, their blows cause little physical damage, but instead seem to drain the strength right out of a man. They will continue to attack until the rescuer is unconscious upon the ground, at which point they will return their full attention back to the prey, no longer concerned. This nonchalance on their part may stem from experience, for small wyverns and various carrion eaters, even death lanterns, have been known to lurk about feeding groups of gyr-dolour, waiting to clean up the scraps, or take advantage of any failed rescue attempts.

I was unable to ascertain the exact process used by the gyr-dolour to feed upon their prey, noting only that the more sorrowful and tortured the prey, the healthier and more plentiful were the gyr-dolour. After several months of study, it is my opinion that the gyr-dolour possess some form of magickal ability that enables them to gain sustenance from the powerful mental images and forces at work in the tormented mind. The gyr-dolour are truly one of Arcanum's most vile creatures.