#memegwesi

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Image accessed at Acorn Pies here

[The mannegishi are Little People found in the legends of the Cree, and are closely tied to the memegwesi of the Ojibwa (of which the above is a picture) and similar entities found throughout Algonquian language-speakers. They are also difficult to find legit information about. The reason for this is my perennial/occasional nemeses as a student of folklore: cryptozoologists.

Karl Shuker, who I thought was better than this, claimed that the Dover Demon was a mannegishi, and thus almost all searches for it turn up pictures of noseless Grey Alien types. The folkloric mannegishi is hairy and wears clothes, as opposed to the naked, hairless Dover Demon, and no authentically Native stories mention traits like glowing eyes or six fingers. The only real link is noselessness, which isn’t found in all mannegishi stories, only those of the Menominee, who live in Wisconsin. A long way from Dover, Massachusetts.

The Native-Languages.org site linked above is the best source of legit information I could find online. Even the Wikipedia page is a chimera of Dover Demon and actual folklore, although there is a tag that states that the page needs to be cleaned up.]

Mannegishi
CR 5 CG Fey

This little man is scarcely taller than a toddler. He has a round, child-like face, but a beard grows from his chin, and hair protrudes from underneath his clothes.

Mannegishi are fey creatures of rock and rivers. They live in boulders near rapids, where they hunt, fish and gather berries and nuts for their food. Mannegishi act as stewards of these ecosystems, making sure they remain in balance and protecting them from overharvesting or damming. Mannegishi are generally benevolent, but do demand respect. They greatly appreciate gifts of food or trinkets, and those that do not do so are likely to find themselves the victim of pranks.

Despite their small stature, mannegishi are very strong. They augment this strength with magical control over the weight and density of rocks; their stone-tipped spears strike as hard as those of man-size, and the rocks they lob strike with the force of a small catapult. Mannegishi rarely fight to the death unless truly angered, however, preferring to negotiate a settlement or, barring that, run away and hide inside their boulder homes.

Mannegishi are sometimes found living alone, but more often associate in family groups. These groups work together to float canoes carved from stone, a truly baffling sight for the unaware (especially when the mannegishi within are invisible). They are fond of children, and often help children lost in the woods find their way home, or help them discover a good source of food if hungry. As is common with trickster spirits, they themselves are somewhat easy to fool. Mannegishi usually have a good sense of humor about the tables being turned.

Mannegishi Boons and Banes (CL 6th, 3rd level, Will DC 14)
Mannegishi are most likely to use their boon on a lost child or someone who properly leaves gifts for them when on the land they consider their charge. A mannegishi often will give its boon while sneaking up invisibly on a beneficiary, with the blessed person only realizing in hindsight that they’ve received magical aid. Their bane they give to those that act callously or destructively towards rivers and stone, but that they think can grow and learn the error of their ways.
Boon:
You have an uncanny sense of woodcraft. You gain a +4 sacred bonus on Knowledge (geography), Profession (sailor) and Survival checks, and always know which direction is north. This boon lasts for 1 week.
Bane:
The land itself seems to reject you. You suffer a -4 penalty on Knowledge (geography), Profession (sailor) and Survival checks. You must succeed a DC 14 Will save every night or suffer from nightmares, leaving you without the benefits of rest. This bane lasts for 1 week.

Mannegishi        CR 5
XP 1,600

CG Small fey (earth)
Init
+4;Senseslow-light vision, Perception +9, tremorsense 30 ft.
Defense
AC
19, touch 15, flat-footed 15(+1 size, +4 Dex, +2 armor, +2 natural)
hp
51 (6d6+30)
Fort
+7,Ref+9,Will+6
DR
10/cold iron or piercing
Offense
Speed
30 ft.
Melee
spear +7 (1d8+4/x3) or slam +7 (1d4+3)
Ranged
rock +9 or +7/+7 (2d6+3)
Special Attacks
rock throwing (50 ft.)
Spell-like Abilities
CL 6th, concentration +8
At will—invisibility, warp wood (DC 14)
3/day—barkskin, stone call, wood shape
1/day—air walk, control water, stone shape, stone tell
Statistics
Str
16,Dex19,Con20,Int13,Wis13,Cha14
Base Atk
+3;CMB+5;CMD19
Feats
Point Blank Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Shot
Skills
Acrobatics +12 (+20 in wet and slippery terrain),Bluff +10, Climb +10, Knowledge (geography, nature) +8, Perception +9, Profession (sailor) +6, Stealth +16, Survival +9; Racial Modifiers +8 Acrobatics in wet and slippery terrain
Languages
Common, Sylvan, Terran
SQ
density control,rock hopper, stone hideaway
Ecology
Environment
temperate hills and forests
Organization
solitary, pair or family (3-8)
Treasure
standard (leather armor, stone spear, 20 pebbles, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Density Control (Su)
A mannegishi can control the density of any stone object it touches. It can make a stone object of up to a 5 foot cube float; larger objects require multiple mannegishi to work in unison. Any stone weapon it wields deals damage as if it were one size category larger. The density remains what the mannegishi desires for 1 minute after the mannegishi stops touching the object.
Rock Hopper (Ex)
A mannegishi gains a +8 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made in wet and slippery terrain. It is not counted as flat-footed while balancing, and does not suffer a penalty to its speed.
Stone Hideaway (Su)
When a mannegishi touches a rock of at least 5 foot square and spends a full round action, it can designate that rock as a stone hideaway. The stone hideaway counts as an extraplanar space with a 20 foot radius, which always remains comfortable in temperature and has a controllable light source as per a tiny hut spell. The entrance is three feet wide, opaque from the outside but transparent from the inside. The stone hideaway is permanent until that mannegishi decides to designate another rock. When it does so, any contents of the previous stone hideaway are shunted outside of the rock without damage.

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