Vargouille

Vargouilles were denizens of the lower planes, some of which were trapped in Zakhara, the Land of Fate.

Description
Vargouilles resembled grotesquely deformed human-like heads about high and  in weight. They had a wingspan of, with leathery, bat-like wings taking the place of ears. Flailing tendrils crowned and fringed their heads as opposed to hair and an unnerving green glow could be seen in their eyes. They often wore a wicked sneer and jagged teeth laid inside their distended, shrieking maws.

Behavior
Vargouilles were loathed to enter lit areas, extinguishing handheld light sources like torches and lanterns and avoiding anything brighter. They typically remained in dark, untraversed areas waiting for prey to come to them, but were occasionally driven by their instinctual craving for live prey to risk exposure and fly into the night. They had no sense of value, only keeping the treasures of former victims in their lairs out of indifference.

Abilities
""Until ye've seen a king's head tear off his shoulders and flap aloft amid fountaining blood, only to turn and lap up his own dying gore as his body totters and falls, ye haven't yet lived. And if ye want to go on living, ye might want to stop watching in favor of fleeing.""

- Elminster

A vargouille's terrible shriek combined with their and horrifying appearance could paralyze any non-vargouilles nearby. Attacks by the monsters, an inability to see them, a few seconds to recover or simply the physical and mental fortitude to withstand their presence was enough to overcome their screams. Even more dangerous were their fangs, which contained a powerful poison that prevented magical healing. The physical damage from their bites were largely permanent with the exception of certain powerful forms of magic. Neutralize poison and heal would lift the condition and delay poison temporarily allowed for normal magical restoration, but only magic on the level of regenerate or well-worded wish spells could ignore the poison while still healing the recipient.

Combat
Vargouille's shrieked before attacking, sinking their teeth into their prey and occasionally kissing them to infect them with their disease.

Society
Lacking in any form of sophistication or organization, vargouilles gathered in packs, clusters that could be as small as pairs or mobs that could contain up to eleven members. The weak and wounded were devoured by the strong, and only the most powerful vargouille was in charge.

Vargouilles were incapable of speech but understood the lower planar languages of Infernal and Abyssal, as well as the languages of their former selves.

Ecology
The lair of a vargouille was often littered with the corpses of its victims. They preferred living food, but would feed on carrion or weaker pack members as well.

Vargouilles sometimes chose to kiss their victims, which began the victim's transformation into a new vargouille. The victim's head began to resemble a vargouille more with each passing hour until it broke free from the body as a new creature. This horrid transformation was completed within one day, but could only be completed under darkness. Sunlight or continual light spells halted the transformation. The cure disease spell halted the transformation but did not cure it.

Their infravision helped them see perfectly in total darkness.

"Evolved from bats? Unlikely!"

- Gorad Drummerhaven

Lands
Summoned to Zakhara during ages past for an unknown purpose, these creatures were usually found within the Haunted Lands or Ruined Kingdoms. These creatures were believed to be remnants of the Ruined Kingdoms. They could also be found in underground locations such as sewers or catacombs. They spread throughout Zakhara by infecting victims with their unique disease.