In the dense forests of New England, especially in the 'Bridgewater Triangle' area of Massachusetts, the Algonquian tribes (such as the Wampanoag and the Mohicans) have feared for millennia a small but lethal being: the Pukwudgie. Its name translates to 'person of the wild earth'. Although often mistakenly classified as goblins or fairies, the Pukwudgies have none of the innocent mischief of their European counterparts. They are magical, vengeful, and dangerous warriors.
They are described as humanoids between 60 and 90 centimeters tall, with large noses, long fingers, and prominent ears. Their skin is grayish and sometimes glows softly in the dark. They have the ability to appear and disappear at will, transform into porcupines (their favorite animal form, as from a distance they appear to be one walking upright) or create fire. They are masters of the bow and arrow, and use magical poison. They can also control the souls of their victims (Tei-Pai-Wankas) and push people off cliffs.
The legend states that originally the Pukwudgies were friendly with humans, but they felt jealous and despised when humans began to worship and pay more attention to the giant Maushop (the cultural hero and creator of Cape Cod). In their envy, the Pukwudgies turned against Maushop and killed his five sons with magical arrows while they were playing on the beach. Maushop, enraged, threw the Pukwudgies across New England, but they survived the fall and dispersed into the forests, vowing eternal enmity against humans.
Today, they are blamed for unexplained disappearances in state forests, for people being 'lured' off trails by lights or voices (similar to will-o'-the-wisps) and for strange suicides on cliffs. A Pukwudgie never forgets an offense. If you encounter one, the rule is simple: do not disturb it, do not follow it, and above all, do not try to be its friend. They decided centuries ago that they do not want our friendship, only our absence.
