Oestre's Bunny
Critter Type: Rabbit Spirit
Motivation: Embody the wild ravages of spring
Attributes:
Description:
Oestre's Rabbit is most commonly seen as a shadowy rabbit spirit, only visible in the corner of your eyes, streaking across a hillside. However, when summoned forcibly into our plane, it becomes a majestic buck rabbit with silky black hair, about the size of a small horse. In its giant bunny form, the rabbit is a strong and deadly opponent but has intelligence and reactions only barely above the animal, and will run if threatened by superior numbers or firepower. The rabbit is inherently and obviously magical and spells such as Tirere La Couture will reveal its spirit form behind it.
Powers:
Run Like the Wind: The giant rabbit can outrun a car, easily reaching speeds of 80km an hour. Top speed is about 150. In open hills or fields, it becomes nothing but a black blur.
Hidden from Hawks: Despite its size, if the giant bunny crouches down in any sort of moderate cover that would hide a normal size bunny, it becomes invisible. It's still there physically, it just can't be seen by human eyes. Tripping over the bunny (or otherwise making contact) makes it visible again. The bunny can break the effect at any time by standing up.
Part of the Warren: The bunny can also hide effortlessly with its fellow bunny kind. Around them, the bunny will appear normal size, and nobody will be confused by the extra member of the pack — there will always have been that many. The bunny can break this effect at any time by leaving the area.
Advanced Sense of Smell: as per the rulebook.
Advanced Hearing: as per the rule book
Increased Life Points: 1 level.
Leaping: The giant bunny can leap up to three metres straight up and six across, from standing still. Double these numbers if it has a run-up at good speed.
Inspire the Power of Spring: This is the rabbit's main power and chief purpose. When engaged, it causes all living creatures within ten metres to be suddenly driven by the surging biological urges of spring — ie to mate and produce offspring. Chickens instantly lay eggs, cows give extra milk and rabbits run into their burrows and do what bunnies are famous for. Humans must make a Willpower test (not doubled) not to immediately start pursuing the appropriate sex with fervent ardour. Those within fifty metres feel a lesser effect (and can make Willpower doubled roll to resist). If the subjects in question already desire each other, they make their rolls with a -1 to -4 modifier, depending on the strength of their affections (GM's call). Those with the Love or Tragic Love Drawbacks suffer a -6. Note that if only one of the couple is affected, the other party is perfectly able to resist the subsequent advances, if they wish. However, the affected party may then just as likely look elsewhere, despite their Love status! Nor will the affected parties necessarily become violent — they seek out only willing sexual congress with likely partners, using whatever methods are natural for them in such pursuits — but as passionately, determinedly and irrevocably as they possibly can. The effect wears off at sunset, or sunrise, whichever comes first.
Notes:
Oestre's Bunny is a nature spirit, an aspect of Spring made real, and the personification (lapinification?) of the drive to procreate. Although mischievous and cunning in nature, it is not malicious, and bears no ill will to anyone. All it wishes is for the whole world to be enjoying country matters. It hops into range, waits until its victims are falling all over each other with lust, then twitches its nose inscrutably and hops off. It uses Run Like the Wind and Hidden from Hawks to dissuade any pursuit that might come.
The bunny can be easily summoned by a simple earth ritual. A just-born animal is placed in a magic circle drawn in earth and a celtic invocation spoken. Dispelling the bunny is harder — not least because the newly born creature must be killed. Failing that, if the giant bunny is killed in combat, it returns to the spirit world until called again. Until the bunny is dispelled or killed, it will continue spreading the spirit of Spring wherever it may wander. However, if it is still active in the world come the winter solstice, it must somehow find its way back to the spirit world, or die. Forever. What this would do to the world is best left to the imagination.
The bunny is usually summoned by accident: various things can easily substitute for elements of the spell, and clumsy witches with their spells crossed can easily bring him forth by mistake, particularly at the height of spring (add +4 to any spell attempt made during this time, and +4 to all side effect rolls). Other times, farmers will summon the rabbit to ensure a good harvest and a strong herd. Finally, malicious types might summon the bunny to cause chaos amongst their enemies, to distract attention from their real plan.
Oestre's Bunny can be contacted in the spirit realm by shamans and witches, but its attention is hard to command and its interest in deals low. He's far too wild and free, and cares only about its mandate. However, he is easy to contact in Spring because, in spirit form, the bunny is never very far away from our world. Legends say he is often seen on the fields and hills of England, streaking ahead of the pack, just a black blur you catch in the corner of your eye. And wherever he runs, the clover grows, and bunnies prosper.
