Aestre

Aestre's origins are wholly unknown, even to herself. She is ancient, certainly. The earliest written encounters with her date back thousands of years, and she's been a figure in the folklores of at least 7 civilizations across the millenia. Some have revered her as a goddess, others believe her to be a demon. She is the only known member of her species, which is something of a blessing, given her voracious tendencies.

She is a purely carnivorous predator, and while she will eat any living creature if needed, her vastly preferred prey is human females. Aestre has been known to devour as many as 20 young women in one sitting, but the total number of her victims is unknown, and likely numbers in the tens of thousands.

Aestre can produce numerous types of toxins and pheremones, in the form of aerosol powders, liquid sap, or gases. The effects that have been observed and recorded run a vast spectrum, ranging from nearly instantaneous death, to paralysis, to aphrodesiac qualities, to maddening insanity.

Although lacking legs or more traditional limbs associated with movement, Aestre is nonetheless capable of astonishing speed, by use of thick tentacle-like vines, which she uses both as rudimentary legs and to grab objects with which to swing her large body, as well as to manipulate objects. However, her most mysterious form of transit is the ability to "merge" into soil or plant matter (particularly trees or bushes), and then emerge from the ground anywhere else on the planet. While the merging process takes a few seconds on each end, the transit itself seems to be nearly instantaneous.

The plant-goddess is a fickle being, and has been seen to express many different moods, which can change drastically at a moment's notice. She can be cruel and vicious, petty and jealous, and even benevolent or protective (though the latter are typically just a means to an end, and those under her "protection" are likely being kept as a reserve food supply). She is also lustful, and while she cannot (or at least has not) reproduce by sexual activities, she does experience sexual pleasure, and will take it from most victims before consuming them. Repeatedly.

Anyone encountering this entity is advised to avoid contact at all costs.