Possessed Scarecrow
Possessed scarecrows are the souls of people who were murdered and disposed of in or around farmland. They cannot find rest due to the brutal nature of their deaths, and so cling to the mortal plane by binding themselves to one of the farm’s scarecrows. This scarecrow comes to life under the dead’s control and seeks revenge. However, they have a lot of difficulty differentiating between who killed them and who is approaching them kindly, and so get violent with most people they come across.
There are two ways to free a soul from a possessed scarecrow: burn the scarecrow, or provide them with adequate justice for their death to help their soul rest.
Possessed scarecrow are very dangerous as they will hunt down and attack anyone they think may have been their murderer. Those who fall victim to a scarecrow are usually travellers or people that the scarecrow didn’t know in life. However, if one is lucky, it may be possible to communicate and reason with them.
The most famous possessed scarecrow was Nagril Virri, an inn-keeping nurlak from Dohl who was murdered by his wife and her new lover. Nagril’s spirit stalked the inn and killed over 30 travellers before confronting his eldest son in the woods; according to the son, Nagril didn’t harm him and it was clear he recognised his child as he acted with tenderness. Because of the meeting, Nagril’s son was able to discover his mother’s crimes and put his father to rest.