Iza the Fanged
The undergrowth was full of thorny vines and rotting vegetation. If a traveler looked close enough, they might distinguish the outline of a great cave between the lush green canopy and the decaying ground. Various sized bones lay tossed about in the surrounding area. From a distance, the jagged entrance appeared to take the shape of a snake's wide open mouth. Lime green plants and colorfully vibrant flowers adorned the adjacent cliffside.
The vines on the ground twitched and throbbed as they crawled along the ground closer to the cave. They were pulling something. The vines rolled up the limp object, digging their thorns into sickly pale flesh. The body of a Scavo lay still and silent within the living vines.
A great tearing sound filled the air followed by a rush of wind. The canopy of the jungle shook, and a flock of birds took off from the branches. Their screeches and caws filled the silence. A thorn bush crawled its way out from the dense trees, pulling itself along with thorny tendril-like hands. It scuttled behind the vines that rolled the body of the Scavo and stopped inside of the cave. Then, like a great tongue, a large chunk of thorns erupted from its center and deposited the body of an older man with brown hair. He hit the ground with a THUD.
In the darkness of the cave, two sickly red and yellow eyes appeared. The unblinking orbs were slit like that of a snake. A faint hissing could be heard from within. The eyes belonged to a figure who crawled on the ground and rose up mere inches from the man's body. Her mouth opened to reveal razor-sharp teeth and a long tongue that flicked in and out several times. It licked the body of the man, and she coaxed him awake by running her hand along his face. The man's eyes flashed open, and he lurched backward in a panic.
“My, my...aren't you a handsome one?” the voice purred. “I must say, you looked tasty from far off when I first snatched you, but now. Mmm! You're much more delightful up close.”
Before he was able to get up and run away, the figure with the snake eyes reached out her hand, and vines lashed out from the wall and wrapped around his torso. He was yanked back and pinned to the wall. He glanced around and saw he was surrounded by bones and red smears. He began to breathe heavily and looked back at the figure with snake eyes. She swayed back and forth, staring at him with a lustful grin.
She rushed in, fangs bared. He felt sharp incisors puncture his neck, then his body went numb. All he could do was watch as she led in more victims with her vines and thorns, controlling them with some unseen force. The vines slowly crawled over him as she approached once more. With a cackle and a wry grin, she began to bite him. At first softly, then feverishly.
The man felt no pain as he was devoured. Rumors spread in the villages that if you wander too far into the jungles of Azmare that you'll be snatched by Iza the Fanged. She does not use her fangs, or her teeth to grab you—but the very jungle itself. She'll drag you off to some deep cave and place you before her to serve as dinner or plaything, depending on her mood. It is a tale that parents use to keep their children close to home. It is laughed off by villagers and travelers as a spooky campfire story. But every year the disappearances continue, so the rumors persist.
Iza enjoys the rumors spread about her, although she would point out her appetite is not for children. Iza does not know where she came from, except that she was born with the heart of a serpent. Her earliest memories are of trees all around her, covered in snakes. Iza moves silently, almost invisible, within the jungle. The earth mana wraps around her and flows through her, enabling her to control vines, thorns, and trees. Iza does not need weapons, for she is the very jungle itself. She prefers to string her victims along and play with them, taking her time to render someone paralyzed with her fanged bite.
Iza will prey on anyone who enters her territory. She has a particular fondness for snatching men after peering at them from between the trees, sparking their interest. She grabs them with twitching vines and hauls them towards her cave before striking. The last thing her paralyzed victims see is a dark, plant covered cave, decorated with human bones.