The Pooka, or Puca or Puka or Púca or...well...you get my point, is a trickster spirit but not necessarily evil. They can transform into several animal forms but usually appear as a black horse in their natural form, though some have been known to stay in other forms. They punish those who are ungrateful and grave robbers. They are friendly to animals and rescue them from bogs. At Samhain, they sometimes spite on berries at midnight making them inedible, children are warned not to eat overripe blackberries as it’s a sign that a Pooka messed with them.

 

Pookas are easily identified, depending on which form they take. They are always black with golden glowing eyes, and usually very hairy. Pookas have three main forms: a large horse, a Markhor goat, or a Timber Wolf. Their horse form is not one specific breed, but it is large with a long wild mane and has a bit longer fur than a normal equine.They can also to turn into one or two other forms, what they turn into depends on the Pooka’s preference. Pookas can shapeshift into no less than 3 and no more than 5 forms. Aside from the glowing eyes, there are other signs that let you know rather the animal is a Pooka or not. First is that they are usually hairier or fuzzier than their normal animal counterparts and larger. Their size depends on their age. Another way of telling a Pooka apart from the rest is their eyes, their eyes match those of sentient beings no matter which form they’re in.

 

The personality of a Pooka is a bit...complicated. They are about neutral when it comes to Mortals, they have been known to give them advice in times of need; but have also been known to wreck a great havoc amongst farms and punish certain people. They are most known for giving drunkards a wild ride, not so much to kill them, but for the thrill of it. They enjoy scaring the wits out of their victims by their great power and skill, jumping over hedges and rocks and making death-defying leaps. It is usually from this ride that people waken to broken fences, startled livestock, and trampled crops. Since their favorite part is probably running and trampling things to scare their rider. As soon as the first light of dawn appears, the rider is thrown off and the Pooka disappears into the night. Little harm is done to the rider and the drunkard finds their way home usually before the sun is fully risen but has a fuzzy memory of what happened. Aside from giving mortals wild rides, they also punish grave robbers and extremely ungrateful people. What exactly they do to them is unknown and reports vary. There is no true way of knowing rather a Pooka did it or not, though some pieces of thick black fur are sometimes on the victim. Pookas can speak the same language as everyone in Mereldia, and love to talk. They will often gives mortals advice in a time of need or are even known to give great prophecies, or, sometimes, they will just want to chat. The strange thing about a conversation with a Pooka is that they will sometimes randomly disappear. Rarely do they say goodbye, and it often leaves the other speaker wondering if the Pooka was even there at all since there was no evidence. Rather the Pooka is up to ill doings or good fate is hard to tell, so one must always be careful in a Pooka’s company.

 

Pookas are purely nocturna though don’t come out every night. No one knows where they are or what they do during the day. It is said that if it rains during the day while the sun is out, that a Pooka will surely come out that night. Not much is known about them, sometimes they travel alone, sometimes in small families, and sometimes in small herd sizes. All that is known is that these faes were around when Humans once walked Mereldia and their numbers were vast. After the war, however, the Pookas’ numbers dropped and so now only a couple hundred roam the land. They can be found in just about any place but mostly in rural areas, rarely will you find one in a city. If you do though, it is probably up to no good. They mostly like wide open spaces so that they have plenty of room to run about while in equine form.

 

Male Pookas are typically larger than females though there is not a huge difference. A Pookas size depends on their age. Some have been known to have been bigger than a changeling horse. The life span of a Pooka is unknown, though it is expected that they typically live the life span of an average fae. Not quite immortal but also living longer than mortals. The breeding of Pookas is between a male and female Pooka, though they do not have to be mates for life. A female Pooka is weakest during pregnancy and for a few days after birth. This is because a Pooka pregnancy is tougher than most due to the baby being known to change forms inside the mother. The male usually stays with her for protection and to make sure the pregnancy goes well. When the baby is born, it is born in whatever main form the mother was in during birth and can change only into its three main forms after it is born. While it grows up the parents teach the child how to control and use its powers and what to do around mortals. Pookas are very loving and protective of their child, and while they won’t kill you mercilessly if you’re near them like some, may the gods help you if you try to hurt their child. What the parents do when once the child matures is really up to them, some stay together while others drift apart.

 

Much of the Pookas’ power is greatly unknown but they are said to be almost as strong as a Kelpie and possess great magic. Like any fae, their one weakness is iron. It is said chains made of iron is their greatest weakness, and so some Pookas wear metal chains (non iron of course) on them to keep their greatest weakness a secret. Though it is not wise to kill a Pooka, for it is said that the others will come after you and you will be forever cursed...if you escape that is...

 

Needless to say, Pookas are strange but interesting nightly creatures who can have good or bad intentions depending on what type of person you are.