They were born a Hellkin. But they had unusual horns that grew in, in the fall as deer-like antlers that, when shed in the spring, turned to beautiful crystal. They turned these into wind chimes and sun-catchers, which sold well. -- BKF
There's a lot of mythos surrounding Hellkin. A huge volume of it is wrong. The one about vampires and witches breeding to make Hellkin is a complete canard. The one about their feet striking sparks and lighting fires on the ground is obviously false. The one about magical protection from a piece of Hellkin horn is pure, unadulterated speciesism.
The one about Hellkin all having lifelong horns, Allure learned, was not necessarily true. Their first pair fell off after the first month of Autumn when Allure was six. The short nubs shattered on the ground as rainbow crystal. Allure cried at the time. First, because they thought they would never have horns again, and second because the sharp shards cut their fingers.
They were greatly relieved when their horns started to grow back towards the end of Winter.
Every year, they were longer and more ornate. Every Autumn, they fell off. Every year, Allure and their guardians shaped them into gemstones and sold them for whatever the buyer wanted to pay for them. With larger pieces came greater potential for their use.
They produced a calming sound when they collided. Thus becoming wind chimes for the nurseries of the wealthy and well-to-do. Occasionally a set found its way to a sanitarium or asylum for the mentally disturbed.
There were only so many horn crystals to go around each year.
By the time Allure was sixteen, their horns were growing points. Like a deer. It paid to keep travelling. Not just because they were a Hellkin, but because people would want to keep them for the crystal horns they grew. They were rare gems, and anything rare is pursued by the avaricious and grasping.
Better that they came from a wandering caravan train, and an odd Hellkin who wore strange headgear.
"Where do you get these amazing stones?" asked the merchants.
To which Allure would tap their nose meaningfully and answer, "Now if I told you that, I would be out of a living."
Inevitably, someone tried following the caravan to find out where the gems came from. Some curiosity could not be avoided, even when it's deadly.
In the Winter camp, Allure was wary of the newcomer who allegedly wanted to, "see the great wide somewhere." There was always one who thought they wanted the adventure of travel and gave up when it still meant menial work, fetching, carrying, and especially pulling their own weight. It was the ones who kept asking after Allure who were the true hazard.
Just when they thought it was safe to take off the stupid hat, they had to keep it on. Even after their horns shed. For at least two weeks as the crystal antlers lay on Allure's workbench. And thereafter, a random selection to throw off suspicion.
Allure could safely be bare-headed a month after the shedding. When their horns resembled regular, ordinary, devilborn horns.
The disappointment might throw the newcomer off.
It was a pain in the ass because Allure had to be mindful of their privacy. Bathing in utter secrecy. Being sneaky around their own campmates, friends and lovers all. There was no such thing as time at ease. They even had to bolt their door and windows to sleep, and Allure preferred a little fresh air in the night.
Even in the depths of winter when the wheels of their wagon were showing the depth of the snow. Everyone has their one little quirk.
And the persistent pest kept following at what they thought was a covert distance. Right. It was time to get the local Kobolds involved. Allure knocked the tips off their old horns and engraved enough of a notch into them so that they could be hung on a thong. With those in a pouch, they signalled to the caravan's 'king' that they were off on the fool's errand. It was a relatively short walk to the cavern that lead to the Kobold's warren.
They always left two lanterns. They knew this game as well as Allure did. One lantern for Allure. The other for the nosey sod who decided to make themselves Allure's entire problem.
The Kobold ambassador appeared twenty feet in, when everything beyond the lantern had turned grey for Allure's eyes. "Another biggun trouble?" said the merry brown Dragonkindred. "We lead chase again?"
"Oh yes. A big long one, I think. Make sure they leave the cave hungry and tired." They handed over the pouch. "Maybe sprinkle in some close encounters. Put the wind up them."
The sound of a Kobold's wickedness-inspired cackle was shiver-inducing. "We do. We do real good."
Allure handed the lantern to the ambassador and their coat to three Kobolds who were already in position with their apparatus. It was always fascinating to watch them put on a coat and grasp a lantern with artificial arms.
Allure left them to lead the wild goose chase and found their spare coat waiting at another exit. They also made sure to be waiting with hot tea and a warm blanket when the intruder returned from their harrowing adventure.
"If that's what you go through to get them," said the visitor, "I don't want them any more."
"I told you that it's best to leave it to the professionals," said Allure. Another year, another rube bamboozled.
[Photo by David Clode on Unsplash]
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