Do the Insects from Shaggai ever possess animals?

[StagLord]

To bring poisonous or carnivorous creatures into close contact with humans? Or is this too Byzantine and indirect?

I can see this being a possible tactic for an isolated Shan community like the one in "Black Hills, Blackest Secrets".

[The_Tatterdemalion_King]

I'd imagine the 'pidgeon-sized' Shan would need a brain almost their size to actually possess. This, incidentally, might mean that they can't posses young children...
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[T_rex]

I think that it is up to you to decide. If you want them to be able to then pow! it happens.

Lovecraft was a huge fan of the shared world concept, and Campbell to my knowledge never addressed it. Not that it should make much of a difference in what you do.

If you want them to be able to, then go for it.

[T_rex]

Oops, sorry for the duplicate

[Gaffer]

[GBSteve]

As a punishment for transgressions, Shan are sometimes forced to possess even lower animals than humans, and sometimes those animals get eaten. That's why you should avoid any cuts with spinal cord in them.
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[ElijahWhateley]

[ninthcouncil]

[ParadoxHazard]

I think a Shan is most frightening when you don't see it coming but all the signs are there. For example:

A faithful bull mastiff who has served as an investigator's trusty watchdog through the entire campaign suddenly takes ill, only to quickly recover and exhibit strange behavior. It starts with the dog seemingly reacting to phantoms, barking in the night, cowering in corners when nothing is there. The Shan slowly drives the poor animal insane and takes hold, and then the dog begins to exhibit even stranger behavior.

An investigator might return home to find the dog's knock a copy of "Cult De Ghuls" from his shelf and is intently staring at the pages. Small items, like the knife recovered from a group of cultists, go missing in the night. The dog, who once slept peacefully at the foot of his master's bed, now sits and stares at the investigator until he or she fall's asleep.

Any time an animal acts like more than an animal it reaches a certain point of creepiness that I love. It's definitely a good way to explore the "uncanny valley" territory of horror.
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