Jana Heidersdorf. Accessed at her deviantArt page here
[I don’t quite get the official Pathfinder kelpie. It seems that the designers decided to split the difference between the “disguises itself as a beautiful horse” and “disguises itself as a sexy lady” (which seems to be primarily an art trope, not a folkloric trope, but anyway) by making it a horse-headed humanoid that can shapeshift into either a horse or lady. But it’s missing the idea that if you touch a kelpie, you can never let go, which is what scared the crap out of me about them when I was a young monster-loving lad. Hence my version. Thank goodness every part of the British Isles had its own name for a murderous water horse.]
Aughisky Although this creature closely
resembles a black horse, its skin is hairless like that of a seal. Its hind
legs end in flippers and its tail is muscular and finned. Its eyes are sunken
into its skull and it snarls, bearing two rows of shark-like teeth.
Aughiskies are vicious aquatic predators that use guile in order to
feed on humanoids, their favorite prey. An aughisky closely resembles a horse,
and the creature uses its natural illusory powers to augment this appearance
further. Aughiskies commonly masquerade as a wild horse of great power and
beauty, to lure travelers on foot to their dooms, but may also disguise themselves
as livestock, unicorns and even friendly giants—anything that might encourage a
victim to touch them. Once the aughisky is touched, its skin becomes strongly
adhesive. The victim is held fast and dragged into the nearest body of water by
the horrible beast to be drowned and devoured. Aughiskies find livers to be
distasteful, and the eerie sight of a liver floating on the water’s surface is
a likely sign of a nearby aughisky.
Aughiskies are highly intelligent and will not consent to be ridden as
a mount by any creature unless it is a prelude to murder and consumption. They
are typically solitary creatures, but may cooperate with one another if food is
common. Aughiskies collect trinkets from their victims and may use them as
additional bait to catch humanoids. They covet magical items designed for an
equine form, such as magical horseshoes, and may spare the life of a traveler
who can craft such items and apply them to the aughisky. An aughisky stands six
feet high at the shoulder and weighs about 2000 pounds.
Aughiskies are native to Vedzeva, where they are notorious for their predatory tactics. It is a common superstition in that continent to never approach a lone horse, whether wild or tame, for aughiskies are solitary and normal horses drive them out of their herds.
Shores of Swords 