Pepper Tarbottom the Podnoggin
Podnoggin's are creatures of the Green- similar to hedge-boggles, elves, Greenmaids,
and even the Greenman himself. But Podnoggins are far more aggressive and less shy
and fearful of humankind. Indeed, they seem most prevalent in places where humans
can be found in great numbers: any where humans make their homes and build their
cities, where they pave over, dig up, or chop down the green woods and fields- this
is where one is most likely to find signs of Podnoggin habitations. The Podnoggin's
realm does not shrink because of humanity's indiscretions and encroachment, nor does
human kind's greed and abuse of the environment impede or discourage them. Indeed,
they seem to thrive despite humanity- sometimes even seeming to live just to spite
humans!
Podnoggins are among the more vengeful and wrathful of Faerie-kind as well- some even being completely malicious towards those they deem an enemy or anyone that has insulted or trespassed against them: polluters and those who make their living by exploiting nature beware! But even so, it is difficult to call them evil, for never does a Podnoggin commit an offense or do harm to those who have done them no harm- and most of their violence and anger is directed against those who are, in turn, hurtful or violent. However, one should not assume that Podnoggins might bear fondness for any other human who does not fall into any of those previously stated categories. Podnoggins seem to be ill-disposed towards even the most nature loving tree hugger ever to walk down a trail in hemp sandals. And Podnoggins do love their pranks…
Podnoggins seem to be the front line in the Green world's battle to return the
earth to itself- to break the world of metal and stone and turn it into rust and
dust. It is they that cause the weeds to grow thick and nettle-angry in ditches
and abandoned lots- hence they often associate with denizens of the Hedge. It is
a sure sign of their presence when one sees green shoots sprouting up through
concrete and stone or aerial meadows flourishing in high storm gutters on the
sides of buildings and houses. Podnoggins send their vines up and over metal and
glass structures, and if left unimpeded, the Podnoggins will and have brought all
such human structures down and back into the earth, obscuring all traces of these
edifices in their lush green embrace. Among their favorite of man's constructs to
bring to ruin are the wide variety of abandoned war machines found throughout the
world: old derelict armored tanks, downed fighter planes, strange monstrous vehicles.
The harder that human kind fights them with poisons and pruning, mulching and
mowing- the harder the Podnoggin fights back. They are the tree that finds purchase
in the side walk and brings ruin to the paved lot and causes the most well built
of stone walls to crumble. They split roads and raise sidewalks with roots and
grass. They have brought low all of the greatest of ancient castles and forts,
and they will claim all the new ones as well one day…
Podnoggins earned their names due to the nut like- or seed-pod like- structure of
their heads. Often, roots are seen to be sprouting from the tops of their heads
and finger tips. They are often very tiny- never reaching more than 5 inches in
height, but their size deceives the viewer as to the power that they wield.
Podnoggins are a wide variety greens and browns, and some times sport a rosy blush.
Their eyes glow with the luminous light of decomposing vegetable matter or luminous
fungi, and they frequently sport very mischievous smiles upon their faces. They
wear no visible clothing- but for leafy shoes- and seem for the most part to be
more plant than animal. Many very old Podnoggins eventually settle down and take
root, becoming great sentient wild rose bushes or brambles…some even becoming
actual trees: hickories or mulberries, chokecherries or crabapples. Podnoggins
are closely associated with denizens of the Hedge and like many who reside within
the Hedge, they seem to have a cohesive and structured social order, but it is
difficult to say, as they are largely unwilling to communicate with most humans-
no matter what their intention may be…
This is Pepper Tarbottom- a member of one of the few identified Podnoggin clans
known to elficologists and researchers into the worlds of the Fay. The Tarbottoms
are of one of the Podnoggin clans most often seen in the abandoned or untended
city parks or crumbling city centers- ghettos- that one sees more and more of in
modern times. Pepper is an elder Podnoggin, but he has not settled into the ease
of the bramble or the honeysuckle and nightshade tangled mazes of the Hedge. He
seems to have too much yet on his agenda in the war on the paved world of human
kind.
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© The World of Kevin Buntin