Deep in the jungle, among the tangled branches that blot out the sky, the Tue Tue waits. Motionless. Patient. You might not notice it until it's already too late.
Origin
The Tue Tue draws from Chilean and Mapuche folklore, where it is known as the Chonchón - a creature tied to dark sorcery, described as a flying head adorned with feathers, capable of bringing omens of death. Its cry - "tue, tue, tue" - was said to predict the passing of a loved one. In the Mound, that cry means something far more immediate.
Appearance
Perched high on a branch, the Tue Tue cuts a striking silhouette: a large black-feathered bird with a skull for a head and two burning red eyes that catch the light in the dark. It is still until it is not.
Behaviour: do not get close.
The Tue Tue is territorial. It does not hunt - it punishes proximity.
Approach too close, throw an object near it, and it will scream. Loudly. Very loudly. The kind of noise that tells every creature in the area exactly where you are.
After the cry, it ascends - hovering above its branch - and releases a thick green-black cloud that swallows everything around it. Visibility drops to near zero. You can barely make out the terrain. You can barely see your teammates.
To escape, you have two options:
Run. Put enough distance between yourself and the Tue Tue and the cloud will fade behind you.
Kill it. A ranged weapon can bring it down before the cloud fully closes in. Be warned: the Tue Tue screams again when it dies.
Captain’s Notes
Silence is survival. If you hear the cry, it is already reacting to you. The cloud does not follow you - but your teammates caught inside it will be on their own. Coordinate your approach. One careless throw can blind your entire squad.
The Mound does not forgive noise.
More monsters ahead. Watch the skies.
