These spirits of drowned humanoids reside in the waters of their own demise, transformed into vile beings driven by the despair of their last moments. However, the victim’s desire to cling to life is twisted: the topel holds on to the living until their last breath has expired, sharing the same horrible feeling of desperation, helplessness, and doom.

Between Life and Death. Whether because of its violent death, the dark circumstances around it, or a terrible curse, the topel is a result of a drowned creature that couldn’t continue its path along the Great Cycle. Instead, it remains stuck in the moment and place of its death. It still bears some semblance of its former personality, as that creature’s soul is still trapped in the remains, but the topel is an unnatural, violent reflection of its former self. As part of its terrible fate, the topel can’t leave the water where it died of its own volition.

Join Me in Death. The topel is filled with bitterness and loathing. Its only urge is to share its suffering. If any living creature passes near its waters, it uses its limited sentience to bait them with cries for help or tender laughter. As soon as the creatures are close enough, the topel masks its dead body with the image of a beautiful creature and lures its confused victims into the water, dragging them underwater in a crushing hug to drown as it once did. A creature killed by a topel or drowned in its embrace becomes a topel after 24 hours. Some lakes, rivers, or swamps become infested with many of these malicious and tormented creatures, cursed to pass on their watery death.

True Visage. It is said, however, that a simple mirror may save your life if you find yourself in such a dire situation. If this terrifying undead creature faces its own true reflection, which is revealed once it’s fully submerged under water, it is so frightened by its own visage that it flees, ignoring its prey.