Carpathian Mountains, Poland, 1944.
Private Murphy "Jinx" Malone's plane goes down behind enemy lines, but the Nazis hunting him through the forest are about to become the least of his problems. When he takes shelter in a remote cabin, Murphy discovers something ancient has been disturbed... and sometimes, showing respect to the old deities of the forest is the only way to survive.
The Drive
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Ever heard a campfire story that just... stuck with you?
There's this old tale I heard when I was young that always struck a chord with me and creeped me out, leaving me wondering what was lurking just beyond the tree line. That spine-tingling feeling became the inspiration for Whispers of the Leshy – our atmospheric horror short that drops a downed WWII pilot into the middle of a nightmare he never saw coming.
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Golden Age Horror Meets WWII Atmosphere
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For this project, we teamed up with the incredibly talented R.L. Black, whose retro-inspired art style perfectly captures that nostalgic golden age horror aesthetic. R.L. Black specializes in "retro-inspired aesthetics" and creates "captivating illustrations" in "fantasy, horror, and mysticism." His work transports you straight back to the classic horror comics that defined the genre.
Since our story unfolds during WWII, we knew we needed an artist who could nail that authentic period feel – and boy, did R.L. deliver! Every panel drips with that vintage horror comic charm that'll have you checking over your shoulder.
A Horror Featurette Experience
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Here's the cool part: We crafted this as a half-sized comic (compared to regular issues) to give it that intimate "featurette" vibe - think of it as your own personal episode of Tales from the Crypt! At 10 pages, it's the perfect length to build tension, deliver scares, and leave you wanting more without overstaying its welcome.
The compact format makes every page count, creating an intense, concentrated horror experience that'll have you flipping through it multiple times to catch all the atmospheric details R.L. packed into his artwork.
The Legend Behind the Terror
From Ancient Slavic Folklore to Modern Nightmare
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The Leshy has haunted Slavic forests for over a thousand years, appearing in tales from Russia to Poland - which is exactly why we chose the Carpathian Mountains as our setting. These ancient woodlands have been home to Leshy legends since before written history, making them the perfect backdrop for Murphy's terrifying encounter.
Traditional Leshy depictions show an old, bearded forest guardian - sometimes towering like the trees, other times appearing as a wizened woodsman with branches growing from his head. But here's the thing about the Leshy: it's a master shapeshifter. In folklore, it can appear as anything from a massive tree to a lost traveler, adapting its form to suit its needs.
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Our Monstrous Interpretation
We asked ourselves: What if the Leshy took a form designed purely to terrify? What if, deep in wartime, surrounded by violence and death, this ancient guardian manifested as something far more primal and frightening than an old forest sage? Our Leshy is still the same creature from folklore - it's just chosen a form that reflects the dark times it's witnessing. The traditional shapeshifting ability means this beast could look completely different tomorrow, but in 1944, in these blood-soaked woods, it's taken the shape of pure nightmare fuel while keeping to a design that reflects the golden age of horror. We wanted to honor the folklore while bringing a fresh, genuinely nostalgic interpretation to modern horror fans. After all, the best monsters are the ones that can adapt... and this Leshy has had centuries to perfect the art of fear while being small enough to hide in the shadows.
Art by Todor Gotchkov
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Whispers Of The Leshy & © 2023, 2024 Stellar 9 Studios™ All rights reserved. TM indicates a trademark of Stellar 9 Studios. Whispers Of The Leshy and the Whispers Of The Leshy logo are registered and copyright of Stellar 9 Studios and Brandon Ellison. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without express written permission of Stellar 9 Studios. Names, characters, places, themes, story, dialogue, and incidents featured in this publication either are the product of the authors imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or deceased), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric intent is coincidental
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