American Bestiary

Named after the rural farming community of Van Meter, Iowa.

A bizarre, half-human half-animal entity standing eight feet tall. It is equipped with smooth, leathery bat-wings and a blunt horn protruding from its forehead that emits a blinding, searchlight-like beam. It is completely impervious to close-range bullet impacts.

It operated terrestrially at night, but retreated into the subterranean depths of an abandoned local coal mine.

Capable of immense speed, flight, and leaping seamlessly between building rooftops. As a defense mechanism against human attacks, it emits an overpowering, noxious stench capable of rendering an adult man unconscious.

Appearing over a few nights in 1903, the town formed a heavily armed posse and permanently sealed the creature inside a mine shaft with heavy planks. The town now hosts an annual Van Meter Visitor Festival to commemorate the unearthly event.