Originally posted on FA on Oct 6th, 2017 04:35 PM

Bottle Mimics are extremely dangerous creatures. They will appear as a normal glass bottle with a cork stopper, and will attempt to insinuate themselves amongst other similar bottles in order to fool prey. The exact method of their locomotion is not clear, as they will not move while being observed. While they look like glass, they are much harder and extremely difficult to crack or break. When in their "active" phase, they will appear to be filled with a translucent colored liquid; the hue of this liquid may vary. While the stopper is in the bottle, they are mostly harmless and can be handled normally.

If the stopper is removed and a potential victim tries to either drink the liquid inside or insert a body part (like a finger) into the opening, the victim's body will immediately lose cohesion and begin to enter a liquid state. A powerful force will then pull the victim into the bottle. Stopping the process is almost impossible; the victim will simply liquefy and slide through the fingers of anyone attempting to pull them back out. As this may potentially result in a second victim, it is advised to not attempt to stop the process once it has begun. The entire process takes between five to ten seconds, and can vary depending on the size of the victim. After this process is finished, the cork will fly back into the bottle's opening.

Once the bottle has "fed", it will enter its "dormant" state. This state is easily differentiated from the active state, as the liquid inside will be more opaque, be colored similarly to the bottle's last victim, and will actively swirl and move. Occasionally, features of the previous victim may become visible within the swirling liquid. Evidence seems to suggest that these victims remain alive and aware while in this state, though none have ever been successfully restored to their previous form; opening the bottle will simply result in the liquid inside spilling out, presumably resulting in the death of the victim. A victim will remain in this state until emptied from the bottle.

While in the "dormant" state, the bottle mimic is no longer dangerous. If another living creature opens the bottle and drinks its contents, they will gain one or more attributes of the previous victim. The exact results are unpredictable. The attributes gained may be physical or mental. The effects will usually linger for only a few hours, but they can be permanent. Once the bottle has been emptied, the cork will again fly back into the bottle opening and the bottle will begin to slowly refill with translucent fluid. This process takes about an hour, during which the cork cannot be removed. Once the bottle has finished filling itself, it will once again enter its "active" phase.

As an additional note, there is some debate amongst scholars regarding whether bottle mimics are actually living creatures who gain some kind of sustenance from this process, or if they are simply enchanted objects left over from some rogue mage's experimentation. If they truly are feeding, they don't have to do so on any regular schedule, as a single victim might remain in a bottle for years before it is opened again. If you find a bottle that you suspect is a Bottle Mimic, extreme caution is advised.