The votes are in...

And the big winner is...

(drum roll please)

... KYLO!! That's right, congratulations to Kylo on winning Scare the Storytellers 2025 with their submission "The Brood Mother"!

We hope everyone is excited to explore this tale and more for Rapadruk next year as part of the release of NIGHTMARES. In the meantime, check out the Starmourn wiki to read all the entries from this year and before. You're in for a SpOoOoOoPy ride!

Read the full winning legend here:

They say she only comes for the forgetful, those who speak too loud in the fog, or break the stillness of the swamp at dusk.

Dont talk in the swamp. Thats the first lesson.

The second? If you see eight blue-slitted eyes blink in the mist, youre already hers.

The Elgan of Biloxan call her The Brood Mother, and they do not curse her. They offer fish and fruit, and speak in hushes when the water is still.

She is not a beast, they say. She is punishment that walks. They say she is not hunting, she is listening.

Blue eyes flicker from the trees. Then silence. Then the sting. You won't remember the pain, not at first. Just heat. Something moving, just under your skin. They say thats her children waking inside you.

A gift of life. A lesson in death.

They say youll walk a while before you feel them, the little mouths beneath your ribs, gnawing.

Some dont scream. They just& kneel.

Thats how you know the eggs have taken root.

As they consume you, your eyes will be open. Your stomach swollen and split. Your body hollowed in overwhelming agony.

The last thing they eat is your voice.