Spectral Abomination

When one of the continent's blood-corrupted abominations dies, the Frost Horseman catches its spirit and holds it in the shadowy faerie realm, unwilling to let such pure evil simply blow away. He then calls these spirits back into undead service. A spectral abomination usually looks as it did in life, only see-through, though it can turn solid at will during a fight.

These spirits exist at the Horseman's pleasure and are among his mightiest servants, using their powers to advance his schemes. Adventurers who meet one will probably not guess who it serves unless the game master reveals it over several encounters. The creature gives a game master a way to bring back a beloved villain the heroes thought they had finished, now bigger and nastier thanks to the Horseman's gifts.

A spectral abomination keeps every combat ability it had alive and is even more dangerous now. Its spirit nature adds a shadow touch: each contact turns part of the victim's life force into shadow, draining 1 point of Constitution, and a character reduced to 0 becomes a spectre. Every one of these spirits also has the major regeneration blood ability.

The Horseman has granted them greater command of fey glamour, which they often use in battle; their perception rises by 1 point for each decade spent in the shadowy realm. They can be reasoned with, bargained with and negotiated with about as readily as in life, except by the one who killed them. That character gets no hearing, only vengeance.

They haunt every corner of the shadowy realm. None has yet appeared on the continent, though one might grow strong enough, at the game master's discretion, to cross over and terrorize the waking world again. Solitary as in life, they ignore one another unless their master summons them together.

Each builds its own stronghold in the shadowy realm, smaller and plainer than its old lair, though some reshape the glamour so their new home mirrors the one they had in the waking world. The Horseman lets them chase their own goals, but when he calls they must drop everything and obey. Many command servants: some are undead versions of followers they had in life, so a fallen spider-like abomination reborn as a spectral spider would likely rule a horde of undead spiders. Others are pressed from the realm's natives, such as halflings, changelings, members of the light and dark fey courts, assorted undead or other monsters, depending on the spirit's power.

When an abomination dies on the continent, the dark god's bloodline in its veins dissolves and drifts to the shadowy realm. This happens even when its blood is stolen, since even a blood-stealing blade captures only 5 bloodline strength points and the rest scatters. Only one that passes on its bloodline before dying is safe from becoming one of these spirits.

The Horseman keeps them obedient by trapping and absorbing part of that essence. In life they were scions of the dark god because they carried a piece of him; in death they serve the Horseman because he carries a piece of them. He could release them whenever he wished, but he never has.

Some say spectral versions of the good-blooded champions might exist in the shadowy realm too, each tied to one of the continent's new gods and working to ease the lives of those dwelling in shadowed lands.