Will O'Shadow

This hypnotic being that tempts the unwary into the shadowy faerie realm. It turns up where the veil between the continent and that realm is thin, and it lives on the life energy of the mortal world. It appears as a glowing sphere drifting and bouncing through the night. Its diameter, anywhere from 1 to 4 feet, tells how near a portal is to opening; a larger glow means an earlier opening. Because it is usually seen from far off, its size can be hard to judge.

These creatures communicate by varying their movement patterns, a code so intricate that no one but another will o'shadow can follow it. A cousin of the will o'wisp, it is frequently mistaken for its crueler relative.

A will o'shadow's arrival on the continent foretells that a portal is coming, though portals can open without one. Signs it leaves behind can show the site of a past portal and how long it stayed open, as described under Ecology.

Natives of the continent who come within a quarter mile of one, whether they notice it or not, face a 50% chance that it feeds on them instead of nearby plants and animals. Each must save vs. poison or take 2d6 points of damage. Victims feel oddly drained, dizzy or tired, and if they had already noticed the light, they might see it grow brighter.

Such characters are even more exposed if they stand on the shadow side of a soon-to-open portal where one lurks. On that side the creature is invisible, while they glow with the only mortal-world life force nearby; their save vs. poison suffers a +1 penalty, and failure costs 2d6 hit points.

Will o'shadows avoid fights unless provoked. Attacked, they fly into a feeding frenzy to replace lost energy, darting and swooping with great speed to brush against their foes. Each touch drains 2d8 hit points from a victim native to the continent; this feeds the creature but does not restore its own hit points, and it is generally insatiable. Victims from elsewhere just take a 1d8 burn that gives it no nourishment. Once it has 5 hit points or less, it tries to escape.

Normal weapons hurt it, but almost all magic fails; detect invisibility and shadow magic are the only known exceptions. Magical light makes it invisible until the light goes out. It has lesser fey glamour, and in combat may hide itself with hypnotic pattern, blur, dancing lights or color spray.

Characters who make their saves and leave it alone may have an entirely peaceful encounter, though something far worse may be waiting on the far side of the portal.

One to three appear at a time. They live in the parts of the shadow realm that border the continent, but are rarely noticed there, since that land's endless twilight usually hides them. Shortly before a portal opens, the barrier grows thin enough for will o'shadows to cross before anything else, gaining a lead that can last from a minute up to three hours.

When the gateway finally opens, a powerful force drags the creature back. It fights the pull, which is the cause of its bouncing, dancing flight, and stays as long as it can, feeding. Ordinary people believe the force is a master calling them home, perhaps the Frost Horseman or one of the Forsaken. The wisest sages think it is nothing but the shadow realm drawing back its own.

Will o'shadows feed on the continent's life energy, which is why they resist going home. Having crossed over, they gorge themselves, leaving living things weakened. Where they attended a portal, the nearby vegetation turns brown and limp for 1d4 days per round the opening lasted. If animals, humanoids or other characters are nearby, the creatures may feed on them instead, not out of malice but because they seek the richest source.

Folklore claims will o'shadows are stars of the mortal sky that were trapped in the shadow realm by a cataclysmic battle on a mountain. The stories add that this is why they glow visibly only in our world, and why they fight so hard to remain in it.