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224

SHADAR- K A I

In the perpetual gloom of the Shadowfell

lives a society

that serves the Raven Queen.

They were brought into

that dusky realm in ages past, so long ago that they're

now perfectly adapted to that cheerless environment,

both physically and

mentally.

Soul Custodian s. Shadar-kai watch over both the

Shadowfell

and the material world, scouti ng out choice

souls

and tragedies that might please their deity. T hey

are rumored to be able to coax worldly events along

tragic paths for her amusement. The Raven Queen is

famously cryptic even to her most devoted followers,

however. The shadar-kai's efforts are rewarded only

with vague omens they interpret as best they can.

Blighte d Elves. Shadar-kai were once

elves, but

eons of exposure to the debilitating

influence of the

S h adowfell has left them joyless and mournful. In that

realm, they have the appearance of withered elves: pale

hair, wrinkled gray skin, and swollen joints give them a

corpselike aspect. They

appear more youthful while on

other planes,

but their skin a lways retains its deathly

pallor. They

dress in dark cloaks and heavy veils, detest

mirrors,

and avoid keeping things that remind them of

their age.

Although

a formidable fighter, a gloom weaver is often

conte

nt to remain hidden in the shadows, watching with

rapt attention as its very presence affects its victims.

Its dark energy weighs down the heart, causing those

within its oppressive aura to feel the approach of death.

This torment alone is enough to please its master,

the Raven Queen, but should it be detected, a gloom

weaver uses its shadow magic to reduce its enemies

to

ghastly corpses.

SHA D OW DANCER

Those who have fought shadow dancers describe the

experience as similar to fighting a living darkness. Ev-

ery dim a lcove and darkened nook is a p

lace from where

the lithe and acrobatic shadow dancers

can emerge to

ambush their prey. Using this

tactic, they attack their en-

emies from all angles with a flurry of entangling chains

that hold fast and corrupt the flesh. When their quarry

is helpless, others move in to help dispatch the prey.

Then they loot

the corpse for trinkets, anything colorful

and lively

to gaze at after they return to the gloom of the

Shadow fell.

SOUL MONGER

Wracked with despair over the loss of memories of a

brighter time, soul mongers now crave the vitality of

others.

The aching void within a soul monger radiates

outward, manifesting as an unbearable weight that

drains the vigor of anyone unfortunate enough to be in

its presence. Those who have escaped the onslaught

of a

soul monger can hardly shake the memory of t he sound

it makes- the moan of a tortured soul, lost in a bottom-

less well of tragedy.

CHAPTe R 6 1 BESTIARY

GLOOM WEAVER

Medium humanoid (elf), neutral

Armor Class 14 (17 with mage

armor)

Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)

Speed 30 ft.

STR

11 (+O)

DEX

18 (+4)

CON

14 (+2)

Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +6

Damage Immunities necrotic

INT

15 (+2)

WIS

12 (+1)

Condition Immunities charme

d, exhaust io n

Se nses darkvision

60 ft., passive Perception 11

Lang uages Common, Elvish

Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

CHA

18 (+4)

Burden ofTime. Beasts and humanoids, other than shadar-kai,

have disadvantage on saving throws while

within 10 feet of the

gloom weaver.

Fey Ancestry. The gloom weaver has advantage on saving

throws against being charmed, and magic can't put it to sleep.

Innate Spellc

asting. The gloom weaver's innate spellcasting

ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell at-

tacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no

material components:

At will: arcane eye, mage armor, speak with dead

1/day each: arcane gate, bane, compulsion, confusion, true seeing

Spellcasting. The gloom

weaver is a 12th-level s pellcaster. Its

spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with

spell attacks).

It regains it s expended s pell s lots when it fin-

is h

es a short or long rest. It knows t he following warlock s pells:

Cantrips (at will): chill t ouch (3d 8 damage), eldritch blast (3

beam s, +4 bonus to each damage roll), minor illusion, pres-

tidigitation

1st- 5th level (3 5th-level slots): armor of Agathys, blight, dark-

ness, dream, invisibility.fear, hypnotic pattern, major

image,

contact other plane, vampiric touch, witch bolt

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The gloom weaver makes

two spear attacks and

cast s one spell that takes 1 action to cast.

Shadow Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft.,

one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage, or

8 (1d8 + 4)

piercing damage if used with two hands, plus 26 (4d12) ne-

crotic damage.

REACTIO

N S

Misty Escape (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). When the

gloom weaver

takes damage, it turns invisible and teleports

up to

60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. It remains

invisible until the s tart of its next turn or until it attacks or -1

casts a spell.