The Shouldersage

"Should you ever find yourself alone in a dark place hearing a calm, ethereal voice from behind you, think very carefully before you turn around. It may be the Shouldersage. Talk as you will, listen, and carefully make your way towards a brighter, more populated area. Your shadowy stalker will follow, the voice steadily getting closer and closer. Still, you mustn't turn around. The voice will start to talk more intimately, sharing knowledge it should be impossible to know. If you know what's good for you, you still won't turn. Finally, as you near light & people, the Shouldersage shall whisper as though right next to your ear. Listen well and remember. As long as you don't turn, what you're told will serve you well in the future. Those who turn during their encounter find they lack one."

— excerpt from 'Terrifying Tales for Tough Teens'

The Shouldersage is a legend of some sort of shadowy creature that finds & preys on people alone in the dark, stalking them until they can safely find their way to a brightly lit area or the presence of another person. Should the individual manage this without turning & looking at them, it provides a piece of advice or information bound to provide some form of good fortune to the brave soul who overcame their instinct to look at the approaching danger. Those who turn are whisked away by this shadowy being & presumed dead, though no evidence of their expiry is ever found, with only pieces of clothing left remaining.


The origin of the tale is unknown, as recantings of the Shouldersage emerged in Starport, Expin & Stalvenrakh around a similar timeframe with no clear connections between the people telling the tales. As such, the tale may just hold some element of truth. With no known method to make the Shouldersage appear under controlled conditions there's been little progress in determining whether this truly terrifying tale is a mysterious monster roaming the world, or just a phony phantom.