The Shadow of the Steaming Forest

The Shadow is a mysterious creature that is said to lurk in the remote areas of the steaming jungle. The exact nature of the Shadow varies by telling. Some say that it is a powerful but mundane beast. Some claim it is the result of some sorcerous experiment gone wrong. Some insist that the Shadow is a straight up demon that will consume the very soul of its prey...

Summary

Though there are many variations, the basic story goes that there is something evil in the forest that will prey upon anyone who does not leave out an offering of fresh meat or a sparkling trinket of jewelry each night they are traveling through its domain. If the Shadow accepts the offering, the travelers will be able to walk through the forest that day without fear, but if the offer is rejected, they will awake to find one of their number missing, dragged off silently into the night to some sinister fate. If they try to stay awake and guard against the Shadow, it will pick them off one by one through the night, never allowing itself to be fully visible and unable to be harmed by any mortal weapon.

Historical Basis

The most likely basis of this myth is the story of an Elven Dragon who was lost as a egg in the Steaming Forest during a botched attempt to steal said egg. The egg thieves allegedly became lost in the forest and ran afoul of a group of jungle dragons. The stolen egg was similar enough to that of the jungle dragons that they raised it as their own. The Elven Dragon lived there in the jungle for a number of years, possible causing some difficulty for the local people, until he was eventually discovered by several other Elven Dragons who had been exploring the area and was brought back to Samlad. Despite this, Shadow sightings persisted, and people still leave out offerings.