Demons, rakshasa, oni, nephilim, yokai, daevas, devils—every culture, faith, and mystic tradition has a name for them.
Malicious spirits lurk among mankind and prey on the weak and foolhardy. Some are tricksters who simply care nothing for metahuman life or feelings, simply taking joy in manipulating and using metahumans for their own ends. Others harbor a burning hatred for metahumans, with dark appetites that are whetted by suffering and pain.
Occultists, paranaturalists, and scholars may puzzle about the origins and diversity of these entities, but the truth is that an unknown number of such dangerous spirits are abroad in the Sixth World. Most are free or wild spirits, taking on forms that range from the innocuous and friendly-seeming to forms that reflect cultural bogeymen or even the restless dead. These are collectively referred to as shadows, but in fact each such spirit is unique.
Many (but not all) shadows can drain Karma, feeding off their victims during moments of powerful emotional outpouring. While the causes of such drastic emotions may vary, shadow spirits seem particularly drawn to the negative emotions that accompany riots, violent deaths, metahuman experimentations, torture, genocide, war, or mass panic, as well as more personal expressions like arrogance, inadequacy, fear, or self-doubt. Shadow spirits often use Compulsion, Influence, and similar powers to provoke situations in which they can drain Karma from their intended victims(s).
There are five known types of shadow spirit: Muse, Nightmare, Shade, Succubus, and Wraith. Each one inspires and feasts upon a different emotion.
Nightmare
A bogey man, a dreadful apparition that delights in horrifying and scaring its victims. The nightmare is a coward and a monster, often choosing children and the elderly as targets. It terrorizes the weak, vulnerable, and innocent, reveling in the fear and helplessness they radiate. Nightmares typically appear in forms drawn straight from horror sims and the darkest mythologies.
Shade
Drawn to emotional distress and misery, addicted to sorrow, loss, loneliness, and broken hearts. The shade will invariably seek to aggravate its victims’ emotional states, influencing them to commit acts of desperation, abasement, and eventually suicide—often badly carried through, to the additional delight of the shade. Shades are often reported as stern, grey metahuman figures.
Succubus
Thrives on base sexual energies (e.g. lust, passion, love), shifting between attractive, desirable, and lecherous metahuman forms (male, female, or even androgynous). Hard to distinguish from a normal metahuman, the succubus seduces others to feed from them at the height of the sexual act (though they don’t necessarily have to participate themselves), be it a one-night stand or a full fledged orgy. A true sexual predator, the succubus shows disdain for attachments or relationships.
Wraith
The most hostile shadow spirit known. It thrives on violence, destruction, and pain, employing its powers of Compulsion and Fear to inspire hatred, bloodlust, and violence in intelligent beings. The wraith feeds on and enjoys extreme acts of violence, such as torture and rape, and likes nothing better than seeding conflict so it may draw from the suffering of both factions. Wraiths often materialize as a vaguely humanoid cloud of black or gray mist lit from within by a sickly green light, or as a tall dark figure wearing tattered robes and surrounded by mists.
Muse
A creative parasite driven to inspire, then savor the emotional epiphany of artistic creation. Less overtly sinister, the muse is nevertheless an otherworldly being that places little value on the physical needs of metahuman existence (eg: eating, drinking, sleeping, socializing). As a result, manipulated victims are often “damaged” by sleep deprivation, malnourishment, and isolation. The fey and sensuous form the muse assumes is intended to appeal and inspire artists, performers, and other creative types.
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