Shadowdrifter

Shadowdrifters are a species of wraithlike beings, native to the fallen planet of Darkspire.

Once a numerous species who governed and terrorised Darkspire in their millions, they were most of them wiped out when the one they called the Void Father, popularly known as Blackhole, consumed them and their planet. Few remain as a result. Many of those who survived now live a wraithlike existence, ostracised by their new alien societies, forced to feed off unsuspecting sapient folk like animals. Others, though, refused to forget all that they once enjoyed on Darkspire, and hungrily covet power and influence wherever they end up.

In either case, shadowdrifters are not a people to take lightly. Be afraid.

Biology and physical appearance

Shadowdrifters do not physically age, but instead slowly diminish into shadow until nothing remains. To sustain themselves and avoid fading, the shadowdrifter must feed often on the life-force of other sapient beings, which also renders them corporeal. If it has been some time since they last fed, they begin to fade, and they will appear increasingly more wraithlike until only the faintest shadow remains, before finally fading permanently into nothingness and dying. Shadowdrifters may willingly shed their corporeal forms to become phantoms, though they must feed again to regain them, and so to do so is highly dangerous without ready access to sapient prey.

In their malnourished, wraithlike forms, shadowdrifters appear as little more than shadow and vapour. It’s possible to share a room with one and not even know it is there, such is their ability to become one with the darkness. Like phantoms, incorporeal shadowdrifters may phase through solid objects such as walls and doors, and they are immune to things like radiation. They are, however, highly vulnerable to sunshine, which is deathly toxic to them in both their forms.

Corporeal shadowdrifters are tall and slim, with looming, visibly boneless bodies. They are still composed of shadow in this state, although their bodies are denser to the point of solidity, with faces resembling horned white skulls. They have large, prominent ears, and cape-like wings enabling flight over distances. They cannot pass through walls or other solid objects in this state. They do, however, possess physical strength in this form, and they can live and act as mortals do, blending into society to accrue the social influence and power that shadowdrifters so hungrily crave.

Society and culture

In their time, the shadowdrifters dominated the planet Darkspire, where even the lowliest amongst them enjoyed a privileged position in society. They treated ‘lesser’ beings, or mortals, as livestock and slaves for their own ends, and enjoyed all the comforts and trappings of their stations whilst everybody else suffered and died by their hands. They organised themselves into a rigid hierarchy of castes, with the shadowdrifter nobles and lords enjoying more power than anybody else. They held the Void Father, whom others call Blackhole, in the highest esteem, the ultimate usurper and height of aspiration, and were, in the end, consumed by him.

When Blackhole came, most of the shadowdrifters went into the void willingly – but for some, the ambition to live was stronger. Some shadowdrifters survive even now, though most are ostracised by decent society, and so many have turned feral, stalking innocent townsfolk by night and feeding as they sleep. Others, refusing to forget the stations they once enjoyed, have clawed their way into positions of power and influence all over the galaxy.

It’s unknown precisely how many shadowdrifters there are in the galaxy. Darkspire once had a population in the tens of millions, but all those who did not escape his consumption were eradicated by Blackhole. Some shadowdrifters were not on Darkspire at the time, and it’s speculated that others could have survived by rendering themselves incorporeal before fleeing into space. Whilst radiation cannot harm shadowdrifters in this form, however, the absence of sapient life-forms in outer space on which to feed makes this hypothesis unlikely, if not impossible. The surviving population is believed to be in the thousands at most.

Fashion

Shadowdrifters do not wear manufactured clothing. The ‘clothing’ they appear to wear is in fact composed of the same substance as their bodies, being made of shadow and vapour as opposed to anything synthetic. For this reason, shadowdrifter attire tends to be dark in colour and closely fitting, however they still have a strong sense for fashion and an affinity for all things grand and gothic.

Natural abilities

The shadowdrifter’s most crucial natural ability is its ability to leech the life-force of mortal prey, for this is the only mode by which it can feed. Neither plants nor animals can sustain a shadowdrifter; they rely solely on the life-force of other, sapient beings to sate their appetites and maintain their corporeality. Feeding requires close proximity to their target, but physical contact is unnecessary – the ritual is magical in nature, though it can take several minutes. Shadowdrifters who go too long without feeding do not become famished, as other beings do, but diminish gradually into darkness until nothing remains.

Shadowdrifters are uniquely attuned to darkness, and all of them possess the ability to drain their surroundings of light and blend into the shadows. They have a natural aversion to light in all its forms and prolonged exposure can harm them. Any room that they step into will instantly be dimmed and cast into shadow, for such is the instinct of a shadowdrifter.

Due to the unique nature of their body composition, shadowdrifters are weightless in their shade forms, and near-weightless when corporeal too. This, combined with their ability to blend seamlessly into darkness, means that shadowdrifters are able to move about stealthily and stalk their prey in purest silence. Whilst there are physical symptoms associated with a shadowdrifter attack, many vicitms attribute them to other, unexplained illnesses, having no idea that they were ever in the vicinity of a shadowdrifter at all.

With their large wings, they are capable of flight over long distances, and thanks to their overlarge ears, they are capable of ultrasonic hearing. It is also believed that they could potentially survive the effects of outer space in their incorporeal forms, as they do not require oxygen to breathe, and radiation cannot harm shadow.

Weaknesses

Shadowdrifters are reliant on having ready access to sapient prey, requiring it in order to maintain their corporeal forms and ultimately survive. They must feed often; if they don’t, they will soon diminish into incorporeal shadow and eventually nothingness. Their prey must also be sapient, demonstrating free will and complex reasoning. On Darkspire, intelligent lifeforms were farmed like cattle, but few places now remain in the galaxy where such things are legal. Shadowdrifters must either use stealth to survive, or go feral.

They are also vulnerable to light, with prolonged exposure causing them to rapidly diminish into shadow. Artificial light has only a mild effect, but can still be deadly in high doses. Sunshine, on the other hand, is lethal to the shadowdrifter in both their forms, so they must take great care not to expose themselves to its effects during daylight.

Notable individuals

Because Blackhole consumed the shadowdrifters’ home, the planet Darkspire, most of the Milky Way Galaxy’s shadowdrifters were presumed to have been wiped out. It is estimated there are only several thousand of them remaining, and many of those who did survive now live feral existences, being shunned by decent society for their feeding on sapient life, and forced to live as phantoms.

One notable shadowdrifter who has managed to avoid social ostracisation is Vacio, who is not only a Void Councillor within the Order of the Event Horizon, but also Prime Executor of the galaxy’s largest governing body, the Orion Corporation.