The Shadow Prince: Lord of the Veil
by AozIn the heart of Glantri, where arcane currents intersect and secrets whisper through the cobblestone streets and the canals, the enigmatic Shadow Prince strides in the Shadows. His origins are veiled in mystery, a tale spun from threads of from the Veil realm and the ethereal mists of Mystara.
Here is his story:
The Dark Realm and Ascension:
The Shadow Prince, once a master level wizard that vanished into the Dark realm for a few years. There, he was trapped and had to delve into forbidden arts, unraveling the secrets of shadow magic—the twilight dance between life and death.
Emerging from the realm, he returned to Mystara, where only a couple years had passed. However for him aleast one hundred years had passed, his power surged to the astonishing heights of wizardry. His very essence resonated with the darkness that clung to his form.
Temporal Voyages:
The Comeback Inn, a mystical tavern that defies the constraints of time, that allowed the Shadow Prince to escape the Veil. He stepped through its threshold, traversing the tides of history.
First, he travelled to the past and saw the great Blackmoor Civilization. Then, the next stop was a nightmarish future: Radiance-scorched lands, humanoid hordes from the Broken Lands, and the crumbling remnants of Mystara.
These visions seared his soul as he finally returned to his time. Determination ignited within him—an oath to safeguard the fragile strands of fate.
Undying Guardianship:
The Shadow Prince, compassionate yet resolute, wields dark arts with purpose. He crafts intelligent undead—loyal sentinels who remember their mortal lives. Their eyes hold echoes of forgotten lifetimes and whispered promises.
But he is no tyrant. Those who seek refuge from the Radiance’s wrath find solace in his shadow. He transforms the willing into shades, granting them shadowy existence. Their loyalty is unwavering, their purpose clear: protect the future.
The Noble Shadows: In the public eye goes by the name...Arcane Golden Circle
Beneath the moon’s watchful gaze, the Noble Shadows convene. Their true name hidden, they masquerade as the Arcane Golden Circle in public—a facade of privilege and charity.
These young minds, heirs to noble houses and merchant dynasties, gather in moonlit chambers. Their laughter echoes off ancient tapestries. They are the children of Glantri’s elite, but their purpose transcends lineage.
Among them, students from the Glantri Great School of Magic wield quills and wands. They decipher cryptic texts, trace ley lines, and dream of a Glantri reborn.
The Council of Princes’ Blindness:
The Council of Princes, ensconced in their towers and paraliment, dismisses the Arcane Golden Circle as a frivolous club for rich progenies. They see charity events and masked balls, unaware of the shadows that move behind silk curtains.
Little do they realize that the Noble Shadows manipulate fate itself. Their clandestine actions—retrieving lost grimoires, deciphering ancient glyphs—shape Glantri’s destiny.
The Shadow Prince, their silent mentor, weaves the strands of past, present, and future. His eyes hold the weight of worlds, and his heart beats in sync with the pulse of magic.
And so, the Shadow Prince walks the shrouded path, his steps echoing through Glantri’s halls. In the twilight of secrets, he guards the fragile flame of hope, knowing that salvation lies not in grand battles, but in the choices of those who dwell in shadows.
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Veil Shade
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any land, and the Veil
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Society
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: As in life
INTELLIGENCE: Low to genius (5-18)
ALIGNMENT: Any
NO. APPEARING: 1-2 (or group of 4-16)
ARMOR CLASS: 10 (or by armor type)
MOVEMENT: 15
HIT DICE: 10
THAC0: By class& level
NO. OF ATTACKS: by class & level
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon (usually 1d8)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Quasi-real minions, surprise
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Shadow images, blink, regeneration
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Variable
SIZE: M (usually about 6' tall)
MORALE: Elite
Even the most astute observer could mistake a shade for a human. In fact, most shades once were human, but have shed their mortality for the essence of shadowstuff.
Most shades appear as humans of their former physical height and appearance, but with grayish or nearly black, dusky skin and veiled eyes. They are 40% lighten because of the shadowstuff in them. Shades can speak as many languages as their intelligence allows, but have no special language of their own. All shades that once were human speak their native tongue (most often Common, but sometimes a regional tongue).
Combat: Shades, by their nature, both have an affinity for shadow and have their capabilities linked to the degree of ambient shadow they occupy. They become fairly weak when exposed to unrelieved light or complete darkness, but prove formidable when in shadows.
No Shadows: The shade is surrounded by multiple light sources: within a magical light or darkness spell, in a room cut off from all light sources (complete darkness), or in the open on a bright, clear day. The shade suffers these penalties:
All the shade's senses function at half the human norm.
Base movement rate reduced to 12.
-2 hit points per hit die (minimum 1 point per die).
-4 saving throw penalty.
Weak Shadows: These lighting conditions include outdoors at dawn or twilight, in the woods on a bright day, in average indoor light, or outdoors on a moonless or overcast night. The shade functions normally in most respects, enjoying acute eyesight and hearing. The shade inflicts a -1 penalty on an opponents' surprise rolls. The ability to regenerate 1 hit point an hour.
Strong Shadows: The shade is outdoors at night or in dim indoor light. The shade enjoys the following advantages:
Highly acute eyesight and hearing equal to twice the human norm.
+1 hit point per hit die.
+2 to surprise rolls, -2 to opponent's surprise rolls.
Base movement rate of 15.
+1 to all saving throws, attack rolls, and damage rolls; all such rolls made against the shade suffer a -1 penalty (minimum 1 point of damage per die).
Magic resistance equal to 20%.
Invisibility once per turn, maximum duration 1 hour per use.
The ability to create shadow minions once an hour. This ability is similar to a mirror image spell cast at the shade's level (or 2nd level, whichever is better), except that 1d4 minions appear.
The ability to regenerate 1 hit point a turn.
Very Shadowy: These lighting conditions include being in the woods or jungle at twilight; being in a windowless room with a single, flicking light source (torch, candle, or small fire); or being outdoors at night along the edges of the circle of light thrown by an artificial light source.
Highly acute eyesight and hearing equal to twice the human norm. The shade sees through shadows as well as a human sees in broad daylight. Any hide in shadows attempts (except by other shades) automatically fail with respect to the shade.
+3 hit points per hit die.
+3 to surprise rolls, -3 to opponent's surprise rolls.
Base movement rate of 18 and ability to make a controlled blink once every two rounds. This ability allows the shade to appear in any very shadowy area within 100 yards and attack, use an ability, or cast a spell after it appears. The shade never appears inside a solid object.
+3 to all saving throws, attack rolls, and damage rolls; all such rolls made against the shade suffer a -3 penalty (minimum 1 point of damage per die).
Magic resistance equal to 35%.
The ability to create shadow minions once an hour. This ability is similar to a mirror image spell cast at the shade's level (or 2nd level, whichever is better), except that 1d4+2 minions appear.
The ability to regenerate 1 hit point a round.
In the Veil:
+6 hit points per hit die.
+6 to surprise rolls, -6 to opponent's surprise rolls.
Base movement rate of 24 and ability to make a controlled blink once every round. This ability allows the shade to appear in any very shadowy area within 200 yards and attack, use an ability, or cast a spell after it appears. The shade never appears inside a solid object.
+6 to all saving throws, attack rolls, and damage rolls; all such rolls made against the shade suffer a -6 penalty (minimum 1 point of damage per die).
Magic resistance equal to 70%.
The ability to create quasi-real minions once an hour. This ability is similar to a demishadow monsters spell cast at the shade's level (or 2nd level, whichever is better), except that 2d4 minions of the shade appear. The shade has mental control over the duplicates.
The ability to teleport without error to any very shadowy locale on the same world as the shade or plane shift to or from the Veil. The shade can either teleport or plane shift once a day, but not both.
The ability to regenerate 3 hit points a round.
Rejuvenation: If it dies, the shade returns to life in 1d10 days after it regenerates all its hit points. A Wish spell can prevent this trait from functioning; however, there is a 33% the spellcaster will permanently lose the ability to cast the Wish spell or permanently destroying the Shadow Prince will also destroy the shade.
Habitat/Society: Their preferred abode is the Veil. Many shades were formerly (80%) mages, thieves, or fighters, and a small fraction are priests. Some shades still maintain strong connections with their former abodes on the Mystara, living more for their mortal culture than any to which they gained access by becoming shades.
Shades spend a great deal of time on Mystara, much more so than many other creatures of the planes. Why this is so may relate to personal goals of particular shades or may have to do with the larger concerns of shade society in the Veil; sages are not sure. Many shades encountered on the Mystara seem to be on missions to gather information, retrieve powerful items, kidnap or kill important beings, or to protect a certain location.
Ecology: Shades are effectively immortal, never dying unless slain and prevented from regenerating. They achieve this state by accepting the Shadow Prince exchanging their spirits for the stuff of shadows. The transformation leaves them sterile.
Shades eat much the same diet as they did while mortal, but apparently receive some nourishment from shadow itself; no accounts exist of any of captive shades starving or becoming malnourished for lack of food and water. Shades do not create an uneasy reaction in animals, as do many unnatural creatures; quite to the contrary, they seem to be ignored by creatures of lesser intelligence, perceived simply as shadows rather than as living beings.
Demihumans who become shades function as described here, though their appearance suggests their former race. A dwarven shade, for example, might appear very stout. There are very few demihuman shades compared to the number of apparently human shades.
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The Shade of Twilight’s Embrace
Origins and Essence
The Shade of Twilight’s Embrace is born from the lingering whispers of the Shadow Prince’s magic. It is neither wholly alive nor truly dead—a paradox etched into the fabric of Glantri. Here are its defining traits:
Shadow Veil: Dusky Veil: Their once-human forms bear the weight of forgotten suns. Skin, ashen and nearly black, clings flesh and shadow. They move with the grace of whispers, their footsteps leaving no trace.
Veiled Eyes: The shades’ eyes are shrouded veils of twilight that conceal their emotions and intentions. When they gaze upon the living, it is as if the moon herself peers through their pupils.
Tall and Ethereal: These shadow reborn beings are lighter than humans because of the shadowstuff in them.
Eternal Rejuvenation:
When the Shade of Twilight’s Embrace is vanquished—whether by blade, spell, or Immortal whim—it does not fade into oblivion.
Instead, it retreats into the Veil Between Worlds, a realm where time dances to its own rhythm. There, it lingers for precisely 1d6 days, suspended in spectral slumber.
Upon awakening, it reclaims its form, its essence rekindled. The shade emerges anew, fully healed, as if death were but a fleeting dream.
Wishbound Resilience:
The Shade of Twilight’s Embrace bears a connection to the very fabric of reality. A Wish spell, uttered with intent, can sever its cycle of
The Veil’s Whispers and Cosmic Threads
Purpose and Guardianship
Sentinel of Forgotten Tomes:
The shade drifts through Glantri’s ancient libraries—their shelves groaning under the weight of tomes inscribed by forgotten sages.
Its touch awakens dormant spells, illuminating pages with spectral light. The words pulse like heartbeats, revealing secrets long buried.
When a mage seeks lost knowledge, the shade appears—a silent guide through the labyrinth of forgotten grimoires.
Thresholds of Choice:
The Shade of Twilight’s Embrace guards' thresholds—the archways between realms. Mortals who stand at these crossroads feel its presence.
To meet a shade is to confront choices: life or death, love or betrayal, power or sacrifice. The shade whispers cryptic counsel, urging the seeker to tread carefully.
Those who heed its advice find their paths altered—their destinies woven anew.
The Shadow Prince’s Voice:
When the Shadow Prince weaves spells, the shades echo his intent. They infiltrate courtly gatherings, murmur secrets to scholars, and inscribe cryptic glyphs on parchment.
Their loyalty transcends death. The shade’s veiled eyes reflect the Shadow Prince’s purpose—a dance of shadows that shapes Glantri’s fate.
Temporal Currents:
The Veil Between Worlds bends time. Within its folds, the shade experiences fragments of past and future.
It whispers prophecies to those who listen: a queen’s downfall, a hidden ley line, a forbidden love. Mortals tremble, caught in the undertow.
The 1d6 Slumber:
When vanquished, the shade retreats. It drifts into the Veil, where seconds stretch into days.
There, it dreams of forgotten lives, the scent of old parchment, and the taste of magic. Then, it awakens—renewed, insatiable.
The Price of Severed Threads
Wishbound Sacrifice:
A Wish spell can halt the shade’s rejuvenation. Mortals utter their desires, and the Veil shudders.
But beware: The cosmic loom weaves consequences. The caster risks losing their own wishes or bearing a shadow upon their soul.
The Shadow Prince’s Fate:
The shade’s existence mirrors its creator’s. If the Shadow Prince falls, so does the shade.
Their destinies entwined; they are two facets of a fractured gem—a paradox that binds Glantri’s survival to their shared pulse.
Remember, seeker of hidden truths, the Shade of Twilight’s Embrace is both guardian and enigma. Approach with reverence, for it holds the keys to Glantri’s veiled paths.