COMING SOON! -- Presents for Goblins: Festive Resources for 5E on Kickstarter! A festive softcover of holiday-themed D&D 5E resources, including the short adventure 'Presents for Goblins'.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 7861977" data-attributes="member: 2012">[OOC]I've replaced the name Shadblow with Shardgrim.[/OOC]"While I doubt Kaleb saw one of the Night Goddess's legendary beasts, the creature is likely an invader from outside the city. Maybe it came in through Old City's sewer system," Lady Émilienne considers. "There have been rumors about a monster loose in the district's sewers, but no real evidence existed before now.""And if it is the Shardgrim?" Custodio asks. "Then what do we do?""Pray that Bluffside hasn't been cursed by Nyx," she replies. She looks at Big Tim. "The Bluffside Elite is glad to have you on our side, Tymbeck. Hopefully this 'legend' is just another beast that has been misidentified and can be put down with swords. But if magic is required, hopefully we have enough spellpower among us to handle it. The Elite are already spread thin.""I welcome your wisdom, Teacher," Lady Émilienne says."I'm sure Mathias's family will pay to have him raised, if his spirit is willing. My worry is that he's at peace in the Beyond but that his family will force his soul back by paying for more powerful magicks to be used. His father, Mikkel, likely won't give up Mathias's legacy without a fight. It could get ugly if the city's elite clergy refuse him," Kaleb replies. You sense that by legacy, Kaleb means a continuation of the Caspersen bloodline.[Spoiler][OOC]Okay, so you rolls are really good. Really, really good. That natural 20 on Knowledge (nature) means you rolled a 41. But first, the Knowledge (arcana) check. Akos knows that the Shardgrim is one of the seventeen Nightshards of Nyx. (Nyx is the Aegean Goddess of Night.) Nyx is a child of Chaos and is the mother of Moros (Doom, Destiny), the Oneiroi (Dreams), the Moirai (Fates), and Thanatos (Death), as well as many other Aegean 'personification' deities; her mate is the Darkness deity known as Erebus. Nyx and her children that I've listed all have a strong connection to magic in one form or another. Nyx has many oracles but most of them exist in the lands east of the Bluffside Region. She is rarely worshiped in Bluffside.However, the legends of her Nightshards are infamous throughout much of Kanpur's western lands. Each Nightshard of Nyx is believed to be descended directly from her through one of her many children. They are powerful creatures that bend the world around them. A Nightshard descended from Thanatos, for example, would spread death in its wake; nature would wither and there would be a constant pall of death for miles around its lair. On the other hand, a Nightshard descended from Philotes (goddess personifying affection, friendship, and sex) would be a boon for any community, up to a certain point.Note, however, that each of the Nightshard beasts is touched by the power of Nyx herself. They are considered favored creatures by her and killing one would be seen as an assault on her and her followers. (Cults of Sleep and Death dedicated to her are common the Aegean lands but rare in the Western Lands.)The Nightshard known as the Shardgrim is one of the lesser known beasts that she favors and it is a bit of a mystery. No one knows which of Nyx children it is descended from but the most likely culprits are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geras">Geras</a> (Old Age), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eris_(mythology)">Eris</a> (Strife), or one of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperides">Hesperides</a>. (If the creature that Kaleb encountered was the Shardgrim, he is very lucky to be alive.) If the creature's legacy is Geras, it is very old and likely very powerful. If it's legacy is Eris, it could explain why Bluffside is undergoing tons of strife. And if the creature's legacy is one of the Daughters of the Evening, it is likely more benign (but still steeped in shadow) and could be connected to the Fey in some way.Akos doubts that such a creature could live in the Gardens and not attract a multitude of adventurers seeking to slay it or worshipers of Nyx or her children determined to protect and nurture it. As far as he knows, there aren't any Nyx zealots in the Temple District. More than likely Kaleb latched on to the legend in his mind when confronted by the monster.If the Shardgrim did once live in the region (or does still), it is very unlikely it lives in an urban city. Akos knows of several rumored legendary beasts of nature that live in the deepest parts of the Coldwind Forest -- the Boar of Black Tusks, the Great Grey Elk, and the Red Shadow in the Sun. The Shardgrim could be one of these creatures or something from a previous age.From Kaleb's description, he more likely encountered a large plant monster or degenerate troll/ogre covered in moss. And since the creature attacked in the dead of night, its shadow form might have been a trick of the night. Or Nyx. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite29" alt=":devilish:" title="Devil    :devilish:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":devilish:" /> [/OOC][/Spoiler]Tuck watches as the Loremaster muses internally over the creature's identity.</blockquote>

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