Nightspawn

In this fourth century of the Empire, the greatest threat to Ordona is not the Milida , the Vulran or the Adizi. The nights in the wild had never been safe and over the years, more than wolves and Blade Beasts, Revenants and Tantrums have started coming out of the night and causing mayhem in the small towns.

There are creatures that appear in Ordona during the night and it is has been confirmed that they have no existence during the day - at least, in this world. Those creatures, varying in shape, nature and intelligence, have been dubbed Nightspawn. A great number of Nightspawn exist and it can be very difficult to catalogue them all. There are some bestial creatures and some surprisingly cunning. In the last few decades, however, a number of not only cunning, but intelligent Nightspawn have appeared and that trend is a real worry to all in Ordona.

The rise in the number and quality of Nightspawn has preoccupied the Senate in Ordona for some time already resulting in grants and prizes to scholars willing to study this gruesome phenomena. Early studies indicated that at the time of the rise of the empire, Nightspawn were only bestial and unintelligent to the exception of a couple of Enticers who, then, appeared formless if not powerless. The first Rage and Hunger spawn only start to appear in documents in the last years of the first century, as do the first few Revenants.

Nowadays, some students of the Death Arcana have estimated that as many as 50% to 60% of all corpses not properly submitted to Last Rites leak a Revenant within five days. As alarming as that, an average Plebeian has as high as a 50% chance of being possessed if entering a Gloom without any protective charm. Hordes of Blackbane have been spotted roaming the wild. Tectonic entities can spawn in any dark cellar. Worse of all, those are the numbers within the Empire. Beyond the Ordona frontiers, people do not have well trained Civem and Patricians, infused charms for protection and everlasting lanterns to light cellars and attics and light a perimeter around residences. The Enturi have had a greater success in combating the Nightspawn when they reach settlements, but they are still plagued by as many nightly encounters as any other Province of the Empire.

Travelers are strongly encouraged to hire an escort and in some Provinces, it is the law that requires that. City militia have been raising in number and quality - which has worried some Senators. And most Civem have been given at the very least cursory training in combatting Nightspawn. The Legions haven't been mobilized yet to combat the Nightspawn, but most Plebeians hope it won't take long for it to happen - although most academic analysts believe the threat is too decentralized to be dealt with by the Legions.

A Nightspawn Index
Banshees - Nightspawn of pain, primal and material Nightspawn. Capable of killing with their keening.

Berserkers - People possessed by Furies. These are usually mindless and self-destructive. Though they can be very dangerous and are capable of running wild even in daylight. Some reports speak of Berserkers hunted for several days and killing dozens of people before being brought down.

Blackbanes - Formed by Furies or Hates possessing inanimate matter, these appear to be the most gregarious form of Nightspawn, gathering into bands of up to a few hundred at once.

Enticers - Possessed people sometimes take on the role of Enticers. Even hiding within a living host, these Nightspawn are hurt by daylight - although they can endure it - but their insidious nature and excessive understanding of the Ordona mores and vices can make them some of the most dangerous Nightspawn around.

Furies - A primal and ethereal form of Nightspawn filled with Wrath at creatures of Light. They are capable of possessing animate and inanimate matter.

Gluttons - Primal and material Nightspawn often considered of low danger for their dim wits.

Hates - A second primal and ethereal form of Nightspawn. More focused than Furies, they are no less dangerous than their mindless brethren, only more insidious.

Hungry, The - A terrifying form of possessed people craving the flesh of the living and capable of gaining incredible power through such horrendous acts.

Leeches - Primal and ethereal Nightspawn capable of possession, but often considered more dangerous in their original form.

Psychos - People possessed by Hates can take on this aspect. Psychos can go out into daylight and can spend a good deal of time undected.

Revenants - Shades sometimes fail to reach the Dark World and take on a dangerous and deluded form that has a resemblance with their originals. Those are called Revenants.

Slobs - Primal and material Nightspawn, predators of opportunity. They can't stand daylight, but sometimes find a dark place to hole into and affect their vicinity even during day hours.

Tantrums - Primal and ethereal Nightspawn, usually too unfocused to possess matter in any way. Dangerous in their own right and quite capable of affecting matter.