Loading...
Loading...
The Nightstalker bears so little resemblance to common Grimloks that many scholars question whether they share true kinship. While bestial kin present as monstrous beasts, Nightstalkers walk upright shrouded in tattered black robes adorned with bones, teeth, and grisly trophies. Their true nature remains unknown, though three explanations exist: rare evolution from standard Grimlok packs through unnatural transformation, exposure to shadow and corrupt magic warping both body and mind, or most disturbing—entities from beyond our realm using Grimlok flesh as vessels.
Nightstalkers appear mercifully rare with confirmed sightings roughly once per decade, but each appearance leaves devastation taking generations to recover. The Adventurers Guild classifies them as Priority Threat: Extreme with standard bounty of 50 Gold Kadux—ten times the reward for standard Grimlok leaders. Reading accounts has driven strong men to madness, and few have ever claimed this bounty, with fewer still surviving long after encounters, often falling victim to night terrors or madness in following months.
What little can be discerned presents visions of nightmare made flesh. Skin bears pallid white coloration of maggots never knowing sunlight. Most disturbing is their face—horrific absence where faces should be, no eyes in conventional sense but merely empty sockets within skull-like visages. Mouths hold naught but razor-sharp teeth arranged in permanent rictus with lips so thin as to be virtually nonexistent.
Despite lacking visible eyes, Nightstalkers perceive surroundings with unnatural precision, appearing to sense not merely physical presence but emotional states as well—invariably targeting the most frightened group members first, as though they taste fear upon the air. Guild hunter records indicate they demonstrate abilities transcending their bestial kin in terrifying ways, moving with serpentine grace and viper-like speed described as "flowing like liquid shadow," striking with impossible precision defying their size.
Unlike lumbering gaits of common Grimloks, Nightstalkers demonstrate mastery of weaponry—particularly bladed weapons—wielding swords with skill matching or exceeding master duelists. Their favored weapons appear to be long, curved blades of unknown origin seeming to drink light rather than reflect it. No such weapon has ever been recovered for study, blades seemingly vanishing with wielders. Unlike bestial kin, Nightstalkers can ride horses and other mounts as skillfully as human knights.
Most strategically dangerous is their ability to bend ordinary Grimloks to their will through means beyond mortal understanding—described as telepathic domination or dark spiritual influence. Single Nightstalkers can subjugate dozens or hundreds of common Grimloks, transforming chaotic savage beast packs into disciplined fighting forces moving with terrible purpose, displaying coordinated flanking movements, organized assaults against weak defense sections, preservation of fighters rather than mindless attacks, and implementation of siege tactics against fortified positions.
Nightstalkers demonstrate affinity for darkness transcending natural explanation, appearing capable of moving between shadows as though passing through doorways—vanishing into shadow cast by one object only to emerge from another dozens of yards away. In limited light conditions, they gain terrible advantage with increased speed and seeming extension of influence over shadows themselves, lengthening and manipulating darkness creating zones of absolute blackness that disorient and terrify prey.
Perhaps most terrible is fear itself as their weapon. Mere presence induces terror so profound it cannot be attributed to natural causes: madness overtaking sound minds, self-mutilation particularly gouging out eyes, suicidal behavior, crisis of faith among devoted clergy, violent rage directed at allies, and paralyzing terror preventing flight. These effects radiate in waves affecting even battle-hardened veterans and those protected by anti-mind magic wards, with Nightstalkers seeming to grow stronger in overwhelming fear presence, creating devastating cycles where panic spreads throughout communities providing ever-greater power.
Nightstalker appearances represent calamities echoing through generations. Notable encounters include the Blackwater Massacre (2733 PC3) where 1,200 souls were eliminated in single nights with remains arranged in elaborate patterns forming symbols of power beyond mortal comprehension; the Desolation of Kythorn Valley (2851 PC3) where seven farming communities were systematically destroyed over three months, with survivors speaking of torment by "shadow wearing man's shape"; and the Breaking of Falcrest Hold (2934 PC3) where fortified town with military presence and ancient wards fell in single night.
Guild records indicate twenty-seven distinct Nightstalker manifestations over past four centuries. Certain weaknesses have been observed: inability to use shadow-walking in total illumination environments, exceptional distress from silver weapons with wounds resistant to rapid healing, interference with Grimlok force control through constant rhythmic noise, and vulnerability to sufficient physical trauma despite their speed and shadow-manipulation abilities making such blows exceptionally difficult to land.
Information compiled by the Imperial Academy of Natural Studies.