Shaddite

Appearing as a vaguely humanoid torso floating in a cloud of translucent grayish smoke, the shaddite is not a native of this realm. Instead, it comes from one of the Shadow Realms that surround this world like a halo. These creatures are small gateways to the realms of magic most commonly used by human magicians. This makes them very valuable as magical fonts for magicians casting difficult and tiring spells. While a few of the shaddites living in this world were the result of summoning spells, the vast majority are flung into the this world when a mana storm rips open a gateway between this world and the Shadow Realms.

Although not a true familiar, a skilled magician can bind themselves to a shaddite and use its natural affinity with magick to increase their own abilities. This is a dangerous prospect as the shaddite rarely consents to the binding. If the magician should fail to gain control, the shaddite will drain their body of all magic, leaving the magician a burned-out husk.

The Shaddite can be found anywhere, but will also be encounted within a few dozen feet of one of the many ley lines that twist across the land. If a mana storm is brewing in the area it will draw shaddites as the heart of the storm will open a gateway into their world. While the storm ravages the land, the shaddites will attempt to get to gateway and return.

If encountered will already bound, the shaddite will be under the complete control of the magician it serves. When encountered free in the land, the shaddite will ignore any attempts at communication or supplication, unless the person is able to offer up any magick. If given some magical objects or the freedom to sup from a magician, the shaddite will agree to do some task in return. Any aid offered to help it return home will find the shaddite very interested in the trade.

If threatened a shaddite will lash out with all manner of magical effects, while they may look like anything they all strike for energy damage. Depending on the strength remains this could be anywhere from 5-10, plus an additional 10 points on a critical roll. A critical strike also means the shaddite has speared its victim will drink 1d10 from it until the victim is dead.

A shaddite leaves nothing behind when it is destroyed.