Book of Shadows.pdf

T HE B OOK OF S HADOWS

The Sanguine Seal is a trademark of Alex Gray, used with permission.

The Whispering Vault created by Alex Gray.

OF S HADOWS

W ELCOME

For gamemasters of The Whispering

Vault who have subjected their players to the

shadows found within the pages of the previ-

ously-released books, this collection of fifteen

new shadows will help in the creation of new

and different Hunts. All manner of sizes and

temperments of shadows exist inside this short

PDF release, each one just waiting for a chance

to get its claws (or mandibles, or teeth, or ten-

tacles) into the Stalkers of your campaign.

This marks Ronin Arts first newly-written

material for The Whispering Vault and we

owe a special thanks to the authors of the work

for their time and creativity. The shadows in

these pages should, eventually, find their way

into the second edition rulebook of The

Whispering Vault. Feedback is encouraged

and appreciated so that once the second edition

is released these shadows can be as terrifying

and enjoyable as those found in the pages of

The Whispering Vault and Dangerous Prey .

W RITTEN BY

Mike DeSanto, Matt Drake,

Frank Scronce

E DITING AND P RODUCTION BY

Philip Reed

C OVER BY

Christopher Shy

I NTERIOR ART BY

Earl Geier, Larry MacDougall,

and Dave Mackay

A LSO A VAILABLE F OR T HE W HISPERING V AULT

The Book of Hunts: This PDF contains six complete and ready-to-run adventures for The

Whispering Vault. It also introduces the Crossroads to the Realm of Essence for the first time, a taste of

what's to come in the world of Vault. The Hunts span the Chronosphere and are sure to challenge even

the most experienced of circles. 95-pages. $7.95.

Mastering the Vault: A short (24 page) guide for gamemasters of The Whispering Vault . Within

this PDF GMs will find advice written by Nigel Findley (author for such popular game lines as D&D,

Vampire, Mage, Earthdawn, GURPS, and Shadowrun ), a timeline of events, a short hunt (also writ-

ten by Findley), and a short piece on Unbidden as player characters. 24-pages. $5.00.

The Vault and Time: This 32-page supplement for gamemasters of The Whispering Vault goes

into detail on the techniques necessary to running Hunts in historical settings. Written by Chad Brinkley,

The Vault and Time includes a detailed timeline (much larger than the timeline found in Mastering the

Vault) and five sample historical eras -- Ancient Rome, Medieval Japan, Colonial America, Victorian

England, and WWII France. 32-pages. $6.00.

T HE B OOK

Z UKILLIK (C HATTERBUG )

These rare shadows are enchanted by human speech and con-

versation. They lurk in the Rift, listening to humans talk and par-

roting nonsense back at them. Occasionally, they locate a particu-

lar human who seems to respond to their attempts at communica-

tion. This soul is usually either a sensitive who talks back to the

voices in his head or a deranged person who is carrying on a con-

versation with nothing at all. Such a mortal is a great prize to the

Zukilliks, and they will fight for the right to follow them.

Eventually one dominant Shadow will drive away all of the lessers

and talk endlessly and mindlessly to their chosen “friend,” following them everywhere. If that

human suddenly goes silent for a long period of time, however, sheer frustration can cause the

Zukillik to Awaken, entering the Flesh and attempting to resume their “conversation” in person.

Sometimes the victim is already dead. But if they aren’t initially, they generally soon become

so, because an enFleshed Zukillik takes the form of a monstrous insectoid creature larger than a

man. If the victim reacts to it in anything other than a friendly manner, the Zukillik will become

enraged and devour them, then look for another “companion”. Eventually, they inevitably come to

enjoy the agonized screams of the mortals who are both their meal and their entertainment. They

have a selfish and sadistic streak that manifests very strongly when they enter the Flesh.

A Chatterbug likes to talk to its prey before killing and eating it. If someone talks back to it,

the Zukillik will postpone their death for as long as the conversation lasts. It isn’t actually necessary

to speak the same language as the Shadow to keep it occupied; only the most experienced of Zukillik

actually understand more than a smattering of what they are saying. They have no tolerance for

breaks in the conversation, however, so a mortal who wants to postpone their death must reply with

only the briefest of pauses. If their voice gives out, they will be torn limb from limb.

A Zukillik can be Husked in a human guise, but only at the cost of severing two of its four

arms, which reduces its ability to inflict damage in combat. A better Husk involves strapping them

into the carcass of a horse, but an equine Minion is often less useful. Even Bound, Zukillik con-

stantly utter inane chatter about the weather, out-of-date news and similar topics. This can be pre-

vented by tearing out the lower jaw, but that removes yet another of their attacks.

Chatterbugs are quite dangerous in close combat, and cunning enough to fight intelligently.

Their tail is prehensile, and they often use it to dangle from a high location and wait for prey. They

prefer isolated areas and always stalk one victim at a time.

Vitality

Initiative

Defend

Perceive

Resolve

COMBAT: 4 Claws (Attack 12, 3D Damage), 1 Bite (Attack 15, 4D Damage)

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Prehensile tail

VULNERABILITIES: Unless their mouth has been sealed or destroyed, a Bound

Zukillik will constantly repeat snippets of mortal conversation, stringing them together in

a fashion that almost makes sense. A free Shadow is a little cannier and only speaks when

it finds someone to talk to, but still rarely makes sense.

Zukillik have been known to occasionally strike up a “friendship” with a human without

harming them. The “friend” is usually blind and often quite deranged, but that matters lit-

tle to the Shadow, which may become quite protective of them. Unless there are other vic-

tims readily available during the periods when their victim is silent, though, the Zukillik

will probably eventually lose patience at some point and tear them apart. The longest run-

ning “friendship” known was between a Zukillik that stalked a sanitarium and an inmate

who talked endlessly, even in his sleep.

Fortitude

G ANGROST (M ISHMASH )

COMBAT: When in combat, a

Mishmash will use whatever phys-

ical weapons are appropriate to its

form, whether tooth, claw, or tenta-

cle (2 Attacks, Attack 12, 5D dam-

age).

Fortitude

Grangrost are created when an Architect Unbidden forcibly awakens

two different shadows and merges them into one form through an

incredibly painful ritual. Gangrost are in constant pain, but the ritual

that binds them into one form also forces them into loyal servitude.

They are more physically powerful than the shadows from which they

were created, but the unending pain of their pathetic existence fractures

their minds and makes them little more than mindlessly obedient min-

ions.

Vitality

Initiative

Defend

Perceive

SPECIAL ABILITIES: The

Gangrost unwittingly release a

chaos effect that causes mishaps

and accidents wherever they go.

Attacks that fail against them stand

a high chance of critically failing.

Roll a die – if the result is a ‘1,’ the

GM should pick a Stalker (possibly

even the attacker) and the attack

must be repeated against that char-

acter.

Resolve

There are as many Gangrost forms as there are combinations of

shadows, and the only trait which they all share is a hideous shape. Heads may be missing, or in abun-

dance. Tentacles may thrash from open wounds, or weak limbs may support powerful claws. With such a

freakishly bizarre shape, no husk will support a Gangrost. No analog to a mortal form can wrap itself

around or disguise the beast’s true nature. They will be instantly destroyed by the Forbiddance if they ven-

ture outside the Architect’s lair in which they are created.

As minions, the Mishmash are used as muscle and soldiers, obediently fighting until they are destroyed.

They are not intelligent opponents, but make up for their stupidity in strength and power. Stalkers facing

these hideous minions are often taken aback by a Mishmash’s tenacity, as though the creature has a death

wish. Indeed, it is only through death that a Mishmash can find release, and it fights with reckless aban-

don.

As with other minions, destroyed Gangrost become shadows. Sadly, their forms remain merged, unable

to revert to their original forms even after being destroyed. Their pain drives them to seek vengeance

against the Unbidden responsible, hoping for the ultimate release of permanent destruction. Their attacks

are still uncoordinated and tactically stupid, but they are just as stubborn and tenacious as shadows as they

were as minions.

Mishmash shadows will often ally themselves with Stalkers if they believe that the alliance will help them

punish their former minions. Sadly, they are little use as spies or informants, as their pain and insanity dis-

rupts any ability to think clearly. They only wish

to fight against their former master, and will

awaken to fight again if they can be guided into

their creator’s lair.

The insanity and chaos that pervades the mind of

a Gangrost, even in shadow form, permeates any

area in which they reside. Their aura of chaos

influences the Realm of Flesh, causing accidents

and mishaps at an alarming rate. Plates will fall

and crack, pipes will burst, and foundations will

crack. The Gangrost are not aware of their chaot-

ic influence.

Because they are so freakishly hideous, even

compared to other shadows, Gangrost are almost

universally reviled. An interesting effect of this

hatred is that they do not understand mercy or

pity, and if shown so much as a kind word or gen-

tle touch, they will literally fall apart, separating

into their original forms. Of course, in the after-

math of the hideous ritual through which they

were created, the original forms lack the cohesion

to survive, and both halves will be permanently

destroyed.

VULNERABILITIES: Any act of

kindness toward a Gangrost will

destroy it permanently.

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