2.0 Applegate: Shadows

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Across all the Earth and all the vastness of the Dreaming, there is no creature that is as universally reviled and looked down upon as the Shadow. These wretched creatures are at the bottom of any and every hierarchy of sentient beings, so low that even the lowest Imp may confidently look down upon them.

But what is a Shadow, and why are they so completely, thoroughly looked down upon? Well, dear reader, that is because a Shadow is the last, desperate remnant of… well, here we find the first problem – it is very difficult to tell what a Shadow once was, though we know that no Shadow began life as such. A Shadow is created out of a Phantasm that is unable to pursue its meaning – a God without worshippers, a Fairy who is no longer taken seriously, a Boogie-Man whom no one is afraid of any longer, a Demon who can no longer cause harm, just to name a few – but who refused to pass on, or fall Down Beyond, and instead sacrifices everything in a last, desperate attempt to stay behind on this world – and in the process, loses more than even Death could have taken from them.

A Shadow’s progenitor sacrificed their entire being. All their power, all their memories, all memories of them. When you meet a Shadow, do not attempt to draw out clues in order to reconstruct its former identity – you cannot. If there was any way to remember, then it would not be a Shadow. They gave up everything, and are left with naught but a powerless form, and some echoes of their former glory, whatever it may have been. At best, a Shadow may remember some little secret from the time before (which does make it worthwhile to listen to their mad rants, every now and then), but even that is extraordinarily rare and even more rarely worth the effort (and patience) necessary to draw it out of them. Most of the time, when a Shadow is not so depressed as to be apathetic, it will simply lament its lost glory – a glory it doesn’t know a thing about. It may never have been glorious to begin with, and yet all Shadows are struck with the same deep, all-consuming yearning for a better time that they can never reclaim!

Do not, though, pity the Shadow. They, one and all, became what they are out of their own free choice – to become a Shadow cannot be forced upon any entity, it requires their own initiative. To completely give up ones own, entire existence, with no chance to reclaim it… this author cannot comprehend what kind of all-encompassing fear might drive one to such desperate lengths. It is unthinkable.

And yet Shadows exist. Many and more of them. Perhaps more than there are of any other living entity, outdone only by those that yet remain in the Afterlife. Perhaps. They are like vermin, hiding in the, well, in the shadows, in dark places, fleeing the sunlight (though it is not known why they fear it, for it does not actually cause them harm) and lamenting their lost glory – no Shadow is content with their lot, they always regret the decision that spawned them, hating themselves for choosing this wretched almost-life that they have.

Much like their name suggests, Shadows are… living shadows. Two-dimensional beings indistinguishable from normal shadows save for the fact that no one casts them, and that they can move on their own. They do not have any power worth speaking of, and are completely powerless in the dark – becoming less than even ghosts, unable to even leave their prison until some light appears to let their physical form reappear (this only makes their fear of the sun and their preference for dark places all the more puzzling). In fact, that is all one needs to know to bind a Shadow – simply trick or force it into a small container which, once closed, allows no light inside, and the Shadow shall lose what little power it may have.

Even when not so hampered, their abilities are… limited. Shadows are incapable of casting any kind of spell, as their Existence is too brittle to hold any essence – what little their Quintessence generates spills out quickly, with no chance to utilise it. They have no control over it, and most even lack the ability to sense Essence unless it is blindingly obvious (see the chapter on Aurae), and sometimes not even then. They are barely capable of exerting any significant amount of force on their surroundings, and even the few among them who can are usually limited to the strength of a human child, at best. Most can barely exert the strength of a newborn.

While few practitioners work exclusively or even mainly with Shadows (see Erebalism), they do have their uses, and are often called upon to work as spies or watchers, as they are hard to notice, require neither sleep nor sustenance and usually lack the wits to betray their master. Usually, the only price they require for their services – if they are not simply cowed by the power of their summoner – is a promise to remember their name (whatever name they may have chosen or been given) or inscribe it upon a lasting object, such as a wall, rock or tree. Older, more powerful Shadows may demand that one listens to their (fictitious) tales of their former lives (remember, dear reader, that those are all, by definition, made up. If any tales remained of them, then they would not be Shadows!). Being able to recall the name and story of a Shadow upon subsequent meetings is sure to at least gain their favour, if not their outright loyalty.

While Shadows may gather in dark places to exchange their stories and names, they have no organisation, society or culture worth speaking of, beyond the custom of never forgetting a name or a story that they hear and listening to anyone who may want to tell them their own tale.

There are a few (extraordinarily) rare cases known where a Shadow rose to power, growing beyond its wretched beginnings into a greater Shadow (these are usually distinguished by being capable of, temporarily, taking on a three-dimensional form) and gaining a variety of abilities, such as the ability to sap the physical strength of someone they come into contact with, or sap their Essence, or their wits. They have never been known to develop healing, comforting or protective abilities (save perhaps the ability to form a circle, but that is so universal a power it is not worth being considered a power of Shadows in particular). In a few even more rare cases, a Shadow rose to claim another Archetype, usually by chance or benevolence, thus escaping their wretched existence to start a new life. Such tales, however, are usually made up by other Shadows to comfort themselves, and this author only knows of one confirmed instance (the Shadow Nebulriar gained the favour of Lust, who turned him into one of its favourite demonic lovers – for a time. As far as this author is aware, Nebulriar has spent the last century trying to regain its master’s favour).

Regardless of such considerations, the point stands that Shadows are so universally reviled, it is inadvisable to associate oneself too closely with them, for that alone may be enough to taint one in the eyes of others. Use them, but keep them at arms length – if not further away.

Nothing good has ever come out of a Shadow.

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