Category:Shadow Asp
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This section contains canon info from officially published sources |
The shadow asp is an asp originally from the Plane of Shadow, although it may sometimes be encountered in certain domains of the Demiplane of Dread. Being a creature infused with the essence of that plane, shadow asps are magical beasts, not animals.[1][2] Although not really tougher than a standard venomous snake, the shadow asp's poison is supernatural in nature and suffused with shadow, capable of transforming a bite victim into an[3][1][2] if the victim sustains enough Ability Damage to Strength to drop it to zero.[1][2]
Encountering a shadow asp
In old Har'Akir, the great nobility conjured shadow asps and put them to work as eternal guardians of the noble lords' tombs. A spellcaster can summon a shadow asp today via a Summon Monster III spell, and tales exist of a lost spell that could summon a large number of them at once and permanently compel them to act as tomb guardians.[1][2]
Beyond Har'Akir, shadow asps can also be encountered in Sithicus, where they are under the control of Inza.[4] Kristov, a reclusive hermit living in the Fracture of the Shadow Rift, may call shadow asps to defend himself.[5] The shadow asp may also be encountered elsewhere in the Shadow Rift[6].
Descriptive Text
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This section contains Homebrew non-canon info, created by fans |
Thirst. Avarice. Lust for power. They were the whip that our impromptu guide wielded dexterously in driving us to a destination of his choosing. We reached the Tomb of Ankhtepot at sunset and the disturbing baying which had punctuated our approach fell silent, pleasing greatly the fellow, as though confirming some secret calculation. Awe alone - inspired by the magnificent structure and its soaring statues - slowed our passage from the world above to that below. A great temple emerged from the darkness, then a greater one still, dominated by a colossal statue, that of the deceased pharaoh himself. Avarice overcame thirst and good sense, for rather than pausing there, to seek out the rumored well, we rushed onward, our company scrambling up a wide, steep staircase. Whereupon the first of six horrors befell us. Countless cobras, hooded and black as night, materialized in our midst, seemingly from the very shadows. Four crewmen and our guide did not quit that staircase, at least not alive, they being poisoned and trampled to death. And the second horror was already upon us. As we stumbled back to safety, our skin, beginning at the point or points where we had been bitten, was turning the inky black of the snakes. The surviving crewmen wailed that it was the mark of death and indeed we all thought as much, but it was not so, for a majority of us lived and for the rest it was worse. Some collapsed utterly, their bodies dissipating into mere shadow. Others, and this was the third horror, joined their fallen brothers from the staircase as living, or rather unliving, shadows bent upon our perdition.
-The Wreck of the Albatross, Juno Luteum, Darkonese adventurer[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Denizens of Darkness p. 136-137
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Denizens of Dread p. 184
- ↑ Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium III p. 98
- ↑ Ravenloft Gazetteer IV p.111
- ↑ The Shadow Rift (Module) p. 61-62
- ↑ Gazetteer V p. 105
- ↑ Descriptive text from John W. Mangrum's Teeny Tiny Tales of Terror project (contributed by cure), from posts on the Fraternity of Shadows message board.
Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue
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Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium III - p98 | |
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Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium III - p98 | |
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Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium III - p98 |
Pages in category "Shadow Asp"
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