The Duskwraith of Glenshade

Deep within the misted hollows of Comhlaidir’s Glenshade, locals speak in whispers of a creature known only as the Duskwraith. Rarely seen, it is said to emerge at twilight, its form shifting like smoke, impossible to fully perceive. Yet the most feared feature of the Duskwraith is its sting—a barbed appendage it wields with uncanny precision, capable not just of physical harm, but of twisting perception itself.

Legends claim the sting does not merely wound the flesh. Those struck feel their memories unravel, their thoughts scattered like leaves in wind. Victims speak of visions: echoes of their own death, faces of strangers stitched over familiar ones, the sensation of falling endlessly through a mirrorless void. Recovery is rare; many vanish entirely, leaving only trembling footprints and whispered accounts of laughter that does not belong to the living.

Scholars debate its origins. Some insist the Duskwraith is the result of a long-forgotten ritual in Comhlaidir, a creature conjured from the sorrow of the vanquished to serve as guardian of forbidden glens. Others believe it is a natural anomaly, a predator evolved to exploit the mind as well as the body. No physical evidence has ever been preserved: no carcass, no shed exoskeleton, no trace but fleeting impressions in the soft moss.

Travelers report that the Duskwraith is drawn to pride and ambition. Those who wander Glenshade seeking treasures or forbidden knowledge often vanish first. Locals leave offerings of dull stones and whispered apologies at the forest’s edge, hoping to divert its attention.

Even today, the Duskwraith lingers in shadowed corners, a predator of body and mind, reminding all who enter Glenshade that in Comhlaidir, the most dangerous creatures are not those seen, but those that sting the soul.