Dark Elementals
Dark elementals, sometimes called Shadow Elementals in certain cultures and kingdoms, are living manifestations of darkness. They exist between raw magical darkness and the shadows cast by the world.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dark elementals rarely display a fixed form. Instead, they mimic the shadows of creatures, objects, or structures around them. At their weakest, they are small blotches of animated darkness clinging to the ground, walls, or ceilings. As they grow, they spread into vast, shifting silhouettes that can envelop entire spaces, or detach into looming shadow-beings with no true body.
Growth Rate & Stages
On the physical plane, dark elementals grow stronger by absorbing magical shadow energy. A shadow Lay Line left undisturbed for centuries can give rise to massive, sprawling elementals that consume entire caverns in living darkness.
Their growth in metaphysical and divine realms is less understood. Despite being surrounded by endless shadow, their forms and intelligence vary wildly. Some scholars suspect divine will fixes their limits, while others claim that darkness itself shapes them by reflecting fear, secrecy, or hidden truths.
Ecology and Habitats
Dark elementals can be found across the three realms:
- Physical Realm Common near ley lines tied to shadow or places of perpetual darkness, such as caverns, mountain depths, abandoned ruins, and cursed battlefields.
- Metaphysical Realm Most dwell in the Realm of Darkness, though they sometimes appear in planes saturated with high levels of shadow or void-like magic.
- Divine Realm Linked to Yami Goddess of Darkness and Noir God of Shadow. Here, they embody divine obscurity and the unseen essence between light and void.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Physical Realm They feed on ambient shadow mana, leyline nodes, and crystals infused with dark energy. Once consumed, these crystals lose their alignment and revert to plain leyline stones.
Metaphysical & Divine Realms Their survival requires little effort; they continuously absorb the surrounding darkness as sustenance.
Additional Information
Average Intelligence
Physical Realm They usually act on instinct, moving silently and latching onto living beings or places. Often, one will not realize a dark elemental has attached itself until they notice an extra shadow following them. They are patient, sneaky, and calculating.
Metaphysical & Divine Realms Greater dark elementals display true sentience. They rarely speak, preferring instead to communicate by shaping their bodies into shadow plays or illusions, conveying meaning through movement and symbolism.
They are calm and watchful, protective of their homes and allies. Yet when angered, they drag intruders into suffocating shadow, leaving them blind and helpless to whatever horrors the elemental chooses to inflict.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Dark elementals do not rely on normal sight. Instead, they sense auras, heat, and movement within the gloom. The deeper the darkness, the sharper their awareness becomes. In dim or bright light, their perception becomes fuzzier—like blurred vision.
Other sensory notes:
Hearing – Among the sharpest of all elementals, rivaled only by wind elementals. They can detect faint sounds and subtle vibrations across wide ranges.
Touch – By merging with shadows, they learn the outline, density, and detail of an object. This ability allows them to mimic shapes with unsettling accuracy, though always in shadowed form.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Geographic Distribution
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