Hypnotic Specter

Large creatures bearing a passing resemblance to wyverns, the hypnotic specter holds no draconic blood, but is just as terrifying as any true dragon. Standing firm on feet shaped like human hands, with a multi-eyed face ending in a jagged beak, the hypnotic specter often haunts the dreams of those who encounter it for years to come.   Stalkers of the Dark Hypnotic specters live in dark caves, stalking along the rock walls by clinging to them with their grasping feet, gliding silently on their massive wings to suddenly land on unexpecting prey. Once the specter lands on a creature, it will begin tearing into it with its beak immediately, while attempting to poison and subdue the creature with jabs from its tail. This tail works much like the stinger of a scorpion, injecting a powerful toxin stored within the barb at the end. Once a specter has subdued its prey, it will grab the creature with its feet and take back to the air, dragging the dead creature back to its nest for later meals.   Hypnotic Presence The powerful venom stored within the specters tail is not just capable of subduing a creature with poison, but also capable of calming a creature to allow it to be carried off. When a creature is subjected to the specters toxin, it may find it hard to continue the fight, as the toxin targets the creature’s brain, slowly slipping the creature into a false sense of security. The hypnotic specter is also capable of passively subduing a creature using its gaze- the most terrifying weapon in the specters arsenal. The dull red orbs of the creatures eyes, several of which line each side of its head, are capable of hypnotizing those who gaze into them, granting the creature its name. After falling to the specter’s hypnotic gaze, a creature may at first seem overcome with peace, viewing the specter not as a fearful presence, but rather as a calming one. But if the creature still survives the encounter with a specter, it will find its dreams haunted by nightmares of the specter chasing it, from which the creature may often have trouble waking. These nightmares can often plague someone for days or weeks, but there are unlucky individuals who continue to have such nightmares for the rest of their life.   Mounted Terror While a hypnotic specter is an incredibly dangerous creature, and few would ever think to ride such a monster, there are always those willing to stretch the limits of sanity for the sake of power. Though tame may not be the right word, by raising a specter from the moments of its hatching, a bond can be formed between the handler and the creature which gives the handler some measure of control. But a specter is still fickle, and any handler which fails to keep the specter appropriately fed, or any which accidentally looks into the specters eyes, might find themselves as nothing more than another meal for the mount. But for riders who succeed in living through the trials and tribulations of raising such a creature, there are few mounts which could be considered more battle-worthy, with a creature subdued by the specter being cut to ribbons in seconds by a heavily armed rider.