Drifting Terror

"Fear is the name you never forget of a face you can't remember."

The Drifting Terror, known scientifically as Phasmatis Dolorem, is a spectral phenomenon that manifests on the shadowy edges of the Blighted Lands, a bleak testament to the catastrophic events that once ravaged the area. This anomaly is born from a potent mixture of entropic empathy and psychic residues, echoes of the intense fear, despair, and sudden demise experienced by countless souls in a cataclysmic moment.
As the fabric of reality was torn by such massive destruction, many the spiritual energies released did not dissipate into the ether as might be expected, instead, they coalesced, forging the Drifting Terrors from the very substance of fear and sorrow. These ghostly entities are not mere apparitions but are actualized embodiments of the collective trauma endured by those who perished. They drift aimlessly through the fog and gloom that perpetually shroud the borderlands of the Blight, their presence a chilling reminder of the past horrors that occurred.
The appearance of a Drifting Terror is deceivingly mundane at first glance, often resembling a weeping man or woman, hunched or huddled, with hands perpetually covering their faces as if to hide an unspeakable grief or to stifle endless sobs. This human-like guise makes them all the more disturbing when their true nature is revealed: their bodies are slightly translucent, shimmering with a spectral light, and exuding a faint scent of ozone, a telltale sign of their supernatural origin.
Residents of outland settlements near the Blighted Lands quickly learned the peril of encountering these spectral figures. Tales of entire caravans or unwary travelers being ensnared by the Terrors' mournful lure are common. The specters do not merely haunt these lands; they actively seek out the warmth of life, driven by an insatiable need to fill the void of their own existence with the life energy of the living. They emit a powerful psychic pull, manifesting as an overwhelming compulsion to approach and comfort them. This lure is not out of malice but a tragic replay of their last moments' despair and longing for salvation. Despite their sorrowful nature, any contact with these entities is dangerous. The closer one gets, the more potent their despair becomes, capable of overwhelming even the strongest will. The soft sobbing that accompanies their presence can escalate into a cacophony of psychic distress, compelling even the most cautious to draw nearer. Those who succumb find themselves locked in a fatal embrace, drained of vitality and left as hollow as the specters themselves.
Outland communities are vigilant, passing down stern warnings to never approach a Drifting Terror. Signs and markers often delineate known areas of their sightings, and lookouts keep a steady watch during the dark and fog-laden nights. Despite these precautions, the sad truth remains, as long as the Blight's scars mar the land, the Drifting Terrors will continue to roam, eternal and restless, forever seeking the comfort that will forever elude them.

Basic Information

Anatomy

At a distance, Drifting Terrors might appear as sorrowful human figures, often seen hunched or huddled, wandering aimlessly. This semblance to humanity plays a crucial role in their empathic lure, making them appear vulnerable and in need of help. Closer inspection reveals that their bodies are slightly translucent, giving them a ghost-like quality that confirms their supernatural nature. This translucency may shimmer with faint light, particularly in dim conditions, enhancing their eerie presence. Constantly covering their faces with their hands, the Terrors evoke a deep sense of despair. The hands and face are often the most distinct parts of their form, appearing more solid than the rest of their body.
Drifting Terrors hover a few inches off the ground, moving without making contact with the surface. This ability emphasizes their detachment from the physical world and adds to the ghostly quality of their movements. Despite their seemingly solid form, Drifting Terrors can pass through objects and creatures with ease. When they move through living beings, they might cause sensations of cold or a draining feeling, though they typically avoid direct contact unless attacking. Their incorporeal nature means that physical barriers do not impede them, allowing for movement through walls, floors, and other obstacles. This makes confining or escaping from a Drifting Terror particularly challenging.
They emit a continuous, hollow sound of soft sobbing, which serves both to attract empathetic souls and to unsettle anyone within earshot. This sound is an integral part of their lure, drawing in those who might wish to offer comfort.
Drifting Terrors radiate strong psychic energies that manifest as a palpable aura of sorrow and fear. This aura is capable of affecting the emotions and actions of nearby individuals, compelling them to approach despite potential risks.

Ecology and Habitats

The Drifting Terror primarily inhabits the edges of the Blighted Lands, a region steeped in trauma and psychic disturbances. This area is characterized by its desolate and eerie atmosphere, residual energies from past calamities, and a lingering aura of despair and fear. These conditions are ideal for the Drifting Terror, as the psychic energy saturates the environment, providing it with the necessary resources to manifest and sustain its existence. While the core of the Blighted Lands holds intense psychic energy, the fringes where these energies blend with the calmer outskirts are particularly conducive for the Drifting Terror. These transitional zones offer a mix of passing life and abundant residual psychic energies, creating ideal conditions for its predatory and empathic lures.
The Drifting Terror exists in a state of psychic symbiosis with its environment. It absorbs the psychic residues that permeate the Blighted Lands, using them to fuel its manifestations and abilities. In return, its presence often amplifies the psychic disturbances in the area, contributing to the gloom and despair that characterize its habitat. As a spectral entity, the Drifting Terror does not interact with its environment in conventional ways but instead traverses it in search of life energies to consume. It uses its empathic lures to attract living beings, drawing them into its trap by exploiting their natural instincts to aid those who appear to be in distress.
The presence of a Drifting Terror can alter the local environment subtly. Areas frequented by these entities might experience an intensification of fog, a drop in temperature, or an unexplainable sense of dread and sorrow that deters most living creatures.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Empathic Lure The Drifting Terror will put on a show once it has detected a nearby living presence, crying into its hands and appearing as helpless as possible. This is a tactic used to draw its victims into range of its gaze attack. The lure is a two pronged strategy that attempts to take advantage of the living's natural motivations to help the helpless and is made more powerful by the creatures residual nature, adding an unnatural compulsion to the effect, forcing those within hearing range to find themselves drawn to the creature in an attempt to comfort it. Those affected may try to resist, but the effects continue until out of hearing range.
These solitary creatures do not socialize, or need to eat or sleep. As such they are driven to wander and seek the living by their base compulsions and will never deviate from this purpose until they are laid to rest permanently.

Behaviour

Drifting Terrors are solitary creatures by nature. They do not form groups or packs but drift alone through the Blighted Lands. This isolation is a reflection of their origin as manifestations of individual psychic traumas. There is no known interaction between members of this species, as each Terror is entirely absorbed by its own perpetual torment and the driving need to absorb life energies.
The primary interaction Drifting Terrors have with other creatures is through their empathic lure, used to draw in prey. They portray themselves as sorrowful and helpless figures to elicit sympathy and approach from living beings, which they then attempt to drain of life energy. Upon successfully luring a victim within range, the Terror employs its life drain abilities. This is a direct and aggressive action, where the Terror absorbs the life force of its prey to sustain its own existence. The process intensifies the psychic suffering of the victim, which in turn fuels the Terror further. Apart from their life-draining contact, Drifting Terrors do not engage in physical interactions with their prey. Their attacks are psychic and spectral, focusing on draining energy rather than physical harm.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The Drifting Terror predominantly inhabits the Blighted Lands, a region marked by its history of calamity and the intense psychic disturbances that resulted. The residual energy from past traumas makes this area particularly conducive to the manifestation and sustenance of these spectral entities. While the core of the Blighted Lands is their primary habitat, Drifting Terrors are also frequently found along the peripheries where the blighted energies blend with the more stable environments of adjacent areas. These fringe areas often serve as transition zones where the Terrors can encounter potential prey from less affected regions. On occasion, Drifting Terrors are sighted near outland settlements close to the Blighted Lands. These occurrences are typically rare but can happen when a Terror drifts from its usual haunt in search of life energies, following psychic echoes that might lead them towards populated areas.

Average Intelligence

Drifting Terrors retain some degree of the intelligence they possessed in life, but this intelligence is fragmented and overshadowed by their overwhelming emotional torment. Their cognitive functions are primarily driven by instinctual needs rather than rational thought. While not intelligent in the conventional sense, Drifting Terrors have a highly developed awareness of their surroundings, specifically tuned to detect life energies. This specialized perception allows them to navigate their environment and locate potential prey effectively.
A significant aspect of their intelligence is their ability to manipulate the emotions of others. Drifting Terrors use empathic lures to attract their victims, displaying behaviors that evoke sympathy and a desire to help. This manipulation, while instinctive, demonstrates an understanding of how to exploit the emotions of living beings to their advantage. They can adapt their behavior based on their interactions with prey. For instance, if their usual approach of eliciting sympathy does not work, they may alter their tactics slightly, though within the limits of their psychic-driven instincts. This shows a basic level of problem-solving geared towards enhancing their effectiveness as predators. 
Drifting Terrors do not engage in complex social interactions, which limits the scope of their intelligence in a social context. Their interactions are almost exclusively centered on their needs as solitary predators.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Drifting Terror has an innate ability to detect life forms up to several miles away, focusing specifically on non-undead and non-construct entities. This sense allows it to perceive the general direction of potential victims, guiding its movements through the gloomy landscapes it inhabits. A core feature of its sensory array is its empathic reception capability, which allows it to sense the emotions of living creatures nearby. This ability is finely tuned to detect feelings of compassion, sadness, or curiosity, which it uses to enhance its lure and draw victims closer.
Drifting Terrors can perceive auras around living beings, which inform them about the emotional and psychic state of potential targets. This perception helps them to select victims who are more likely to respond to their empathic lure.

Civilization and Culture

Major Language Groups and Dialects

• Languages Languages known in life

Scientific Name

Phasmatis Dolorem