No. I won't sleep. I can't. If I do...

...if I do...

No. No, I can't. I won't. I won't!

— Ren, a now deceased human man



Overview

Despite its often endearing appearance and air of naivete, Ravoros is one of the most feared of the Great Beasts, and for good reason. With many of the Beasts, their intentions and the outcomes of crossing them are well-known, awful though they may be: if one is devoured by the Nar-Narolis, their end is fairly obvious. Even the fate of the Red Woman's victims, horrifying though it may be, is well-known. However, what specifically becomes of the victims that Ravoros makes disappear is... unclear, at best.

A Brief History of Encounters

5478Y
The Hunter Baeoni investigates reports of a monster, and disappears after a prolonged game of cat and mouse with Ravoros. Her team survives thanks to her sacrifice.

8035Y
Keltori, a fey, is swallowed by the shadows in a High City alleyway on his way home. Those in the area hear a yelp, but claim it sounded more shocked than distressed.

12548Y
A Marsi succubus, Selisa, disappears from the streets. Just before she disappears, she is approached by a shadow that asks her to play.

14578Y
A renown dancer disappears into Ravoros' shadows while on stage after months of dancing in private with a swirl of shadow.,

18334Y
All but one of a group of demon children disappear from a town in Gemede while playing hide and seek. The eldest, and only escapee, reports hearing a child say "Found you!" before each disappearance.

24547Y
While searching an abandoned laboratory, an alchemist barely escapes an encouter with Ravoros by igniting flammable powder to throw it off.

31756Y
An insomniac is plagued by dreams of shadows, eventually resulting in a dream so disturbing that he never sleeps again, even as his body deteriorates because of it.

A Brief History

Ravoros's activities can be difficult to track, as they are at times indistinguishable from the normal disappearances caused by foul play or accidents. However, the first mostly-confirmed report of activity connected to Ravoros occurred in 5478Y, when a series of disappearances in the Gaean town of Kiyan drew the concern of Baeoni, the local hunter and primary protector of the small settlement.

Baeoni gathered volunteers and led them into the surrounding forest and field in an attempt to track and eliminate what she believed to be a dangerous animal. Initially, the hunt went well - they located what would later become known as Ravoros in a nearby cave, and Baeoni engaged with it. At first this seemed destined for success as she belived she was winning the battle against the unknown creature but... as the confrontation continued, she realized that she was being played with.

Baeoni was last seen screaming to her team to flee as she was dragged into the cave.

It took some time to begin piecing together Ravoros' behavior - the disappearances, and the reports of strange dreams and visitations. Eventually, it became evident that the creature was engaging with its prey (which spanned all three realms) socially before making them disappear. It served as the imaginary friend for some children, for example, with those children eventually going missing.

In the millennia that followed this initial appearance, Ravoros has been seen in every corner of Empirica Sin, from the loftiest heights of the sky islands of Astrum to the deepest caverns and pits of Incaendium. It has even been known to appear inside buildings, and its approach has varied from playful to aggressive and back again.

No one who has been taken by Ravoros has ever returned.

Habitat

The best theories about Ravoros seem to indicate that he lives either inside shadows in a disembodied state or in some shadow-filled space or pocket dimension.

Appearance

Ravoros has no specific, steady form - rather it has a malleable form made of semi-solidified shadow. It typically appears in what could be call animal-like forms, none of which truly match a specific animal but rather evoke a general "animal-like" feeling. Often its forms are reminiscent of sea-creatures. These are all "typical" cases, but it has also appeared as everything from a small furry beast to a formless swirl of shadow.

Its most consistent feature is its large, glowing eyes. Or, at times, eye.

Adorable Abomination?

Some who have seen Ravoros and escaped have commented that it looks a little like a children's toy of a monster.

Behavior

It's fair to say that Ravoros' personality is both "endearing" and "deeply creepy." Its childlike demeanor and playfulness has often proven irresistable to the lonely or lost; it has been known to befriend such people, before drawing them into the shadows from which they never return.

Those who have known the Beast and managed to extricate themselves from its web before being disappeared have said that Ravoros presents as a supporter, or an admirer, bringing them gifts or telling them stories - sharing its vast ancient knowledge as needed to intrigue its intended target. It seemed curious and inquisitive about Human thoughts and emotions, asking questions about their experiences and their feelings while trying to ferret out their secrets and fear.

It often speaks of its own loneliness, and the darkness of the world it inhabits.

They have said that its voice is similar to that of a child, and that, like a child, it can have difficulty regulating its feelings and reactions - it is quick to anger, but also quick to forgive. Despite this, many have said that the creature's thoughts seem far more complicated and advanced than its youthful presentation of them. This has sometimes been the red flag that brought those who escaped to the point of suspicion.

When rejected, Ravoros gets quite angry. Survivor Vela Basen described feeling as though it was trying to draw the life out of her, and suggested it may have "grabbed her by the shadow." She suggests that she escaped only because the sun happened to emerge from the clouds at that moment, temporarily throwing Ravoros off and allowing her to escape.

Abilities (& One Weakness)

Merging & Emerging from Shadow: Ravoros is a creature of living shadow, able to merge into and emerge from darkness wherever it may lay. Much like other Great Beasts heavily associated with a substance such as Zuelis-Tyt, it can therefore instantly appear anywhere shadows or darkness lie. With Ravoros the implications are even heavier, as there is no place without shadow, and night will eventually fall wherever you go.

Shape changing: If Ravoros has a single, "true" form it is unknown. Instead, its appearance shifts depending on its mood or its needs. It does tend to be somewhat "cute" in every form it takes, although that is subjective... particularly when it chooses to look like an unusually adorable eldritch abomination.

Shadow Eating: Ravoros can devour life force and will through the shadows of a creature. This does not kill a person, but does leave them in a zombie-like state akin to living death.

Shadow Shaping: Perhaps its most formidable ability; Ravoros can manipulate shadow and darkness, including solidifying darkness into a physical force. When it has recently devourced life energy, it can even infuse a section of shadow with that life energy, creating a living shadow creature that moves and acts somewhat independently of its creator. It has been known to send these constructs as messengers or companions to those it is targeting.

It should be noted that this can have devastating effects - because Ravoros can control the properties of the darkness it shapes, it can be used to simulate various substances such as walls or weapons. It can even have the properties of water, allowing Ravoros to drown creatures on land without leaving any actual signs of how that happened.

This may or may not be the ability that allows it to create its own solid body, That much is unclear.

Dreamwalking: A recently recorded ability that allows Ravoros to communicate with others through their dreams.

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Pocket Dimension: When someone targeted by Ravoros disappears, where do they disappear to? The answer may be more disturbing than anyone had yet imagined. They are brought to a pocket dimension created and populated by Ravoros' shadow-shaping abilities.

Ravoros is ultimately seeking emotional connection, yet seems incapable of understanding how to maintain these connections in a nondestructive way; as such, its targets are kept in this dimension as Ravoros' companions - friends, more or less. They are expected to talk to it, play games with it, and generally keep it from feeling the existential loneliness that creeps into it when alone.

Their ultimate fate is unknown - perhaps they stay until they grow old and die, or perhaps Ravoros uses their life force to create its shadow minions once it's grown bored with them. Either way, there seems to be no way to retrieve the targets from this dimension without Ravoros freeing them which, to date, it never has.

Vulnerability vs. Light: As a creature of darkness, Ravoros is ill-equipped to handle sudden bursts of light. While it can and will adjust fairly quickly, this does provide an opportunity to flee when caught in its sight.

Status Quo

Typically, Ravoros only makes a major appearance every few millennia. That being the case, it is likely not going to create a big splash again any time soon, since its last appearance was barely over a century ago. That said, it is difficult to determine when Ravoros is or is not involved in a death or disappearance, so it is difficult to say for certain.

Threat Assessment:

As a highly intelligent creature possessing both the strength and intent to do major damage, as well as the personality to lure others into a false sense of security, Ravoros is a significant threat to those it targets. While it is not prone to mass- or wide-ranging destruction as some of the others are, it is certainly capable of doing just as much damage as any of the other Great Beasts. As such, with its ability to manipulate the texture, properties and form of shadows, the ability to drain the life and will out of life forms it comes into contact with, its tendency to make things disappear in a seemingly irreversible way and the seeming impossibility of finding a safe haven from it given the ubiquity of shadows and darkness...

Ravoros is a Vis level threat..