Shadow Breath

As we fled through the old tunnels we had this feeling of something watching us. Suddenly, a large black creature emerged from the darkness, as if spawned by the very shadows themselves. We didn't see the dragon's mouth open. The last thing I remember from that encounter is a black cloud spewing forth from it's maw. - Eldrid Ableford

Effect

Shadow breath causes no damage to the target and instead locks the target in a sleep like state upon contact with the skin. Within this sleep, they are subjected to repeated nightmares of their worst experiences.

Side/Secondary Effects

If the victim cannot escape the nightmares and wake up, the nightmares can go on for days. Heart attacks, dehydration, malnutrition, bed sores, and so on are seen, similar to other comatose or extremely stressed patients.

Manifestation

The breath weapon of a Shadow dragon, it appears as a roiling dark cloud or mist sprayed from the mouth.

Source

Shadow breath is only producable by Shadow Dragons; the Shade of a dragon. It relies upon the shade's inante magical abilities. Unlike other dragons, whos breath weapon recovers quickly, it takes days to weeks for the shade to recover from it. A typical Shadow Dragon has three uses before recharging.

Discovery

This spell was discovered by Bahamut when his shade used it upon a group of Dwarves attacked him centuries after the culling. It has spawned several legends across the world through history, though mostly innacurate. Some blame Shadow Breath for plagues, poisonings, and assassination attempts.