Shadow
Shadow looks mostly human, at first glance. He is short, standing at a mere 5'3", and weighs around 120 pounds. He has medium tanned skin, shoulder length black hair usually tied in a top-knot or pony tail, and sea green eyes. What makes him different are his fangs, which he rarely shows in a smile, the six fingers he has on each hand, and the fact that he casts no reflection. He walks around hooded and cloaked, but when billowed by the wind it reveals the dark matte grey half-plate beneath. He carries a runed staff in his left hand, and a sigiled shield in his right. A horn hangs on his belt, as does a dagger in its sheath, and a pair of pouches. A backpack is on his back, with a bedroll tied to the top and a length of silk rope hanging from the side. A necklace can sometimes be seen around his neck, with a charm that looks like a pair of hands holding a heart."I was born to a poor human family in a small village. Shunned for my appearance, my father named me Maudit, and called me cursed. My mother couldn't look at me without crying. My older brother told me stories about 'demons from another world,' and said that's where I came from. Rather than scare me, these tales intrigued me, and I would talk to anyone who would tell me more about this other place. As I grew older, I traveled to nearby towns, looking for elders who might know more, and looking for others like me. My family was happy to be rid of me.
"I started to hear whispers. A lone voice, begging for souls, grew into a quiet cacophony. Names were spoken: Blackrazor, the Raven Queen, the Shadowfell. Would I go out into the world and champion the cause? I did not understand how to help 'the cause,' but I accepted the call. The voices faded away for the time being, and I began to receive my powers. I will travel the world and try to find the answers Ive been seeking most of my life.
"I joined with an adventuring guild to seek my fortune. I did not truly like the people who I worked with, but they were a means to an end. My one friend was a goliath barbarian who thought like me. We stormed a local tower to rid it of an infestation of mephits, we chased after cyclopes and ran from black dragons. We did not grow rich, but we were well enough off. One night, camping under the stars, my friend was ambushed as he stood watch by a pack of small dinosaurs. He was torn to shreds before he was able to do more than shout an alarm.
"My next quest was the only one I ever took that did not pay: a search for the missing guild leader who could resurrect my friend. My original team left, one by one, as the mission dragged on without success. The newer recruits were little more than fodder in my eyes, warm bodies to throw in front of enemies. We found the guild leader too late, as he was poisoned and in a coma. The body of my friend had decayed too much to be resurrected; I had failed.
"When my group returned to the guild, we learned that it was being closed down. I was no closer to finding my answers, so I decided that perhaps it was for the best. I was on my own again, and the search for the Shadowfell could continue. It was only later that I heard rumors of a completed mission in the archives of the guild which had traveled without me to the Plane of Shadow. I returned to find that the guildhall had disappeared without a trace. I was denied once again."