It’s Midgard Monday! Each week, we visit a corner of the wide world of Midgard. Look for standalone content you can drop into your campaign—whether it’s in Midgard or your own homebrew. Find new inspiration each Midgard Monday!
As we continue our tour of Midgard lineages for Tales of the Valiant RPG (on sale now!), we visit the shadow fey. This installment of the series also includes a heritage and a background that shadow fey characters (or any character!) might use.
Shadow Fey
Shadow fey stalk the Shadow Realm and encroach on the mortal world where the barriers between the planes are thin. While they resemble elves physically, shadow fey have horns that range from subtle nubs to large protrusions. They are physically beautiful, but their mentalities combine temperaments common to both elves and goblins, shifting between benign and cruel with little notice.
Despite their fickle whims and darker proclivities, the shadow fey are not inherently good or evil. Instead, much like their fey cousins, they are content pursuing their own desires for seemingly alien reasons. While they never make their goals known, they are endlessly patient, preferring slow and subtle plans that overtake their enemies without anyone noticing.
Shadow fey in the mortal world of Midgard often hail from places that mingle with the borders of the Shadow Realm, such as Castle Shadowcrag or the Margreve. Courts from the Shadow Realm sometimes send delegations to the material plane. The most notable of these is the Winter’s Kiss Embassy in Zobeck.
SHADOW FEY LINEAGE TRAITS
Your shadow fey character has certain hereditary traits dictated by their lineage.
Age. While Shadow Fey reach physical maturity around the age of 20, their mental and emotional faculties reach full maturity around the age of 100. Shadow Fey can live to be 750 years old.
Size. Your size is Medium. Shadow Fey range from under 5 feet to over 6 feet tall, and weigh around 110 pounds.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You have darkvision to a range of 60 feet.
Shadow Step. When in darkness, dim light, or a shadow large enough to cover your body, as an action you can cast the misty step spell without using a spell slot. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is WIS, INT, or CHA (choose which during character creation). You can use this feature a number of times equal to your PB and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Fey Whim. You have proficiency in Persuasion. When you finish a short or long rest, you can exchange this proficiency for Deception, and vice versa.
Shadow Court Heritage
You grew up in the Shadow Realm among the courts of the shadow fey. Trickery, dalliance, and fey politics ringed your upbringing, and you learned to navigate and wield them. Whether you are a loyal servant to one of the courts, or practice stepping in between their machinations, you know how to exploit the emotions of other, more susceptible creatures. A shadow court heritage character views their upbringing less like a community and more like an obstacle course, which they grew to traverse with grace and cunning. The skills you garnered from this life will serve you as well in the realm of mortals.
Stoke Emotions. When a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see makes a save to resist becoming charmed or frightened, you can use your reaction to expend 2 Luck, roll a d6, and subtract the number you rolled from the creature’s result.
Gloam Sight. When in darkness or dim light, you do not suffer disadvantage on Perception checks.
Languages. You know Common and one additional language of your choice. Typical Shadow Realm heritage characters choose Umbral.
Envoy of Winter Background
A herald of the Winter’s Kiss, the Shadow Fey Embassy in Zobeck, you have worked to further the influence of His Excellency Glaninin Thelamandrine, Ambassador-in-Extraordinary of the Winter Court within the free city and beyond. Whether you hail from the Winter Court directly or you bought into the opulence of the fey, you see the value in patience and a good deal. Despite an outsider’s natural skepticism of your station, you know how to work with people to bring them to see things your way.
Skill Proficiencies. Choose two from Deception, History, Intimidation, or Persuasion.
Additional Proficiencies. Gain proficiency with charlatan tools and one other tool or instrument of your choice.
Equipment. A tool you are proficient with, an instrument made of glass, fine clothing, a seal denoting your ties to the Winter’s Kiss embassy, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp.
Talent
Time in service to the Winter Court has caused you to become adaptable. Choose a talent from the following list to represent your fey cunning: Bottomless Luck, Polyglot, or Psycanist.
Adventuring Motivation
Envoys of Winter rarely leave Zobeck, but when they do, it is with the specific and important purpose of securing an audience with powerful individuals on behalf of the Ambassador-in-Extraordinary. You might or might not remain in service to the Court of Winter, but when beginning your adventures, determine how the experience has colored your outlook.
Adventuring Motivation
| d8 | Adventuring Motivation |
| 1 | Adventuring allows me to keep eyes and ears in far flung places. |
| 2 | Adventuring helps me meet new people. |
| 3 | Adventuring expands my name and influence. |
| 4 | Adventuring gives me an excuse to drop my formal airs. |
| 5 | Adventuring provides new resources to improve my political standing. |
| 6 | Adventuring lets me vent frustrations that I couldn’t otherwise express. |
| 7 | Adventuring is how I prove my worth and skill to those I serve. |
| 8 | Adventuring gives me an edge over the others who serve the Ambassador-in-Extraordinary. |
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Want a more focused start? Try the Zobeck Clockwork City Collector’s Edition! This detailed sourcebook
gives players plenty of room to run, and includes adventures within the Clockwork City itself!
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