Here There Be Monsters
The world of Austerea is full of threats, but none are more dangerous or terrifying than Shades, living embodiments of magic that stalk the Wilderlands and prey on arcane and civilian alike.
Shades are the monsters of our world, ravenous magical beasts you’ll battle in Trials on campus and face off against on Missions. But Shades aren’t just stock enemies to hurl fireballs at; they serve a pivotal role in the lore of our world, and were designed to showcase the complexities of our magic system.
Creatures of Magic
Shades might look like living creatures, but they’re not made of flesh and bone. In fact, Shades aren’t biological beings at all. They are made of magic itself, making them closer to living spells than animals. Shades are created when arcanes are overwhelmed by their emotions to the point of burnout and are touched by raw magic. This causes the arcanes to die, but they leave behind the embodiment of their final emotion.
Monsters of Feeling
Just like there are six Affinities, there are six main types of Shade:
Felician - Striking Joy
Felicians rule the skies, prowling from above before swooping down to strike at victims when they get the chance. If their beaks and claws weren’t enough, they can also blind prey with dazzling bursts of light.
Ikarin - Stalking Sorrow
Made of sentient water, Ikarins are quick and brutal hunters, shifting their shapes to dodge attacks and streak across the battlefield. Don’t think they’re harmless though: that water can harden in an instant into jagged lances of ice.
Sikra - Relentless Curiosity
Sikras might be on the smaller side, but don’t underestimate them. With bodies covered in metal exoskeletons and razor-sharp claws on each limb, these little monsters pose just as much of a threat as the big ones! And that’s not even factoring in their surprising intelligence…
Timor - Living Fear
Timors are cunning and vicious predators that hunt in packs, lurking in dark places where they can pick off unsuspecting victims. If you’re ever alone and feel a sudden chill or see a shadow move… run.
Penthor - Vicious Anger
Penthors are strong, fast, and aggressive predators, tearing victims apart with their jagged claws and razor-sharp fangs. And if that weren’t bad enough… they’re also on fire.
Erolian - Twisted Love
Hulking monsters that blend in with nature, Erolians make up for their lack of speed with incredible strength and resilience. They hunt by wrapping up their victims and squeezing the life out of them.
Designing the Beasts
When designing the Shades, we knew we wanted creatures inspired by our magic system and the world we created. Knowing how important emotions are to the rules of magic in Spellfyre, we started with the question, “What would a monster made of this emotion look like?” Turns out, there are a lot of ways to answer that question for some emotions… and far fewer for others. It’s easy to imagine a monster made of fear, but what about one made of love?
Taking that example, the affinity of love is associated with nature and flora. It made sense then that the Erolian would have a lot of natural elements. Then we considered the negative manifestations of love. It can be deceptive, it can be smothering, it can be controlling. Thus, the Erolian is a master of camouflage that crushes its victims with its enormous vines, yet has a natural beauty to it.
Early sketch of an Erolian
Here There Be Monsters
Elderwood University is surrounded by the Wilderlands, an expanse of magic-scarred land crawling with Shades. As a student, you won’t just be learning magic; you’ll be learning how to defeat Shades and restore the Wilderlands one inch at a time.
Taking back the Wilderlands is the responsibility of everyone at Elderwood, but it weighs especially heavy on you. After all, it was your father who created the Wilderlands in the first place.
Happy hunting!