Ecology of the Dark Ones
"Gather round children. It's time again for another tale." Tobias said in a loud voice.
It was once again Sunday night at the Tipsy Mouse Tavern, which meant it was children's night. Tobias wondered, once again, how he was the one that ended up in charge of the Sunday night event while the parents were out enjoying themselves. He didn't mind the children even though he didn't have any of his own and, in fact, would begrudgingly admit he actually enjoyed his time with them when asked.
It was an easy night, for there was a guest speaker to entertain the children. The last speaker had been so popular that when the opportunity to do it again, Tobias jumped at the chance, even offering free room and board for the night.
"Alright, you little buggers, sit down by the fire, and I'll introduce tonight's guest." The kids, unaware that someone other than Tobias was telling a story tonight, rushed to sit down. The usual loud banter between them was replaced by hushed tones and excited whispers. Tobias knew what his guest's topic du jour was, and he wondered how many of them would feel the same later this evening.
The children stopped talking altogether as an old dwarf walked to the front of the room and sat down on the oversized chair. He was dressed as if he lived here in town, with comfortable yet straightforward clothes. Tobias knew, however, that his room must contain the rugged chain-linked armor that he wore upon his arrival. His face made him look surprisingly young, but his long brown beard had more than a bit of grey, betraying his actual age. He pulled out a small pipe, checked its contents before lighting it, and smiled at the children.
"Good evening, my fine young friends. My name is Firus. Firus Hillfall." Tobias was surprised by his cheerful voice and the genuine smile on his face. He had not met many dwarves in his lifetime. Tobias felt ashamed that he assumed all dwarves were gruff and grumpy people.
"So my new friends. What do you know about the Underdark?" Firus asked. The kids all looked at one another, and after a few seconds, a hand shot up. "Yes, young man, what do you know about the Underdark?" Firus asked.
"It's really dark!" he said with a large toothy grin. The children groaned, but Firus burst into laughter.
"Quite right, young man. May I ask your name?" Firus asked the young boy.
"Alexander, sir. But my friends call me Alex, so you can call me Alex", he said, still smiling.
Firus shifted in his chair and spoke. "The Underdark is dark indeed," Firus said, giving Alex a quick wink, "and it is full of people from all sorts of heritages. Some are good and friendly."
"Like dwarves!" a teenage boy said with excitement in his voice.
"That's definitely true. Some of my favorite cousins live there," (1) Firus said. "There's also gnomes, called Svirfneblin, who are the masters of gems and can practically blend into the stone." Firus thought for a second and grimaced. "Grimlocks are quite unfriendly and mean, but when you've been enslaved by the flayers, you'd be angry too. Also, the drow, who many think are mean and cruel but can be quite charming if you get to know them."
Firus took a long pull of his pipe. "But have you heard of the Dark Ones?" The children shook their collective heads back and forth.
"There are actually two Dark Ones, the Dark Creeper and the Dark Stalker. They are as same as they are different." Firus scanned the kids as he let that little riddle set in. Some of the kids looked at each other confused. Others couldn't take their eyes off the dwarf, waiting in anticipation of an answer.
Firus drew a deep breath and continued, "The Dark Stalker looks like most of your the people in the town in many ways, as they are about the same height with the same features as most humans. They dress all in black, making them look spooky and mysterious" Firus didn't think it made them look spooky, but he wanted to set the scene for the kids.
"The Creeper is about my, and your, height," he said, grinning at the children. "They have a pale, almost sickly skin tone, but when you spend generations underground, you're not going to have a tan. Their faces hold large noses, which I won't hold against them", Firus tapped his bulbous nose, "but their grey eyes are full of evil intent."
The children sat enraptured. "Their feet make them unique, for they have small black hooves instead of feet like you and I." This raised eyebrows, and some lower murmurs rippled through the seated crowd. "No, no," said Firus, overhearing one of the smaller children in the front. "They are not a part horse, and no one knows why their feet are the way they are. Amazingly, they didn't make a sound when they crept up on my friends and me."
The murmurs became a dull roar of excitement and confusion, with a few children yelling questions at Firus.
"Did they attack you?" an older muscular boy asked.
"Were they trying to eat you?" asked a boy in the front row.
"Did anyone die?" yelled a small girl, fear in her voice.
"Well, here's the story, my young friends. We traveled from our city to deliver some of the finest ore and gemstones to our deep dwarf cousins, the Duergar, who lived deep in the Underdark. Even though we were traveling along a well-established route, little did we know that we were being stalked." (3) Firus remembers the feeling he had at the time, knowing something was off and not being able to figure out what.
"When we just a mere mile from the underground city, the Dark Ones appeared from the shadows. They were so silent we had no idea they were there until struck." Firus paused, building the tension. "It was almost as if they had appeared out of the plane of shadows themselves." (4a/b)
"Wouldn't you hear the ones with hooves?" Once again, Alex was asking the question, and he was leaning forward in anticipation of the answer.
"One would think, wouldn't you? But alas, the creeper's footsteps made no sound to alert us to their presence. Two dark stalkers were leading a group of 6 or 7 creepers. The taller ones had large curved swords in their hands, while the shorter creepers each had an ominous-looking dagger."
It was evident that some of the kids had questions, but Firus continued, not wanting to break his rhythm. "As they came at us, Dark Ones moved in and out of the darkness, making it nearly impossible to have any sort of coordinated attack. Now for those of you that don't know, dwarves can see in the dark just as you can see in the light, but we were still not able to see our foes when they slipped back into the shadows."
Trying to keep the tension building, Firus talked a little slower, and his voice deepened. "I was slashed a few times with a dagger," he stated plainly but saw the look of concern on the younger kids. "While it hurt, I was fine, but I saw my friend Magnus weaken as he was struck with the sword of a Dark Stalker. It was as if he was ready for a nap, growing tired as he was cut by the sword of a stalker." (5)
"As we fought, I could see the Dark Ones sliding out of the darkness, grabbing the gems and minerals from our carts and disappearing. I realized they didn't want to kill us, just rob us. Of course, that didn't make me feel any better each time a dagger pierced my skin." Firus pulled up his sleeve, showing up the dagger scars on his arm. The kids leaned closer to get a good look at his battle scars.
Pulling his sleeve back down, Firus continued. "Desperate to see through their shadowy cloak of darkness, I grabbed a torch from the cart behind me and lit it. The Dark One's reaction to the light was one of screaming in pain" Firus changed to a tone of his voice from ominous to hopeful. "Realizing the light caused them pain, I grabbed the remaining torches, throwing them to the other dwarves as I lit them. The Dark Ones howled as the light grew brighter, and they retreated into the darkness, leaving us bloodied but victorious." (6)
A collective sigh of relief came from the children, followed by the clapping and cheering. Firus leaned back in his chair, pleased that the children enjoyed the story. He decided to leave out the part where two of his friends and three of the horses died. Better to end the story in cheerful victory instead of sorrow.
"I'd better not run into any Dark Ones. I can defeat them with my dagger and torch!" said Alex, holding a small knife that was little more than a dinner knife.
"Well, Dark Ones have not been seen for almost two centuries." Firus knew he was one of the last people alive to see a Dark One. "People think they could have all been killed, or perhaps they decided to return to Shadowfell for good. Whatever the reason, no one has any desire to good looking for them, and I say good riddance!" (7)
Firus grabbed his pipe and relit just as the first of the parents came in to pick up their children. As the kids left, he could hear them talk excitedly about his tale, and he was glad he could tell it. As he absentmindedly rubbed the scars on his arm, the image of the creeper's face that cut him popped into his head. He didn't know what happened to the Dark Ones, nor did he care. One encounter with them was pretty enough for him.
The Svirfneblin love to harvest precious stones no matter the cost. They cherish fine gemstones, especially rubies, which they harvest from mines deep in the Underdark. 5th Edition Monster Manual (2014)
The Dark Ones' only contact with other races occurs when they defend their homes and steal trinkets from enemies under cover of darkness. 3rd Edition Fiend Folio (2003)
The last of the Underdark's highwaymen the Dark Ones support their communities by raiding traveling merchants and caravans that travel through their communities. Dragon Magazine 322 (August 2004)
[a] - The origins of the Dark Ones have been traced back to the Shadowfell. It is said that they travel from the dark and gloomy plane to raid merchants and then slink back to their home plane. 4th edition Monster Manual I (2008) [b] - Dark Ones have a magic ability to become one with the shadows. Known as Shadow Cloak, the Dark one can wrap himself in a cloak of shadows, providing them with 9/10th concealment, even to creatures with darkvision. They can use this ability once per day. 3rd Edition Fiend Folio (2003)
Dark ones eat mostly fungi found in the Underdark and use them and other lichens to create alchemical potions and poisons. They can also harvest the venom from creatures that live in the dark with them, including carrion crawlers and scorpions. Dragon Magazine 322 (August 2004)
Dark One's one weakness is their Light Sensitivity. Sunlight and other bright light cause Dark Ones to take a -2 penalty to attack and damage rolls, along with saving throws and morale checks. 3rd Edition Fiend Folio (2003)
The Dark Ones have not made an appearance in the 5th Edition.
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Art Credit - Angelina Stroganova Huntang
