Wind Stalker
Wind Stalkers are strange, rare creatures often used by Conjurers. They are Air Elementals who have had their physical and emotional nature warped by Conjuration Magic, turning them into ethereal assassins.
Overview
Language
Wind Stalkers understand the languages spoken by those who summon them, though they cannot talk. Individuals who use telepathy can communicate with Wind Stalkers in this way, though they are hardly pleasant conversationalists.
Appearance
Wind Stalkers are nearly invisible to the naked eye. One might perceive ripples in the air - like extreme heat - as it moves by, but seldom anything else. If perceived with magic that allows one to see through invisibility, they will perceive a vague and cloudy form.
Habitat
Wind Stalkers do not have a preferred or native habitat, though one might argue it is the same as the Air Elementals they are created from. Wind Stalkers that are forced to reside on Arethil permanently and become unbound from the will of their summoner seem to prefer wide open spaces.
Typically, they also become docile, so one has little to fear from unbound Wind Stalkers.
Typically, they also become docile, so one has little to fear from unbound Wind Stalkers.
Traits
Wind Stalkers are nearly invisible to the naked eye, though perceptive individuals have noticed ripples in the air similar to extreme heat when they move by. They are additionally gaseous in composition and can assume any shape, being capable of slipping under doors or even between cracks. Conjurers have been known to smuggle Wind Stalkers around by keeping them in small, glass jars... Though the Wind Stalker is rarely appreciative of such treatment.
Wind Stalkers have great capacity for violence, being able to slice, stab, and bludgeon as easily as one might with a mundane knife. Heavy armor has often proven more than enough to resist their attacks, of course.
Despite common assumptions, Wind Stalkers are not particularly robust creatures and can be killed quite easily. Swinging weapons through a Wind Stalker has been observed to cause it some manner of injury. Blunt weapons are especially effective. Due to their magical composition, Wind Stalkers are similarly vulnerable to many types of offensive magic.
Wind Stalkers have alien minds. While it is possible for telepaths to communicate with them directly, charming them through magical means is somewhat more difficult. Wind Stalkers, like their other elemental cousins, are also immune to poisoning.
When killed, the Wind Stalker will frequently explode in a harmless gust of wind.
Wind Stalkers have great capacity for violence, being able to slice, stab, and bludgeon as easily as one might with a mundane knife. Heavy armor has often proven more than enough to resist their attacks, of course.
Despite common assumptions, Wind Stalkers are not particularly robust creatures and can be killed quite easily. Swinging weapons through a Wind Stalker has been observed to cause it some manner of injury. Blunt weapons are especially effective. Due to their magical composition, Wind Stalkers are similarly vulnerable to many types of offensive magic.
Wind Stalkers have alien minds. While it is possible for telepaths to communicate with them directly, charming them through magical means is somewhat more difficult. Wind Stalkers, like their other elemental cousins, are also immune to poisoning.
When killed, the Wind Stalker will frequently explode in a harmless gust of wind.
History
Background
Wind Stalkers are an old and rare trick of Conjurers. Only a few hold the secrets to their creation and, even still, they are notoriously difficult to tame. Plenty of would-be Conjurers have been vivisected after their attempts to tame and create Wind Stalkers have failed.
For skilled practitioners, Wind Stalkers make for a useful tool in assassinating rivals, stealing objects, or accomplishing other clandestine tasks. One should simply be careful regardless of their skill: Wind Stalkers are particularly resentful towards those who summon them. If they were to become unbound for any reason, they will immediately seek to kill their Conjurer.
Wind Stalkers only exist so long as the Conjurer - or whatever it is keeping them in the world of Arethil - is active. If they are unbound, they will seek to hasten their departure by murdering the one who conjured them. If for some reason they persist past this point, they generally become docile and seek out wide open spaces in which to range peaceably.
Or they go berserk and attempt to murder everything they come across, disregarding all notions of tact and stealth.
But that's rare.
For skilled practitioners, Wind Stalkers make for a useful tool in assassinating rivals, stealing objects, or accomplishing other clandestine tasks. One should simply be careful regardless of their skill: Wind Stalkers are particularly resentful towards those who summon them. If they were to become unbound for any reason, they will immediately seek to kill their Conjurer.
Wind Stalkers only exist so long as the Conjurer - or whatever it is keeping them in the world of Arethil - is active. If they are unbound, they will seek to hasten their departure by murdering the one who conjured them. If for some reason they persist past this point, they generally become docile and seek out wide open spaces in which to range peaceably.
Or they go berserk and attempt to murder everything they come across, disregarding all notions of tact and stealth.
But that's rare.