Black shucks natively speak Ïzä, the language of the fae. Most know both the language and its companion sign language, as well as any other relevant languages to their upbringing and profession.

All black shucks share pointed ears, pronounced canines, and shades of black to charcoal gray skin. Their dark, desaturated complexions are often paired with black hair. In extremely rare cases, some shucks have had dark brown or white hair. Red, and silver eyes are common while gold eyes are less common. The darkest coloration and gold eyes are considered the epitome of shuck beauty standards.

Black shucks are a larger species of fae, rivaling duanann in height. Averaging above 6', their builds are generally more muscular and athletic than other, more lithe species of fae.

In their canine form, shucks are built similarly to cwn annwn with long, leggy bodies and long coats. Their fur matches their hair from their humanoid form (or vice versa) and they retain their natural eye color. Unlike cwn, these hound forms are roughly the size of a horse, standing anywhere from 55 to 70 inches at the shoulder.

The shadowforms of black shucks are a closely guarded secret known to few living persons outside of their species. Mostly humanoid, these bodies of darkness retain their monstrous origins with great, jagged maws, elongated claws, and eyes like stars. Shadowforms tower over a shuck's humanoid form and tend to have longer limbs and necks. These shapes are nebulous and changeable.

Rare and exotic even by fae standards, black shucks are an adaptable species and do not keep a singular habitat. They are frequently solitary creatures and cohabitation within their species is uncommon outside of the purpose of child rearing and immediate family units.

Black shucks age similarly to humans, reaching physical maturity around 20 years of age. They may take another hundred years to mentally mature, and are viewed as adults in fae society around their second century.

Little unites shucks as a whole like their ambitions. Black shucks tend to be ambitions and obsessive in nature. Once their minds are fixed to an idea or conquest, little can shake them from the pursuit of it. The nature of this ambition and its hyperfocus is as unique as the individual, and shucks are known for their lifelong devotions to these pursuits. They are not a species known for flights of fancy or fleeting hobbies.

As with all fae, a black shuck's body, its cycles, and the ebb and flow of their magick stems from the influence of celestial bodies. All black shucks are aligned to the moons of Arethil with no exceptions. Whether governed by the zenith or nahdir of those bodies, the light they shed or the shadow they cast, this dominion is absolute.

The timing and flavor of this influence has a genetic link and is frequently passed from parent to child.

Four elements rule nature and, therefore, appear as gifts among fae. Fire, water, earth, and air, each element comes with its own special abilities and resistances. Shucks of fire cannot be burned by even the greatest heats. Shucks of water can breathe underwater. Shucks of earth can pass through vegetation and over rough terrain unscathed. Shucks of air can never suffocate or freeze.

Where cwn annwn and many other species of fae can create light, black shucks can nullify it. Consequently, all shucks carry light as a secondary element alongside their other innate elemental alignments.

Black shucks are born with innate true names. This name is linked with their conscience and can be used to compel them.

As with many of the truest forms of fae, black shucks cannot speak a direct lie.

Black shucks can be ejected from a structure by the magic of hospitality laws. To bar them from a premises, however, they must be commanded by a name -- either true or colloquial.

Both fae and monster, black shucks are allergic to both iron and silver. The touch of these metals instantly causes severe burns, and weapons forged from them can deal significant damage to a shuck's person.

No shuck is ever blinded by the absence of light. Black shucks see as well at high noon as they do at midnight. They can only sense the outlines of figures and objects in magical darkness.

Magick, as defined by both mortal and fae scholars, is specifically the use of magic sourced from ley lines. These magical bodies run through Arethil like a mycelium. Tapping into these veins of raw magic is an ability exclusive to fae species.

Black shucks can utilize all typical parts of ley magick: ley travel, glamour, magick, magick reservoirs, wards, and elemental magicks. Though black shucks are not known for legendary magicks, they are categorized as greater fae for their other abilities.

More useful than glamours to persuade others into fear and obedience is the black suhck’s bark. Technically a glamour of the mind, both fae and mortals are subject to the magick of this ability, and it takes an “iron will” or a great deal of power to avoid its effects. Those who are not lucky enough to have immunity to it, however, are subject to flights of terror of the shuck’s design. Barks can cause paralysis or can cause the person to flee in fear. The stronger the shuck, the louder the bark, and the louder the bark, the greater its range and power. Some of the greatest shucks of Sluagh legend were said to paralyze entire battlefields with a single howl.

Every black shuck has three forms: their humanoid body, their canid body, and their shadowforms. Shadowplay has two stages: being a shadow and the shuck’s true body, or true shadowform. All forms of shadowplay are addictive, for it was from these forms shucks once came and naturally crave the return to.

The first stage is to "become" a shadow. Taking the shape of a black mist, a shuck can quite literally meld themself into a shadow. In this state they retain few of their abilities, existing most for the purpose of rest and surveillance.

As shadows, black shucks retain many of their abilities from other forms, though they are at their most vulnerable. Injuries sustained when in shadows can deal far more damage to shucks than in any other form.

The second stage is to take one's shadowform. A nebulous body of shadow that swallows all light, they are dangerous and terrifying. Holding this form is both incredibly taxing on a shuck's mind and also highly addictive. It is rarely let loose by any shuck in their right mind and exposing it is taboo in the shuck community, exposing them to renewed rounds of criticism from the rest of the fae community.

Too much shadowplay has been known to corrupt the integrity of a shuck's mind, reverting them from civilized creatures to beings of pure instinct and whim. Shadow madness is a real and dangerous affliction that many shucks suffer from, and it is ultimately the most common cause for shuck deaths.

Black shucks live in a closed, highly matriarchal culture that exists within the world of the fae and yet remains separate from it. Many shucks live reclusive lives out of sight from the prying eyes of Court. Reared under this protective veil of privacy, they remain distinct from their fellow fae.

Black shucks are taught from childhood to fear and respect the power of their shadowform. Pups are often denied “playing in shadows” until they have reached an age of intelligence deemed safe by their parents and caretakers, and small children are not often encouraged to engage with it. As adolescents, every black shuck must learn to control themselves in their shadowform or learn to avoid it carefully.

These shadowforms are collectively protected by the shuck community. It is a taboo to be seen in true shadowforms to any being one intends to let live. As the constant focus of scrutiny from other fae for their more brutal, monstrous nature, the shuck community polices itself harshly.

Individuals afflicted by shadow madness are frequently hunted down by members of their own species. As a result, black shucks rarely talk about their mental health with one another.

It is common practice for female black shucks to seek partners outside of their species for the purpose of reproduction. Because of the limited gene pool of so few black shucks and the constant quest for stronger offspring, female shucks (who will always beget shuck children) often seek fathers from species like sidhe and duanann. Black shuck family bloodlines are matrilineal.

Male black shucks will often find partners outside of their species as well. Like their female counterparts, male shucks are active, engaging, and protective parents.

Black shucks have always held places of high regard in the Sluagh and various fae militaries. They're highly ambitions creatures who have frequently pursued their special interests right into the history books.

The Delights of the Wild Hunt
A Nightmare Dressed Like a Daydream
The Jaw of Judgement
Dog Eat Dog