Shadow-Stalker

Name
Shadow-Stalker

Physical Traits
The Shadow is a powerful religion that sweeps through the Forsaken. A devotee may throw off the shackles of her zombie-like body, becoming one with the Shadow. Those who succeed become shadow ascendants. Outsiders do not understand the process that fuels the ascendant's evolution from a physically powerful but slow corpse to a quick and deadly shadow. The Cult of Forgotten Shadow, however preaches that all Forsaken are born from the Shadow, and that they carry a portion of the Shadow within them. By strengthening her ties to death and undeath, the ascendant manifests her inner Shadow, bonding with it until she becomes a living shadow, the ultimate manifestation of the Shadow from which she was born.

As the Forsaken undertakes her journey, many changes manifest. The Forsaken's skin darkens, and shadows cling to her body. Her features blur and become indistinct, almost as if they were melting away. The ascendant becomes more sensitive to light, preferring to stay in darkness. Later, the air becomes cold around the ascendant. Her voice echoes, as if she speaks both words and thoughts. The ascendant becomes one with darkness and shadows, and she feels her emotions grow colder and darker as she continues down this path.

At the culmination of this path, the ascendant's body fades, and she becomes a living shadow. While the Forsaken loses the strength of an undead body, she gains the perfection of undeath, an incorporeal and inhumanly powerful free soul. This form resembles her old form, but without facial features. Hair and body shape remains, formed of the stuff of shadows, and eyes remain as burning balls of unholy light. The Forsaken still has a body, however, and is not truly incorporeal as a ghost is. The ascendant's shadow body bears some substance, almost like an ephemeral, inky fluid, but it is so wispy that it almost doesn't exist.

Shadow ascendants obviously, are universally Forsaken. Ascendants come from all walks of life, but most are priests, though the occasional warrior or rogue may find ascension in the Forgotten Shadow. Most Forsaken revere ascendants as the perfection of death and their own inner darkness. An ascendant is a powerful creature, a physical manifestation of the Shadow, free of mortal constraints such as a body or feelings. Shadow ascendants hold a special place in the Cult of Forgotten Shadow. Most ascendants are followers of that faith, and expound that their transformations are proof of the faith's truthfulness. Ascendants attend the cult as prophets, leading clergies to the path of truth undeath. Even ascendants who claim to be atheists have some knowledge of religions and faith, if just to understand their own undead bodies and the Shadow from which they were born. Secretly, an ascendant must have a little faith to begin the transformation, despite how atheistic she may be.

Among the Horde, ascendants serve as nigh-invisible spies, priests and assassins. These living shadows frighten other Horde members, but the Horde bears a measure of respect toward them. The shadow-creatures they become resemble some shaman and voodoo spirits, though dark and uncontrollable. Tauren are wary of the creatures, which exude an overpowering stink of death to the tauren's spirit-sensitive noses. On the other hand, some trolls revere those who complete their manifestations of true undeath as dark Loa spirits, and go out of their way to please ascendants

This Shadow-Stalker appears to be simmilair to these Shadow-Ascendants.

Race and Class
Shadow-Ascendant Shadowmancer

Background
Where, or who this dark figure is is presently unknown.

Alignment
Neutral Evil