After a large mass fell from the sky, the nearby woods have been full of strange creatures. As servants of a eldritch monster, the creatures from the Void seek to annihilate any magical or living energy.

Nullwraith

The minions of these eldritch creatures are the slimy, spider-like creatures known to locals as Nullwraiths. No larger than 2 feet tall, these creatures are ordered around by a more intelligent being. They silently ambush their prey as a swarm, spiking through them with inky black tentacles and slamming them violently into the ground nearby.

Nullwraiths are made of an opaque, black substance. By feeling, one can tell that these creatures are covered in a slimy, viscous gel, but the substance they are made of absorbs light. This causes them to look like shadows out of the corner of one's eye as they approach.

A Nullwraith by itself cannot survive. It is an amalgamation of condensed nightmares from the Void, and it's physical presence in any plane is contingent on a willing creature to harness and control it. Should the controlling creature die, it is only a matter of time until the Nullwraith unravels and returns to the nothing it once was.

Soulless

When Nullwraiths successfully hunt someone down, their corpse and life force are corrupted by eldritch power. The corpse is infused with the light-absorbing material that makes up Nullwraiths and reanimated to serve the purpose of its master. Any semblance of the person the body once contained is gone, leading to the name that locals give to these creatures: Soulless.

When the Nullwraith kills a person, their body is drained and decomposition is accelerated. When reanimated as a Soulless, the corpse appears as a decade-old body, no matter how recently they were killed by the Nullwraiths. When a Soulless is defeated, the black substance suspending the corpse dissipates, and the body falls still.

Attempts have been made to return the soul of the deceased to the body after defeating the Soulless, but thus far it has been fruitless. When the Nullwraiths corrupt the body, they remove the ability for the body to hold life again. Powerful magic has yet to be tested however.

Soul Hunter

When a person with more magical or combat prowess is corrupted into a Soulless, they can sometimes be turned into a Soul Hunter instead. Soul Hunters are strong creatures, covered almost entirely in the light-absorbing substance and wielding it to their advantage. Tentacles of the substance lash out to attack those within reach, and it can be coalesced into a large spike that drains the target of their life.

While unable to communicate, Soul Hunters can control small packs of Nullwraiths. They are seemingly drawn to large gatherings of people and items potent with magic. When their hunts are successful, they take the unconscious bodies and magical items to an unknown location. Later the bodies are found turned into Soulless, and the items are never seen again nor can they be tracked by magical means.

Rumors also speak of a hive mind, a creature deep in the woods that directs all of these beings from the Void. If such creature exists, it is of utmost importance that it is found and destroyed.

Soul Gorger

An ambassador of an unknowable horror, a Soul Gorger commands Nullwraiths to bring it living beings. As they are brought to it, the Soul Gorger feasts upon their souls and rends the body uninhabitable. It also absorbs any magic from potent items, rendering them unable to contain magic ever again.

The physical form of the Soul Gorger is impossible to describe. Upon seeing it, many minds refuse to accept it. For those who have been able to steel their minds to it, the best approximation of its true form is an amorphous collection of light-absorbing tentacles. Peering at it too long often leads people to see the faces of loved ones past formed out of the inky black substance. Adventurers who have hunted it also claim horrible unending nightmares when sleeping too close to its lair.

When threatened, the Soul Gorger releases a horrendous screech and is bolstered by its eldritch master. Few are known to survive an encounter with the Soul Gorger, and those who have are often haunted by their experience for years after the fact.

I hope you enjoy these creatures I developed for my home campaign. Let me know what you think, and if you prefer these as a PDF you can download it below!