AKA: Shades, Murk Ghosts, Shadow Being, Black Mass

Out of the corner of an eye, a dark figure observes, disappearing as it is faced. Back on the edge of vision, it returns, looming, moving just enough to hint at life. It is always there, where its specimens are not truly looking — there in the shadow of a door, a hair’s breadth at their back, swaying, observing. The Shadow People allow humans to know of their presence, but little else.

Shadow People appear all over the world as tall, thin, dark silhouettes with human forms and profiles devoid of detailed facial features, limbs, or any other detectable characteristics, aside from an occasional hat or coat. Most have seen Shades in their lifetime— usually once or twice at night. Their forms often go unnoticed, except when the watched are anxious, scared, or otherwise on edge; this is because humans become more aware of their surroundings when they are frightened, detecting the slightest movement or oddity around them, including the Shadow People.

Shades do not seem to vary much in size or body type, nor do they seem to partake in many activities that common organisms do. The beings only reside in places hidden from light; draped in shadow, their body is always several shades darker than their surroundings. Shadow People are thought to gain sustenance from being near other living organisms, leeching some kind of nutritional value at a distance. Sometimes they live in clusters under bridges, in tunnels, abandoned buildings, or underground structures; others live alone in these locations or under beds, in closets, basements, and attics. They are often misidentified as ghosts or Slanks. The nature of Shades is widely debated—some calling them evil, extra-dimensional beings, while others insist that they are neutral aliens or helpful/harmful paranormal entities.

Those suffering from sleep paralysis and methamphetamine addiction are top reporters of this cryptid; they are also more likely to have prolonged encounters that consist of a full-view of their form. In many cases of sleep paralysis, the Shade approaches the target slowly while they are frozen in place, hovering directly above them (around 1 - 4 in. from the face), a flat shadow in a three-dimensional space. Yet, even in these instances, the being’s specific characteristics have never been revealed or described. 1 People who have reported Shades describe them as swirling, human-shaped shadows that fill them with dread and panic; most often, they are only spotted in one’s periphery, yet others observe them detaching from a flat surface to hover near or over a viewer. Once the being recognizes that its viewer is awake and able to move, it quickly darts into the shadows; some report still being able to see the creature watching them from a distant room, closet, or window, though most recount that the being vanishes. Regardless, encounters with Shadow People cause foreboding feelings, intense fear, and paranoia.

Simulacrum: Origins of the Shadow People

It is said that Murk Ghosts originate from a group of people studying paranormal entities. With attempts to draw the beings into the corporeal plane, into objects, dead bodies, and, lastly, themselves, the shadow beings were created. With agonizing screams and writhes of pain, shadows twisted with flesh, blood, and clothing, all entangling together before stretching as one; the supernatural melded with humanity, creating a new, halfling creature—an abomination to be feared.

The paranormal investigators had believed that they were interacting with several ghosts. However, they were connecting to a carcass-less group of revenants. Mistakenly luring something dangerous, they found themselves unprepared and tricked into providing new, permanent bodies to the entities. Yet, the beings found themselves also dissatisfied, gaining thoughts, emotions, and desires that were not previously present in their lives. Their revenant forms preventing them from entering the paranormal plane, as well as disabling them from fully interacting in the human one, Shadow People are trapped in a strange, limited limbo—a boring, almost trivial existence that exudes naught but alienation, solitude.

Like all creatures, Shadow People reproduce, though not often. The halflings tend to fall in love with individuals that have deceased lovers or those experiencing intense loneliness; this may be because they share similar feelings. Regardless, they attach themselves to no more than one person per century. Shadowy visitors can be warded off by having white light bulbs installed and leaving them on at night, as well as having very bright nightlights. A courting Shadow Person will cease its pursuit if the human in question becomes romantically involved with another human.

Human relationships with Shadow People are very unhealthy; they often lead to further isolation, dabbling with evil entities, obsessive thoughts, and a fascination with the dead. These liaisons are also often manipulative and founded on lies; most often, Shades draw humans near to them by encouraging or allowing them to believe that they are lovers back from the dead. As all paranormal beings, Shadow People have almost unlimited access to historical data on people and places; with this information, they may impersonate another. However, they cannot change their appearance, speak, or interact in any other way, aside from being visible and near. Until a bond is formed, the entities disappear when directly looked at.

A Shadow Person’s courtship is comprised of nightly visits, each time the figure drawing nearer and nearer; usually, viewers are fearful at first, but grow more comfortable with their presence and quick retreat over time. When the halfling feels as though it no longer elicits panic, a hole begins growing on the bedroom wall—visible at all times of the day, but only to their target. The blemish is cold to the touch, a frosty breeze constant from its maw; if an ear is held close to it, soft, endearing whispers emanate, though looking inside appears to only expose the inner workings of the structure. When studied in this stage, the Shadow Person does not vanish, though it does disappear if approached. After several months of courtship, the hole grows to the size of a window, at night glowing with an eerie quality. The afflicted feel compelled to enter this strange doorway, longing to be with their beloved. Yet, when they cross into the strange, layer that lies between the corporeal and paranormal, they become aware of the monster they have communed with. Gagging, convulsing, the Shade spews forth a new revenant; its loved one is painfully forced into coexistence with it. Gateways such as this are spawned by Shadow People to create partners to ease their own loneliness; beings that do not physically interact, only feel, emote, and exist, this solution provides only temporary comfort. The two entities eventually leave each other’s company, drifting away to repeat the horrendous process elsewhere, seeking someone to ease their aches.

Shadow People do not go through physical or mental development, being ‘born’ fully grown. However, they learn from other Shadow People what their lives are to be like by observing them and telepathically conversing. Additionally, offspring are fusions of their parent’s forms, taking the pair’s height and build to become their average.

Shadow people do not always engage with humans in this regard. For the most part, these halflings only observe human activity, getting close when they believe them to be unaware. As most paranormal entities do, they consume the emotions of those nearby; a Murk Ghost’s feeding is minimal, affecting the mind-set of targets only slightly.

Though sustenance is a part of their nearness to humanity, it is also believed that part of the beings may miss their old lives—memories they recall fondly and share; Shades yearn to feel fully human, drawing near to another being is the only remedy for their great sadness, regret. They await a day where they can be separated, distinct from the paranormal beings they languished over, creatures they wanted to know everything about; now, they know more than they ever desired, yet remain trapped with unspeakable knowledge