Shadow Stalker
Slipping through cracks between realms, Shadow Stalkers are entities born when dreams are filtered through Cthonic energies that filter through the subterranean realms. Though quite rare, these beasts are more frequently encountered when prophetic dreams are on the rise.
During the course of their stewardship of Conexão, the Fellowship of the Seven Petals has had to dispatch a number of these dangerous beasts. While they can often be purified, releasing the dream from the matrix of the Cthonic influence, this is difficult to accomplish due to the Stalker's ferocity and the need for specialized tools.
While their sentience has been debated in the Academy of Narrative Cosmology, most (including those in the Fellowship) believe that dispatching these creatures simply releases the dream from the corrupting influence, allowing it to find its intended dreamer. Some scholars argue that once the two forces merge, it becomes an entity entirely distinct from its constituent parts. This theory was greatly advanced after Vasco Vaz was able to purify a Stalker into the being known as Arco.
Since this time, the Academy has changed its guidelines around handling Shadow Stalkers with more humanity, seeking purification over violence if possible.
