Tania, Keeper of Ghouls: "At first, her face is all you can see. Her skin is golden, her eyes are deep. After a moment, her body becomes visible; but only as a wispy silhoutette."

Awakener: "Two holes in the helmet reveal eyes which gaze out at you with an ice-cold stare. Vicious-looking clawed gauntlets shine dark blue. Skulls look at you from its armour, and some still have eyeballs in them..."

Ajeng
The dungeon of Ajeng attracts adventurers -- but few compared to before. A small selection of shops started as demand for equipment grew; now the shops only sell occasional ware, but at high enough price to make a living. Over time, more and more close as they are blighted by the shadow. An old mage also lives in the settlement for research purposes, but good luck finding him.

For years, Ajeng has been relatively peaceful, and was a popular place to visit by adventurers. But, as of late, a shadow has fallen over the land. Creatures come up from the dungeons and attack the shopkeepers, stealing things, and acting as scouts for some greater purpose. You have come to try your own luck.

Pav the Archer
"His bow glimmers blue in his hands; beware his touch."
Pav Lucistnik was a great archer with wide renown, some few hundred years ago. He shot an arrow into the heart of Emmevias, the Dragon Princess, and as a result was chased for many years by agents of the Shadow. He was eventually killed in the desert to the south of Azur.

There have been many sightings of him since, and most of these have reported him having the blackened eyes of those taken by Shadow. Alas, it seems his body has been reanimated by the Shadow for its own purposes.

Emmevias, Dragon Princess
Beware!
Brought up by dragons, this woman possesses a hate even greater than the Shadow's for humans. The Shadow granted her dragonlike powers and the ability to rule dragons; hence, she is called the Dragon Princess. She has only ever been seen wearing simple white clothes, and she has been noted to have black hair -- this may help an adventurer recognise her.

The Awakener
I am unable, at the time of writing, to ascertain whether the Awakener is a myth or not. It is said to be a gigantic figure, armoured from head to feet in bone, and carrying a cruel sword with a split tip. Its visage is terrifying to all who behold it, and it is said to be the body of an ancient wizard who helped create the Shadow. I met a traveller, though seemingly insane, make perfect sense when talking of the Awakener, telling me stories of how it tore his village apart.