Primordial shadows formed by condensing corrupted mana, these mindless demons are driven only by their desire to consume the same emotions that created them. Although some may exhibit signs of sentience, this is only a reflection of the corruption they have devoured, and the memories contained within.

Basic Information

Demon Class: The Ignorant
Demon Sub-Class: Shadow
Nature: Vampiric
Element: variable
SEELIE Threat Rating: F

The Purpose of the Leansidhe

The leansidhe created by the followers of Alastor had one purpose: the collect mana to be used in Alastor’s manifestation ritual. To gather the required power the shaman created leansidhe of fear (water), sloth (earth), envy (wind) and aggression (fire). Once the leansidhe had devoured enough energy, the shaman and their allies in Cethin Sarff crystallised the shadows into more manageable forms.

Dramatic Irony

Although some of their creations were stopped or destroyed by outsiders, such as Phantasia and Godhand, they eventually gathered the power they required. It may have been somewhat fitting, however, that the very methods of their ritual were turned against them – Lyra used the crystallised form of a leansidhe created to guard the ritual to disrupt the balance of the magic circle and help ensure Alastor’s manifestation was corrupted beyond repair.

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Powers and Abilities

A leansidhe’s power is proportional to the people around it, and especially to the feelings of its targets. Although its initial victims are selected with intent by the shamans, a leansidhe can ‘latch’ on to further victims who express the emotions it feeds upon, like an animal chasing more meaty prey. As a leansidhe consumes more mana, its form grows, reflecting what it has devoured. It can be assumed that a leansidhe left to grow could take on nightmarish forms, but would ultimately remain the same primordial being..

The illusions created by the leansidhe aren’t so much a power of the entities themselves as they are a reflection of what lies in the victim’s heart. A person can overcome these illusions simply by controlling whatever emotions create them, as evidenced when Joel and Kaori overcame their fears regarding their relationship. Even a faerie such as Phantasia isn’t immune to the leansidhe’s greed, either, but their fragile nature makes them vulnerable to the simplest of spells

Design Notes

~ ‘leansidhe’ is both an Irish vampire, and a type of muse. In this instance the name was given to the creature by Veritas, and reflects its nature to feed on emotions. Other characters, such as the shaman and members of SEELIE, would only refer to the leansidhe as a ‘shadow’ or ‘shade’, a more generic term for a primordial entity formed from the corruption of mana.

Gallery

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