Shade

From Deez Nuts' Sword Coast Campaign
Revision as of 14:51, 18 June 2026 by Wvaske (talk | contribs) (Pass 2 (S43 texture): Zhentarim Viper promotion (Rank 3, iron viper amulet + poisoning manual), Compact Ranks 1 & 2 (Whispers of Iron / Iron Rebuke) from the infernal dream, poisoner's kit ("anthrax"), and the cold Bronze Blades refusal moment)
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For a beginner-friendly player guide, see Shade/Player Guide.\n\n

Shade

Tiefling Bard

Personality

A charismatic bard whose family connections to Thundertree run deeper than expected.

Faction Membership

  • Zhentarim – Inducted in Session 06 with codename "Fang"; promoted to Viper (Rank 3) in Session 43, receiving an iron viper amulet and the Zhentarim Guide to Poisoning Friends and Foes. As of S43 she is the highest-ranked faction member in the party (standing 21 with the Zhentarim).
  • The Compact – an infernal pact with Lady Calera; began advancing its "Compact" feat ranks in Session 43.

Character Arc

  • Daughter of Reidoth the Druid (revealed in Session 08)
  • Offered to immortalize Venomfang the green dragon in song
  • Previously had an encounter with a doppelganger named Verhys
  • Fireproof (revealed in Session 04)
  • Can commune with the dead, travels with ghostly companion Cooter (revealed in Session 04)
  • Compact Ranks 1 & 2 (gained S43): Whispers of Iron (advantage on Intimidation/Deception once per long rest) and Iron Rebuke (a reaction conjuring jagged iron shards — 2d10 piercing + 2d10 fire on a failed save). These powers manifested after a prophetic infernal dream of a furnace, the smell of iron and blood, and a quill scratching a binding contract.
  • Gained poisoner's-kit proficiency and signature poisons (a weapon-coating toxin and a thrown silencing powder) with the Viper promotion — which she jokingly calls "anthrax."

Notable Moments

During Session 42 - Bagpipes, Blood, and the Bronze Blades, Shade accepted the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament from Lady Calera at the Waterdeep gala — an infernal instrument safe in her tiefling hands where it would damn a non-infernal wielder. Her first performance on them was the "Toot of the Fallen," an old tiefling heritage ballad (in her own parlance, tiefling songs are "toots"). The session also established Shade as a prolific writer of dragon-worship music: her hit "Ah Dang, Venomfang" is beloved among Cult of the Dragon cultists, and she performed it for the dying Lord Valtheran to coax the location of the Draakhorn out of him in his final moments.

In Session 43 - The Council of Waterdeep, Shade implanted the Eye of Gilbraxis in her own eye socket (see that page) and showed a cold, self-interested streak — refusing to lift a finger to help the Bronze Blades even as they were being overwhelmed in Garmok's Mine, standing in the doorway with "Except not us, buddy."

During Session 46 - Diggy Diggy Hole, Shade experienced profound mycelial-induced visions when exposed to Myconid rapport spores in Garmok's Mine. These hallucinogenic experiences revealed disturbing spectral imagery that may hold significance for future events.

Shade's mycelial vision - a spectral winged creature encountered during the rapport spore experience

Appearances

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