Long-debated has the existence of the human soul been, for when we die, it is unclear of what happens to us in the hereafter. Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? Do we go on to a better place, or are we left exactly as we are, rotting corpses in the dirt? Demons are known to exist, as are ghosts – but what happens to those who don’t elect to stay and linger in our world, a mere fragment of who they once were?

The Shades are what happens. Once referred to as Charons after the ferryman guiding spirits through the river Styx, these entities are an unusual mixture of alive and dead. They are incorporeal beings that are completely invisible to humans in perfect health; only the dead and dying can see them (along with supernatural beings). They are impossible to kill, for they are the ferrymen of the dead – they guide spirits along to what lies beyond, and no, they won’t tell you what that is. It’s simply something you’ll have to see for yourself. Their existence has been known for centuries, inspiring the legends of the Grim Reaper, and it is said that they serve death itself. Where death walks, so too do they – and their purpose on this earth is to make sure that ghosts remain minimal at best.

All Shades are incorporeal. What that means is that you can never touch them – and they can never touch you. They are capable of moving objects using an advanced form of telekinesis (so to the untrained eye, it might look as though they’re literally picking up a cup when they are not) to move objects and they can eat and drink – though it tends to look like food and drinks just up and vanish when they’re around. Their principle weakness is iron, though they also can be trapped temporarily using salt and basic spellwork. There are no permanent wards against them and they can’t actually force someone to die. They simply know when it will happen.

So where does a Shade come from? The only thing known about them is this: They all started out human. And somewhere along the way, they didn’t quite die properly. Something – somewhere – pulled them back for a greater purpose… for a longer existence. Will they exist forever? Who can say? What has brought such a large cluster of them to one city? No one knows for sure. But one thing is certain: they’re here now – and they’re here to stay.

All shades in a city are designated with one specific assignment for their cases. Depending on the size of a city, there can be anywhere from one to fifty Shades operating in and around the area – but St. Louis is broken up among seven. Each Shade is in charge of a unique ‘classification’ of deaths, as listed below.

Ninja Spook – Among their more specialized skills, Shades are capable of teleportation - from location to location! Really, it’s the only way to fly. Given that they are responsible for the sorts of things they are, this little trick of theirs is not only absolutely awesome as all get-out, but a necessity, as well. Why, can you imagine what the backlog getting into the Great Beyond would be, if your friendly, neighborhood reapers couldn’t get your spirit to where it needed to be? And you thought rush hour traffic was bad! All else aside, it’s important to note that humans can’t see them, while supernaturals stand a better chance at that. Think of them as ghosts on steroids, who are also particularly strong with telekinesis, being able to move things without physically having to touch them. Poltergeist, anyone?


Death is a Feeling – While unable to cause death themselves, they can always sense when a person is about to die and are keenly aware of when a person is well on their way toward death’s final embrace. The terminally ill might as well glow, for as steady as they blip-bloop on a Shade’s radar. It’s not all that surprising then, that these Living Challenged beings are also keen to pick up on the scent of death, as it clings to others. Are you a bounty hunter? An executioner? A serial killer? Death leaves an unmistakable mark and if you’ve been involved in the killing of another, these are the ones who will know about it. Similarly, they can pick up on those who have power over the dead with little trouble, some being capable of classing just how strong an animator or necromancer might be. And while vampires tend to ‘read’ a little different to them, a Shade can still pick apart vampires, their lines and their level of strength without issue. Death is, after all, their business.


Charon’s Way – The ferryman makes his rounds, beckoning his charges near. A skeletal hand gives the restless souls on the river’s bank a moment’s pause. They must wait for him to return, for you see, the boat fills so quickly these days... When a person dies, their soul, their spirit, needs to move on. They cannot stay in our world. There are too many who would do a wandering spirit harm, too many who would use them for infinitely dark purposes. No, no. A spirit must have a guide and the Shades are just what the doctor ordered. This is their intrinsic (and perhaps most intense) power; the ability to chaperone a spirit off to the light, so to speak. This affords them a total dominion over spirits and ghosts as well, allowing them to boot their unearthly posteriors into gear when they either wander off where they oughtn’t, or start acting up on the humanlies. This is their calling. Their purpose. Some devote themselves to it utterly. Others are less enthusiastic. But. They all feel that inner warmth, the intoxicating rush of rightness when a spirit ‘crosses over’. For many, that fleeting sensation alone is well worth the occasional tedium of the system.