Boreans, also known as Black Wings are eyeless humanoid Dren with features resembling those of bats. An abominable creation of Úr (fear magic), these monster descend from above when the moon wanes and carry away their victims for terrifying flights though the darkened night.
The Boreans make their nests in obscure caverns and on high inaccessible peaks. Their flocks have been know to travel vast distances in short spans of time. This has lead many to believe that the Boreans are born from the north wind upon which they often fly. Other legends say that that they come from a distant northern land, the bowels of hell or, according to Faranese legend, the moon.
The Borean’s abductions target isolated wanderers in the dead of night and last until sunrise. It appears the purpose of these abductions is to invoke fear in their victim and ultimately to break their sanity. During their flight they will often drop their victims from great heights before catching them just before they hit the ground. Some have reported being carried to strange unearthly lands or through hell itself, but given the hallucinations associated with Úr magic this claim is somewhat dubious.
After their flight ends the victim is abandoned, sometimes they’re left exactly where they were picked up, sometimes they’re left stranded in the depths of the wilderness. When they are found the victims are covered in bites and claw marks and are often little more than a quivering, paranoid mess.
That is, the ones who are found.
Hunting such creatures is difficult given their illusive nature and the challenges involved in tracking them. However their fragile bodies are vulnerable to a strong blow from anyone with enough nerve to approach them. The Dren-Hunters of the Forgaunt Mountains rely on ambushing the creatures with hails of arrows while the hunters of Kastan’s legion reportedly made use of a more unusual method of chaining themselves to the ground to avoid being abducted.
The origin of the Boreans is still debated by naturalists; many dismiss legend and hearsay and believe them to corrupted bats, others however point to their strange physiology and speculate that they may be indeed have a more human origin. Perhaps the Borean’s abductions serve a greater purpose then mere torment.
After all, some victims are never found.