Quori, Fa'orrah
"The Shadowknight" © Aaron Nakahara, accessed at his deviantArt here
[Sponsored by Jay on the Patreon. This is my first original quori, after having converted a few from 3e Eberron, and this was a fun design space to play in. I do think it's interesting that I've done two sponsored posts in a row for monsters that weaponize despair; can't imagine why that theme is on people's minds of late.
If you'd like to join Jay in sponsoring monsters, see bonus monsters and writing, or just help out an unemployed trans writer, check out the Creature Codex Patreon here]
Quori, Fa’orrah CR 13 LE Outsider (extraplanar) From the waist up, this creature resembles a hooded humanoid figure, except that the hood is its head and it has no face beneath it. From the waist down, eight tentacles of differing lengths grow, dangling beneath it as it floats effortlessly. Its arms end not in hand but in fantastical armaments; a lance that stretches and contracts in one arm and a strange asymmetrical shield in the other. The sound of sobbing surrounds it.
The fa’orrah are sometimes referred to as the “knights of grief”. They are powerful soldiers of the quori, and are often found leading armies of lesser quori and Inspired on behalf of a kalaraq noble. They embody the emotions of sorrow and despair, using these as weapons to pacify populations and crush resistance. A fa’orrah uses its nightmares to target military and civilian leaders, weakening their resolve to fight by showing them visions of their inevitable defeat. Fa’orrah are scholars of history, and use their knowledge of failed rebellions, subjugated slaves and the value of autocrats to turn minds away from the concept of a better future.
Fa’orrah fly magically, using their tentacles to manipulate objects if they need to. Their arms are instead grown into a lance and shield, both of which are especially effective against the demoralized and sorrowful. In combat, a fa’orrah is surrounded by an aura of sobs drawn from the saddest dreams mortals have dreamed, which can shatter the resolve of their enemies and partially blind them with tears. Fa’orrah have powerful psychic abilities that inflict despair, grief and remorse, and use these to debilitate those not affected by their auras and generally spread misery. Against those who are immune to their psychic assaults, fa’orrah can conjure nightmarish weapons of force to wear them down, before finishing them off with their own natural weapons. Fa’orrah understand the value of a tactical retreat, but will sacrifice themselves if so doing will advance the agenda of their kalaraq.