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“She was all by herself. It was late. She was just standing there in the streetlight, holding her little doll. She looked so lonely, with her shadow stretching out long, long behind her into the darkness. You wouldn’t have thought—But I’m not crazy. I know what I saw. I saw the shadow move, I saw it… And her sweet little face never changed, not the whole time the fellow was screaming. Not even after he stopped…”
No one knows how long the Little Ones have been here, no one knows where they originated, but some say they have stalked in many cultures for centuries, if not longer, only those who have encountered them, even if they survive, are seldom believed. Nor has anyone been able to determine whether these girls were once innocent, ordinary girls born to human mothers and later possessed, or whether they are one with the darkness they host, since most encounters with them prove deadly.
The monster appears as a little girl somewhere between ages four and seven, usually pretty and doe-eyed and always cradling a dolly, but with an abnormally long shadow that does not match her appearance or movements. Her innocent and helpless look lures people toward her, and she may even cry out wordlessly in order to draw someone near. Once the victim is within the shadow’s reach (approximately four yards), it attacks, binding the victim with shadow tendrils, dealing crushing and/or strangling damage, and reducing POW. If the victim fails to break free, he will be consumed entirely.
The shadow behind the ‘girl’ can exist in any condition of light, even if the light is diffused or dimmed (and the unusual appearance of a shadow where none should be may be noticeable to a clever observer), but is strongest when the girl stands in a single, powerful light source. The shadow is always anchored to the girl’s feet. The shadow is harmless, however, in complete darkness, and cannot reach beyond the bounds of the light.
LITTLE ONE, waif on the street
Child-form Shadow-form
STR 2 14
CON 4 8
DEX 5 14
SIZ 2 18
INT 12 12
POW 14 14
APP 14 3
HP 3 14
Damage Bonus: -D4 +D6
Armor: none Cannot be harmed by material weapon, even if enchanted
Weapons: none Shadow Tendril (up to 4) 60%; D6 strangling/crushing per round
AND D6 POW drain per round; When POW/CON=0’ victim is
consumed, leaving a shadow discernible for perhaps a few days
Spells: Cloud Memory, Gate, Mental Suggestion (Come Hither)
Skills: Dodge 20% Dodge 60%
Languages: no language no language
Sanity Loss: none D4/D6 to see the shadow move independently
It is possible that the always-present doll actually controls the child form. It may also function as one nexus of the Gate spell, similar to a Gate Box, allowing the Little One to effectively vanish.
