Night Haunts

Night Haunts

"Heard my partner screaming in the dark. Found nothing but his gun and a patch of shadow that shouldn't have been there."

What Are They?

Most folks know to be wary when the sun goes down in the Weird West. Smart folks know that some shadows move when they shouldn't, and that darkness itself can hunger.

Night haunts are creatures of corrupted shadow that feed on human souls. They're lone predators that appear only at dusk, following travelers and settlers across the plains like patient wolves stalking a wounded deer. They're in no hurry—they know that eventually, every traveler has to make camp for the night. And when the campfire burns low and exhaustion claims most of the party, that's when the night haunt makes its move.

These abominations don't kill for sport or territory. They kill because they hunger, and only human souls can satisfy that gnawing emptiness inside them. Worse still, anyone killed by a night haunt can never return as Harrowed—the creature devours the soul completely, leaving nothing behind to fight its way back from death.

Appearance

A night haunt looks like something torn from the darkest nightmare you've never quite remembered come morning. It resembles a vaguely humanoid figure made of living shadow, roughly six feet tall but constantly shifting at the edges. Where you'd expect a face, there's only deeper darkness—except for the eyes, which gleam with predatory intelligence and hunger.

The creature's form is covered in what look like thorns or spikes of solidified shadow, each one sharp as broken glass and twice as cruel. These protrusions give the thing a ragged, torn appearance, like a silhouette that's been ripped and twisted into something unnatural. The thorns aren't just for show—they're as deadly as the creature's claws.

Night haunts don't walk so much as glide a few feet above the ground, drifting through the darkness like smoke on the wind. They move without sound, without disturbing the air, without leaving tracks. One moment there's nothing but shadows where shadows should be. The next moment, those shadows have teeth.

In full darkness, they're nearly invisible—just another patch of black in the night. Even by moonlight, they're hard to make out clearly. Your eyes slide off them, refusing to quite focus on their unnatural forms. By the time you realize that shadow isn't where a shadow should be, it's usually already too close.

Hunting Behavior

Night haunts are patient, methodical hunters who understand that fear is as much a weapon as claws. They don't rush into battle—they stalk, they observe, and they plan.

A night haunt typically spots its prey at dusk and begins following at a distance, staying just beyond the edge of visibility. It shadows the travelers for hours, learning their habits, identifying the weakest members of the group, watching for patterns. When the party finally makes camp for the night, the night haunt settles in to wait.

The Waiting Game

The creature bides its time until most of the camp is asleep, watching from the surrounding darkness. If there's a guard on duty—and there usually is—that's when the real game begins.

Night haunts possess an eerie ability to create illusions and mimic sounds. The guard might see strange "patches" of darkness moving at the edge of the firelight. Might hear a baby crying in the distance. Might catch the sound of a woman screaming for help. Could be a voice calling the guard's name from just beyond the rocks. Whatever the night haunt thinks will lure its target away from the fire and the safety of numbers.

The creature's goal is simple: separate the guard from the group without waking anyone else. Get the fool to come investigate alone, preferably far enough from camp that their screams won't wake the others. Once the victim is isolated in the darkness, the night haunt strikes.

The Final Act

When the night haunt finally attacks, it's swift and brutal. The soul-wrenching claws tear into flesh and spirit simultaneously, causing wounds that no doctor can treat and damage that goes deeper than any knife. The victim might get off a single scream—if they're lucky. Most die in shocked silence, unable to process what's happening before the creature finishes feeding.

After the kill, the night haunt feeds on the departing soul, consuming the very essence of its victim. Then it melts back into the darkness, leaving nothing but a corpse and unanswered questions.

Where You'll Find Them

Night haunts are most common in the open territories where travelers must camp under the stars:

• The Great Plains—wide open spaces where campfires are visible for miles
• Frontier trails—any route that sees regular traffic from settlers and traders
• Remote wilderness camps—mining operations, survey teams, isolated homesteads
• The Badlands—desolate regions where travelers are already on edge
• War-torn territories—places where fear and death are already thick in the air

They avoid cities and towns where artificial light drives back the darkness. They're creatures of the wild night, at home in places where the stars are the brightest lights for miles around. If you're crossing the frontier and sleeping rough, assume every shadow might be watching you. You're probably right.

Combat Capabilities

Fighting a night haunt is a nightmare in the most literal sense. These creatures are built for stealth, speed, and psychological warfare.

Frighteningly Fast

With a Pace of 24, night haunts can cross open ground faster than a galloping horse. They glide effortlessly over any terrain—hovering a few feet off the ground means rocks, streams, and underbrush don't slow them down one bit. If you're running from a night haunt, you'd better have somewhere specific to run to, because you're not going to outrun it.

Nearly Invisible

These creatures have a natural sneak score of 8d10, and that's before you account for the fact that they're made of living shadow hunting in darkness. Even alert guards have trouble spotting them. By the time you see the night haunt clearly, it's already in striking range.

Masters of Deception

Night haunts have a bluff score of 6d8, which they use to devastating effect with their illusions and mimicry. That's high enough to fool most guards into thinking they're hearing legitimate cries for help or seeing real movement that needs investigating. The creature plays on your heroic instincts, your protective nature, your curiosity—whatever weakness it thinks will get you away from the light.

Soul-Rending Claws

The night haunt's primary weapons are its claws, which deal Strength +1d6 damage and ignore armor entirely. That's right—your fancy mail shirt or thick leather coat might as well be made of paper. The claws strike at your soul as much as your body, tearing through physical protection like it doesn't exist.

The creature can also bite for Strength +1d4 damage, though it prefers the claws. Either way, those thorny protrusions covering its body mean getting into melee range is a dangerous prospect even if you land the first blow.

Fearless Hunter

Night haunts never make guts checks. They don't know fear, don't feel doubt, and don't retreat unless they're genuinely outmatched. Even then, they simply melt into the darkness and wait for another opportunity. Trying to scare one off is a waste of time—you need to actually hurt it or kill it.

How to Kill Them

Destroying a night haunt requires understanding its weaknesses and having the right tools for the job. Regular guns won't help you here.

Light Is Your Weapon

Night haunts are creatures of shadow, and bright light is anathema to them. They literally cannot exist in intense illumination—it burns them like fire burns flesh.

Torches and lanterns are your best friends when fighting these things. A torch or lantern used as a weapon inflicts 2d6 points of damage to a night haunt, and you don't even add your Strength to the roll—the light itself does the damage. That might not sound like much, but it's a damn sight better than the zero damage your revolver would do.

The trick is getting close enough to use the torch effectively, which means entering melee range with a creature that can tear your soul out. Not exactly an appealing prospect, but it's the most reliable way to fight them.

Other light sources can also help:

• Campfires—Stay close to a well-fed fire. Night haunts won't enter the illuminated area.
• Flares—If you've got access to signal flares, they can drive night haunts back temporarily.
• Phosphorus rounds—Specialized ammunition that creates intense light on impact. Expensive and rare, but effective.
• Mad science—Some inventors have created portable electric lanterns or other light-based weapons. If you know a mad scientist, now's the time to call in that favor.

Magical Attacks

The other option is supernatural firepower. Blessed prayers, huckster hexes, and shamanic powers can all harm night haunts—assuming you've got someone in your posse with those capabilities.

• Blessed—Smite and other holy miracles work normally against night haunts.
• Hucksters—Offensive hexes like soul blast can damage these creatures.
• Shamans—Spirit-based attacks affect night haunts as they would any supernatural entity.
• Magical weapons—Enchanted blades or bullets can harm them, though such items are rare and valuable.

Recognizing the Threat

The key to surviving a night haunt encounter is recognizing you're being hunted before the creature strikes. Watch for these warning signs:

• Unnatural Shadows: Patches of darkness that seem too deep, too solid, or in places where shadows shouldn't be.
• Unexplained Sounds: Distant cries, voices calling from the darkness, sounds designed to lure you away from safety.
• Feeling of Being Watched: That prickling sensation on the back of your neck isn't paranoia—trust your instincts.
• Animals Acting Strange: Horses get nervous, dogs won't settle, birds go silent. Animals can sense these things.
• Cold Spots: Unnatural cold in the air, especially in summer. Night haunts seem to draw warmth from their surroundings.
• Missing Sentries: If your night watch disappears without a sound, assume the worst and wake everyone immediately.

Survivor Accounts

From the diary of Martha Cunningham, settler:

"Third night on the trail to Oregon. James took the midnight watch while the rest of us slept. I woke to silence—no crackling fire, no sound of James moving about. Just... silence. Found him twenty yards from camp, lying in the grass with his lantern still burning beside him. The expression on his face... I've never seen such terror. Doc Peters said it looked like his heart just stopped, but there wasn't a mark on him. Not a single wound. Just that look of absolute horror frozen on his features. We buried James at dawn and pushed on. I don't sleep well anymore. I keep remembering how the shadows seemed wrong that night, how they moved when they shouldn't have. How I almost got up to investigate a crying sound before deciding to wake James first instead. I think about that decision a lot. I think about what might have found me in the dark."

Report from Pinkerton agent Samuel Cross:

"Investigated the deaths of three railroad survey crew members near the Platte River. All three were found dead in their bedrolls during a single night, despite a rotating watch schedule. No signs of struggle, no evidence of robbery, no apparent cause of death. The surviving crew members reported hearing voices in the darkness—calls for help, sounds of a woman in distress—but when they investigated with torches, they found nothing. I've seen this pattern before in Dakota Territory and again outside Cheyenne. Something is hunting travelers on the frontier trails. Something that uses our own instincts against us, that lures us away from firelight with the sounds of people in trouble. I've requisitioned phosphorus ammunition and electric lanterns for field agents working these territories. Standard weapons are ineffective. The men call them 'night haunts,' and I've stopped trying to convince them there's a rational explanation. I'm no longer certain there is one."

Troubleshooter Tips

1. Travel in Groups: Lone travelers are easy prey. There's safety in numbers, and night haunts prefer isolated victims.

2. Keep Fires Burning Bright: Don't let your campfire burn down to embers. Use extra wood and keep it blazing all night long.

3. Arm Yourself with Light: Carry multiple light sources—torch, lantern, matches, anything that can create illumination in a hurry.

4. Trust Your Instincts: If something feels wrong, it probably is. Don't investigate suspicious sounds alone, and don't leave the circle of firelight without good reason.

5. Set Multiple Watches: Never have just one guard on duty. Two sets of eyes are better than one, and someone watching the watcher can spot when they're being lured away.

6. Question Everything: That voice calling for help in the darkness? The crying baby? The familiar face at the edge of the firelight? Verify before you respond. Night haunts are master deceivers.

7. Know Your Companions: Establish signals or passwords before making camp. If someone claims to be your partner calling from the darkness, make them prove it.

8. Sleep Near the Fire: Don't set your bedroll at the edge of camp. Stay close to the light, even if it means less privacy or comfort.

9. Have an Escape Plan: If a night haunt attacks, know where the nearest building, cave, or other enclosed space with good lighting is located. Open darkness is the creature's domain—get out of it.

10. Hire Protection: If you're crossing known night haunt territory, consider hiring a Blessed or huckster to accompany your party. Their abilities might save your life.

"The darkness out there ain't empty. It's hungry. And it knows your name."