One of the additions to the Dungeons & Dragons game during the 3E era was the prestige class of the Shadowdancer. They were pretty popular, and it was the goal of one of my players to become one. That led to some pretty amusing and entertaining game play. And, though the prestige class no longer exists, Monks who follow the Way of the Shadow can be considered the equivalent of Shadowdancers. Indeed, it even says that in the 5E Player’s Handbook!
As a result of that 3e-era campaign, I created some lore for the order, which I’ll recount below. This lore doesn’t – to my knowledge – have any connection to existing conceptions of the shadowdancers and is specific to my Greyhawk campaign, but I hope you might find some part of it of use in your own games. It’s certainly becoming more important in my current Greyhawk campaign!
On the Secretive and Solemn Order of Shadow Dancers
Shadow Dancers serve Xan Yae, goddess of Twilight, Shadows, Stealth and Mental Power. The founding master of their order is Zuoken, who ascended to demi-godhood through his service to the goddess.
The order is based in the Demiplane of Shadow (okay – it’s the Shadowfell for those liking the more recent version of the plane) where they maintain a secret stronghold. The stronghold was once located in the side of the Mountain of Endless Regret. Its entrance was hidden, visible to only servants of the goddess. However, a foolish mortal seeking the stronghold betrayed its location to the order’s enemies, and it was laid waste with most of the order killed. The survivors fled and established a new stronghold, but its location has not yet been revealed.
Most members of the order are of Baklunish ancestry, from the western lands of the Flanaess, who were brought up with tales of their Goddess protecting them. However, over the years, worthy petitioners from other tribes of men and various demi-humans (most often elves and half-elves) have joined the order. Since the fall of the stronghold, some of those who escaped set up new chapters of the order in the Vesve forest and in the City of Greyhawk, though they do not make themselves known to all.
The order’s primary mission is to carry out the wishes of Xan Yae, which typically require them to work in the service of the good of the Baklunish nations and people. Whilst this sees them most often employed as spies or assassins in the nations bordering Ket – with occasional incursions into the domain of Iuz – Shadow Dancers have been sent all over the Flanaess in response to the Goddess’s wishes. It is likely hidden agents exist in the courts of Furyondy, Iuz, Veluna, Highfolk and Greyhawk. The agents are patient and won’t act without orders or without pressing necessity stirring them to action.
In the City of Greyhawk, the Church of Xan Yae’s high priest is a human named Yahlos, who is a cleric with some martial arts skills. While Yahlos is not part of the order, he is advised by Sawaha, a Shadow Dancer survivor. Sawaha has not yet reestablished contact with the other members of the order, and so works to protect Yahlos and his followers. She has a few trainees who might at some point be considered worthy of acceptance into the order. (If the Council of Greyhawk has a Shadow Dancer agent, that one is unknown to Sawaha).
As might be expected, there are not many Shadow Dancers at one time. The full count is likely under one hundred, although most of the masters of the order are untouched by the passage of time; only injury can kill them.
The order is Neutral in aspect. That is to say, they are devoted to their goddess and her wishes, and do not involve themselves in affairs of others lightly. If they involve themselves in a conflict, it’s because it impinges on their interests, rather than some idea of “it’s good for the solidarity of man” or some nonsense. They oppose Iuz because he tries to dominate their lands, but this is also the case with their opposition of Veluna, whom most observers would term a “good” nation.
The Order is allied with Rexfelis, the King of Cats, who protected the refugees after the fall of their stronghold – the order owes him many favours, and so shadow dancers may occasionally be found working for the interest of catkind. They are typically neutral and unaligned with respect to the Shadow Fey but have been known to seek alliance when a great threat to the Baklunish people is apparent.
With the recent hostilities brewing between Veluna and Ket, it is likely that the Shadow Dancers will rise to prominence in the near future – especially as it was the murder of the High Priestess of Xan Yae that provoked this clash.