Maybe a Shadow was a tough encounter for a level 1 character, sorry for that. Have run this encounter before and it went better, but the thing rolled pretty well.
Your magic strikes the creature with the force of a cannon. A deafening crack of thunder shakes the small room. The blast tears right through the center of the smoky form. The blue vapor scatters wildly, and the creature lets out a high, piercing screech of pain.
For a second, it looks like the blast destroyed it. But the smoke swirls back together with unnatural speed. The creature reforms. It looks ragged now, its form unstable and flickering, but its hate is focused entirely on you.
It finishes its lunge. You try to step back, but you are not fast enough. The shadowy talons swipe across your chest.
The hit connects. It does not feel like a cut or a bruise. It feels like plunging into a frozen lake. A terrible cold spreads instantly through your veins. It sucks the warmth and energy right out of your body. Your muscles turn to water. You feel your physical strength vanish, leaving you too weak to even stand.
The world tilts sideways. The silence of the room is replaced by the roaring of blood in your ears. Then, everything goes black.
I smiled at Isolde. She was right. They had raised me and they knew how to carry themselves better than anyone.
I looked toward the stage where the music came from. The bard had heard me when Pacer did not. She pointed me to the largest house.
"Thank you," I said to the bard. "And thank you for the music."
I turned back to my family at the table. I felt a weight in my chest when I looked at them. They were ready to work immediately. They were trying to be strong for me.
"I know I worry," I admitted softly. "But please listen to me. You do not need to find work today. Or even tomorrow."
I leaned in a little closer to them.
"We just lost our home. We ran through the night. Take a few days to just breathe. Rest. Walk around the town. We have enough gold for now. Let yourselves grieve before you start serving others again."
I looked at Meli next. I kept my voice gentle.
"Meli," I said quietly. "I am going to find Chief Garou now. To talk about the forest and the Windpikes."
I waited a moment.
"You can come with me if you want. But if you want to stay here with Elena, Garrick and Isolde, that is okay too. It is safe here. You choose."
I'd say only those listed. You can re-flavor a power present in the rule-set, but since this is my first time DMing for this system, I'd rather everyone to go with the book.
I'm drinking wine and had both The Rise from the Ashes and Where Wishes Fall open and posted WWF reply here :D SOrry for that. Perception 10 roleplayerguild.com/rolls/29709
The creature does not answer your questions. It does not seem to care about the Vultures or your demands.
Instead, it tilts its masked head to the side. A sound bubbles up from the thick blue vapor. It is a giggle. It sounds high and scratchy, echoing loudly in the unnatural silence of the room.
The pale blue color of its body suddenly darkens. It turns into a deep, bruised indigo color. The creature lunges forward. It raises its smoky, taloned claws high. It is coming to hurt you.
You are ready. The magic in your veins reacts to the threat instantly.