Spirits of the Blasted Lands

All the travelers and penitents of the Blasted Lands know to venerate the Spirits, for they are the unseen magisters of all that is. Rulers of the places between spaces, they make the waters flow and chart the paths of sun, moon, and stars throughout the sky.

THIS SPIRIT APPEARS AS

1 a gaunt
2 a shrouded
3 a twisted
4 a withered
5 a transparent
6 a spindly
7 a ragged
8 a gaseous
9 a ghostly
10 a rippling
11 a shimmering
12 an obscured
13 an ominous
14 a droning
15 a jittering
16 an uncanny
17 a terrible
18 a grim
19 a diseased
20 an undead

1 floating humanoid
2 form of fluttering rags
3 amalgam of light
4 cloud of gloom
5 sculpture of driftwood
6 bone carving
7 fractal pattern
8 constellation
9 obscure shape
10 fractal form
11 flickering of unclear limbs
12 old man
13 old woman
14 child
15 silhouette
16 tumorous mass
17 spindly humanoid
18 coil of smoke
19 corpse
20 hole in spacetime

WITH

1 a magnificent set of antlers
2 countless eyes
3 hanging dreamcatchers
4 a hangman noose
5 a constant, eerie grimace
6 hanging bells, ringing (dolefully, balefully, joyously)
7 four arms constantly folded in prayer
8 (number) constantly spinning orbs of (color) fire
9 piercing eyes
10 a symbol, painted in blood, that hurts your eyes
11 a clock face that keeps time
12 electricity sparking throughout
13 runes and symbols skittering across its surface
14 a mysterious mask
15 a collection of hanging locks made of different metals
16 a collection of hanging keys made of different metals
17 a collection of ancient tomes
18 an array of floating candles
19 a cloak of mist
20 tiny, constantly fidgeting hands

THAT IS FEELING

1 disapproving.
2 inquisitive.
3 instructive.
4 gravely insulted.
5 concerned.
6 pensive.
7 watchful.
8 stoic.
9 tranquil.
10 enigmatic.
11 troubled.
12 puzzled.
13 lonely.
14 alert.
15 restful.
16 meditative.
17 mournful.
18 reminiscent.
19 capricious.
20 utterly beyond your comprehension.

IT WAS ONCE TASKED WITH

1 making the rivers flow.
2 weaving light.
3 guiding the moon through the sky.
4 translating messages from the stars.
5 curating the silent spaces between moments.
6 putting meanings to words.
7 remembering everything.
8 making the leaves fall.
9 appearing before those who are about to face grave danger.
10 shepherding the dead into the afterlife.
11 watching over a settlement.
12 watching over an area of wilderness.
13 enforcing ancient law.
14 observing everything.
15 opposing all change.
16 causing chaos.
17 hiding secrets away from prying eyes.
18 misleading people.
19 hastening the heat death of the universe.
20 battling entropy.

YOU WILL KNOW IT DRAWS NEAR WHEN

1 the moon hangs low and appears to writhe with maggots.
2 flowers bloom and turn to face a single direction.
3 birds begin to laugh with human voices.
4 small objects begin to defy gravity.
5 your hair stands on end and the air tastes like metal.
6 your vision distorts and tunnels.
7 you hear far-off static.
8 technology malfunctions.
9 written words squirm and writhe in pain.
10 water runs upward.
11 smoke drifts downward and forms into twisted faces.
12 plants begin to wither and die.
13 the wind smells like brimstone.
14 minor events begin to run in reverse.
15 the sun darkens in the sky.
16 stars scatter across the sky like fireflies.
17 etherial music danges on the air.
18 you experience deja vu.
19 colors fade to gray.
20 your thoughts move in alien ways.

IN ITS PRESENCE, YOU MUST NEVER

1 speak above a whisper
2 eat
3 drink
4 ask questions
5 interrupt anyone
6 harm a living thing
7 speak a name
8 allow there to be a moment of silence
9 display any writing
10 look up at the sky
11 speak in the past tense
12 speak unkindly
13 reference the future
14 show your face
15 waste time
16 allow anything you're holding to hit the ground
17 make use of even the simplest technology
18 allow your shadow to cross another
19 stray from the path
20 disagree

OR ELSE

1 you will be struck dumb.
2 you will age (number) years.
3 you can never speak above a whisper.
4 you will become illiterate.
5 you will be traumatized by the profound meaninglessness of existence.
6 you will be stricken with hallucinations.
7 you will experience crushing despair.
8 you will forget your most precious memories.
9 you will lose all motivation for your current goal.
10 you will lose all sense of direction.
11 small animals will abhor you from now on.
12 all of civilized society will shun you.
13 technology will never work for you.
14 you will only hear lies when people speak to you.
15 you will be consumed by never-ending thirst.
16 you will age twice as fast.
17 all will forget your name, including you.
18 all your plans shall fail.
19 you will draw the ire of unseen, sinister beings.
20 you shall be stricken from all history.