Creatures of the Moonvale - The Vallestalf

In the Moonvale, few creatures inspire more terror than the Vallestalf. This spectral predator drifts through the deepest reaches of the vale, its translucent body barely visible against the silvered shadows of the white forest.

The Vallestalf’s anatomy defies natural law. Its impossibly long, gangly limbs stretch and contort as it moves, joints bending at angles that would shatter mortal bone. Where a head should crown its shoulders, there exists what seems to be a container for an ethereal haze - a swirling void of half-formed mist that seems to peer into the very soul of those unfortunate enough to cross its path. This apparition moves with an eerie grace, floating,  its tendrils occasionally touching the pale ground.

The creature glides silently through the vale’s most remote corners, seeking the Vale Deer that graze among the ghostly trees. When it strikes, the Vallestalf performs a terrible feeding ritual, drawing the very essence of life from its prey. The deer simply… fade, their bodies withering as their vital force is consumed, leaving behind only empty husks that crumble to dust in the twilight breeze. Fed on stolen life, the Vallestalf continues its aimless wandering, sustained by the energy of the living.

Detection by a Vallestalf marks the beginning of a deadly encounter. The creature’s reaction to discovering prey is unnaturally mechanical - it turns with sharp, jerky movements, its circular haze of a head swiveling to focus on the intruder. At this moment, time becomes precious. The Vallestalf begins its approach with a sound that chills the blood: a low, resonant wail that seems to emanate from the very air around it, a bass note that vibrates through bone and makes the white leaves tremble overhead.

For most travelers, meeting a Vallestalf means certain death. The creature’s spectral nature makes conventional weapons useless, and its life-draining touch can kill with a single contact. Only the Veylins Seekers come prepared for such encounters. Their specialized equipment from the renowned Seeker’s Satchel shop offers some protection: blessed silver chains that can bind spectral forms, crystal lanterns that burn with protective light, and talismans carved from the heartwood of the white trees themselves.

The Seekers also possess their esoteric arts - that Some carry bottled fire, while others weave protective wards from spoken words that seem to make the very air shimmer. These preparations are not merely recommended when traveling the deep Moonvale - they are essential for survival.

Indeed, only the Ihrnbri know how to effectively manage these monsters.

In the white forests of the Moonvale, the Vallestalf stands as a reminder that some mysteries are better left undisturbed. The creature continues its eternal drift through the vale, a specter of hunger and death in a land where twilight never ends, waiting for the next unfortunate soul to cross its path in the depths of the white-leaved wilderness.