[MW Batch 2] Mirage Fiend - CR 9-14 Large Fiend

Cold, Desert, Fiend, Legendary

If you play its game and lose, you lose. If you play its game and win, you lose. If you refuse to play its game, you lose. The only way to win against a mirage fiend is to never encounter one to begin with.

— Zohra, Cactari Sage

Given the choice between dying of thirst in the heat of the desert or accepting aid from a mysterious stranger, most would opt for the latter. Those who heard children’s tales about mirage fiends, however, aren’t quite as hasty to decide. Born as jinn in the enigmatic Imaginal Plane, these beings have, whether by temptation or misfortune, succumbed to the insidious influence of the Hells. Though traces of their original nature remain, mirage fiends are much closer to machiavellian devils, gliding across the dunes in search of new souls to corrupt.

Do You Want to Play a Game? Mirage fiends prey upon the lost and desperate, seeking out travellers whose throats are parched and lips are cracked. A sudden drop in temperature heralds the arrival of one of these false philanthropists, moments before it materialises with an entire oasis in tow and honeyed offers of sustenance and shelter. In return, it asks only that the would-be beneficiary indulge it in a game of chance, with escalating stakes. The wily jinn allows its opponent to win the first few rounds for a sip of water or some shade, lulling them into a false sense of security and clouding their judgement with promises of grander prizes. Then, it starts cheating; shamelessly and relentlessly.

Lose-Lose. Those foolish enough to gamble with a mirage fiend at higher stakes soon find the price of defeat far worse than thirst or exhaustion. With a gesture from the jinn, their souls are ripped from their bodies and deposited at the bottom of the Fiend’s oasis, where they’re rendered down into an amorphous, semi-sentient ooze. The result is bottled and awarded to the lucky few who manage to beat the jinn at its game, as the “powerful magic item” that was so generously promised. To anyone with an ounce of scruples, this prize is a curse that taints their soul with each use. As for those unburdened by morality, the jinn revels in the nefarious purposes for which they might use his gift. Either way, the mirage fiend is left content… and the world a little darker for its meddling.

Snubbed Stalker. In a display of faux-graciousness, the devilish jinn solemnly vows not to attack those who decline to play its games. And it keeps its promise… technically. Stung by rejection and seething with petty fury, the mirage fiend obsessively stalks its victim across the desert. It strictly avoids anything that would cause physical harm, but still finds ways to torment the poor soul with convincing mirages of lush oases or disorienting illusions of sandstorms. This torture stops only when the broken traveller offers their soul in exchange for mercy… or when the shifting sands claim another desiccated corpse.

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• Enjoy the gorgeous rendered art for it HERE;

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