Grimoire of the Eclipse

Description

A dark, leather-bound tome that contains the forbidden rituals and spells Kharvex used in his experiments. The pages are filled with eldritch symbols and diagrams related to the Shadow Dragon and other entities from the Shadowfell.

Effect

The grimoire contains several spells, including shadow blade, summon shadowspawn, and contact other plane.

However, the book is cursed—anyone who attempts to learn its secrets must make a Charisma saving throw (DC 16) or suffer from disturbing nightmares and a gradual loss of sanity.

Manus

• Enigmatic CR 17 shapechanger and trickster warrior loosely allied with the Cult of the Eclipse
• Serves the Weaver as a lieutenant but openly mocks his ideology and appears motivated by testing himself against worthy opponents rather than freeing Nidhogg
• Possesses Advanced Shapechanger abilities — can perfectly mimic other humanoids, as demonstrated when he disguised himself as Trius at the Summer Court leyline temple
• Master of shadow and elemental combat — conjures elemental blades of cold, fire, lightning, or poison and creates up to four shadow copies of himself
• Stole the Summer Court’s leyline crystal and planted the Bodak in the Spring Temple; still at large
• The campaign’s wildcard — his allegiances remain uncertain heading into the final confrontation

Personality & Motivation

• Driven entirely by a desire for meaningful combat — not money, power, or ideology
• Finds the Weaver’s mission tedious but participates because it generates interesting conflicts
• Made a verbal agreement that the Weaver would duel him after Nidhogg’s release — but has grown skeptical the Weaver will honor it
• Increasingly views the party as more worthy opponents than anyone in the Cult of the Eclipse
• Theatrical and playful in combat — taunts opponents, proposes games, and retreats when bored rather than fighting to the death

The Summer Temple Encounter

• Appeared outside the Summer Court leyline temple disguised as Trius (the Winter Court paladin)
• When confronted, dropped the disguise with a grin and proposed a game: if the party could land one blow on him, he’d return the stolen rune crystal
• Proved nearly impossible to hit — dodged effortlessly and teleported around the party
• Slumpet won the game by throwing a handful of ball bearings at his feet, technically “landing a blow”
• True to his word, Manus handed over the crystal and vanished with mocking praise for their ingenuity
• The returned crystal was later discovered to be tainted and could not be restored without knowledge from the Chained Library
• “Drawing broken swords now, bird? I do hope you brought sharper company.”

The Mountain Peak Confrontation

• Intercepted the party at Evenode Peak (Tael’anore) in the Feywild, where Elara Sunforge’s device was set to capture the “First Kiss of the Midday Sun” for reforging Summer’s Edge
• Snapped his fingers and created magical darkness covering the entire peak, denying the party the sunlight they needed
• Created two shadow copies and fought the party in the dark, where only Skreek (with blindsight) could perceive him
• Shad dispelled the darkness, and Manus showed genuine respect before retreating into the shadows
• “Oops. Looks like your precious kiss of the sun just got lost in the dark. Good luck finding it now.”
• “Well, well, well. Color me impressed. Didn’t think you had that in you. Guess I’ll have to step up my game next time.”

The Bodak Note

• Planted a Bodak in the Spring Leyline Temple’s crystal chamber using Oil of Etherealness, causing major corruption to the temple and surrounding forest
• Left a letter in the Bodak’s robes addressed to the party — effectively betraying the Weaver’s plans:
  • Revealed the Weaver accelerated the final ritual from the winter solstice to the next new moon (~12 days away)
  • Disclosed the ritual location: the ancient battlefield where Nidhogg was sealed
  • Expressed growing interest in fighting the party over honoring his deal with the Weaver
  • Invited them to “crash the party” at the ritual
• “The Weaver is practically pulling his hair out over your little stunt with that Hollow Threshold. Watching him scramble has been the most entertainment I’ve had in decades.”
• “I do hope you’ll crash their little party. The Weaver plans to execute his grand ritual at the ancient battlefield where Nidhogg was sealed away ages ago.”
• “I’m starting to think you might give me a better fight. You certainly fight with more style than his shadow-drunk cultists.”

Cult Operations

• Stole one of eight rune crystals from the Summer Court leyline temple, destroying two guardian constructs in the process (using fire and ice magic)
• Planted a Bodak accompanied by wraiths and shadows in the Spring Temple’s crystal chamber
• Both operations occurred while the party was in the Feywild, where time flowed differently — allowing weeks to pass on the Material Plane
• His actions technically serve the Cult of the Eclipse’s goals of weakening the leyline barrier, but his letter to the party suggests he may be deliberately undermining the Weaver for entertainment

Relationship with the Weaver

• Operates as the Weaver’s most powerful agent but shows no genuine loyalty
• Openly mocks the Weaver and dismisses his ideology as tedious
• Views the Weaver primarily as someone who promised him a duel — a promise he doubts will be kept
• The Weaver lists Manus’s disloyalty as a known vulnerability in his own plans
• By revealing the ritual’s location and timeline, Manus effectively acts as an unwitting (or deliberate) double agent

Relationship with the Party

• Shows a pattern of escalating respect across encounters
• First encounter: tested them with a game; rewarded their cleverness
• Second encounter: tried to deny their mission; acknowledged their strength when they overcame it
• Third contact (the note): actively encouraged them to disrupt the Weaver’s plans
• Addresses Shad directly with taunts about his “broken sword” and feathered appearance
• Views the party as increasingly “interesting” — the highest compliment in his personal philosophy

Potential Allegiance Shift

• Multiple signs suggest Manus may switch sides during the final ritual:
  • His note explicitly invites the party to interfere
  • He has expressed more interest in fighting the party than defending the Weaver
  • If Nidhogg’s emergence threatens reality itself, Manus may refuse to participate
  • His self-preservation instinct is strong — he retreats rather than dies in every encounter
• If the Weaver falls or the ritual spirals out of control, Manus may abandon the cult entirely
• Alternatively, he may simply watch from the shadows, intervening only if the fight becomes “interesting” enough

Stat Block

See Manus - Original StatBlock for full combat statistics and Manus - Chaos Duelist for the updated final battle version.

Source: Hidden Nerdy Side > The Murder-Hungry Battle Mage

Manus

Armor Class 21 (natural armor) Hit Points 350 Speed 50 ft. Challenge 17 (18,000 XP)

• Saving Throws Dex +14, Con +11, Wis +10, Cha +14
• Skills Acrobatics +14, Deception +14, Insight +10, Intimidation +14, Perception +10, Performance +14, Persuasion +14
• Condition Immunities frightened, grappled, restrained
• Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 20
• Languages Common and two other languages of his choice

Advanced Shapechanger. As a bonus action, Manus can change his appearance and voice. He determines the specifics of the changes, including his coloration, hair length, and sex. He can also adjust his height and weight, but not so much that his size changes. He can make himself appear as a member of another race, though none of his game statistics change. He can’t duplicate the appearance of a creature he’s never seen and he must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs that he has. His clothing and equipment aren’t changed by this trait.

Medium monstrosity (shapechanger), neutral

• Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18)
• Speed 15 ft.

• Skills Stealth +5
• Damage Immunities Acid
• Condition Immunities Prone
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
• Languages –
• Challenge 2 (450 XP)
• Proficiency Bonus +2

Shapechanger. The mimic can use its action to polymorph into an object or back into its true, amorphous form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Tiny Fey, Neutral Good

Armor Class 15Hit Points 1 (1d4 - 1)Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft.

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +7Senses Passive Perception 14Languages SylvanChallenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Magic Resistance. The pixie has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Innate Spellcasting. The pixie’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring only its pixie dust as a component: