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

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.”

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.”

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.”

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

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

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

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

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