"Don't know where the apparition they call Black Tongue comes from, per say. Rumors speak of a baby buried under the floorboards when it came out all wrong, wearing its caul like a shroud. They thought it dead, the story goes, due to the back tongue hanging from a lipless mount. Weren't dead, though. Weren't living neither.

A year later folks noticed a lack of rats in the fields, save a few dried up remains. They played it off as a blessing, they did, to cover up their dread. Next year it was cats. A few years later after that, it was children. Oh, they'd find pieces of them, drained of life n' withered so dry they were practically crumbling dirt. Terror rippled through the farming community. Those with any mettle gathered and the hunt began.

Course 'round that time that strange infant's mother vanished too. It made sense to the locals that maybe that black-tongued babe was behind the killings. So, with pitchforks and torches they marched to that lonely, old farm.

They found the lipless creature, still wearing its caul, and black tongue long, too long. Seems its mother dug it up, fed it. Somehow the dead thing grew up tall but not right. Not at all. Eventually, it ate her too. A few of the hunters made it out alive, but not unscarred. Folks avoid that plot of land now.

If only Black Tongue would stay put but that thing's still hungry."

-Fossor Carvilius Graeme

Black Tongue

Medium undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 11

Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)

Speed 30ft

Climb 30ft

Str 7 Dex 13 Con 17 Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 10

Skills Survival +7

Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained

Damage Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison

Damage Resistances Acid, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, And Slashing From Nonmagical Weapons

Senses darksight 60ft, passive Perception 11

Languages understands common but cannot speak

Challenge 5 (1800 XP)

Ethereal Sight:

The ghost can see 60 ft. into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.

Incorporeal Movement:

The ghost can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Actions

Black Tongue:

Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom save or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.

Etherealness:

The ghost enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.

Graven Caul (Recharge 6):

All living creatures within 10ft ft of Black Tongue must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution save or be slowed as per the spell Slow for the next minute. Creatures that fail the save by 5 are paralyzed for 1 minute instead. Creatures that fail by 10 or more fall unconscious instead. If the creature is slowed or paralyzed they may repeat the save at the end of each turn, effect ending on success. Unconcious creatures repeat this save whenever they take damage.