Nobles of the Waning Court - The beauty of ripe fruit blended with the breach within autumn’s long shadows, every noble of the waning court is a vision to behold. Black, pupilless eyes dominate their fine-boned faces while sharp teeth lurk behind plush lips. The faeries’ ears are pointed like an elf’s, but slightly shorter. This is due to the antelope-like horns spiraling from their temples, the base of which are riddled with red-stained honeycombs. Waning court nobles wear their hair long, often braided with bones and sticks, and is a color of fall leaves. Their skin tone can best be described as bloodless. Commonly, these fey wear leathers cured of eldritch animals, cloaks made from a nightmare or displacer beast pelts, black iron plates, and amber adornments with petrified insects within. Most find their mien more savage than aristocratic. Stray direflies are their constant companions, always buzzing cryptic prophecies as they crawl about.

The fey wraps itself in a blood-stained gown or robe, the tears of which are mended with stolen hair and bone shards. A servant of both fate and the court the waning athame is feared and respected in equal measure. To signify this split devotion the fortuneteller sawed off one of its horns and fashioned it into a sacrificial dagger. The horn blade is utilized in haruspicy and combat alike. A train of zombified humans, small animals and vermin shuffle in its wake. While the athame speaks in hushed tones the other waning nobles hang on its every word.

Waning Athame

Medium Fey, lawful evil

Armor Class 14 (17 with mage armor)

Hit Points 127 (17d8 + 48)

Speed 30ft

Str 10 Dex 18 Con 16 Int 20 Wis 16 Cha 18

Saving Throws Con +7, Wis +7

Damage Resistances lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons

Senses darkvision 160ft, passive Perception 13.

Languages common, sylvan.

Challenge 10 ( 5900 XP)

Magic Resistance:

The fey has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Soothslayer:

Whenever the waning athame reduces a creature to 0 hit points via a spell or weapon attack the fey regains a spell slot equal to half the creature’s level or challenge rating.

Spellcasting:

The waning athame is a 10th level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). The fey has the following spells prepared.

Cantrips (at will): blade ward, friends, shocking grasp, true strike

1st level (4 slots): detect magic, mage armor, magic missile

2nd level (3 slots): detect thoughts, locate object, scorching ray

3rd level (3 slots): clairvoyance, lighting bolt, vampiric touch

4th level (3 slots): arcane eye, phantasmal killer, stone skin

5th level (2 slots): scrying, teleportation circle

Actions

Multiattack:

The waning athame can make two horn dagger attacks as one action.

Horn dagger:

Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4+3) piercing damage. A creature’s maximum hit point total is reduced by the damage taken. If this brings the creature to 0 hit points the creature dies and rises at the start of the waning athame’s next turn as a zombie under the fey’s control. The creature’s hit point maximum resets after the creature completes a long rest.

Befoul Corpse (Recharge 6):

The waning athame guts a zombie it controls with the fey’s horned dagger and expends a 4th level or higher spell slot. The zombie transforms into an anathema at full hit points under the waning athame’s control.

Reactions

Fickle Fate:

When the waning athame casts a spell against a creature it can see within 60ft it can use its reaction to give that creature disadvantage on the save against that spell. Until the start of the waning athame’s next turn attacks against it gain advantage.