Casting Monsters

I tilted my head toward the smooth limestone wall of the inner courtyard, letting the amber fire above my brow flare bright against the stone. Weaklings shiver at lurking shadows in the dark, completely blind to the leverage of becoming the monster themselves. Raising one hand into the glow, I twisted my fingers and angled the curved crook of my staff. With a deliberate shift of my stance, I stretched a towering, jagged silhouette across the masonry. When a skittish nightjar perched on the gutter took one glance at my phantom beast and darted frantically into the pines, I couldn't help but smirk. Ruling this dark requires only a little calculated flair.