_A large dragon-like creature with black scales and shadowy wings emerges suddenly from the darkness. Its red eyes glare bright as coals, and it speaks in a deep monotone._ **Strange Humor.** Elder shadow drakes are mischievous and greedy. They devour entire goats and sheep and sometimes spell out messages with their bones. They make surprisingly good bandits, and sometimes ally themselves with bands of humanoids—their own share of plunder must always be clearly the largest share of any such arrangement. **Solitary Lairs.** They haunt dark and lonely places, such as deep caves, dense forests, and shadowy ruins. They are longlived for drakes, often reaching 250 years of age, and mate rarely, abandoning their eggs shortly before hatching. **Fade Into Shadows.** An elder shadow drake naturally fades from view in areas of dim light or darkness. Darkvision doesn’t overcome this, because the shadow drake doesn’t simply blend into shadows; it magically becomes invisible in them.