Viper Bat

Strange creatures dwell in the lightless reaches of the Darklands. With its serpentine body, batlike wings and head, and glowing red eyes, it's hard to tell whether this creature is more bat or snake, and those who consider the viper bat a dumb beast are invariably shocked upon hearing its rasping voice. Though a viper bat's fur is naturally pale, it often appears nearly black as a result of the slick, rancid oil that oozes from the creature's flesh.

Viper bats gather in colonies where they eagerly share stories gathered from those they feed upon, for to be digested by a viper bat is to surrender your secrets to them. Scholars wonder if this eerie side effect points to some ancient link to a ghoul's ability to retain knowledge from the bodies of those they eat, though in the case of a viper bat, once a creature is dead, it can no longer transfer its memories to them. In fact, dead flesh is unpalatable to a viper bat—they crave only living bodies, regurgitating their food into deep crevasses that serve as middens once they can no longer absorb knowledge from a meal.

Friends to Undeath

Although living, viper bats have a strong affinity with undeath. They are healed by void energy and share many immunities with the undead. Ghouls and vampires have a particular fondness for viper bats, with the latter often feeding their viper bat allies living prisoners who refuse to give up their secrets, in hopes that the viper bat digests those hidden truths.