Umbraeveth
Umbraeveth was shaped in the grey wastes beyond the Raven Queen's outermost spires by a Shadar-kai archivist who had lived so long in anonymity that the shadow-realm itself forgot her name. She pressed the final erasure of her identity into a branch of petrified nightwood, sealing it with necrotic lattice drawn from her own fading mortality. Those who have encountered the staff's wielder report only a vague impression of an old woman and a crooked walking stick, a memory that blurs further each time they try to hold it.
Mechanics
A staff of woven shadow and necrotic memory that erases the wielder's true presence from the minds of those who look upon them, while punishing those who see too clearly.
Veil of the Unremembered
While holding this staff, your appearance cannot be naturally memorized. Any creature that observes you must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw at the end of the encounter or their recollection of your true face becomes a fog, they retain only the impression of whatever illusion or disguise you presented, or a vague nondescript shape if none. This does not affect creatures with truesight, but it does affect those with darkvision, blindsight, or tremorsense. Magical means of reconstructing your appearance, such as a spell or divination ritual performed after the fact, must first succeed on an ability check using the caster's spellcasting ability against a DC of 17, or the attempt reveals only shadow. This property does not function if you are incapacitated.
Hollow Gaze
When a creature within 30 feet of you targets you with a spell or ability that would magically reveal your location, identity, or current thoughts, such as detect thoughts, scrying, see invisibility, or true seeing, the staff reacts. That creature takes 4d10 necrotic damage and must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of their next turn, as the shadow-memory of the staff floods back through the magical conduit. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half damage and is not blinded.
Tendrils of the Between
As an action, you drive the base of the staff into the ground or floor beneath you and speak a word in Deep Speech. Shadows within 60 feet of you thicken and writhe. Each creature of your choice within that area that you can see must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a creature is restrained by coiling shadow until the end of your next turn and takes 6d8 necrotic damage. On a success, a creature takes half damage and is not restrained. Constructs and creatures that do not cast shadows are immune to the restrained condition from this effect but still take damage on a failed save. Once used, this property cannot be used again until the next dawn.
Shade-Step Conduit
As a bonus action, you cause your silhouette to fragment and scatter. Until the start of your next turn, attack rolls against you are made at disadvantage unless the attacker can see through illusions or perceive you by means other than sight. While this property is active, the first time you cast a spell that deals necrotic damage before the start of your next turn, you may add 2d8 to that spell's necrotic damage roll. Once used, this property cannot be used again until you finish a short or long rest.
DM Notes
Balance considerations: Veil of the Unremembered is a powerful social and exploration tool, it does not prevent creatures from knowing the wielder was present, only from retaining accurate physical details. DMs should rule that creatures with exceptional Intelligence (16+) or specific investigation training may attempt a DC 17 Intelligence (Investigation) check to retain a partial impression. Hollow Gaze is a strong reactive deterrent against scrying-type spells but requires those spells to be actively targeting the wielder, ambient detection like a pre-existing scrying sensor already in the room does not trigger it. Tendrils of the Between is the primary offensive output and should feel weighty as the once-per-dawn ability; DMs may wish to restrict it to areas with natural shadow if the campaign rarely features darkness. Shade-Step Conduit pairs naturally with area necrotic spells like blight or vampiric touch, so watch for nova turns. The combination of social erasure and combat deterrence is appropriate for very rare given neither property alone would reach that threshold. The staff visually appears as a gnarled length of dark wood with no notable markings, consistent with the wielder's secretive identity.
Generated with: Level 13 · Sorcerer · Aberrant Mind · Staff · A theme that fits the character · Ancient / Mythic · Shadow / Necrotic · Very rare