darklings
Beings of shadow
Darklings functions as an adverb meaning in the dark or in darkness, though it sounds archaic or poetic: We wandered darklings through the forest.
The word also serves as an adjective meaning occurring in or characterized by darkness.
In fantasy and gaming contexts, darklings are creatures of shadow or night—malevolent beings that shun light.
Dark areas from blocked light
- gloomPervasive dimness or dejection
- twilightLight after sunset
- duskDimming after sundown
- murkThick atmospheric darkness
blackness · obscurity · penumbra · tenebrous · umbra · dimness · nightfall · pitch
Concealed and watchful
- sinisterThreateningly suggestive of harm
- ominousSuggesting something bad approaches
- creepingMoving slowly, stealthily
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
malevolent · foreboding · prowling · stalking · predatory · insidious · looming · encroaching
shadows
Dark areas from blocked light
murk · blackness · obscurity · penumbra · tenebrous · umbra · dimness · nightfall · pitch · shade
lurking
Concealed and watchful
- sinisterThreateningly suggestive of harm
- ominousSuggesting something bad approaches
- creepingMoving slowly, stealthily
threatening · malevolent · foreboding · prowling · stalking · predatory · insidious · looming · encroaching · watching
shadows
Dark areas from blocked light
- wraithsVisible forms of dead
- spectersVisible ghostly presences
- phantomsApparitions, especially illusory
shades · demons · spirits · goblins · faeries · trolls · vampires · nightwalkers · revenants · apparitions
allegory
Symbolic tale with deeper meaning
- gothicDark, mysterious aesthetic
- romanticismEmotional, imaginative worldview
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
poetry · verse · metaphor · personification · archaic · Tennyson · mythology · folklore · fable · legend
darklingsangels
Divine winged messengers
guardians · protectors · cherubim · seraphs · celestials