Moonshadow

Moonshadow was a high-magnitude sorcerer and one of the four Shadowmasters. He was a sorcerer of significant magnitude, and the companion and apparently lover of Stormshadow. Like Stormshadow, he was a "home grown" Shadowmaster, meaning he was from the homeworld, and not from the unknown world from which Longshadow and Shadowspinner originated. However, unlike his companion Stormshadow, he was not one of the Ten Who Were Taken who had fled south after the Battle at Charm. Virtually nothing else is known about Moonshadow. Odds are he was from somewhere in the vast southern continent but even this is not certain.

Before Croaker's Annals

Moonshadow rose to power with Longshadow, Shadowspinner, and Stormshadow, and they established the Shadowlands in the deep south of the world. They reached as far north as the surging Main river, beyond which was Taglios, the largest independent sovereignty north of the Shadowmasters' holdings. Moonshadow is the only Shadowmaster whose headquarters was not specified in the Annals (Stormshadow's was Stormgard, Shadowspinner's was Shadowlight, and Longshadow's was Shadowcatch).

Moonshadow became Stormshadow's companion, but the other two Shadowmasters soon turned against them and one another, quarreling for control. Moonshadow and Stormshadow "were leagued more often than not". After substantial bloodshed among their minions, the four finally put aside their feud and rejoined forces to face Shapeshifter and the Black Company as this group approached Taglios from the distant north.

Moonshadow sent emissaries to the Howler, the powerful master of a relatively new pirate kingdom in the swamps on the great river between Gea-Xle and Thresh. But the Howler rejected Moonshadow's attempts at an alliance with the Shadowmasters.

Shadow Games

Moonshadow participated in the Battle of Dejagore. He arrived with a relief force of roughly 15,000 Shadowlanders the morning after Dejagore was liberated by the Black Company and its legions from Taglios. The Company's sorcerers Goblin and One-Eye created an illusionary legion, which Croaker led in his Widowmaker armor. War elephants and less than 1,000 real soldiers were among the illusions, and a concerted effort was made to assassinate Moonshadow to demoralize his fresh force. In the last moment, Moonshadow realized the danger and fired off explosive spells which blasted some of the elephants to pieces. But he was crushed nevertheless, and Murgen the Company standardbearer impaled Moonshadow's broken body on the Lance of Passion. The Shadowmaster remained alive due to his sorcerer's vitality. Despite Moonshadow being neutralized, his forces joined up with Shadowspinner's force and were victorious. They turned the tide against their enemies, seizing the field.

Dreams of Steel

Moonshadow – still impaled upon the Lance of Passion – and Croaker were both kidnapped by Soulcatcher and secretly removed from the field of the Battle of Dejagore. Upon removing his mask, Soulcatcher was surprised to realize that Moonshadow was not one of the Ten Who Were Taken. She tortured him for information about his origin, but received no answers. Before moving on, she burned Moonshadow to ashes, using the Lance to keep his body in the fire. As she traveled, she disposed of Moonshadow's ashes pinch by pinch.