They remind me too much of the Dabus, who communicate through visual rebuses, but whose principal duty is to build and rebuild the living and growing buildings and streets of the city of Sigil.
The Keepers of Gloomwrought are the bizarre race of caretakers found throughout the city. This city, like Sigil, is like a living entity. Buildings rise, collapse, twist, reshape, and grow with alarming regularity. The Keepers, who studiously examine the buildings, speaking only in a series of guttural clicks, maintain the city. Like their counterpart on the Astral Sea, the Dabus, the Keepers rarely interact with the city’s inhabitants, though they’re found everywhere in the city.
Although no one in the city recalls a time when the Keepers were not there, quietly toiling in the background. But then again many are influenced by the Shadowfell’s ability to warp the perceptions time. So there is no way of telling how long the Keepers have been there.
Perhaps they were corrupted by The Shattered Temple in Sigil [this was once a major temple of Aoskar (dead God of Portals) or his Dabus follower known as “Fell’.
- Their shapechanger ability (Humanoid to Ooze [acidic tar]) seems to fit the discriptions of: “Aberrant creatures are native to or shaped by the Far Realm” similar to creatures like the Gibbering Mouther, Foulspawn and the Kaorti [Tears of Ioun]. What better place to become changed by the Far Realms than a temple created to open portals?
There is also the possibility of their being a side effect of the turmoil spawned by Vecna's time in Sigil that cannot be entirely erased.
- Vecna has long covented power [he did become a god] and wishes the domain of the Raven Queen. He definitely had access to the secrets and lore on portals in Aoskar’s temple, and his attempt to change the mulitverse could have caused a few of the Dabus to forcibly shifted into the Shadowfell.
- There they built and continue to maintain Gloomwrought much like the purer counterpart of Sigil. While some serve the recognized authority of the Raven Queen in the same sense as the Lady of Pain, Vecna’s influence has been gaining ground, as exemplified by the raise of the false Keepers.
- Their time spent in the Shadowfell has further increased their abilities; enabling them to gain Shadow powers by opening a well of energy from the Shadowfell, the realm of darkness.
I think I’ll use them as an aberrant/shadow hybrid of the Dabus whose secret origins lie within the Shattered Temple before Vecna’s rise to godhood.
Keepers, though, date back to at least 2e, where they were mysterious, possibly extra-dimensional, a little sci-fi flavored, and had the tar thing going on. I don't mind them as Gloomwrought's public servants, since the flavor for them is pretty dang evocative. Them as sort of a "shadow-dabus" is pretty cool, too!
keepers make me think of that movie dark city
First thing I thought of too. Someone mentioned them being in 2e... can anyone give a specific book reference? I'd like to look them up and see how the concept has changed.