Before your eyes, bathed in moonlight, the darkly beautiful elven woman transforms into a great snowy owl!

When the moon sheds its light on the land below, karina are able to transform to and from their owl shape. This isn't always as advantageous as it sounds, for a karina is unable to change during nights with a new moon and - more importantly - on foggy or cloudy nights when the moon is obscured. Accordingly, karina often make their lairs on mountain slopes high above the cloud line.

Karina act as raiders and kidnappers for evil fey, sneaking into settlements or isolated homesteads, stealing children and animals or simply terrorizing families. Karina are known to savor the flesh of mortals as well, stalking hunters and travelers through the forest for hours or days before finally swooping in to finish off their victims and feast on the remains. Though karina receive gold and magic in exchange for their captives, they appear to derive great perverse pleasure from the suffering they inflict.

While they are chaotic and thoroughly wicked, karina are not unwilling to deal with mortals. If a karina is unable or unwilling to come to an agreement with fellow fey in exchange for prisoners or plunder, she may turn to mortal clients, offering stolen lives and property in exchange for wealth or other services. Services may include acting on the karina's behalf in kidnappings, theft, burglary or even murder. Those who owe favors to a karina invariably regret their decision, for a karina's whims often end in disaster. Mortals who especially tickle a karina's fancy may find themselves as her lover, a position even more precarious than normal, but many greedy and lustful humans cannot resist a karina's otherworldly appeal.

Greatly feared by the folk of the northern forests, the karina is a fey shapeshifter, able to appear as either a beautiful elven woman with dark hair and pale skin or a giant snowy owl with fierce red eyes and deadly talons.