Umbra

Umbra

Details
Faction	Isegrad
Lifespan	Normal (~100 yrs.)
Population (Rhyst/Void)	Very Low/Avergage
Average Height (Blob form)	3'

"The lost wretches in the dark... damned by the damned."

Summary

Native to the Void, the Umbra have served demons and other higher-ups as a slave race for time untold. Now, having been freed of their containment by the hands of Kal Azul, they rush to the defense of humanity in bitter hatred of their former captors. They bear Isegrád closest, for those who walk with the frigid north and once the desert sands hold closest the ideals of the unleashed Umbra.

Beware their lurking presence, for the Umbra are uniquely capable of drifting in and out of shadow. While they are one of the weaker races of the Void, the Umbra are nonetheless capable of their own brand of Void magic. They are innately amorphous, taking on a physical form but only when sinking into the bleak darkness isn't preferable.

Culture

Origins

The Void is by all accounts a barren, dark, lonely wasteland. Ruled by demons and filled with shadows from the afterlife, it is a world without joy or hope. So many that are pulled into the realm of the ancients succumb to madness should they not consign themselves to damnation as either an undead thrall meant to join the hordes or a phantom bound to the empty promises of the Witch Queen. And yet, for all of the offers and snares that entrap these wayward souls into the endless servitude of Eidolons, so many others slip through the cracks, either due to going unnoticed or after being deemed defective failures by the powers that be. These pitiful, lowly things, though still very much alive and conscious, pass into the dark to serve in the most brutal and unenviable ways. Slaves to slaves, servants to the cruelest minds to be found in the cosmos, the Umbra are little more than sorrowful shadows given form…

or at least, that is how they have lived out their lives since the grey dawn of the Void.

In recent years, given the death of Karrador spreading pestilence and ruin across the Rhystian nation of Kal Azul, those mortals native to the region have taken up arms against the trespassing Void upon their lands. In the midst of their conflicts, the Umbra rediscovered light, and those brave enough to dare reach for forgotten freedoms stepped into a world that had very much forgotten them in turn.

And yet, they were imprisoned here as well. Given the Kal Azulans could not be blamed for their suspicions, the Umbra were cast into dungeons and studied. They were labeled lesser monstrosities of the Void, and it was only once they came into contact with an imperial representative, an Empyrean of curious make, that the Umbra were given a chance at being understood. This Empyrean convinced the Kal Azulans to see the Umbra for what they were; victims of the darkness seeking to destroy the planes. The Kal Azulans, albeit begrudgingly, allowed this Empyrean to transport some of these Umbra back to the imperial capital where they were further studied and examined, though in much kinder environments. Communication became possible as the Umbra mimicked the speech of their wardens, and as more time passed, they found it possible to shape themselves into a humanoid form.

As they came to understand their environment and the circumstances of their existence, the freed Umbra vowed to assist in defending Rhyst from their native home so that they may never again be lost in the depths of that hell. To this end, under the direction of imperial mandates, Umbra have been turned into the Void’s most underestimated foe, and as the Convergence has begun to twist the planes, they ready themselves alongside Azulan and Isegradian soldiers alike.

Physiology

The Umbra know no true form, for whatever they once were, it was degraded and cursed long ago. It's possible they were mortals or animals of Rhyst, or they may be the rejected offspring of the demons themselves. There are none alive today who would know, nor even any who might care to discover the beginnings of the species. In lacking this physical shape, the Umbra manifest themselves as a tragic pile of darkened goo. Many may first mistake them for nothing more than a pile of inky mud even. However, in being nothing, the Umbra possess the unique trait of manifesting anything. They may take the shape and appearance of most humanoids, and in doing so they find a more amicable way to interact with their new neighbors. These creatures of the lowest and darkest corners of the Void still have a tendency to making shadows their home, and though they live average lifespans, their kind is never in short supply. Imperial researches believe the Umbra reproduce asexually by dividing themselves once they reach a certain maturity, and further study is going into assessing how this process, dubbed 'splitting', actually functions.

Abilities

Amorphous Shape: Gain 25 Health Regen and 5 Haste, bonus doubled while near a Shadow.

Web of Shadows: Deploy a web of Shadow tiles across the battlefield for 12 seconds. (Shadow) A tile of shadowy darkness that deals 17+1.1*[Control] magical damage to enemies every second.

Lurking Darkness: For 10 seconds, gain 25% move speed

Shadowform {Aura}: Taking 1% [Max HP] damage creates shadow tiles beneath you. On activation, leave a trail of Shadow and gain 15% Move Speed.