Umbra

The Umbra are the elemental spirits associated with shadows and darkness. Note: The plural for Umbra is Umbrae.

Physiology

The Umbrae embody the spirit of shadows and darkness. In terms of height and build they generally fall within a range close to human average, unlike elementals such as the Salamanders, whose fiery nature leads them to look shorter and more slender. Their hair tends to be in shades of black or grey, though rare mutations exist in shades of white and dark purples. As they become older their hair tends to lose its luster becoming dull in color. Their eyes tend to be dark; usually black, dark brown or purple, and sometimes grey. The sclera of the Umbrae are always in a shade of grey, ranging from palest stone to almost black. Skin tone tends to be fair, even pale, but some Umbrae also have skin tones in shades of grey and ebony black. The Umbrae tend to move with a flowing grace, like a shadow upon the ground. The Umbrae are also unique in that they have no shadow, no matter the light source they are in. They are an extremely long-lived race, along with their light elemental counterparts, the Lumena; they can live anywhere between 1500-2000 years old.

Culture & Mannerisms

Not much is known about the Umbrae's origin. The Umbrae themselves firmly believe they were the first elemental race, along with the Lumena, but no evidence aside from their longevity has come forth to either confirm or deny the claim. Umbra history does seem to have notes about the other elemental races' beginnings but whether this information was gathered at the time those races came to be or later is unclear.

The Umbra, along with the Lumena, live in their own isolated pocket of Underhill. The only access to their home was through a gateway on the western side of the island. It is unclear if that gateway still remains to locate the portal due to the millenia long magical seal around much of the western part of the island. The Umbrae traded and associated with the Lilians more extensively than other races of Underhill. When the Lily civilization turned toward following Inishie and began to fall apart, both the Umbrae and Lumena felt it necessary to retreat back to their home in Underhill, withdrawing from life on the island. While most of residents in their corner of Underhill are either Umbrae or Lumena, a scattering of the other races are likely to have escaped with them during the Lilians' fall.

The Umbrae, due to their unique quality in not having a shadow, are sometimes considered to be an odd people. They believe that a shadow marks a part of a person that's kept hidden; whether just from others or from the person themselves. For the Umbrae, they are entirely who they are. They might not announce it, but they wont deny or lie about aspects of their personality, belief, even simple hobbies and pleasures or dislikes. That isn't to say they're unaware of how certain things may be construed, but for them it's just a part of who they are and they don't deny that about themselves. For example, an Umbra who has a fascination with petting the tails of animal blessed girls would not just walk up to a stranger and start petting her tail. Instead, she might make a point of befriending such people and asking permission to pet them. Some people find this trait odd, or even unsettling. Though the Umbrae accept all of who they are, the good and the bad, they also uphold to common beliefs in terms of right and wrong. The Umbrae don't condone murder, theft, or other common crimes, and will punish those who commit such acts. Many Umbrae with darker tendencies tend to seek out help in changing their ways if possible to become better members of society. This doesn't always work, and many people feared the Umbrae for what they interpreted as calm acceptance of darker tendencies. The Umbra believe this makes them a more accepting people, willing to look at the person as a whole; both the light and dark of their personality. Because of this aspect of their culture, most Umbrae are fascinated by learning about both the light and dark of individuals they meet. They try not to pry if unwanted, but they enjoy learning about the facets of people. Many Umbrae are considered to be quite skilled in helping people interpret dreams and in working with others to get over fears that plague them. While this isn't a general standard of the race, many do seem to carry this knack to some degree.

The Umbrae and Lumena actually get along fairly well despite the common portrayal of light and darkness as polar opposite elements in many worlds. The two races do often find themselves arguing about matters. The Umbrae see the Lumena as a people that would prefer to ignore the darker aspects of life and fear them; whether this is truly the case or not is unclear. But the two elemental races have lived in relative peace together throughout their long isolation from general Underhill culture. Historically, the Umbrae got along with most other races. They were known to be frustrated at the tendencies of kitsune culture to favor misdirection and subtlety over bluntness, preferring a more open approach. Whether this will still be true as the cultures reintegrate is hard to say.

Abilities

The Umbrae have a natural ability to manipulate shadows and darkness, often termed shadowmancy. Some Umbra are even able to take this ability and apply it in a mental capacity, using it to bring forth a person's inner or hidden darkness. Typically, this ability is used through contact with a person's shadow. Though this is a rare skill, it is not done lightly, nor without the consent of the individual, and in Umbrae culture is sometimes used as a form of therapy.

Recent Events

Due to barriers weakening or dropping altogether in 2014, the portal to the pocket of Underhill where the Umbrae live has become accessible. With the barriers down the Umbrae and Lumena both are able to venture forth and see what has changed about the island. It's unknown how well the other Underhill races will take to these elemental races, having been gone so long that they have largely been considered myth or ancient history. Sadly, the first experience with one of the Umbrae was an unfortunate event with a rogue, unbalanced woman named Rhina who had lived on the west side of the island alone capturing shadows since the fall of the Lily Civilization. The Umbrae hope her actions don't paint too negative an impression about their people.