The Umbral Plane

The Umbral Plane exists between the realms of the living and the dead. It's a vast expanse of misty, gray landscapes shrouded in perpetual twilight. The air is heavy with an otherworldly stillness, and the horizon is obscured by a veil of mist that seems to stretch infinitely. The souls that inhabit this plane wander aimlessly awaiting their trial and their final resting place.
==Ruler== 
Bistrovia, the goddess of death and Queen of the Umbral Plane, governs the plane. She embodies both mercy and judgment, guiding souls through their transition from life to the afterlife. Her presence is felt throughout the realm, though she rarely intervenes directly with the inhabitants until their judgement.
==Geology==
The Umbral Plane is a mysterious and eerie landscape where souls linger between the realms of the living and the afterlife. The realm is shrouded in an eternal twilight, where shadows dance and whispers echo through the misty air. Jagged cliffs and valleys stretch out into the horizon. Eerie forests of dark, gnarled trees stand, their twisted branches reaching towards the dim sky. A river of ethereal mist and viscous inky liquid from the Sea of Dreams winds its way through the land, separating the realms of the living and the dead. At the heart of the realm lies a grand citadel named Darkmist Keep, the dwelling place of Bistrovia.
===The Sea of Dreams===
An ocean of viscous, inky black liquid, stretching out as far as the eye can see, swallowing all who dare to approach its shores. Within its depths lies the collective subconscious of every soul in the Umbral Plane, a swirling maelstrom of hopes, fears, desires, and aspirations. To venture into the Sea of Dreams is to court madness, for the dreams and wishes of every soul floods into the mind like a tidal wave, overwhelming the senses and leaving them feebleminded and mentally inert.
Those who are foolish enough to brave its depths are doomed to wander its shores forever, their minds consumed by the ceaseless cacophony of voices that echo through the void. In this bleak realm of shadows only the strongest of wills can hope to find redemption. But even they must tread carefully, for the Umbral Plane holds many secrets, and not all who wander its desolate wastes emerge unscathed.
===The Shattered Peaks===
Jagged mountain ranges that pierce the veil of mist, their craggy spires rising like skeletal fingertips from the desolate landscape. The Shattered Peaks are home to ancient ruins and forgotten tombs, rumored to hold untold treasures and dark secrets. But the mountains are also teeming with malevolent spirits and otherworldly guardians, making them a perilous place for the unwary.
===River of Memories===
Flowing through the heart of the realm is a spectral river that carries the memories of all who have passed through the Umbral Plane. Lost souls can journey along its banks, reliving significant moments from their lives and gaining insight into the choices that shaped their destinies. It connects to the Sea of Dreams and if mortals spend an extended time within either they will become feebleminded and mentally lost forever.
===The Weeping Forest===
This eerie woodland is filled with twisted and gnarled spectral trees with their branches reaching towards the pale sky. The forest is haunted by restless spirits and shadowy creatures that lurk among the gnarled trunks and whispering leaves. Occasionally sorrowful spirits and wandering souls venture into the woods. Travelers who venture into the forest risk becoming lost in its shifting and disorienting terrain.
===The Ephemeral Fields===
Rolling plains of mist and shadow that stretch out to the horizon, where ghostly figures drift like wraiths on the wind. The Ephemeral Fields are a place of fleeting beauty and haunting solitude, where the boundaries between the Material Plane and the Umbral Plane blur and merge. Travelers who wander the fields may find themselves drawn into visions of the past or glimpses of possible futures, their senses overwhelmed by the ethereal energies that permeate the land. Many rumors of people accidentally slipping between the planes and ending up in The Ephemeral Fields and are lost forever.
===Darkmist Keep===
In the desolate expanse of the Umbral Plane, the ruins of forgotten civilizations stretch out like gravestones. The air is heavy with fog and thick mist. Souls drift through the mist, their forms translucent and trapped in an eternal limbo. Some cling to the fragments of their former lives, while others wander aimlessly.
Amidst this bleak landscape, the foreboding citadel looms like a shadow against the horizon. The Darkmist Keep is a towering structure of obsidian and marble, its spires piercing the sky like jagged teeth. Within its walls, the halls are adorned with tapestries depicting the history of death and the passage of souls onto their next afterlife. In the inner sanctum, Bistrovia sits upon a throne of bones, her dark gaze piercing through the veil of mortality.
==Inhabitants==
The majority of beings in the Umbral Plane are lost souls who have not yet found their final resting place. They wander aimlessly, grappling with their past deeds and unresolved emotions. Some seek redemption, while others cling to their former lives, refusing to move on.
The Reapers are a spectral entity born of the umbral mist. They were created by Bistrovia herself to serve as her emissary and enforcers, the Reapers embodies the fearsome aspect of mortality and the inevitability of the end. Clad in tattered robes of darkness that seem to shift and writhe, fading into the night like mist. The Reapers are figures of dread and mystery. Their skeletal visage is obscured by a hooded cowl, from which two piercing points of light gleam like stars. In Theirs bony hands, wield a scythe made of Soul Damascus that glows with an otherworldly energy, ready to harvest souls at its mistress's command.
The Reapers would roams the mortal world and the realms beyond, seeking out those whose time has come to depart the realm of the living. They are a relentless and silent hunters, appearing when least expected to claim its quarry without mercy or hesitation. When the Reapers arrive to claim a soul, they do so with a swift and precise motion of their scythe. The souls of the departed are guided by Ithos and ferried on his skiff to the Umbral Plane, where Bistrovia awaits to usher them to their final rest. Despite its fearsome appearance, the Reapers are said to carry out their duties with a sense of grim purpose, respecting the natural order of life and death.
The Ethereal Guardians are powerful entities that patrol the borders of the Umbral Plane, protecting it from intruders and ensuring that the balance between life and death is maintained. They manifest as colossal, ghostly figures adorned in ancient armor, however their true forms are shifting and flickering with the armor, made of the same umbral mist as the Reapers.
==Materials==
The materials found in the Umbral Plane are very closely tied to souls and have a tangible affect on them.
===Stygian Iron===
Stygian Iron is a rare mineral, renowned for its unique properties that affects the soul. This mysterious ore is exclusively found within the depths of the Umbral Plane. Its discovery is often shrouded in tales of perilous journeys and encounters with otherworldly beings.
The essence of Stygian Iron lies in its ability to interact with the soul itself. When properly forged and crafted, weapons and armor made from this material gain the ability to not only harm physical bodies but also affect the soul.
However, the process of working with Stygian Iron is not without its dangers. The ore itself is imbued with the essence of the Umbral Plane, and those who seek to mine it or shape it into weaponry must contend with the corrupting influence of its dark energies. Prolonged exposure to Stygian Iron can leave a mark on the psyche, twisting the mind and soul of the unwary into something dark and malevolent.
Adventurers who seek out Stygian Iron must tread carefully, for the allure of its power can lead them down a path of darkness from which there may be no return. Many deem the risk not worth the effort, as the benefit is seemingly negligible.
===Soul Flame===
Soul Flame is a heatless and everburning cerulean flame. It cannot start fires or spread in any way, as it is the physical manifestation of a soul, and few can manipulate them. Bistrovia and Reinwald can directly affect souls and pull them from living creatures, making more potent Soul Flames.
Soul Flame itself is inert and there is currently only one known use for it, which is to make Soul Damascus. Research conducted in Amcaster Academy found that long term storage of Soul Flame is only sustainable for up to one week after extraction. Experiments with the Chronomancy specialists are currently trying to extend this time.
===Soul Damascus===
Soul Damascus is a rare and ominous alloy forged from the melding of Stygian Iron and Soul Flame. Each blade crafted from Soul Damascus carries a haunting resonance, with the whispers of souls bound within its darkened steel. Infused with the power to rend both flesh and spirit, weapons forged from this chilling alloy are revered as artifacts of unfathomable potency and feared as harbingers of spiritual annihilation on the battlefield.
Only one person has been know to be able to make Soul Damascus, that being Bistrovia, however it is theoretically possible for others to create it. They only need access to Stygian Iron, a large amount of Soul Flame, and the ability to manipulate Soul Flame.