Umbra

## Introduction

Umbra is one realm of the Underworld. It is located clostest to the mortal world and represents the worlds material memories, displayed as a shadowy mirror and echo of the real world and its past. It consists of countless layers of reality, each perpetualy displaying the events of a single day until fading into nothingness.

## Characteristics

### Uncounted Layers

Many Necromancers compare the structure of Umbra to an onion with countless layers, each of them reflecting the entire worlds past for a single day. With each new day that occurs, all layers are moved back in time until each of them has reached the boundaries of Umbra and turns into nothingness. The further away from reality these layers move the more faded and alienated. Umbra hosts no life of its own, instead it is inhabited by Shades, magical simulations that perpetually act out the behaviour of their mortal counterpart.

The layer clostest to the material world, simply known as *yesterday*, is by far the clostest depiction to its counterpart. *Yesterday* consists of clean and opaque, its shades seem so real they could be mistaked with real lifeforms. The only real difference is the sky that always consists of a grey mist instead of celestial blue- or blackness. The closer *Yesterday* moves towards the midnight mark, the further these mist descend upon the ground until covering streets and fields before disappearing after the mark has passed. With every subsequent mark the layer reaches these mists become thicker and descend down faster and further. Simultenously all objects being to loose their color while Shades begin to turn darker and darker. After a few years have passed the surroundings turn paler until becoming complelty grey and slightly transparent. After a few decades most buildings, trees and other forms of enviroment will have turned into misty shadows that present no phsyical resistance to an intruders touch.

Any form of "sham matter" in Umbra, no matter how real it seems, offers no power, susteanance or value to material creatures. While Umbras substance might appear to be physical, even offering physical resistance to the touch in the upper layers, it does not follow the same rules as real matter and disintegrates when taken into the material world.

#### The Midnight Mark

The record of a day in Umbra begins and ends with midnight. After a full replay of *Yesterday* the Midnight Mark has been reached, moving the subsequent layer further down into the depts of the realm. This is extremly dangerous for any intruder as connections to the material world only persist as long as the chosen layer remains in its place. When it moves down, all connections to the material world or others layers are broken up, potentially trapping intruders in it.

### Connections

While most material intruders enter Umbra through a ritual or artifical portal, there exist natural connections between layers and even between Umbra and the material world itself. All permanent connections between Umbra and the material world corrupt their surroundings and bind them to a specific location, creating a demirealm that is stuck between Umbra and the real world, also known as a *haunted area*. In it the Veil is so distorted every part of the spreading corruption makes all things half material, creating anomalies in the laws of physics. Depending on the strength of age of the connection the corruption of the surroundings may vary in strength and range. Most haunted houses become more faded the deeper one moves into them. Looking outside its windows will not display the material world but the layer of Umbra the chosen area is bound to. Leaving the haunted area through any part that is not the connection will lead an intruder into Umbra itself. The most common permanent connections are created through Spectres who are bound to Umbra while also able to enter the material world. Powerful necromancy might have a similar effect, intentionally or accidentally. Catastrophies and events that contradict the plan of (...) might also establish a connection and corruption.

### Inhabitants

* Shades are immaterial reflections of mortal lives, acting out their parts as mindless mirrors
* Spectres are spirits bound to Umbra through sorcery, anomalies or a specifically unsatisfying death. They are always bound to an object that is located in a specific layer of Umbra, yet they may move through all parts of the realm. Some are able to establish connections to the material world, haunting specific areas
* Phantoms are wandering spirits that made Umbra their home or current haven to escape the clutches of Necromancers. Unlike Spectres they are not tormented by their existence and freely wander through Umbra exploring the past
* Material intruders, either only temporary or through getting trapped in its insides. Without any material supplies only Undead can survive for longer amounts of time in Umbra.