Umbra

## Introduction

Umbra is a lesser realm associated with 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

The Inferi often compare Umbra to a rotting 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 they appear 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 counterparts.

The layer clostest to the material world, simply known as *yesterday*, is by far the clostest depiction to its counterpart. *Yesterday* is clean and opaque, its shades seem so realistic 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, buildings 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. Simultanously all objects begin to loose their color while its Shades begin to turn darker and darker. After a few days have passed the surroundings turn paler until becoming complelty grey and slightly transparent. After a few weeks 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 dangerous for any trespassing Inferi 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.

## The Necropoli

The Inferis Necropoli are projected into the Umbra and draw from its power aswell as the souls trapped inside; however they are usually not directly accessable. Moving towards the counterfeit of a material gate into the Necropli will reveal a vague but consuming shadow "shining" through the misty unreality. When standing at any side of such a gate; a sacrifice of lifeforce can be used to open the gate and allow the trespasser access.