Umbracleft
Umbra Sovereign
In the Umbracleft, there are no other beings more superior or terrifying than the Umbra Sovereign.
A living embodiment of an eclipse--colossal, ever-shifting silhouette that blots out light and reason alike.
This Wake Lord isn't just a predator but a sovereign intelligence, commanding the Umbracleft as its own throne.
It's very voice is a weapon. A resonance that rewrites memory, erasing identities or implanting false loyalties.
Fear is the Sovereign's instrument, wielded with surgical precision to dismantle and fracture Warden breach teams and entire regions alike.
Escape, or destroying the Wake Crystal it's anchoring with, are the only tangible means of "defeating" this godlike being.
Whisper Nest
While as unlikely as it is to encounter the Sovereign, you can still face many unimaginable horrors in the Shadow Wake.
The Whisper Nest is a hive mind of sentient shadow entities that coalesce into a semi-organic mass. These entities communicate in both known and forgotten tongues, giving hints to the unknown age of the forgotten souls trapped inside.
The nest thrives in absolute darkness, feeding on ambient light and the sanity of those who enter. Prolonged exposure leads to auditory hallucinations, memory erosion and eventual psychological collapse.
Survivors report hearing whispered confessions, ancestral laments, and cryptic prophecies--none of which are ever verified.
Gloamkin
The Umbracleft yields rare resources vital to survival and warfare. Most of their secrets are guarded by Wardens and their specialists and many still unknown to even them, but a few are so common that most have seen them.
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Mycofiber Threads - Regenerative fungal strands woven into bandages and satchels, accelerating healing and resisting spore infections.
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Veilroot Vines - Semi-sentient vines used in cloaks and armor linings, enhancing concealment by causing the material to shift colors, skewing their image.
Many other materials such as Shadowpierce Crystals, Nightshade Spores, Echo Sap, Mirrorbark Slivers, and Spiteglass Shards hold properties known only to Shard Smiths, Medics and Loremasters of the Veldtwarden forces, each carrying their own risks and powers tied to the Wake itself.
Mirrormen
Twisted echoes of humanity, Mirrormen are the Shadow Wake's hunters and deceivers. Their faces shimmer like polished glass, reflecting the forms of those they once were, or those they seek to lure. These creatures stalk the edges of corrupted zones, whispering borrowed voices to draw prey into the dark.
Their strength lies in deception. They will mimic loved ones, fallen comrades, even the cries of children, weaving illusions that unravel trust within a squad.
When the ruse ends, they strike with jagged limbs and shard-infused talons, leaving nothing but silence behind. One of these is a threat, but a nest of them is a death sentence.
Inkmites
The Gloamkin are the Shadow Wake’s true tactical soldiers—Wakeborne entities that serve as the Sovereigns’ officers on the ground. Standing nearly seven feet tall, they move with the grace of a serpent, striking with lethal precision. Fast, powerful, and cunning, they rarely hunt alone.
A Gloamkin is almost always accompanied by a pack of Shadehounds, making any encounter a nightmare for even seasoned Wardens.
Facing one is a feat only plausible for a full squad—or a Shardkin.
Even then, expect casualties. Their claws shear through thin armor like parchment, and their writhing tendrils drain strength in seconds, leaving victims helpless before the kill. A kill heralded by the predator clicks of pleasure it sounds before it strikes.
Shadehound
Born from the Wake's hunger, the Shadehounds are feral predators that prowl in the shadow of greater horrors.
Their bodies are lean and sinewed, cloaked in mist-like shroud that blurs their outline as they move. Eyes like shards of violet and white glass pierce the gloom, locking onto prey with unerring focus.
These creatures are pack hunters, striking with speed and precision. Their jaws can crush bone in a single snap, the claws leave wounds that fester with corruption.
Their real threat isn't in the individual though but in the group, they will sow chaos into a Warden detachment and make way for the Gloamkins which are never far behind.
Umbracleft Materials
Inkmites are a type of sporeling. These are dust sized parasites that drift through the air like soot.
Invisible to the naked eye unless they cluster, they can cause havoc on a hosts mind if inhaled.
Their primary function is the amplify the Wake's psychic influence. Victims experience hallucinations, emotional dissonance and false memories designed to exploit personal trauma.
Prolonged exposure erodes identity entirely, reducing the host to an Echo--a hollowed mind destined to join the ranks of the Mirrormen.