Umbrum, the Dusk
The world of Araevis is truly awe-inspiring in its diversity of life. Every day, scholars and naturalists find new and more exotic species that expand our understanding of our world and the life it supports. And yet what we see is only a small fraction of what can potentially exist on Araevis.
Or what could have existed.
Enter the Umbrum, a formerly undiscovered, sentient species of reptilian nomads purported to have existed since before the Cataclysm, who claim responsibility for one of the most unusual phenomena in our world;
the Idols of Senes.
The Umbrum claim the empire of their ancestors was incredibly vast, and possessed nearly unparalleled scientific knowledge and skill with the arcane. They say that in their hubris, their ancestors brought upon themselves an apocalypse of their own design; a plague that wrought havoc amongst their people, devastating their population and leaving the remaining few twisted and changed.
These survivors, their biology warped by the arcane powers they had hoped to control, came to be known as the Umbrum. Fearing what was to come, their elders sought to safeguard what remained of their kin against the coming fires of the Cataclysm, sealing them away beneath the ruins of their shattered civilization and erecting eternal guardians to stand watch over them. For centuries, the Idols held their silent vigil. They endured the cleansing fires of the Cataclysm, they watched as Araevis rebuilt itself from the brink of ruin, and they waited until the time was right for the fragile progeny of their creators to be free.
Emerging from their slumber in the wake of the Cataclysm, the frail denizens of Senes moved inland, the dwindling remnants of their kind established a tenuous foothold in the jungles of Paludis. Over time a basic system of governance emerged amongst them, a tribal hierarchy that served to unify them and quell conflict. Still, they never forgot their roots; generations of Umbrum were raised with tales of their once-great empire.
Elusive and non-confrontational, when the other survivors of the Cataclysm began to grow and flourish, the nomadic Umbrum moved further into the depths of Paludis’ sprawling jungles, maintaining their tiny civilization in isolation.
However, something has driven these peaceful tribesmen out of hiding, reaching out to the inhabitants of Paludis and, for the first time in centuries, making themselves known to the outside world. What has compelled the Umbrum to break their silence and seek out their fellow survivors after so long remains an ominous mystery.
This of course begs the question: if the Umbrum, like the other contemporary races of Araevis, survived the Cataclysm, why hasn’t anyone encountered their kind until now? The answer, surprisingly, can be found in their biology.
Description: The Umbrum are distinctly reptilian in appearance. Their bodies are spindly and lithe, bearing rough, knobbly hide that seems to take on an ocher hue. Older individuals appear to exhibit streaks of darker pigmentation that contrasts against their orange scales, giving them a haphazardly striped appearance.
The Umbrum’s arms bear large hands with four teardrop-shaped, opposable digits. The bulbous ends on each of these fingers bear a patch of layered scales that stick to other surfaces and enhances their natural grip and dexterity. They also posses prehensile tails that are capable of moving and grasping with a surprising degree of strength and accuracy in addition to assisting with balance.
Their heads are slightly oblong, with heavy-set jaws. As a species, the Umbrum exhibit a large amount of sexual dimorphism; males sport armored, scaled frills that emerge from their crowns, pointing backwards, away from their faces. The eldest males also exhibit rows of small, bony horns along the edges of their frills. Most strikingly, Umbrum bear two sets of eyes; a large primary set and another, smaller secondary pair located beneath the first. The purpose for this multiplicity is not readily apparent, though the trait itself is not unusual in Araevis.
However the Umbrum’s defining trait is not their appearance, but rather their lack of appearance. As a result of their ancestors transgressions, the Umbrum’s bodies bear a peculiar and unnatural trait unlike any other creature in Araevis; they are able to change the color and texture of their superficial scales, allowing them to blend in perfectly with almost any environment. While the trait generally manifests under extreme duress, the camouflage reflex Umbrum possess can be honed with proper instruction and practice, allowing some individuals to utilize it at will and quite simply disappear.
This has served the nomadic Umbrum -- who are without a doubt the most fragile of Araevis’ apex races -- very well, and is also the reason they have been able to stay hidden from the world so long after the Cataclysm.
Racial Advantages: Despite their frailty, the Umbrum posses a number of adaptations that have helped them survive unnoticed for so long. Their biology is honed for an arboreal lifestyle, making them excellent climbers and leapers. They have an acute sense of sight; their multiplicative eyes granting them a vast field of vision and excellent depth perception. Most prominent however is their seemingly magical ability to camouflage themselves, able to shift the color and texture of their scales to accurately match their surroundings.
Nature of Umbrum (The Dusk)
Chromatophore | Umbrum are elusive by nature, capable of altering the color and texture of their scales to blend into their environment and making them very difficult to spot. However, their frail biology also leaves them more susceptible to damage.
|
Setae | The clinging microscopic cilia on the pads of their hands and feet give Umbrum excellent grip, and enhancing these with visae further increases their ability, allowing Umbrum to stick to and scale most surfaces.
|
Kaleidoscope Miasma | The Umbrum engorges the dewlap on their neck, which fills with fluid containing a psychoactive chemical produced within their bodies. The compound is then released from the mouth of the Umbrum in a mist that covers an area roughly thirty feet around the point of activation.
While the thick fog serves as a smokescreen for the Umbrum, the psychotropic compounds within it can cause those who inhale it to experience vivid hallucinations.
|
