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The Darkness was contained to the territories south of the borderlands where it first appeared. Recognizing the threat that this new evil posed, the southern kingdoms were charged with the task of watching and repelling the growing chaos of this darkness they named The Umbra;  a vast and powerful evil that corrupts, devours, and births new evil wherever it goes. For five thousand years, The Umbra was held in check by the most powerful and costly of magics, where it eventually dwindled to almost nothing. Believing The Umbra to have finally been defeated, the kingdoms slowly began to relax their arcane wards, and lower their defenses. Six hundred  years passed without a single sign of The Umbra, and its existence then passed into myth and legend. Life between the north and south flourished once again.

That is when The Umbra returned. 

The Umbra had grown more powerful than ever as it hid from the world, feasting on the tensions between kingdoms, and the malice in the hearts of the inhabitants of the south. Its terrifying return began with the Fire Rains, a caustic downpour that could immolate entire battlefields in minutes. The Penumbra followed, unspeakable creatures made of the darkness itself, making short work of any survivors. The Umbra steadily moved uninhibited to the borderlands where it was finally met by the combined power of the north and south. Though there were many casualties, the armies eventually succeeded in repelling The Umbra's attempts to return in its full power. Sealed away once again with powerful magics, the kingdoms of the north and south vowed to eradicate The Umbra once and for all, whatever the cost.

Ten thousand years have past since that battle. The northern kingdoms are still safely sealed away from the threat of The Umbra, and the southern kingdoms are vigilant in their watch for its return. But the wards are weakening, corruption is building, and the darkness is growing.

​The Umbra is waiting.

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The world of The Umbra is a vast fantasy world where the familiar blends with the surreal. There are tales of reluctant messiahs, bravery, love, corruption, and loss. Told in pulp-like short fiction, the world of The Umbra is explored in prose format, and accompanied by illustrations. A continuously evolving and growing story, it is best enjoyed with a glass of your favorite spirit, and a heart of adventure.