Overview

Umbra is the twisted counterpart and Shadowfell reflection of the old city of Torrica. It exists in both the Shadowfell and the Material Plane at the same time, a city suspended between realities. Where Torrica once thrived with color and vitality, Umbra is cloaked in perpetual twilight, its streets haunted by echoes of what was lost. Towers rise in warped imitation of Torrica's spires, and the city itself seems caught in an eternal dusk.

History

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General Layout

The city of Umbra spreads across two worlds. On the surface lies the upper city, a warped mirror of Torrica's former grandeur. Its high towers, once symbols of pride, have been reshaped into looming, distorted forms by the influence of the Shadowfell. The air is heavy with gloom, and time itself seems to flow unevenly. After a great battle in May 605, much of this upper city lies in ruin, its streets fractured and half-consumed by shadow.

Beneath the surface sprawls the necropolis undercity. This labyrinth of sewers, catacombs, and tunnels stretches far into the Underdark, steeped in the Shadowfell's oppressive energy. It is a place of darkness where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur, and few who venture into its depths ever return unchanged.

Population

Most of Umbra’s original inhabitants are gone, having either fled or perished. Those who remain are few. Some are too stubborn to abandon the land despite its horrors. Others are trapped within the city’s unstable boundaries, unable to escape. There are some who stay by choice—opportunists who scavenge among the ruins, risking both the city’s dangers and the patrols of the Eldritch Inquisition in hopes of finding magical relics to smuggle and sell.

Economy

The economy of Umbra is driven almost entirely by scavenging. With the city largely abandoned, countless treasures lie scattered among its ruins. The presence of wild magic and unstable planar rifts often warps these items, imbuing them with strange powers. Such relics are highly valued in markets beyond the exclusion zone, but claiming them is fraught with peril.

Government

Umbra was once ruled by Umbraxis, an ancient blue dragon who styled herself the Dark Lady. Her dominion over the city and its Shadowfell reflection was harsh and absolute, her reign defined by cruelty and fear. This tyranny came to an end with the Grandmother Incident, during which Umbraxis was slain. In the aftermath of her death, Umbra fell into anarchy, its power structure collapsing overnight.

Whispers now spread of a new power rising to fill the void. Some claim the Raven Queen herself has appointed a successor, not a tyrant but a shepherd. Travelers speak of a hooded figure with angelic wings who appears in moments of desperation, striking down remnants of Umbraxis' regime and guiding the lost to safety. Whether this figure is truly the Raven Queen’s chosen or merely another shadow in the dark remains uncertain.