Batler Kheiron

The Umbral Exalted A fisherwoman watches the night sky on the beach, nursing bitterness over her meager lot in life. An artist stalks his rival along shadowed alleyways, bearing a long knife that will free him from being second best. A prince sees conspiracies behind every corner, terrified by the poisoners and assassins she imagines in her court. Such inner turmoil, together with the potential for heroism, is the soil in which Umbral Exaltation takes root, a black rose that blooms from the heart’s darkness. Every Umbral is haunted by her Shadow, a twisted re- flection born from her darkest thoughts, worst impuls- es, and the lingering echoes of the dead god who chose her. It whispers to her, urging her to listen, to heed its counsel, to give in. In exchange, it offers power. The Umbral Exalted are mighty, controlling darkness and shadow by will alone and drawing forth the monstrous passions of others, but to attain the apex of their power they must surrender control to their Shadow, inch by inch, until they can no longer defy it. The Umbrals’ path is a difficult one; each bears their burden differently. Some seek to chain their Shadow, following rigid codes of morality or cultivating disci- pline through asceticism and austerities. Others let their Shadow slake its wrath against those they deem wicked, channeling their dark passions towards ends they can justify. Still others give their Shadow all that it asks, willing to make any sacrifice or commit any sin if it will bring them power. Some have tried to make peace with their Shadow, forging a symbiotic relation- ship by understanding and accepting it, though few, if any, have succeeded in this.