Adumbral Ink

Adumbral Ink was originally developed by the wardens of Dalaein, the elemental prison, to communicate in ways that would be hidden from their powerful charges. Anything written with the ink would be completely imperceptible by any elemental being, including those of half-birth who carry the power of the elemental planes within their blood. While the recipe for creating the ink is not necessarily common knowledge neither is it an arcane secret known to just a few. In fact, knowing how to make the ink isn't terribly difficult nor valuable. The materials required to concoct the solution are far more valuable and challenging to obtain than the knowledge of how to craft it. The most difficult ingredient to acquire is said to be the essence of a quasi-elemental with ties to the planes of energy.
Since the broader settling of Kruos, the ink has seen a more subversive use by crime syndicates who use the ink in private communications. Creatures wholly of the material plane are somewhat of a rarity on Kruos due to the generations of interracial breeding inevitable on a rapidly expanding world and this has led to Anumbral Ink's increased value for communications and transactions one must keep private. In underground circles there are those who have made very lucrative careers out of being able to read and write these communications due to their elemental-free blood.
Due to its modern association with secrecy and illicit communications the ink has earned a rather unsavory reputation. In Izea and Fiera of the northwest it is classified as an illegal substance and documents found to contain the ink may be confiscated and destroyed. The paranoia surrounding the substance has caused some wealthy collectors to hoard such documents, especially those of ancient origin. These collectors vary in motive as some undertake the preservation and curation for historical reasons and others seek to profit from or earn prestige through the possession of such valuable artifacts.

Item type

Consumable, Magical