Shadowfolk - Fetchling

Once human and now something apart, Shadowfolk display the Shadow Plane's ancient influence through monochrome complexions, glowing eyes, and the casting of supernatural shadows.

Shadowfolk are a striking people whose skin appears entirely drained of color. These lithe and shadowy beings seem to sink and vanish into the gloom. They see in darkness, exercise control over shadows, and have strange occult powers. Some Shadowfolk develop their powers enough to pass between the Shadow and Material Planes, leaving other ancestries to whisper about figures that emerge from shaded corners and then vanish without a trace. Through magic and other means, they've spread across Termina and the planes beyond, as adaptable as the humans they once were.

The first Shadowfolk were refugees. Ages ago, when the Atlantean Empire fell and cast the world into darkness, one small group of Atlaneteans pleaded for rescue. A mysterious hooded figure known as the "Cloak" answered their call, slicing open a passage into the Shadow Plane. The Atlanteans stepped through, trading the darkness of Atlantis's Fall for a deep shadow. As they navigated the plane's strange environs and dangerous inhabitants, its nature slowly worked monumental changes on the survivors.

SUB-ETHNICITIES
Bright
Deep
Liminal
Resolute
Wisp

Most of the Shadow Plane appears as an altered version of the Material Plane but leeched of color. These same forces in the Shadow Plane have touched Shadowfolk, whose skin tones fall on a monochromatic scale from stark white to deep black, and all the shades of gray between. Their bodies are just as diverse in shape and size as humans, though most display a certain fluidity of motion reminiscent of shifting shadows. Shadowfolks' reflective, pupilless eyes can pierce darkness. A Shadowfolks most notable feature is their shadow, which almost never faithfully reflects their body. Instead, Shadowfolk shadows might have incongruous shapes or sizes, while others flicker, move of their own accord, or imitate the shadow of another nearby creature.

Most Shadowfolk remain close to Termina on either the Material or Shadow Planes, either forming majority-Shadowfolk communities or forging solitary paths. Both planar groups tend to be insular; many Shadowfolk cultures preserve memories of their early, perilous days confronting the Shadow Plane's hostile or beguiling denizens. Their predilection for forming tight communal bonds and adapting to local customs has spread to become part of broader Shadowfolk culture.

A culture of survival passed down through generations means many Shadowfolk prefer to maintain a cautious worldview and adapt to prevailing circumstances. As a result, many trend toward a neutral outlook on life. Some choose to join with local powers for personal or communal advancement, or to tear systems down from the inside. Others attempt to shatter what they see as fetters that bind them and their communities.

No small number of Shadowfolk are nonreligious, recognizing all gods' powers but revering none. Faithful Shadowfolkprefer gods that offer protection and stability.

The Cloak

The Cloak was one of the Forsaken— sinister demigods who once watched over the Shadow Plane. It heard an Atlantean call for rescue, lifted its shivering Scythe, and tore a passage into darkness; those it ushered into the Shadow Plane became the first Shadowfolk. Few remember anything beyond the Cloak's name, and fewer still offer it prayers. It grants power to no Shadowfolk priests.