The Darkest Umbral

The Darkest Umbral was the title given to the leader of the Justice of the Shadows and the Eclipsed (the council through which the Umbral's orders were enforced) in the Age of Shadows.

Duties

The Darkest Umbral was the conduit through which the instructions of the Ancient and Glorious were transmitted to the Justice of the Shadows. To receive them, the Umbral would meet regularly with the one of the Shadow Suckers designated as the Envoy. One such meeting featuring Alistair Newton is illustrated at the head of this article.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

The position of leader of the Justice of the Shadows was very precarious. The Shadow Sucker Envoy was often ordered to dispose of one who was considered a failure by the Ancient and Glorious and they were capricious and impatient masters. Then too, assassinations were far from unknown and became an accepted way of removing an incumbant from office. Some of these were authorised in the Dark Domains and some were not.

History

The role of the Darkest Umbral was one of extreme pressure which invariably tested its holders to destruction. The question was not whether they would succumb to it, but when and how.
After the establishment of the Shadowlands, however, there was something of a change in the lines of communication between the Justice of the Shadows and the Dark Domains, a shift which Alistair Newton engineered. He is shown meeting the Shadow Sucker Envoy in the illustration at the head of this article.

The Envoy and I had something in common, which when I thought about it, changed my relationship with the thing. We were both afraid. I could not evade the classic response the Shadow Sucker provoked in all humans. And for its part, the Envoy was afraid of its masters in the Dark Domains. There was, I sensed, some deep resentment of whatever "alliance" it had forged with the Ancient and Glorious. As time passed, I learned to control my fear. I couldn't help but feel it, but I could wall my mind off and observe it. I could operate above it. That's when I saw how the Envoy raged, caught between me and its masters, its shape shifting to mirror first one and then the other. It was frustrated. Perhaps it was responsive to pressure from below as well as above? "Why don't we make a different deal?" I suggested.

— Alistair Newton's Diary

Notable Holders

Umbral	Office Holder	Image	Remarks
4487 APC to 4506 APC	Zacharius Pitton	Zacharius Pitton Portrait by DMFW with Midjourney	The founder of the Justice of the Shadows
4580 APC to 4606 APC	Leif Wurther	Leif Wurther by DMFW with Midjourney	The author of The Testament Of Shadows
4731 APC to 4739 APC	Gwen Oxford	Gwen Oxford by DMFW with Midjourney	A seductive, wily and ruthless leader, who saved the cult at a time when it was threatened with extinction.
4835 APC to 4890 APC	Alistair Newton	Alistair Newton by DMFW with Midjourney	Generally considered to be the most astute politician to lead the Justice of the Shadows and the only leader to dare to strike bargains with the Dark Domains and successfully manipulate the Ancient and Glorious for a protracted period of time.
5132 APC to 5146 APC	Linamna Keld	Linamna Keld by DMFW with Midjourney	The last of the Darkest Umbrals, she was an exceptional organiser and brought the Justice of the Shadows to the point of achieving ultimate victory, but was defeated in the Holy Battle of Oroth which led to the final and complete destruction of the cult.

Type

Religious, Special

Form of Address

Conduit of Shadows

Alternative Naming

Shadow Prophet

Source of Authority

The Darkest Umbral was appointed by the Ancient and Glorious through the mediation of their Shadow Sucker agents.

Length of Term

Life whether naturally or unnaturally ended

First Holder

Zacharius Pitton

Past Holders

• Alistair Newton
• Gwen Oxford
• Leif Wurther
• Linamna Keld

Related Organizations

• The Justice of the Shadows
• The Eclipsed