Eukara Vox
Legendary AdventureGuide!
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A Trip into Shadow
By: Seymore Danger
The following accounts are pages torn from the research and findings of the famous historian and adventurer, Seymore Danger:
Most people like to spend their vacations relaxing. They spend their days wallowing in the lap of luxury, lying on the beaches of Lore with a drink in their hand. Slackers, I say! They spend their free time getting burnt to a crisp by the sun. How boring! Only the true adventurers in spirit spend their vacations digging through historical records, searching for lost treasures. And I do believe I have discovered quite a treasure hiding in the depths of the Dark Jungle.
My historical records state that, some time ago, there were many ancient tribes scattered throughout the world, each of which revered a specific element within the world of Lore. Most of these tribes are documented fairly well throughout the archives of history. However, there is one specific tribe that seems to have escaped the notice of the younger, and perhaps more naive, historians. This tribe has almost no records to speak of... leading many to believe they never existed at all. My recent research, however, suggests otherwise.
The story goes like this: There once were two opposing tribes in the depths of the jungle. One of the two, "The Bearers of Light," believed that Light was the fundamental element from which all other elements were derived. Their tribe typically bore the insignia of a white rat. The other, "The Guardians of Darkness," disagreed completely with the beliefs of the former, claiming that in fact Darkness was the origin of all other elements. This tribe always bore an insignia resembling a black dog.
Their disagreement led to a declaration of war. And so both sides gathered their greatest magi and formed ranks against the other. They began to barrage each other with their strongest spells, devastating a small portion of the jungle. However, despite their best efforts, neither clan was clearly stronger. Their spells neutralized each other, causing great destruction to their surroundings, but neither side could conjure a spell capable of proving stronger than the other's. It was at this point that a ceasefire was called, and the wisest of the magi of both tribes gathered to discuss this. They determined that the fact that neither side could manage to harm the other suggested that neither element was stronger than the other. This shook their fundamental beliefs to the core, for each tribe believed their element was the source of all others and thereby the strongest element. How could they both be equal?
One of the eldest of the Darkness tribe spoke then. "Perhaps neither is stronger because neither originated the other," he suggested in a gruff voice. This seemed the only reasonable explanation that any at the table could muster. The two tribes promptly called off their war, and intermingled as one new tribe. The belief of the new tribe was that Light and Darkness were equal and opposite partners in the world of Lore, defining all aspects of life. Of course, they maintained that both Light and Darkness were the primary elements from which all others derived, and were the strongest pair of the eight. It was also believed that while the two elements were partners, they could never be merged. They opposed each other, and any attempt to blend the two was sacrilege. Thus, the tribes were intermingled, but Light magi were not permitted to take Darkness magi as their partner, and vice versa.
This system of belief held strong for several decades, until the discovery of a scandal set off tensions among the magi. The head of the Light magi learned that his son had often been seen with a female member of the Darkness magi. He confronted his son, reminding him of their beliefs and laws. To this, the son responded that he had fallen in love with the girl and begged his father to allow the marriage. When he forbade it, the son left his father's presence and fled from the tribe with his love.
The two became outcasts, abandoned by their tribe. Yet their decision to leave proved to be one of the more fortunate ones in the history of Lore. While the powers and influence of their old tribe slowly faded away into the chronicles of history, they formed a new tribe which believed intently in the ability for both Light and Darkness to be merged, to co-exist in a balance with each other. Over time, this tribe became well known for their mastery of both Light and Darkness, as well as their ability to merge the two elements in ways that many considered unnatural. The merging of Light and Darkness formed a hybrid of sorts, which they called "Shadow."* And thus, the origin for this long lost tribe is explained. It has been said that this third tribe took up the insignia of a feline figure, perhaps a cat, which is colored black with a white aura. Why this insignia was chosen is still anyone's guess, though I like to think it was an attempt at a humorous tribute towards their predecessors.
With this mysterious hybridization of elements came the ability to manipulate their surroundings. With a proper understanding of both Light and Darkness, a skilled magus could apply their properties together and completely disappear from sight. They could become invisible, but without the gross limitations that most invisibility spells have. This type of invisibility could not be dispelled by any generic spell designed to thwart standard invisibility magic. It was not prone to distort light, as some spells do, making you easily visible in a well-lit area. Nor did this magic require cunning or speed, such as that of a Ninja. No, this was the discovery of true stealth: the ability to disappear, and stay that way.
Another strange technique of these magi involved their ability to make a quick escape. Ninja tended to use sneaky tactics, such as rapidly scattering dust in the air to make it seem as it they vanished in a cloud of smoke, when in reality they had merely used the dust to blind their foes and escape capture. These magi, however, had another approach. They could use the natures of Light and Darkness to "melt" themselves down into mere shadows and disappear, whereupon they could promptly re-emerge from any shadowed area in the near vicinity. This act is quite similar to standard teleportation, but those who train in this art are so skilled that the effort expended to shift from shadow to shadow is far less than that of a normal teleportation spell. They can do it almost effortlessly. It is rumored that, when they melt down into shadows, they are actually teleporting themselves to an alternate plane, which they can use to cross vast distances with minimum effort. These claims have not been verified, however, so I cannot speak with certainty as to whether they are fact or fiction.
There is not much else of note about this tribe. As I said, they are mere mentions in archives. There is great doubt that such a tribe existed. But I intend to find out if, indeed, they existed. I will be visiting the Dark Jungle soon; for it has been rumored there are traces of these mysterious magi deep within that vast jungle. The jungle is a dangerous place, nowadays... especially at night. But a good adventurer is not afraid of danger! And I intend to get to the bottom of this lost art, no matter what!
*It is important to note, here, that the term "shadow" is oftentimes misused by our culture. We tend to refer to creatures of the darkness as "shadow beings". This is not the meaning that this tribe has associated with Shadow. This tribe refers to Shadow as a harmonious co-existence of Light and Darkness, each in balance with the other.
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