The Shadowkin Valcromin, like their enigmatic cousins, the Haxan Valcromin, were a mysterious and often misunderstood race that dwelled in the hidden corners of Eos. A strange fusion of humanoid and elemental, their origins were steeped in secrecy, their history veiled in shadow and conflict. Their unusual appearance, unsettling to most, had long set them apart from other races, casting them to the fringes of society. Misjudged as creatures of darkness, they faced suspicion at every turn, and many among the Wildlands feared them as if they were monsters of legend.
Despite this, the Shadowkin were no mere outcasts. They were an intelligent and resourceful people, able to weave through the labyrinthine politics of various realms with ease. Some among them mastered the ancient arts of arcana, bending the very fabric of magic to their will, while others found their place in the shadows, perfecting the craft of the rogue.
Essence of the Shadow
The Shadowkin were bound by blood to both humans and the dark, ethereal beings known as Shadow Mantles, a connection that baffled even the wisest scholars. Their bodies were an eerie blend of flesh and shadow, giving them an appearance that was as unnatural as it was awe-inspiring. Certain parts of a Shadowkin’s body—often random—were composed of solid flesh, while other parts were mere silhouettes, wisps of shadow that shifted and twisted like smoke. However, their hands, feet, and head were always of flesh and blood, though even this was not entirely normal. Their skin was a deep, ashen grey, sometimes nearly black, a stark contrast to their silver or violet eyes that gleamed with an otherworldly light.
medium
6'2"
humanoid
75-90 years
neutral evil
druidic
black, dark gray
silver, violet
black, dark gray
all
Rarer still were the Shadowkin whose entire bodies were of flesh, yet their skin remained incorporeal, giving them a ghostly aura. From beneath their clothes or armor, a dark mist seemed to pour, drifting around them like a living shroud, as if they were always on the edge of vanishing into the shadows from whence they came.
Stealth and Hiding
With such a nature, it was no surprise that the Shadowkin were masters of stealth. Their shadowy forms allowed them to blend effortlessly into the dimmest of lights, moving with a silence that left no trace of their passing. Their natural affinity for darkness made them expert ambushers and notorious thieves, with some of the most feared assassins in all the Wildlands hailing from their kind. They could strike from the shadows without warning, vanishing before their target even realized what had happened.
History
The origins of the Shadowkin Valcromin were a subject of endless debate, for no records of their existence could be found in the ancient archives of Ex Arcanotis. No writings from the Ancient Age even hinted at the presence of such beings. This absence only deepened their mystique.
Yet during the time of the Great Expanse, under the second Reign of Kings, stories emerged from the kingdom of Emberlon that offered a glimpse into their creation. It was said that King Hauth the First, a tyrant of the Hauth region, sought to create the perfect assassins. His dark sages, twisted in their ambitions, conducted horrific experiments, mating female human assassins with male Shadow Mantles—creatures of the void. From this unholy union, the Shadowkin were born. The sages’ forbidden arts, practiced in secrecy, had given life to a race caught between the mortal realm and the shadows beyond.
By the 2nd century MA, the Shadowkin had begun to multiply, spreading far beyond the borders of the Hauth region. Though their numbers grew, they remained rare and elusive, appearing only in scattered settlements across the Wildlands.
Culture and Existence
In the present day, the Shadowkin Valcromin could be found throughout the Wildlands, though their numbers were few. They lived as wanderers and outcasts, their very existence a reminder of ancient, forbidden magic. Some embraced their heritage, finding strength in their connection to the shadows, while others longed for acceptance in a world that had always shunned them. Their spirituality, rooted in druidic traditions, connected them to the natural world in strange and profound ways, and though many chose the path of the rogue or the assassin, others became keepers of ancient wisdom.
The Shadowkin remained a people of contrasts, embodying both the darkness that surrounded them and the light they sought within themselves. Though feared and misunderstood, they were not creatures of evil—merely beings whose essence lay between worlds, forever straddling the line between shadow and flesh.