God of Darkness and Despair
Group (Pantheon): The Void Covenant
Domains: Darkness, Despair, Corruption
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Umbrahal's holy symbol is a black iron chain twisted into the shape of a broken circle, symbolizing shattered hope and imprisonment within despair. The links are engraved with ancient runes of binding and suffering, faintly glowing with cursed dark energy. His followers wear the symbol as an iron pendant or brand it into their skin in a show of unyielding loyalty.
The faith of Umbrahal is clandestine and oppressive, structured like a dark cult or secret society. His followers serve in hierarchical sects called Covenants of the Shadowed End, with power concentrated among the most ruthless and manipulative. Worshipers range from corrupt nobles and cursed wanderers to forsaken prophets and fallen priests.
The Veil of Night
The supreme priest of Umbrahal's faith, believed to be the mortal embodiment of his will. The Veil commands absolute authority within the dark church and is said to commune directly with Umbrahal through ritual sacrifice.
Chainspeakers
High-ranking priests and enforcers of the faith, responsible for conducting dark rituals, spreading despair, and binding followers through cursed pacts and life-debts.
Nightborn Heralds
Corrupted warlocks, necromancers, and shadowmancers who wield dark magic to enforce Umbrahal's will. They are tasked with spreading fear and death across the world.
Abyssal Wardens
Fanatical warriors sworn to defend the covenants with their lives. They wear cursed blackened armor etched with the sigils of torment and wield weapons bathed in dark enchantments.
Shattered Souls
The lowest ranks of the faith -- those who have fallen into despair and accepted eternal servitude. Many are bound by magical contracts or mind-breaking rituals that strip away their humanity.
Maldrith the Forsaken (past)
Role: First Veil of Night
Legacy: A fallen priest of Vara, Maldrith became the first Veil of Night after being consumed by despair during the Abyssal Wars. His fall marked the birth of Umbrahal's mortal following. His Mask of Hollow Eyes is still used in dark rituals today.
Arvethis the Shattered (past)
Role: Nightborn Herald
Legacy: A necromantic warlord who led the Shadow March during the Fourth Age, creating an army of the dead fueled by Umbrahal's power. His cursed blade, Voidrend, is said to hunger for the souls of the hopeful.
Lady Eryndis Hollowheart (past)
Role: Cursed Oracle of Despair
Legacy: A prophetic seer once devoted to Rhosin, Eryndis was driven mad by a corrupted vision of the future. Consumed by despair, she became a prophet of Umbrahal, her twisted prophecies plunging entire kingdoms into ruin.
Nira Blackthorn (present)
Role: Chainspeaker of the Broken Covenant
Legacy: A ruthless and manipulative figure, Nira oversees the largest surviving Covenant of the Shadowed End within the Stormmarch Republic. Her network of informants and corrupted officials is unmatched.
Vorik Duskwarden (present)
Role: Abyssal Warden Commander
Legacy: Vorik commands Umbrahal's elite dark knights, the Voidguard, known for their campaigns of terror throughout the northern frontier. His Armor of Final Chains renders him immune to most holy magic.
Though outlawed in nearly every realm, the faith of Umbrahal persists in the dark corners of Stormmarch, the Redspire Compact, and the cursed lands of the Ebon Wastes. Hidden sanctuaries known as Shadowed Bastions are scattered throughout the world, guarded by deadly wards and abyssal guardians.
Umbrahal's followers stand opposed to every god of light, life, and hope, particularly Vara (light and healing) and Maelis (love and compassion). They often clash with Theris (justice) and Talandra (order) as their doctrines of law and fairness threaten the faith's rise. They maintain an uneasy tolerance toward Naeris (shadows and secrets), occasionally aligning with his agents when mutual destruction of enemies is assured.
Though the gods have withdrawn, Umbrahal's influence only grows stronger:
Umbrahal, the God of Darkness and Despair, represents the consuming power of hopelessness, fear, and oblivion. He is the shadow cast over mortal hearts, the lingering dread that saps strength and courage. Where other gods wield light or law, Umbrahal is the antithesis -- a force of entropy and despair that seeks to unravel all that exists. He is not an active conqueror but an inevitable end, patient and relentless.
Umbrahal is often depicted as a towering, gaunt figure cloaked in robes of swirling black mist, his form shifting and undefined, as if he were a living void. His face is hidden beneath a dark iron mask engraved with hollow, weeping eyes. In his grasp is Endspire, a staff forged from shattered hope and bound by cursed iron chains, symbolizing the inescapability of despair.
Umbrahal's presence is a constant reminder that darkness, despair, and inevitable endings are as much a part of existence as hope and light. His followers spread fear and misery wherever they walk, slowly unraveling the fragile threads holding mortal society together.
"The light always fades ... and the shadows never sleep."
Source: Homebrew, 2024.
Trindle Spring Lutheran Church RPG Club | Mechanicsburg, PA