Lands of Tyranny
Day 17 of The Centaur, Year 416
Umbra
Goddess of Darkness, Loss, Oblivion, Memories, Regret, Numbness, Secrets, Silence & Solitude Symbols: A dark veil, a rose on a skull, an unlit black candle
Umbra, also known as the Lady of Secrets, or the Lady of Darkness, is the deity who presides over the darker aspects of the human psyche—guilt, shame, regret, and the pain of remembrance. She offers solace through forgetfulness and the comforting embrace of oblivion, providing sanctuary to those burdened by memories and societal judgments. She represents the dual nature of darkness: a realm of fear and secrecy and a source of peace and renewal. Her worship challenges the simplistic notions of right and wrong, instead focusing on the complexities of one's actions, contradictions, and emotions. Umbra's embrace offers a pathway beyond pain—a silent passage through the shadows where one can find the peace that the glaring light of day often denies.
Umbra, a deity of many facets, remains a mystery to most; her cults whispered about in hushed tones. It is said that they weathered the storm of the New Gods, their survival a testament to the art of absolute discretion and devotion that underpin her worship and followers.
Those who fear the judgment of their peers or society, break taboos, or do things that would be considered shameful, such as prostitution, indulging in vices, and meeting with lovers, also invoke the Lady’s name: they are the ones that call upon Umbra, wearing black or dark scarves and veils when they walk the dark alleys where they conduct their immoral or shameful businesses. Common thieves also often whisper her name before they commit their crimes, and even common people, followers of the Three, might have whispered the name of this goddess before committing some darker deed, knowing all too well that their Gods would judge them. This contributes to the reputation of this goddess, making it easy for the Inquisition and the Faith of the Three to depict her as evil and protecting only the worst of society. However, those who delve deeper into the deity's nature are drawn not to her dark aspects but to her nature of nurture and protection.
Her name is whispered in noble courts, where intrigue and betrayal are woven in secrecy. Yet, in these very courts, she is also worshipped for her contrasting aspects, such as safeguarding the identities of unwanted children or people who would be otherwise condemned, sparing them from a life of misery or even death.
Umbra teaches that true relief from suffering comes through acceptance and forgiveness of one's sins, mistakes, guilts, and pains, often coming with a relieving release of these memories. Her followers believe that forgetting, or at least leaving things to the past, is not a loss but a liberation, freeing the soul from the chains of past actions and the eyes of judgment: a doctrine especially appealing to those whose lives are marked by actions deemed sinful or shameful by society.
People of all races, burdened by their past actions, seek solace in the Lady of Secrets. They do not ask for forgiveness but for Umbra's gift of Oblivion, a release from the shackles of grief and regret. These troubled souls sometimes become the menders of others' pain or find peace in the final embrace of the Dark Lady.
Small daily rituals and offerings in the name of The Lady of Darkness include tying black laces and strings on the body, doors and entrances, and blackening windows or something as simple as closing curtains. Extinguishing lights, flames, or candles symbolizes shrouding one's visible self to embrace the hidden truths within. Followers carry out processions and ceremonies in the darkness, often during the new moon and in silence, through shadowed pathways or abandoned places, signifying a pilgrimage through one's inner darkness to find solace in Umbra's embrace.
One of the most sacred rituals is the Burning of Memories, in which followers write down their painful memories or confessions on paper and cast them into a ceremonial fire. As the paper burns, the priest chants, invoking Umbra's power to lift their burdens and erase the painful past, allowing them to start anew, unanchored by old woes.
The Lady of Darkness and Silence also greatly appeals to some creatures of the Underworld, especially the Ilthir, who often experience great suffering and loneliness in their monolithic, bureaucratic society.
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Even if the cult of Umbra is forbidden in Ilthirri society as much as in Human society (though her private worship is tolerated in the first), some of her followers somehow end up meeting each other and forming small groups, gathering in secret to share their pains and regrets, or simply to be together in the silence and darkness of The Depths. It is not unheard of some surfacers to feel a dangerous attraction for the darkness and silence of the Underworld, and it is rumored that some of the cults of Umbrites from both the surface and The Depths are in contact: although, due to their secrecy, these remains, in fact, voices, carried by the wind.
Author: Rashan