@BloodMoonShade
Overview
A name whispered and rarely spoken in daylight. To most, the Blood Moon Shade is little more than a frontier superstition—a story told to explain vanished farms, bloodless livestock, and crimson moons hanging over the distant Umberwood. In truth, the Shade is a growing power centered upon the twin figures of Selrik and Grimjow Varn, whose existence has become intertwined with something far older than either brother: the living will of the Umberwood itself.
What began as a curse has become an ideology. What began as survival has become a vision for the future.
To the faithful, the Shade offers liberation from fear, death, and the tyranny of daylight.
To everyone else, it represents the end of civilization.
Nature & Goal
The Blood Moon Shade seeks to widen the reach of night itself.
Their ultimate vision is known as the Long Night—a gradual transformation of the frontier into a realm where moonlight reigns, roots spread unchecked, and the Umberwood's influence extends beyond its ancient borders.
Under the Long Night:
Crops fail beneath crimson moonlight.
Nocturnal predators flourish.
Civilization retreats behind shrinking walls.
The Umberwood expands into a living kingdom of root, blood, and shadow.
To the brothers and their followers, this is not destruction but restoration. They believe the world has spent centuries resisting its natural state and that the Long Night merely returns balance to a land corrupted by daylight, faith, and empire.
Organization
The Blood Moon Shade is neither kingdom nor cult.
It functions as a living hierarchy built upon proximity, loyalty, and transformation.
At the center stand:
@SelrikVarn
Master strategist, diplomat, and architect of the Shade's long-term ambitions.
@GrimjowVarn
Warlord, hunter, and commander of the Shade's military forces.
Though vastly different in temperament, the brothers form the foundation of the entire organization. When separated, their influence weakens. When united, their presence amplifies the power of every servant around them.
Pureblood vampires, elder lycans, and ancient servants who act as regional anchors for the Shade's influence.
These individuals command territories, direct operations, and maintain control over lesser converts.
The lowest ranks consist of:
Turned villagers.
Enthralled followers.
Corrupted beasts.
Fanatics who willingly embrace the Shade.
Some serve through devotion.
Others through fear.
Many no longer remember the difference.
Internal Divisions
Despite appearances, the Blood Moon Shade is not unified.
Several competing visions exist beneath the surface.
Favours manipulation, infiltration, diplomacy, and long-term planning.
Its members believe civilization should be guided into darkness gradually, allowing fear and necessity to accomplish what armies cannot.
Favours direct action, territorial dominance, and open displays of strength.
Many lycans and hunters respect Grimjow because he earns loyalty through action rather than intrigue.
Among the oldest members of the Shade are the lycans of the @OldMoonCircle.
Led by @LucenThayne, the Circle predates both the Blood Moon Shade and the fall of Eldmere itself.
While they acknowledge the brothers' authority, many elders privately view the union of vampire and lycan blood as an unnatural compromise. Their loyalty is practical rather than spiritual, maintained by necessity rather than devotion.
Their ancient creed remains unchanged:
"The moon needs no king."
Many believe that if Selrik and Grimjow were ever removed, the Circle would immediately attempt to reclaim its independence.
Methods
The Shade spreads through precision rather than conquest.
Trade routes vanish.
Couriers disappear.
Entire farmsteads fall silent overnight.
A single corrupted noble can accomplish more than a hundred undead soldiers.
Their preferred methods include:
Targeted terror campaigns.
Infiltration of settlements.
Corruption through dreams.
Black-vine infestations.
Strategic raids against infrastructure.
Every act serves a purpose.
Every disappearance sends a message.
Every rumor feeds fear.
And fear feeds the forest.
Signs & Symbolism
Where the Shade's influence grows:
Vines darken and pulse with crimson veins.
Animals fall silent.
The air hums with distant root-song.
Moonlight appears brighter than it should.
Its most recognizable symbol is the Bleeding Tree Mark.
Thin crimson roots appear beneath the skin near the left side of the chest, slowly spreading as devotion or corruption deepens.
To outsiders it is a warning.
To the faithful it is a blessing.
The Varn Bloodline
Few records survive concerning the original House Varn.
Most were destroyed during the fall of Eldmere or deliberately erased during later centuries.
What remains suggests the Varn line was touched by forces connected to both moonlight and blood long before the rise of the Blood Moon Shade.
Though the brothers are the most famous bearers of the name, they are not believed to be the only surviving descendants.
Ancient documents recovered from Eldmere imply that certain members of the bloodline react differently to the Umberwood's influence.
Why remains unknown.
Many scholars dismiss the stories as myth.
The brothers do not.
Relations
The Shade frequently exploits existing organizations without their knowledge.
Among the most common victims:
@CrowbellMessengers
@LanternRats
@ShadowMarket
These groups occasionally become carriers of information, supplies, or corruption without realizing it.
The @OldMoonCircle remains an uneasy partner rather than a fully loyal ally.
Their ancient traditions often conflict with Selrik's vision for the future.
The @DawnbreakPact remains the greatest organized threat to the Shade's ambitions.
Crusades, relics, and radiant weaponry have repeatedly stalled the Long Night's advance.
The Shade views Dawnbreak not merely as an enemy but as the last surviving remnant of a war that should have ended centuries ago.
The Umberwood (Hidden Master)
The greatest secret of the Blood Moon Shade is that the Umberwood is not merely a forest.
Beneath the roots sleeps a vast subterranean intelligence—an ancient root-god sustained by blood, fear, memory, and time.
The brothers believe they direct its power.
Perhaps they do.
Perhaps they never have.
The Umberwood speaks through roots, dreams, and corruption.
It rewards devotion.
It punishes weakness.
And with every passing year, its influence grows.
To destroy it would require an act of devastation equal to the Long Night itself.
Campaign Hooks
Investigate abandoned farms, cryptified structures, and black-vine infestations spreading along the frontier.
Rescue a missing Crowbell courier carrying route changes connected to coordinated Shade activity.
Descend beneath the ruined castle at the heart of the Umberwood and discover the truth behind the root-god's voice.
Then decide:
Burn the forest.
Or allow it to breathe.
Mechanics & Influence
Selrik and Grimjow strengthen one another when operating nearby.
The Bleeding Tree Mark can serve as a corruption tracker.
Radiant and silver weapons bypass many Shade resistances.
Sunlight weakens but does not destroy purebloods.
Special reagents such as Sunforged Oil, Verdant Distillates, and Dawnbreak relics can permanently damage corrupted roots.
Color Symbolism
The Shade's colors are no longer black and silver.
They are rust-red, wine, ember, and dried blood.
The Umberwood's roots glow like slow-beating hearts beneath the soil.
The Bleeding Tree Mark burns scarlet when the brothers act in unison.
And above them all hangs the crimson moon:
A single red eye watching the world prepare for a night that may never end.