Nyxumbra - Summary
Nyxumbra
General Culture: A shadowy, secretive society obsessed with necromancy and the study of the Veilbreak’s lingering magic. Nyxumbrans are superstitious, with a culture of masks and hidden identities to ward off spirits.
Political System: Magocracy. A cabal of necromancers, led by the Lich-Queen (rumored to be undead), rules with arcane might. Dissent is silenced through fear or enchantment.
Capital City: Gloomspire, a city of obsidian towers shrouded in mist, where undead laborers toil in the streets and necromantic rituals light the night.
Race Mix: Tieflings, humans, and drow are common, with undead (skeletons, ghosts) integrated as workforce along with slaves. Other races are rare, and halflings are openly despised as “too pure” for Nyxumbra’s dark ethos.
Regions: Split primarily by how dangerous they are.
The Withering Bloom - A sprawling region where life and undeath intertwine, cultivating flora and fauna with potent necromantic energies. This eerie landscape provides all the necessary components for dark rituals and forbidden potions.
The Sunken Foothills - A network of caves and tunnels beneath rolling hills, home to secretive Dark Elf enclaves. The air is cool and damp, carrying the faint scent of earth and strange fungi.
The Death Spiral - A desolate, rocky expanse dominated by a colossal, obsidian sphere. This artifact, known as the 'Umbral Nexus', hums with latent energy, capable of tearing open a gateway to the underworld when activated.
The Ashen Expanse - A desolate and blighted landscape where the very earth seems to weep with sorrow. Wandering hordes of restless undead endlessly patrol these cursed plains, driven by an insatiable hunger for life.
Notable Feature: Nyxumbra’s necromancers guard the Umbral Nexus, a portal to the Underworld which adventurers seek for its dangerous power.
Population: Nyxumbra's population reside mostly in defensible locations due to the threatening nature of much of the landscape. Underground caverns and strongholds are most common, but some areas allow for more peaceful residence such as The Withering Bloom.
Total estimated population: 560,000
Major Population Centers:
Gloomspire: 375,000
Depthstark: 125,000
Darkpetal: 40,000
Carnathon: 10,000
Remaining Population: small enclaves of elves in the Underdark, or necromancer strongholds.
Primary Religious Tendencies: Dark cult of Vecna (The Whispered One), focused on undeath and forbidden knowledge. Vecna, the lich-god of secrets, undeath, and evil magic. Nyxumbra's necromancers worship him through rituals using slaves as "vessels" for arcane secrets. Sacrifices and shadows, where bloodlines are harvested to uncover Veilbreak lore. Tendencies include eye-and-hand symbols (Vecna's artifacts), whispered oaths in crypts, and viewing the Lich Queen (possibly a high priestess) as Vecna's avatar, with espionage against rivals like Lumivale for magical dominance.