The Umbra are the children of the earth and reside in their kingdom known as the Nurem. Their kingdom under the mountain has stood for generations and was once part of their expansive empire.
Over the centuries their kingdoms have been reduced to small pockets of power. While the Umbra have resigned to their fates and retreated to their kingdoms under the mountain.
Often seen as mediators between worlds, they have many treaties both with mortals and the undead. They prefer to remain neutral in the dealings of others as well as welcome both the alliance of man and beast.
They are a warlike race who at the height of their power were capable of invading the mortal world.
Even today in the sanctity of Nurem there are few who would dare break a treaty within their great halls.
In the mountain known as Nurem, they have mined through the expansive caves in a hope to obtain the star silver which they use against the undead. The sun stone is a rare mineral that illuminates the roof of Nurem casting a soft glow throughout the cavern.
The Umbra are immortal creatures and choose to keep a kinship with the natural elements.
It is not common for a Umbra to leave the mountain to enter the human stronghold of Ystrad and when they do, they tend to do so with a purpose and never venture on a whim.
Few armies have dared to assault the kingdom of the Umbra and those that have did not return. The pathway into Nurem is a maze of tunnels and caverns, giving the Umbra a tactical advantage.
The Umbra see a closer kinship between themselves and other immortals before that of their human neighbors. The result is a racial tension between them though they generally tolerate one another.
The average Umbra is of medium height with a pale complexion and white hair. Their eyes are predominantly a golden honey color and are of average build but do not have the same tall thin features of other elven kin. They are a silent race who move unseen thanks to vision that can pierce the dark. They often are adorned with facial markings and when they do die, they turn back into the earth from whence they are born.
Under the house of the Nurem, not all remain Umbra and an assortment of races can be found numbering their ranks. What they do lack in numbers, they more than make up for in quality of warriors and ingenuity of manufacturing.
It is rumored that the elves under the mountain have strange machines that can harvest the energy of sun stones, allowing them to focus it for a variety of purposes. The Umbra share more in common with dwarves than their other elven counterparts.
What is known is that none know the deep earth or the secrets of Nurem as well as the children of the earth and that if you wish to obtain the most valuable riches hidden there, you must first pay tribute to their elven kingdom.