DarkLife & Dark Beastlings
Concept — Reanimated Threats
DarkLife
DarkLife is the zombie-like state produced when Umbral Essence reanimates dead beastlings (animals), severed limbs, or disembodied remains. The reanimated remains are bent entirely toward the destruction of things of the light, particularly Kinsfolk.
DarkLife does not think, remember, or act with purpose beyond destruction.
Dark Beastlings
The reanimated dead produced by Umbral Essence. Named by combining "Dark" with the creature's habitat type:
| Original Creature | Dark Beastling Name |
|---|---|
| Forest squirrel | Dark Forest Beastling |
| Shore crab | Dark Shore Beastling |
| Mountain goat | Dark Mountain Beastling |
Distinguished from Umbral Essence itself (which is diffuse and impersonal) and from the Shades (who retain individual will and memory).
How to Destroy Dark Beastlings
| Method | Effect |
|---|---|
| Physical destruction | Damage sufficient to render the body unable to act — dismemberment, crushing |
| Fire | Burned to cinder and ash — fully lethal |
| Low TrueLight | Burns skin and husk on contact (like sunlight on a vampire) but will not kill |
| Intense TrueLight | Sustained or intense exposure is lethal |
A persistent threat at the edges of Farshadow.
Common Names
The Kinsfolk developed informal terms for Dark Beastlings over generations of encounters:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Borrowed Eyes | The darkness inhabiting the creature is "borrowing" its eyes — the thing that looks at you is not the animal it once was. |
| Half Beasts | Beastlings that are broken, mangled, only about half physically present. Missing limbs, split torsos, dragging what remains. |
| Quarter Beasts | Even less intact — barely recognizable fragments of creatures, animated by Umbral Essence with almost nothing left of the original form. |
| Dark Hoard / Hoard / Throng | A mass of Dark Beastlings gathered in one place. A throng is not coordinated — the creatures do not cooperate — but they converge on the same conditions and the same targets. |
These terms persist among the Sparkless and in old songs, though the Temple of Knowledge considers them colorful exaggeration.
See also: Umbral Essence · Beastlings · TrueLight · TrueDark