Tenebricose isn't merely darkness; it’s a state of being, a resonance born from the deepest recesses of forgotten places. It began not with a singular event, but with a slow, insidious bleed – a thinning of the veil between realities. Initially, it manifested as subtle distortions: objects momentarily flickering out of existence, echoes of conversations that hadn't occurred, the unsettling feeling of being watched by something unseen. These were the first whispers, the nascent tendrils of Tenebricose.
“The stone remembers,” a voice echoed, not spoken, but felt – a cold pressure against the mind.
The ancient texts, those bound in leather and smelling of dust and regret, spoke of 'The Unraveling'. They described a time when the world was less defined, when the boundaries between dimensions were porous. It was during this time that the ‘Shadeborn’ emerged – entities formed from concentrated Tenebricose, beings of pure shadow with a hunger for the lost and the forgotten. They weren’t inherently malevolent, but their existence alone corrupted the surrounding area, amplifying the effects of Tenebricose.
As Tenebricose spread, it created a network – a ‘Resonance Network’ – linking locations saturated with its influence. These weren’t simply places where shadows gathered; they were nodes of heightened awareness, where the veil was thinnest, and the Shadeborn could more easily traverse between realities. The network pulsed with a faint, almost imperceptible energy. It responded to emotion, to memory, to regret – feeding on the psychic residue of the past. The further along the network one traveled, the more profoundly one experienced the effects of Tenebricose.
“Lost things…they call to you. They always do.”
Certain locations were particularly potent – the ruins of forgotten civilizations, graveyards steeped in sorrow, places where significant tragedies had occurred. These were the ‘Confluences’ – points where the Resonance Network reached its peak intensity. It was said that within these Confluences, one could glimpse fragments of alternative timelines, experience the emotions of past inhabitants, even briefly interact with echoes of their actions.
The Shadeborn weren’t monolithic. They existed on a spectrum, categorized by their ‘resonance’ – the degree to which they were tied to the Resonance Network. The ‘Echoes’ were the weakest, merely distortions of light and sound, capable of causing disorientation and paranoia. ‘Shimmers’ were slightly more substantial, capable of manipulating small objects and influencing dreams. The most powerful were the ‘Veilwalkers’ – beings capable of fully manifesting in our reality, wielding shadow as a weapon and capable of erasing memories and altering perceptions. Their motivations were rarely clear, often seeming driven by a vague compulsion to ‘collect’ – to gather lost knowledge, forgotten artifacts, and, perhaps most disturbingly, lost souls.
“Remember…you are forgetting.”
It was theorized that the Shadeborn were not seeking to dominate, but to restore a balance that had been disrupted – a return to a state of primordial chaos before the emergence of structured reality. Whether this was a benevolent goal or a prelude to a far darker fate remained a subject of intense debate among scholars and those who had, unfortunately, experienced the full extent of Tenebricose’s influence.
The existence of Tenebricose appears to be cyclical, tied to fluctuations in the energy of the Resonance Network. Periods of intense fluctuation – often coinciding with significant historical events or periods of widespread emotional distress – would trigger a surge in Tenebricose’s influence, exacerbating the network’s effects and drawing the Shadeborn into heightened activity. Conversely, periods of calm and stability would see a gradual receding of Tenebricose, though it never truly disappeared, remaining a latent threat, a silent echo waiting to be awakened.
“The darkness always returns.”
Understanding the mechanisms of this cycle, and ultimately, controlling the influence of Tenebricose, remains the greatest challenge facing those who seek to protect the world from its insidious embrace. It’s a battle not against a single enemy, but against the very fabric of reality itself – a constant struggle against the relentless tide of shadow and echo.