Nulvari

Nulvari are a people on the edge. It is said that one never knows where the children of shadows stand, for they are cloaked in shadows, shadows of the mind, shadows of intention, and shadows of spirit. They walk on the edge of perception. For nulvari, being noticed, being the center of attention, being known are states that their very nature rebels against. Secrets permeate every aspect of their lives. Secrets are hearth and home to the nulvari, shared with those whom they trust and respect enough to bring into their circles of trust. Such trust and respect are as rare and precious as any riches found throughout Urth. However, like the light needed to cast a shadow, there is a time and place for the secret to become known and action to follow. What is the true test is how to reveal information to create the proper consequences, such is the art of the revelation? The revealing of secrets is as much a part of nulvari culture as gathering and keeping them.   The ability to Veil is a power that all nulvari depend upon. Often described as ‘walking between,’ nulvari can shift their physical form beyond the veil of Urth, freeing them from the trappings of physicality. When a nulvari first walks between the shadows, it is a difficult and dangerous journey. It is said that when the child first walks between the shadows, they experience the Mysting, where the nulvari experiences the veils around everything and everyone. It is here that they learn their first Shroud, the metaphysical veils that conceal truths of form, function and understanding. Through constant exercise, the child of shadow can travel farther and faster, until finally they are able to embrace the shadows and become imperceptible to the physical world. Nulvari architecture is rife with dead ends, labyrinths and choke points which serve to limit those without veiling from accessing certain areas.   The bond to the shadow alters the tissues of a nulvari, infusing them with a grey tint. It grows darker with age as they are exposed to the shadows and the magics of the Deeps. The process that enables the nulvari to turn greyer of skin, hair, and eyes, is known as Dusking.   Nulvari keep many secrets and keep many Quora, circles of confidants and advisors with whom they share their secrets. Those who do not share their secrets with anyone soon become consumed with the depth and weight of their burden, having their selves overshadowed by the secrets. It is said that the nulvari, as a race, have begun to use their collective glimpses into beyond time to manipulate events in their favor. It is certain that each of the great Houses of the nulvari engage in their works and investigate various conspiracies as does each family and in fact, each individual nulvari. Being brought into a nulvari’s quora is a great honor and danger. Some shrouds take many years or generations to reveal and even more before the proper plot can be enacted. As such, nulvari have become adept at various means of disguising their information in their art, architecture, and other works. It is said that all nulvari works hold hidden meanings and messages that simply await a member of some quorum to decipher it.   Nulvari hold themselves to a code of personal honor entwined with the pursuit of their quora. It not important to a nulvari that anyone know what they have sacrificed for the greater good. It is only important that they have carried their share of the burden. This is an old adage of the children of shadows.   Honor is spirit, together as one   Honor is fabric, invisibly spun   Honor is victory, silently won   Honor is all, the rest forever shun   Being at the center of attention is a place and position that most nulvari shun, at least as it pertains to those that do not walk in shadow. Only the most gifted, least favored, or perhaps unbalanced nulvari seek or accept such a position.   A topic that is not discussed in polite company is the relative rarity of male nulvari since the Culling. To the nulvari, the birth of any child is a gift, but a son is a rare gift.   The Great Houses of Koth are listed below, each having a number of minor ‘houses’ that have been added to their ranks over the millennia such as the Moonhorn of House Panther, the Kirin of House Bat, the Nakul of House Scorpion, the Wyrm of House Snake or the mysterious Umbra.  

• House Panther is found in the northern caverns of the Hidden Province centered in a great citadel known as Nightwall. Panthers are perhaps the most widely martially gifted of the houses.
• House Bat is found in the west and southwest caverns of the Hidden Province centered in the Hollows under the Violet Peaks. Bats are generally the most magically adept of the houses.
• House Scorpion is found in the caverns of the Hidden Province under central Koth calling the Deep Burrows under Quar their first home. Scorpions are perhaps the most alchemically gifted of the houses.
• House Snake is found in the southern caverns of the Hidden Province calling the Nagarum, stronghold of House Serpent, found on the shores of the Sibyline river beneath the Underwood in southern Koth their nest. Snakes are by far the most diverse of the houses, taking advantage of opportunities as they arise, which also makes this house the one held in the least esteem. Snakes are the most likely house to seek partners who do not walk in shadows for business or other pursuits.
• House Yeren is found in the east and southeastern caverns of the Hidden Province calling the Yowling Gaps under the Groen’s Rest their home. Yeren are the least formal of the nulvari, spending their time in the ‘wilds’ of the Hidden Province. Yeren grow their hair long and favor pursuits that take them to distant places.
• Other Houses exist in other lands. In Haelos, House Spider, House Night and House Fire stand apart from the Empire. In Orda, the Grimdark clan holds the most sway while the Houses of Dusk wander the wilds of Underurth existing on the fringes.