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A Shade is an elf born with the ability to manipulate and control darkness. It is an unwelcome (but not forbidden) ability. Shades are seen as untrustworthy, devious, and even evil by elves due to their immense disrespect for light.

Usage[]

Shadowvapor: Shades have the special ability to control darkness with a substance called shadowvapor, a shadowy substance of unknown origin. Shadowvapor can be freely manipulated by Shades for various purposes.

  • Shadow-Whispering: By sending their shadow into another person, they can carry their own consciousness into the mind of another person, similar to telepathy. Shades can use this ability to communicate with others in darkness, with total secrecy as no one other than the Shade and the receiver (or anyone mentally bonded with the receiver at that particular moment).
  • Potential for Darkness: Shades possess the ability to sense a person's potential for darkness and take a “reading” of someone's shadowvapor. It is also shown that Shades can view someone's Illumination too.
    • Shadowvapor Strength: In Book 7: Flashback, Lady Zillah states that she can “feel enormous strength in your shadowvapor.” Apparently, shadowvapor strength determines the resistance of a person's mind to Shadowvapor and Shadowflux related mental states, including Echoes (from Shadowflux) in the mind, and thus, nightmares.
  • Shadowvapor Cloaking: Tam uses this ability in Neverseen to invade Ravagog. By cloaking someone in a thick layer of Shadowvapor, they can obscure that person and hide them in the shadows. Tam uses this ability on himself.
  • Shadow Elongation: There does not seem to be any offensive use to this ability other than intimidation. Umber uses this when confronting Sophie and Fitz for the first time.

Shadowflux: A very rare ability, feared even by Shades, Shadowflux is the 6th element of the world that manifests itself as a dark force. Shadowflux is extremely hard to call and even harder to control, as any fear or weakness will cause it to fade. However, the strongest Shades can use this ability to deadly effect.

  • Shadowflux Constructs: Umber has shown to create constructs out of Shadowflux, such as bows and arrows. These function almost exactly like their regular counterparts. These can be used to induce Echoes into the people they affect.
  • Darkness Clouding: While never explicitly named, Umber has used this ability twice. It involves creating a large amount of Shadowflux (or Shadowvapor) around a person or in their minds, clouding their senses and leaving them vulnerable to attack. Against Sophie and her friends the first time, it was effective to incapacitate her. However, another talented Shade can stop and 'shred' these attacks with their own Shadowflux, such as Tam.
  • Shadowflux Dissipation: This ability has been shown only by Tam, when Umber attempted to strike Biana with an arrow, he “snarled something” and the shadows dissolved into a 'thick black mist'. This hasn't been shown again, primarily because Umber was killed after that book.
    • Shadowflux Unravelling: Umber used this ability on Tam, stating that he was polluting his power with light, promptly “unravelling his shadows”.This has never been shown again, likely for the same reasons above.
  • Echo Inducement: One of the most feared abilities of Shadowflux is the ability to transmit the emotions of the user at the time of firing their attack and replicate it in the wound. Whoever is struck with this attack will feel a constant pain, the level of pain depends on the intensity of the Shade's emotions and their control over Shadowflux. It also seems that Echoes can directly impact whatever part of their body has been struck, such as an Echo to the head gave Sophie constant nightmares and an Echo to the heart gave Fitz constant tantrums and outbursts. However, this can be mitigated as simply as sedatives. Furthermore, the Shade that causes the Echo can amplify its effects with their voice or will. Additionally, not all Echoes are bad, as some talented Shades can place neutral Echoes in themselves to better understand Shadowflux. This means that they can manipulate the Echoes in themselves. Tam used this ability in an attempt to help Sophie. Because an Echo will transmit the emotion of the Shade at the time of inducement, some Echoes are neutral or even beneficial.
    • Shadowplane Tracking: A Shade can insert small amounts of Shadowflux in food or other items that come in contact with another person. They can then induce a small, almost undetectable Echo that constantly sends out a wave across the Shadowplane. A modified Imparter or Spyball can pick up these waves and trace it to their point of origin, removing the need for tracking devices, as non-shades cannot control or remove the tracking.
  • Shadowflux - Flasher Combination: This ability has only been shown with Wylie and Tam, but combining Light and Shadowflux greatly enhances their ability to unparalleled levels, allowing them to cut through an enhanced force-field created by an expert Psionipath.
  • Illusion Dispelling: A Shade can send out Shadowflux to 'brush away' illusions, like Umber did with Everglen's entry.
  • Ability Modification/Combination: This ability was shown by Tam and Rayni in Legacy, where using Magisdian and Ethertine, combined with Shadowflux and Quintessence, caused a change in Keefe's abilities, causing him to develop a mixed ability. The details of this ability are not yet known.


Shades are very talented with illusions, especially when working with a Flasher.

Known Shades[]

First mentioned in Book 4: Neverseen, Tam joined the Black Swan along with his twin sister, Linh, and is one of the most powerful Shades with amazing control. He is currently working with the Black Swan, though in Flashback, he was forced to join the Neverseen. He is no longer a part of them, though.

Umber was the Neverseen's Shade. Keefe described her as "freakishly powerful". Keefe also said that Umber and Trix often carried missions together. She showed to be an incredibly powerful Shade and could control shadowflux. She was killed by a falling door trampled by infant trolls in Flashback.

Lady Zillah is Tam's Shade Mentor at Foxfire. She is said to be very intense and takes pride in her ability.

Quotes[]

“That's the problem with light," Umber said as Wylie struggled to shield himself inside a purple orb. "It will always be weaker than shadows.”

Umber and Narration, in Flashback
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