They are called the Dark Ones, not by themselves, but by everyone who has ever feared what moves beneath the world. The Dark Ones do not walk the open lands as a people. They belong to the Forgotten Kingdom—a vast, subterranean realm stretching beneath Leonoria like a second, hidden continent. Its entrances are few, concealed, and fiercely guarded. Some are known only to them. Others are known, but never reached. Down there, light is a memory. And they have adapted perfectly to its absence.
Where the Secluded seem touched by forest and balance, the Dark Ones are creatures of shadow. Their skin is deep—near black, absorbing what little light exists. Their hair is straight, sleek, and dark as voidstone, though streaks of pale white sometimes cut through it like fractures. Their eyes are their most unsettling trait. Naturally blue, like their cousins—but unstable. They change. A necromancer's gaze burns green. A blood mage's glows red. Shadow-wielders carry hues that shift like dim smoke. Power leaves a mark on them. Always. Physically, they are smaller and more fragile than the Secluded—often no taller than Midlanders. Their bodies are not built for strength. They were never meant to fight in the open.
Abilities and Society
In darkness, they are unmatched. Their natural physiology already makes them difficult to perceive—edges fading, forms dissolving into shadow. Combined with their affinity for stealth and shadow magic, a trained Dark One can become truly invisible. Not hidden. Gone. This makes them the most dangerous assassins in Leonoria. They excel in shadow arts, stealth and infiltration, assassination and sabotage, and rogue-adjacent disciplines. Where others rely on force, the Dark Ones rely on absence.
Unlike the Secluded, the Dark Ones do not restrain themselves. They embrace the deeper, more volatile aspects of Materium: necromancy, blood magic, shadow binding, soul manipulation. These are not forbidden arts to them—they are tools, traditions, even expressions of identity. Their society does not reject such paths. It cultivates them. And it shows. Across history, many of Leonoria's most infamous magic wielders trace their origins to the Dark Ones. Not all. But enough.
Ask a Dark One, and their story is clear: they were cast out. Driven below by the rigid, self-righteous Secluded—forced into darkness, where they became what the surface already believed them to be. Ask a scholar, and you'll hear something different: that the divide runs deeper, older. That choices were made—on both sides. That whatever happened between them cannot be reduced to simple blame. There is truth in both versions. And lies in both as well. What is certain is this: there is no reconciliation. The hatred between the Dark Ones and the Secluded is absolute. It is not political. Not territorial. It is personal. A Dark One will not ally with a Secluded—not for survival, not for power, not for any cause. And the feeling is mutual. Where one stands, the other becomes the enemy.
Among the Surface
Despite being shunned, the Dark Ones are not confined. Some leave the Forgotten Kingdom—not many, but enough. These individuals are often driven by personal ambition, wealth and opportunity, curiosity about the surface, or a desire to prove something to themselves or others. They move through Midland cities like rumors—seen rarely, trusted never, and almost never in daylight. For all their power, the Dark Ones are physically weak. They lack endurance, strength, and durability. In open combat, against trained warriors, they are at a disadvantage. Which is why they avoid it. A Dark One who fights fair is either desperate or foolish.
Playing a Dark One
- Strengths: Stealth mastery, shadow magic, assassination abilities, dark Materium affinity
- Weaknesses: Fragile, poor in direct combat, hated by Secluded, vulnerable in light
- Key Traits: You are unmatched in stealth and shadow manipulation. Your magic is potent—but often feared, even by allies. You are physically weaker and must rely on cunning over force. Your presence alone creates tension in most groups. You carry a legacy of conflict—especially with the Secluded.
- Class Affinities: Shadowblade Assassin Voidweaver Bloodsinger Dreadbinder Dominionist Malefactor Gravecaller Soulreaper