40k Lore: Lesser Xenos: Umbra

Once again, let us delve into the lives of those minor species that inhabit the 40k universe, this time with the Umbra.

Frankly, there are few more enigmatic species in the entirety of the 40k universe.  Physically they bear no resemblance to any other species (or, for that matter, to any living thing).  An Umbra is simply a featureless smooth black sphere less than a meter in diameter.  Locomotion is accomplished by levitation, the means of which are unclear to say the least, and there are no evident structures for such mundane biological functions as feeding or excreting waste.  Internally, the Umbra’s structure is similarly bizarre, simplistic, and lacking in recognizable structures.  It consists simply of a porous solid outer shell beneath the featureless outer carapace surrounding a core of a mysterious frictionless liquid consisting of both complex amino acid/proteins and metallic trace elements which exhibits certain non-Newtonian features (theorized to be a psychic resonator of some kind). 

Behaviorally, Umbras are similarly bizarre.  They seem to be irresistibly drawn towards sources of warp energy, and are quite commonly observed clustering (sometimes in vast numbers) around the hull of interstellar ships near their warp drives where they are considered largely harmless pests, at other times they have been observed gathering in areas suspected to correlate to Eldar Webway gates.  The motivations for these actions are unclear, whether they are driven by some unknowable intelligent  purpose to reach the Warp, or whether they are drawn towards it as an insect to a light source.  As a general rule they seem to be quite harmless and docile beings, content to go about their “business” and ignore those around them.  However, when driven to it they are more than capable of defending themselves through the curious ability to seemingly create matter from areas of shadow  (no matter how small those areas are) in a wide area around themselves, earning them the nickname of “Shadow-Smiths.”  In their defense they use this ability to great effect, spawning arrays of claws and blades and vicious hooks to rend apart the perceived threat.  Physically, their bodies seem to be proof against all but the most potent of weapons to the point of near invulnerability, the sole exception is a curious aversion to direct light, and exposing them to light without any points of shadow causes them to perish.

Their nature is clearly very difficult to define, though one interesting theory suggests that they exist in more than three dimensions.  Under this theory, what we can observe is merely the protrusion rendered in three dimensions of the multi-dimensional entity into our observable dimensions, much as a three dimensional object would appear if it intersected with a two-dimensional plane.  Consider for instance that such an observer from a two dimensional universe would see a three dimensional object only where two of its dimensions intersected its own, completely unaware of the totality of the other object as it exists outside it’s dimension.  If this speculation is true, then it might explain the Umbra’s ability to manipulate shadows as simply further protrusions of their form from their unobserved dimensions into our own.

The origins of these beings are a complete mystery, and it is difficult to imagine how they could have evolved naturally within our universe.  It is possible that they are extra-dimensional intruders, or some curious form of warp-entity, however there are some clues that tie their origins at least in part to the history of our universe.  They have been tied to certain heretical legends of the destruction and splintering of one of the last of the Old Ones by one of the Ruinous Powers (most likely Slaanesh).  In this story this being, possibly the last of its kind to escape extinction in the primordial war with the C’Tan, had hidden itself deep in the warp for uncounted millennia, only to fall prey eventually to the ageless powers that dwell there and have its essence fragmented and disbursed.  It is worth noting that this fate is similar to that suffered by the Eldar god Khaine at the hands of those same powers, and so would be well within the abilities of the Dark Gods to achieve.  As a final note, there is reason (as some of you perceptive readers already noted in the Hrud article) to draw a connection between this entity and the mysterious primogenitor and caretaker of the Hrud, “He Who Lingers” said to be among the last survivors of his kind.  In further support to these two ideas, the psychic “death shriek” of an Umbra specimen in inquisitorial captivity contained a collection of image-concepts including a shattering figure and the word LINGER.  If the picture formed by these pieces of information is accurate, then perhaps it suggests that the Old Ones were themselves multi-dimensional beings (albeit ones of considerably greater power and scale), and that this trait was inherited by the fragments known as the Umbra.