Wayang

Wayangs are a mysterious, diminutive humanoid species with a strong racial affinity for darkness and shadows. Generally isolationist and xenophobic, they are rare outside the Nitoxite Eighth of the Greater Eridún Crux Region (GECR), known for planes with weak to no illumination from the overlying Arcane Layer of reality. In planes with normal or bright days, they lead wholly subterranean lifestyles.

On Waking Materia

Like the dwarves, wayangs were known to have subterranean civilizations on Waking Materia from the earliest written recordings of the First Extraplanar Empires, which lead many to believe both were indigenous races. Rather, both colonized the Material realm from the Duskscape, crossing the Veil between the Waking and Sleeping realms rather than traveling from neighbouring planes.

In fact, wayangs are thought to be descended from Duskscape demons who eventually adapted to fully Material lifestyles: they have no discernable biological relationship with other Material humanoids but a strong affinity for Duskscape magic. Many seem able to mould shadows at will, sometimes into wholly different, quasi-real effects like fireballs and stone walls. Scouts are known to move instantaneously from one source of darkness to another, sometimes at great distances. Alchemists are known to coat their curved daggers in liquid darkness, thought to erode the victim's soul and leave only an empty husk, which the wayangs use for slave labour.

Only two small populations can be found on Waking Materia in its Third Age: the demon-enslaved peoples of the Yawning Spiral beneath Oloraan and the relatively free wayang populace of Nibelheim, beneath the Spine of Yorm.

Banner art credit: Abishek Singh