Few would still remember the tribe that is now known as the Shadowdancers as they were before their corruption. The savants of Chiaroscuro or the sages of the Varang might had some scant records of these forgotten people, before their fall to the Darkness. However, among the people most likely to have known the culture, rituals and traditions of those who now dance in shadow...among the Barbarians...speaking of the Lost Tribe is taboo. The stories are no longer told, the songs are no longer sung, and the few that even remember those tales any more gradually pass away into the next realm. All that anyone knows is that the Shadowdancers are a tribe of oathbreakers and betrayers.
The songs now sung along camp fires, on those rare nights when the shamans feel the people must be reminded, the tales told are very different than the ones that were once told of this fallen tribe. Beware the Children of Shadow! They lurk in the darkness, they steal secrets from the lips of the dead and eat the flesh of corpses. Beware those who dance with the Shadows! They study unclean arts and command the dead. Fear the once-Slaves to the Father of Darkness, for they have been corrupted by his touch, and might yet bring doom to those who fall for their lies.
There once existed a tribe of peaceful herders who traversed the fertile lands along the boundaries of the Eastern Mountains. They knew the secret passes through the mountains, and the safe routes through the lands of the Dune People. They were wise, and fierce, and kindly. The Beast-God Kala`khan, Exalted of the Moon, had guided them from the valley across the mountains when the river goddess had gone mad and led them into a new land and a new existance. They worshipped her, and as she was a child of the No Moon, they held the shadows of the night in high regard and delved into the hidden lore of the deserts. Their shamans were the wisest and most powerful of all the Southern People, and their elders were the greatest storehouse of knowledge and ancient secrets in all the tribes.
None of those ancient names exist, any longer, to be whispered by those throughout the South who once respected them -- save one. Shadoweye, the Betrayer, Slave to the Black Tower. "My brethren! A new god rises, across the mountains! Stronger even than Kala`khan; he will share his lore with us if you come!" None, except perhaps those that Shadoweye lured back to the Black Tower, know the exact fate of those who left and what role they had to play in it. Did they ascent to their own damnation, or was their fate already sealed before they even left? What is known is that they became the servitors of Shadoweye, who was himself the slave to the Deathlord.
All know what came after, however.
No god, no Exalt, could save the once peaceful tribe from their fate. Kala'khan certainly perished in the Black Tower, for none have heard from her since her fateful confrontation with the Darkness. The other gods abandoned the tribe like rats from a sinking ship, else they might drown as well. With none else to turn to, the tribe gave in to their new master. Either gave in or wandered the wastes exiled and alone, until they perished, and came to serve the Lord of Darkness in death. For all the Fallen Tribe belonged to the Father in Darkness...
...or at least, they did, once.
The Tribes of the Shadow knew of the death of their master almost at once. Yet their exact fate has yet to be decided. The Father is dead, but much of his evil yet remains, and it still maintains its hold on the people of the Shadow, perhaps hoping to use them to attain for itself power and glory akin to that of it's lost master.
Yet if even the Darkness can fall, then there is hope, and for the first time in a long time the Shadow Dancers can feel it. Though they have no friends, and precious few allies, they rail against the darkness and seek to combat it. Many times they fail, but already, heroes emerge among the broken people and call out No More!
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