Question about Umbra.
I noticed that there is a sword in both Morrowind and Oblivion called Umbra. In both games it was acquired by killing its current owner, and both times the current owner was so obsessed with the sword that they took its name as their own as if they were possessed by it. It was also one of the most powerful weapons in the game.
If I recall correctly in Morrowind it was a two-handed sword, and in Oblivion it was a longsword. I tried to do some research but came up with nothing but the definition of the word Umbra. I find it fitting that in both games the sword had a black blade and "umbra" is Latin for "Shadow".
My question is this... Is this sword kind of like the Excalibur of Cyrodiil? Or were there multiple swords made by some big bad juju that share the same properties? What is the lore behind it?
Posted Aug 11, 2011, 11:40 AM UTC
From what I've read Umbra is a possessed blade that seeks souls. When someone has it they usually aren't themselves but are more a human representation of the blade. So the blade is alive, more or less. There was an in-game book that briefly talked about it, something like "Tamrielic Lore."
So the sword is pretty much a parasite that uses a host to acquire souls... love that sword even more.
It also seems that it might relate in a way to dawnfang/duskfang being that they both hunger for souls