The Shadow divides the Universe

As the power of Shadow spread across the cosmos, many fell before its power, in more than one way.

But what exactly is the Shadow?

Essentially the Shadow is an anti-Force. It eats away at existence in the most atrocious and parasitic way. This anti-Force, however, is controlled and channeled  through the will of Ulhaeron in his capacity as the cosmic entity that is the Shadow God.

Ulhaeron's mind... or actually the shadow of his mental presence, spreads across all the universe, and no being can escape it, not even the mighty Aldoren or the stalwart Caldonnas. Everyone is subject to the oppressive presence of the Shadow God gnawing at the edges of their own mind with sibilant whispers that constantly attempt to subvert and corrupt them.

The Shadow God uses the anti-Force of the Shadow, luring beings in denying their true calling for the promise of power and dominion over others, frequently disguised benevolently.

Those who join its lure gradually become robbed of their free will, (the gift of the Flame Eternal to all beings), eventually turning into twisted puppets of the Shadow God. Ultimately, everyone who negotiates with the shadow becomes tainted by it, and thus the old adage "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" begins to ring true, except that it is not power that corrupts but everyone's susceptibility to the whispers of the Shadow.

According to their philosophical stance regarding the Shadow, most Forces in the universe have been mostly divided into the following currents:

1) The Flamesworn (aka the Faithful). The Faithful declare their allegiance to the cosmic forces of Akaon, Nyris and the Flame Eternal, and therefore refuse the power of the Shadow, acknowledging it as unnatural and have declared war against it, denying it power and influence over them. Both the Cal'ashan and many among the Aldoren and their followers are counted among the Faithful. Many other forces also belong in this category. While they respect the Unseeing and mostly leave them be, the Flamesworn believe that the Unsworn  are unwittingly serving the shadow, and whilst treating them with courtesy, maintain suspicious when in contact with them. They cooperate with the Liberators, but they believe the Fallen are past redemption and can only be purified by being destroyed and allowed to be reborn through the flame into a new form of existence. Nonetheless, most of the Flamesworn refuse to hunt down the Fallen on their own, maintaining enmity only with the Shadowsworn and the Shadowspawn. Sometimes the Liberators refuse to work together with the Flamesworn because of their intolerance towards the Fallen. Unable to otherwise affect the Flamesworn after their open enmity towards him, the Shadow God is trying to incite their hatred, in order to turn them into blind fanatics. When he succeeds, the mad Flamesworn consign everything to the Flames of their self-righteousness, and by turning into mad zealots become unwitting implements of the Shadow God.

2) The Unseeing (aka the Disbelievers). The Disbelievers do not acknowledge an authority over the universe, understanding that the universe is in a state of constant becoming. They believe the Shadow to have no real power, surviving as a parasite by those who fear and resist it, so while they consider it foolish to fall into the lures of the shadow, they also consider it foolish to acknowledge its power in any way. The Disbelievers are not many, but their current is quite influential especially in locations where the war with the Shadow is not so pronounced. The Unseeing will cooperate with the Flamesworn in other matters, but are extremely reluctant to engage the Fallen or even the Shadowsworn in war.  Of course, the truth is that ignoring the Shadow does not make it go away, but instead is similar to burying your head in the sand in the face of peril.

3) The Liberators (aka the Redeemers). The Redeemers are not directly aligned to some cosmic force, but believe in values and ideals that promote freedom of choice, and view the Shadow as a force that attempts to subvert this. Most of the time they work in loose allegiance with the Flamesworn, or the Unseeing, but unlike the Flamesworn, they believe that the Unsworn are not necessarily serving the shadow, and that the Fallen can be redeemed, as the corruptive influence of the shadow can be reversed. Sadly, more often than not, the Redeemers have themselves fallen unwittingly into the machinations of the Shadow God who uses their compassion, mercy and love of freedom to manipulate them. It is a great victory for the Shadow when out of pure love and mercy, a creature is slowly driven into complete corruption. Some of the Aldoren and the majority of the rest of the creatures of the Cosmos that are not somehow aligned to the Shadow, are among the Redeemers.

3) The Unsworn (aka the Nihilists). The Nihilists do not acknowledge forces and powers in the universe except for those which immediately affect them ,and even then they consider these forces to be momentary emanations without a lasting consequence. Consequently the Nihilists do not care which force they serve, so long as their own ends are met. This would have made them a neutral and indifferent faction if the universe was neutral and indifferent. However, this is far from reality. With the Shadow present as a cosmic force, many of the Nihilists have been compromised into unwittingly serving the Shadow, even while they consider themselves free of any influence. The matter of the fact is that apathy and detachment easily lead many of the unsworn into the influence of the Shadow. Ulhaeron has an easy time using the Nihilists, even while they believe they are beyond his influence.

4) The Fallen. The Fallen have been deceived, tainted and corrupted by some significant degree by the Shadow. They have diverged significantly, having caused great harm, and possibly betrayal, but they have not acknowledged Ulhaeron and his followers as their leaders, and still refuse to openly serve them. Most of the Fallen (believe they) serve their own agendas, but are always manipulated and used to serve the needs of the Shadow God. Unlike the previous factions who may or may not be manipulated to some degree, the Fallen are doomed, having unwittingly surrendered their destiny into the hands of the Shadow. While it is possible for a Fallen to reverse this doom and escape from the grasp of the Shadow God, such situations are extremely rare and require legendary commitment. Inwardly however, they still struggle a losing battle against complete and thorough consumption by the Shadow.

5) The Shadowsworn. The Shadowsworn have been thoroughly corrupted by the Shadow, their souls consumed, and their destinies surrendered to the hands of the Shadow God. They have ceased to be who they once were, and have instead become shells that contain emanations of the Shadow God himself. Nonetheless, Ulhaeron loves to sustain a chain of hierarchy, and thus he rewards those who followed him by delegating power to them according to their former power, and the degree of their commitment. The Shadowsworn are irreversibly damned, and irrevocably committed to the will of the Shadow God. They are, in varying degrees, smaller avatars, aspects and embodiments of his power. If the Shadow God would be an all-mighty being, then the Shadowsworn would be his angels.

6) The Shadowspawn. The Shadowspawn are the mockery of existence that the Shadow produces when it attempts to mimick the powers of Creation. They are soulless beings that benefit from the various paradoxical and unnatural forces of the Shadow. Unlike the Shadowsworn who are sentient and autonomous in a broken, yet holistic manner, the Shadowspawn serve singular functions as servants or soldiers in the war of their master. They were never corrupted, but are pure byproducts of corruption itself.