umbryting

Umbryting is a term used primarily in speculative fiction and some role-playing game settings to describe the deliberate creation and manipulation of darkness as a functional medium. It encompasses techniques for concealing, revealing, or shaping information and mood through controlled light and shadow. While not a real-world craft, umbryting appears as a thematic device in literature, art, and gaming to explore secrecy, memory, and perception.

Etymology: The word derives from umbra, Latin for shadow, with the -ing suffix to indicate a process. It entered mock-encyclopedic discourse in fantasy circles in the late 20th century and has since been used in various world-building texts and game manuals.

Practice: In fiction and games, umbryting involves arranging light sources, fabrics, or reflective surfaces to create zones that obscure details or reveal them only under certain conditions. Practitioners may design scenes where characters notice elements of a clue only when lit from a particular angle, or where spaces seem empty until viewed through a specific filter. In stage design, umbryting aligns with principles of chiaroscuro and lighting design but emphasizes intentional control over visibility as a narrative or puzzle element.

Applications: In narrative contexts, umbryting serves to symbolize hidden motives, memory, or suppressed truths. In puzzle-oriented games, it can structure clues around visibility mechanics, encouraging players to experiment with light and shadow. Some world-building guides treat umbryting as a formal discipline with its own terminology, rites, and canonical examples.

See also: shadow magic, steganography, chiaroscuro, concealment, illusion.