Umbra (Oblivion)

For other uses, see Umbra.

Umbra is a Bosmer in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion who resides in the Ayleid ruin of Vindasel, southwest of the Imperial City. It is east along the road from Clavicus Vile's Shrine, and west of Pell's Gate and the Old Bridge. After entering the ruin and then heading to the very back, she can be found there, who is not inherently hostile.

Armor and weapon[]

"Before I go on, let's clear something up. Are you here asking about the sword or the person. Which is it?"

―Irroke the Wide^[src]

If she is killed, her full suit of Umbra's Ebony Armor may be looted, along with the longsword Umbra, enchanted with a 120-second Soul Trap spell. The sword may be kept, or turned in as fulfillment of the quest given at the Shrine of Clavicus Vile, and be rewarded with the Clavicus Vile's Masque, which boosts the wearer's Personality by 20 points.

History[]

If Pell's Gate is visited as instructed in the quest, the Hero will learn that her real name is Lenwin, and that she once lived there as an apprentice to Irroke the Wide. She somehow came across the sword, Umbra, which changed her, making her more aggressive and violent.

She then took the name of the sword, and left with a group of mercenaries to sate her bloodlust. This evidently did not work out, and she has since taken up residence in Vindasel.

Murder[]

Killing Umbra counts as murder if she is attacked before getting the quest from the Shrine of Clavicus Vile. If the Hero of Kvatch is not already a member of the Dark Brotherhood, this will get them an invitation.

Dialogue[]

Clavicus Vile[]

"You risk much by speaking to me. You should leave this place. Now."

Umbra "Umbra is my blade. It is who I am. Who I was meant to be. For years, I have fed my blade the souls of man and mer. Warriors and priests, kings and paupers. Men, women, and children. All have bled for me. I have seen them all fall, and still Umbra hungers for more."

Pell's Gate "Do not speak to me of that place! It was another lifetime. It was before I became what I am now. Perhaps they sent you to kill me? Are they worried I might come in the night and burn their village down around them? No matter. I am what I have become, and I know my fate. But what of you? What is it you seek? My death? My blade? I offer you a choice, more than I have offered most. Stay here and die, or leave now, and live your life. Speak to me again when your mind is set."

"The blade. It hungers for souls."
(If approached again)
"I assume you've made your choice. Umbra hungers. What shall it be?"

We fight. "Come, then. Try your luck. Feel the bite of Umbra."

I'll leave in peace. "A wise choice. I have spilled too much blood already, and though I hunger for more, spilling yours would not please me. Go now. Do not return."

(If approached again)
"There's nothing more to say. Leave me."

Quotes[]

"Get out of here while you can."
"Umbra will feast on your soul."
"Umbra. It is everything."

Strategy[]

Click for a full list of strategies
Before dropping down to fight Umbra, leap onto the balcony railing and over to the broken pillar in the room with her. There is a pillar one can leap onto from the balcony before falling down into the room. Umbra cannot hit the Hero while atop the pillar, preventing her from fighting back. This allows a very low level character to easily kill her with ranged attacks or magic, granted they have enough arrows and are not using The Atronach birthsign. If you are a low leveled Argonian, you can lead Umbra into the poison trap nearby, and use paralysis poisons on her until she dies. For those who have come out of the sewers and gone straight to Vindasel, they will still have Rusty equipment: trying to take her head on will most likely result in death. However, the area she is in is crowded by pillars and altars and she may get stuck behind these if the Hero jumps over them (but only for a couple of seconds). This would be a good time to hit her with some Flares, especially for a Breton or Altmer. If not much of a ranged fighter or mage, the Goblin's Totem Staff that can be picked up from shamans with 20 pts shock damage does wonders on Umbra when the difficulty is lowered. Also, if one has the gold readily available, the Hero of Kvatch can purchase the Apotheosis staff from Rindir's Staffs in the Imperial City Market District. The staff combined with sneak can potentially kill Umbra in a single hit. To kill Umbra in early stages, one can use a trap in the first room, but it requires many attempts of her being trapped/injured by spikes in order to kill her. A way to kill Umbra at a very low level, even level one, is to get the mace Rockshatter, which can be acquired by doing the settlement quest "When the Vow Breaks," received from Maeva the Buxom at Whitmond Farm just north of Anvil. Do not complete the quest, keep the mace Rockshatter. 5–10 paralysis poisons will also be required which one can purchase, or make. Go to Vindasel and poison her with a paralysis poison while hitting her with Rockshatter, every time a poison runs out apply a new one, continue until Umbra is dead. If done right, Umbra will not be able to make even one hit. It is also possible to have Umbra chase the Hero back to the Imperial City, and allow the guards to kill her. If the Hero is a Nord, they can use the racial greater power Nordic Frost, which can cause 50 points of frost damage on touch, before defeating her with a melee kill. If the Hero is a Khajiit, they can use the Eye of Fear power, which can cause her to run away. They may be able do a fair amount of damage to Umbra before she attacks again.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

In Morrowind, Umbra was a powerful Orc who wore orcish armor and wielded the same sword with a similar enchantment. It would seem this Orc was also possessed by the sword and that the sword somehow made its way into the hands of the girl from Pell's Gate in the time between the two games. It also changed from being a two-handed to a one-handed weapon.
In Latin, the word "umbra" means shadow. Also whenever there is a solar eclipse in our world the darker part of the shadow in the eclipse is called the "umbra" while the lighter part is called the "penumbra".
Umbra is the highest level in the game and wears Ebony Armor, similarly like the Ebony Warrior or Gaenor.