Cato Umbra is a human scientist researching demi-human species taxonomy and magic, especially the human study and use of it, in Offetstine. He has gained somewhat significant notoriety in communities aware of his nature for his unethical method of experimentation. His work as a biologist involves experimentation on live human and demi-human subjects, who often do not willingly elect to participate in his studies. His means are readily considered abusive, often leaving his victims with substantial psychological trauma, and he is eschewed by most of the magic epistemological community who understands his means.
While nominally, Umbra refuses to take the lives of any of his subjects, his means are often likened to torture. He is known for his heavy use of deceptive tactics in general communication. Umbra is widely considered sociopathic and the real-life equivalent of the mad scientist archetype in fiction, especially by members of the research community in Offetstine. Despite this, he is able to evade both the complete ostracization of the community and legal consequences in the human world, due to the Masquerade and the secretive nature of his practice, rarely publishing in reputed demi-human journals nor ever disclosing his particular technique.[amend]
History
Umbra has maintained his interest in the natural sciences and his proclivity for unethical experimentation since youth. He was ostracized from his ancestral town after he was discovered experimenting on people and animals alike. He was expelled from his university and forced to discontinue his postdoctorate studies, forced to move to Offetstine as a result, and maintains a laboratory in the Northbrook Woodland where he presently conducts his studies.
Among his victims was his brother, Lucas Umbra, who he captured and directly experimented on without prior consent or knowledge. In an attempt to empower Lucas as a mage, he instead died from the trauma of the experiment. Despite his death, he was subsequently revived as a zombie. As such, it may be surmised either that the experiment was partially successful, or that he was a direct subject of the Will of the People.
Character
Umbra is keenly manipulative, and regularly attempts to build falsified rapports with demi-humans and human mages alike. His knowledge of the demi-human world is limited, and it may be surmised the magical energy itself in Offetstine recoils as Umbra. Despite the amoral nature of magic as per the Will of the People, Umbra may be understood as someone who wishes to hurt the respective side of the world itself, and the magical energy in Offetstine thereby resists him. Despite his express attempts to seek them out, he is often far less successful than other species taxonomists.
Umbra often seems to put himself in harm's way in pursuit of his studies. He works in the human scientific community under the guise of a microbiologist. Although he is barred from many journals for grave misconduct, he remains sufficiently unknown that he often has no trouble assuming his own identity and a bogus profession to win the favor of others he works with. His limited knowledge of the demi-human world allows him to investigate largely without playing a character, only sparing the fact of his prior interest in magic. For instance, despite being the most prevalent demi-human genus in Offetstine, his documentation on vampires remained tenuous prior to his exposure to one at Rainbow in the Moon, a demi-human exclusive bar and lounge.
Umbra rarely maintains genuine friendships, though he frequently maintains the pretense of kindness in order to lull people toward him. He is highly prone to seeing any acquaintance as a potential test subject, as an extension of his sociopathic character. Despite his relatively unknown status, he is occasionally alluded to by legend, tales wherein a strange man, of diminutive stature and owllike glasses, shall attempt to lure unsuspecting individuals into the forest wherefrom they never return.