TheTime Shades werelegendary beings onGallifrey, with reports of their existence going back as far as thedays of Rassilon; specifically the period of theGreat Wars andDark Times.

Each Shade was intimately connected with one particular aspect ofTime, such aseternity ordreams. (AUDIO:Damned If You Do^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Do (audio story)"])

Nature[[edit] |[edit source]]

Theirremarkably fluidforms seemed to escape alllight andshadow, even swallowing those up, with at least one member of thepantheon wearinggold on their shadow body and having ablackglobe for a head, (AUDIO:Damned If You Do^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Do (audio story)"]) having the same appearance asShayde, (COMIC:The Tides of Time^[+]Loading...["The Tides of Time (comic story)"]) as well as thebabels. (PROSE:Newtons Sleep^[+]Loading...["Newtons Sleep (novel)"])

This form seemed to shimmer toNarvin, who couldn't quite tell what theShade of Portent really looked like, until he started to adjust to their presence. They could apparently sometimes be found in thecatacombs beneath theCapitol. (AUDIO:Damned If You Do^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Do (audio story)"])

The Shades were demonstrably connected withTime itself. At least the Shade of Portent could see throughmeta-temporal future history with ease, and share visions withephemerals. (AUDIO:Damned If You Do^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Do (audio story)"]) In making changes to thetimelines, they could only choose theeffect, not thecause, instead relying upon ephemerals to make largelypredetermined choices, guided by the will of the Shades. (AUDIO:Damned If You Don't^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Don't (audio story)"])

Members[[edit] |[edit source]]

There was a "pantheon" of Time Shades, including theShade of Eternity, theShade of War, theShade of Dreams, theShade of Protection, and theShade of Portent.

The Shade of Portent was able to see thefuture, and knew thatNarvin, aTime Lord of relativelylow rank, would become pivotal to thetimeline. They abducted five students fromthe Academy,freezing them in time, in order to draw him in. Clad all ingold, this Shade appeared to have aglasshead, which, oddly, reminded Narvin of ablack hole. They were able to give himkaleidoscopicvisions of thetimeline which would soon form around him — in a fragment of theUntempered Schism which seemed to appear around him — (AUDIO:Damned If You Do^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Do (audio story)"]) in order to ensure that Narvin would one day save the Shades themselves. (AUDIO:Damned If You Don't^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Don't (audio story)"])

Possible identifications[[edit] |[edit source]]

Theloa[[edit] |[edit source]]

TheGallifreyan sect known asFaction Paradox, (AUDIO:Alien Bodies^[+]Loading...["Alien Bodies (novel)"]) noted for theirmanipulation of their own shadows, would call down and channel "Spirits of Time" whom they calledloa, who helped them protect theEleven-Day Empire (AUDIO:The Eleven Day Empire^[+]Loading...["The Eleven Day Empire (audio story)"]) until its fall toLolita. (AUDIO:The Shadow Play^[+]Loading...["The Shadow Play (audio story)"])

The Faction viewed theseloa or spirits as emergent processes within thestructure of time itself, who were in some sense alive, (PROSE:"Loa"^[+]Part ofThe Book of the War,Loading...{"namedep":"Loa","1":"The Book of the War (novel)"}) as contrasted with theGreat Houses' conventional view that the laws and processes of time were meremathematicalequations. (PROSE:The Ancestor Cell^[+]Loading...["The Ancestor Cell (novel)"],"Loa"^[+]Part ofThe Book of the War,Loading...{"namedep":"Loa","1":"The Book of the War (novel)"},Weapons Grade Snake Oil^[+]Loading...["Weapons Grade Snake Oil (novel)"])

They were also involved inrituals. (AUDIO:The Eleven Day Empire^[+]Loading...["The Eleven Day Empire (audio story)"]) This name was chosen because they were "a presence which walks on a plane alongsidehumankind rather than above it", (PROSE:"Loa"^[+]Part ofThe Book of the War,Loading...{"namedep":"Loa","1":"The Book of the War (novel)"}) and not in a different world altogether. They were described as follows:

[They] aren't your average bunch of gods-from-above, that's what I'm saying. They're not untouchable, and they're not infallible. They getdrunk and they getangry and they have good days and they have baddays, same as the rest of us. They're real, but they're not-quite-real. They're here, but they're not-quite-here. Ready to get involved at a moment's notice, if you know how to get in touch with them. [...] You don't worship them, not like you worshipgods. You talk to them. Likefriends. Like companions. And they talk back.(PROSE:Interference - Book One^[+]Loading...["Interference - Book One (novel)"])

During Narvin's one-on-one encounter with theShade of Portent — who had lured him in, in order to nudge him to ensure Narvin'splace inGallifrey'sfuturetimeline — he noted how the Time Shade seemed to be there, but also not-there, completely absorbing alllight andshadow, an "apparition" with what might be described as a "black hole" for a head.

Nonetheless, they engaged one another inconversation, and Narvin tried not to let on his instinctive feeling ofreverence for this being. He also noted that the Shade of Portent was verysarcastic. (AUDIO:Damned If You Do^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Do (audio story)"])

Shayde[[edit] |[edit source]]

Shayde physically resembles theShade of Portent, at least, has several special abilities in common, and already has conflicting origins.

Shayde, a being who travelled with theFifth (COMIC:The Tides of Time^[+]Loading...["The Tides of Time (comic story)"],The Stockbridge Horror^[+]Loading...["The Stockbridge Horror (comic story)"]) andEighth Doctors (COMIC:A Life of Matter and Death^[+]Loading...["A Life of Matter and Death (comic story)"] et al.) exactly resembled the description given by Narvin for the Shade of Portent. (AUDIO:Damned If You Do^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Do (audio story)"]) Amental construct made ofshadow, by most accounts created by theMatrix Lords and connected to theMatrix Rassilon, (COMIC:Wormwood^[+]Loading...["Wormwood (comic story)"]) in his original form he was an entirelyblackhumanoid with aglobe for a head, (COMIC:The Tides of Time^[+]Loading...["The Tides of Time (comic story)"] et al.) which could also be removed to accessdimensionally transcendental storage within his body. (AUDIO:No Place Like Home^[+]Loading...["No Place Like Home (audio story)"])

Notably, Shayde was able to track individuals throughspace andtime, (COMIC:Oblivion^[+]Loading...["Oblivion (comic story)"]) and could alsotravel through space and time unaided, phase throughsolidobjects, and shoot "psychic bullets". (COMIC:Me and My Shadow^[+]Loading...["Me and My Shadow (comic story)"],Oblivion^[+]Loading...["Oblivion (comic story)"]) He also had extensiveshapeshifting abilities (COMIC:Wormwood^[+]Loading...["Wormwood (comic story)"] et al.) and could even merge with other beings. (COMIC:Me and My Shadow^[+]Loading...["Me and My Shadow (comic story)"])

By one account, Shayde was originally known as "Aspect Black" of theTime Sentinels, being a lone agent who eventually rebelled against the Sentinels. (COMIC:The Good Companion^[+]Loading...["The Good Companion (comic story)"])

The Time Sentinel[[edit] |[edit source]]

TheTime Sentinel haveglobes for heads, and are connected with AncientGallifrey,timeline maintenance, and theUntempered Schism. (COMIC:Old Girl^[+]Loading...["Old Girl (comic story)"])

TheTime Sentinel, identified with Shayde but in essence asingular entity, was a system left behind by theTime Lords to monitor the timelines. Based on an asteroid with its ownEye of Harmony, its various aspects were denoted by colour. (COMIC:The Good Companion^[+]Loading...["The Good Companion (comic story)"])

The Aspects of the Time Sentinel were present on prehistoricGallifrey, where they threwtime sensitives into theUntempered Schism. After crossing paths with theTenth Doctor, the Time Lord toldCindy Wu that he had seensomething like them a long time ago and he had believed that they wereMatrix agents. (COMIC:Old Girl^[+]Loading...["Old Girl (comic story)"])

Babels[[edit] |[edit source]]

Advancedcasts known asbabels (PROSE:The Book of the War^[+]Loading...["The Book of the War (novel)"]) also closely matched (PROSE:Newtons Sleep^[+]Loading...["Newtons Sleep (novel)"]) Narvin's description of the Shade he encountered in thecatacombs, (AUDIO:Damned If You Do^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Do (audio story)"]) as well as Shayde's appearance. (COMIC:The Tides of Time^[+]Loading...["The Tides of Time (comic story)"])

Considered theHomeworld ofGallifrey's (PROSE:Damaged Goods^[+]Loading...["Damaged Goods (novel)"]) "first line of defence", according toThe Book of the War the casts wereweapons created by theGreat Houses to act as their agents in the outsideuniverse. The babels, created during theCatherion Imprimiture, during theImperator Presidency, were far more advanced, (PROSE:The Book of the War^[+]Loading...["The Book of the War (novel)"]) withone babel on its own being capable of transforming thetimeline of an entirespecies, in order to fashion it into a weapon for theWar in Heaven.

This babel also acted as anoracle, being able to perceivefuture timelines, (PROSE:Newtons Sleep^[+]Loading...["Newtons Sleep (novel)"]) much like theShade of Portent. (AUDIO:Damned If You Do^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Do (audio story)"],Damned If You Don't^[+]Loading...["Damned If You Don't (audio story)"])