An ancient technique channeled through Sith magic, an aura or shadow of uneasiness enabled a person to proceed without being hindered. This was achieved by casting a field of vague discomfort around the individual. Although primarily impacting non-sentient beings, those with awareness also felt its effects, experiencing bewilderment and unease when near someone projecting such an aura. This technique gained traction during the Great Sith War among Sith magic proponents, and knowledge of this ability persisted even into the era of the reinstated Galactic Republic.
By employing the dark side of the Force to generate an aura of uneasiness, a sentient being could free themselves from bothersome creatures. Animals and insects instinctively avoided the aura's source within its influence, allowing the individual to move forward unhindered. When used in the presence of other sentient beings, the aura induced a strong sense of discomfort. Force-sensitives experienced a growing feeling of darkness and struggled to concentrate on their current tasks. While relatively straightforward to create and control, the aura's range was limited to the initiator's line of sight, although its potency was greater closer to its origin.
The skill of projecting a shadow of uneasiness was widespread among followers of the ancient Sith ideology. It was one of many skills in the arsenal of a skilled Sith sorcerer and was passed down to students of the dark side. Freedon Nadd, the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith, possessed the ability to create such auras during his time as king of the planet Onderon. This talent survived him, remaining within the skill set of his sorcerous inheritors to Nadd's throne: King Ommin, and his wife Amanoa, Queen of Onderon. Ommin demonstrated this ability while meeting with Tetan cousins Aleema and Satal Keto, with Satal becoming suddenly unwell under the influence of the King's aura, while Aleema was unaffected. The Dark Jedi Warb Null also exuded an aura of uneasiness. Jedi Knight Oss Wilum was particularly affected during the first battle of the Naddist Uprising, becoming disoriented and blinded by what he perceived as an all-encompassing darkness. He was encouraged to resist Null's aura by holding onto the light side of the Force.
Auras of uneasiness were favored by the Naddist Sith cult active on Onderon during the planet's Beast Wars. Sith sorcerers like King Ommin and Queen Amanoa, both Naddists and former members of the Onderon royal family, demonstrated the ability to create them. Several Dark Lords of the Sith, including Freedon Nadd and his successor, Exar Kun, knew and practiced this power. Servants of the Sith, such as Freedon Nadd's guardian, Warb Null, emanated an aura of uneasiness during combat. Many thousands of years after the Naddist Revolt, Jedi trainee–turned–Sith acolyte Kyp Durron learned to create auras of uneasiness from the spirit of the deceased Dark Lord Exar Kun, to whom Durron had recently become an apprentice. He deliberately projected a shadow of unease to keep the jungle fauna at bay as he moved through the forests of the Yavin moon. The creatures sensed Durron's power and avoided approaching him.
The shadow of uneasiness first surfaced in Kevin J. Anderson's July 1994 novel Dark Apprentice, the second installment of The Jedi Academy Trilogy. It then appeared, without being named, the following month in the first issue of the Tales of the Jedi's Freedon Nadd Uprising story arc, and again in September of the same year with the release of the second installment of The Freedon Nadd Uprising. Two years later, the Force power was detailed in West End Games' Tales of the Jedi Companion, where it was identified as the "aura of uneasiness."
In terms of roleplaying game stats, the aura of uneasiness is a Force power that is easily mastered and utilized. Using the aura against another sentient player character automatically awards Dark Side points to player characters.