[EaX]

some more info on the shadows:

"The Shadows" (a name given to them by the younger races, as their true name - at ten thousand letters - is unpronounceable) are the most ancient of the surviving First Ones, the second to gain sentience in the Galaxy. For more than a million years, the Shadows warred with the remaining First Ones, and suffered their greatest defeat ten thousand years ago. One thousand years ago the Shadows returned, and were barely defeated by the Vorlons and the younger races, led by the Minbari with the help of Valen. They dispersed throughout the galaxy, waiting for an opportunity to come back into power. The Shadows' overriding philosophy is chaos. They believe in the survival of the fittest, in that only through chaos and war do "stronger" civilizations reach their maximum potential; this belief stands in high contrast to the Vorlon's belief in slow but guided progress - though both races use external manipulation to achieve their goals. Their adopted homeworld is Z'ha'dum. Their physical appearance is vaguely insectoid, though this may be an encounter suit. Additionally, their advanced understanding of the nature of matter allows them to "phase," making them visible only to obscure bandwidths of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The Shadows are believed to be the first to discover and manipulate Hyperspace. Their technology, like the Vorlons, is organic, and they use sentient beings as CPUs for their ships - resultantly, telepaths can interfere with or destroy their technology. True to their "Shadow" name, they utilize associate races and slaves, known as Thralls, to guide races to chaos and war, without being seen themselves.