As a basic ability, Shadow Manipulation allows users to extend and manipulate darkness / the absence of light. In absence of a light mage, dark mages can easily veil an entire room in darkness or change the shape and actions of their or another's shadow. (If a light mage is present, they may have to fight for dominance to see who controls the light/dark levels of the room-- a type of battle that has been used in a past tournament. At that point it comes down to who the stronger mage is, which should be determined by discussion between players.) Additionally, dark mages can send their own shadow to essentially communicate with others through charades or sign language as their own shadow can effectively be controlled and move separately from themselves with practice (think similar to Peter Pan's shadow, except it doesn't have a mind of its own.)

Shadow manipulation could be combined with other types of magic the same way all magics can be combined to get more advanced effects. For example, someone with cognitive and dark magic could use shadows to puppeteer people (shadow manipulation + hypnosis-- it's a largely aesthetic effect since hypnosis can already get people to bend to your will, but the visual effects may cause someone to feel less able to fight against the hypnosis). We encourage players to think of ways to combine their current magics to create effects that make sense within the capabilities of both magic types and have fun with it.

HOWEVER... unless a character curses their own shadow (which would constantly effect the caster themselves as their shadow is considered part of themself) it would not cause any kind of physical sensation or illness. Don't curse your own shadow, you're gonna have a bad time and not be able to fix it without a siphoner.