Spriggats originally Shadowlings?

[Gath]

In TRPG1, Noctus mentions a rebellion of shadowlings when you meet him. In TRPG2, Cerzak says the queen kills female shadowlings to make them 'dependent on her for survival'. Cerzak says 'us' even though he is a spriggat. So, were spriggats originally supposed to be shadowlings, or am I missing something? (Assuming Cerzak's dialogue was originally meant to be the dialogue of a shadowling)

[ArtDrake]

By "shadowlings" he means, in that context, members or residents of the Shadowling Empire, and not the race.