Shadowscar Isle is an island located in the
Misty Bay, off the eastern coastline of the Headlands region of
The Northern Reaches. Though officially it is a territory of the northern kingdom of
Emberstone, there are no settlements or military outposts on the island.
Features
Geography
The most prominent (and the most infamous) feature of the island, is the fact that darker aspects of magical energy seems to manifest naturally on and around the island. It is one of only a few places in the world where such an effect takes place.
Most of the island is covered in forest, with some clearer patches of land in the northern parts. Due to the heavy presence of the naturally occuring energy, much of the plant life has a sense of decay to it. Many of the trees on the island are without leaves, and those species of trees that would be evergreen with pine needles instead feature needles in various shades of brown, or even black. The grasses that grow on the island experience a similar effect, and as such the entire island is covered by various shades of brown or black, with the only colors that stand out amongst the foliage being that of the some of the mushrooms that grow there.
Perhaps the most recognizable feature of the island is the large mountain that looms from the northern-center portion of the island. The mountain is composed of black rock, and is surrounded by large hills of similar coloration. The mountain rises to a broken and sharply jagged peak that some have likened to the tips of vile daggers.
Flora and Fauna
Very little life exists naturally on the island itself, and much of what does are the lifeforms that can thrive is a decaying envirnment. Various species of carrion roost around the island, such as vultures and buzzards. Giant spiders make nests in the nooks and crevices of the mountain and its surrounding hills. Rodents scurry about the undergrowth of the decaying forest.
Much of what walks, or shambles, about the island have no life within them at all. Due to the latent energies of the island, undead are found commonly on the island. Anything from small animals, to dead explorers or sailors' corpses washed up by the sea may yet rise and wander the island. The waters around the island are reported to contain undead schools of fish and other creatures.
There have been some (unconfirmed) reports of Grindylows and Reefclaws inhabiting the waters around the island. Due to the danger of exploration on the island, as well as the superstitions surrounding it, few are able or willing to make the jounrey to verify these claims, and many reports are regarded rumors and hearsay, undisputed as they may be.
Local Culture
The natives of the Northern Reaches, as a general rules, avoid the island. Fisherman along the eastern coast of the Headlands make a point to not stray too far from shore. Even those most critical of superstitions give the island a wide berth. Rumors and stories abound of strange sightings on the waters around the island or strange weather occuring with no warning. Some folk tell tales of great abberations that haunt the darkened depths of the bay around the isle.
What little is known about the island itself comes from the few explorers, smugglers, or criminals willing to brave the island, very few of which make it father than the the areas along the shore. The bits of information coming from deeper in the island primarily comes from individuals affiliated with the Shadowsteel Vanguard, a group formed primarily to guard against elements of the
Blightlands (and by extension, Shadowscar) that encroach on the settled lands of the Northern Reaches. These warriors, paladins, and scouts are the only ones who make their way onto the island with any regularity.
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