The Shadowfell is a twisted reflection of the Material Plane filled with forgotten and malignant forces bent towards dark goals. Rilumir’s Shadowfell imbues a morbid contempt for civilization into those that selfishly seek its power. Tragic tales are told of the Shadowfell’s influence bestowing sickly unlife into things that should remain dead. Those who tempt the plane’s fell gifts risk terrible curses such as lycanthropy and vampirism.
Hexblades
This mirror plane is home to pact bound weapons known as the Hexblades, legendary magical weapons infamous for the baleful influence they wield on those around them. Their innate curses reap souls and spawned the clans of Lycanthropes and lineages of Vampires who spread their afflictions to mortals. These powerful creatures have lairs across the Shadowfell, competing against other dark denizens for the unclaimed Hexblade’s power.
The Mafic Ruins of Nasiroth
The Mafic Ruins of Nasiroth are dominated by the forces of the shadow dragon Zythax. Ruling from the Nightstone Bastion, he hoards ancient and deadly treasures in his highly fortified keep. The agents of Zythax primarily consist of Shadar-Kai who have loyally followed their dark dragonlord since they first broke from the Feywild. They are the dominant force in the Shadowfell, skilled enough to range across its many biomes and claim prizes for the Trove of Shades. With monolithic basalt walls, elite Shadar-Kai guards, and integrated lava flows, Zythax’s collection is protected so fiercely that no knowledge or rumor of its contents has escaped his vault. Beyond the walls of Zythax’s domain, Nasiroth is a land of ruins and crags sundered by rivers of lava. Lurking within everpresent plumes of choking ash, the husks and spirits of the dead ambush adventurers who disturb their rest.
The Death Altar Mountains
The Death Altar Mountains are the foremost hunting grounds of the Death Giants, a cruel and merciless offshoot of the Varlings. Long ago, evil whispers of the mountain winds taught the giants how to control and manipulate soul magic. With dark rituals they sacrificed their thralls to cravenly grasp at more power the Shadowfell eagerly fed them. At the height of their magic, the leader of the Death Giants betrayed his people and consumed their souls, eternalizing himself as the Lich King. What Death Giants remained took their vengeance on him and seized what soul energies they could for themselves, before turning on each other and forever sundering their clans. The self-serving ways of these giants mean that no organized factions have risen to control the perilous mountains since the wrath of the Lich King. Now the Death giants are nomadic hunters, ranging across the Shadowfell for sacrifices to devour.
The Jungle of Rot
The Jungle of Rot is a lush and sprawling biome with a strangely vibrant selection of flora. Standing apart from the Shadowfell’s other barren regions, the jungle overflows with deceptive and parasitic life. Travel through the biome is just as draining and perilous as the rest of the plane thanks to its claustrophobic masses of plants and muddy bogs. Flowing from the Grey Wastes to the Shadowsea, the Yikim River meanders through the jungle, supernaturally changing its course to trap and ensnare the naïve. Vestiges of lost civilizations and outposts of opportunistic treasure hunters can be found in its wake. As hazardous as the natural environment is, the greatest danger in the Jungle of Rot is coming across one of the Nagpa Cabal. Feared by mortals and denizens of the Shadowfell alike, to meet one of the Nagpa is to risk a myriad of terrible fates, as their mastery of the plane’s magic is as deep as their depravity.
The Dreadshores
Where the lands of the Shadowfell end, the ocean and its Dreadshores begin. The Shadow Sea’s dark waves and archipelagoes are no respite from the malignant energies of the plane, as they often play fatal tricks on sailors. A ghostly apparition of a lighthouse constantly lurks on the horizon, although experienced navigators and captains know that it is no blessing. Control over the Shadow Sea belongs to the pirates who sail its treacherous waters, pillaging lost ships who sail through shadow crossings unknowingly. The captains of the shadowfell crew their ships with aethrin and undead to suit their need to pillage and plunder. In-fighting is common in the Dreadshores, as mortal pirates have to grapple with the spectral ships and their ethereal crew. Despite the dangers, legendary lost treasures lure people to this region to claim riches in the archipelagos of terror.
The Grey Wastes
The Grey Wastes are the epitome of desolation, to venture into them is to court death. Toxic winds whip up sandstorms that debilitate and weaken those caught in them. Ruins of cities long lost to history wither in the unrelenting sands, their scattered remains a glittering temptation to the unwary. To claim the treasures of the sands you must be willing to risk the wrath of sand ghouls and mummy lords. Most lethal of all and are the Ruined, fusions of golems and Sorrowsworn imbued with the malice of the desert. Detesting all forms of civilization, the Ruined will mercilessly annihilate any group of travelers that lingers too long. The source spring of the Yikim River is said to be located somewhere deep in the Grey Wastes, although no one who sought its origin has ever returned.
A Warning
Aethrin who stay to call the plane home do so out of necessity, living hard lives under its despotic rules. Entities who are strong enough to wield power here become as twisted as the plane itself, using their strength to tyrannize and corrupt. Those who survive their time in the Shadowfell are sure to advise travelers; stay far away from darkened shadow crossings and do not seek out powers from beyond the veil.
