Shadowfell
The Shadowfell, also known as the Plane of Shadow, is one of the three material planes of existence. It exists as a counterpart to the Feywilds, in the sense that it also a reflection, or "echo", of the Prime Material Realm. Unlike the Feywilds, it is a bleak, desolate place full of decay and death.
Geography
The purpose and characteristics of the plane supposedly evolved during the Creation of the universe itself. The shadowfell is a fear-striking realm of gloomy darkness and endless shadows. Similarly to the feywilds, the planes topography is near nonsensical and impossible to measure, yet retain a certain similarity to the Prime Material. Landmark and features of the Prime Material, such as mountains or lakes manifest themselves in the shadowfell as well, yet maintain a twisted and disturbing canniness to their prime counterparts, such as screaming faces on cliff sides or oily, bellowing ripples on the surfaces of what should be flat surfaces of water.
Ecosystem
The shadowfell is home to a wide assortment of deadly creatures, fauna weathers. The link to the Prime Material Realm and Death, turns it into the largest staging ground of undead, specters and other creatures that have an unconventional relationship with mortals. In the shadowfell everything posses a predatory nature.
Localized Phenomena
The most striking and immediate impression a visitor to the Plane of Shadow may experience is the lack of color and light. The Sun does not pass through the plane, and the moons, the astral plane and any other heavenly body barely can only be seen as dim silhouettes in the eternal night sky.
All things in the shadowfell look as if the color had been leeched out of them, leaving nothing but shades of black and dark greys. All sources of light, even magical ones, only illuminate at half the recorded distance they normally would, flames and fires produce noticeably less heat, and spells that deals with light or fire are less predictable and much more prone to failure, whereas shadow spells gain significant enhancement and deeper shades.
Fauna & Flora
The shadowfell is an extremely predatory environment, where even the smallest of creatures are capable of inflicting harm to ensure their survival. Ghastly apparitions roam pitch black wastes in ever-consuming hunger for any source of light, and seas are inhabited by terrifying monsters eager to drag the unsuspecting and the naive into their deep abyss.
While not all form of life or undeath in the shadowfell can be classified s sentient, those that do are considered to be beings of immense power, terrifying presence, or both. It is not uncommon for creatures of the shadowfell to seek places where the boundaries between the various realms are weak, or even attempt to weaken them themselves in order to pass through. Such attempts usually require tremendous amounts of power and entities that perform them rarely hesitate to draw it through the death of living creatures in either the Prime Material Realm or the Shadowfell.
History
The shadowfell is an ancient as time itself. Explorers to the plane report of primal activity, such as seas rising and lowering in seemingly unpredictable time-tables, mountains that suddenly rise and form valleys only to be ground to dust by the winds on the next day. On the other hand, some features remain stoic in their certainty, remaining unchanged throughout the eons. This state of flux is somewhat similar to that of the feywilds, but harsher and often much more violent.
Exploring the shadowfell's connection to living beings in the Prime Material revealed even more ties between the realms. Echos of ancient conflicts are reenacted over and over again, repeating the gruesome deaths of their participants over and over again. Assassins stalk unknowing prey, only to die at the hands of their competition before completing their tasks. Groups of shadowy nomads traverse the plane, similar to how the first humans behaved thousands of years prior to the modern ages. In every corner one searches, a glimpse of the past, present and future can be found.
Many magic users in the Prime Material have attempted to explore the shadowfell or wield some of its powers. The result is often deadly, with the casters suffering worse fates than those affected by their misdeeds. Due to its nature, the severe dangers of traversing it and the powers of its inhabitants, most magically adept societies view any interference with the shadowfell as taboo.
Current Date: 2nd of Latsum, 1572
Alternative Name(s)
The Shadowlands, The Plane of Shadows, The Shadows.
Type
Dimensional plane
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