The Shadowfell
Like the Feywild, the Shadowfell is one of the Inner Planes that closely borders the Material Plane. The Shadowfell exists as a sort of mirror much in the way the Feywild does as well, featuring terrain, landmarks and even structures that are similar to those recognizable in the Material. Unlike the Feywild, however, this is a realm of darkness and despair; there is no sun in the sky, and the color seems to have been drained out of all things so that only tones of black, white and grey remain. The plane is usually only reachable via shadow crossings-- portals of deep shadow that most often appear in dark locations associated with strong negative emotions.
The Shadowfell itself is associated with negative emotions, as evident even in its appearances. In addition to the lack of color in most things, anything that might be familiar to mortals is seen as a warped, decaying mockery. All trees in the Shadowfell are leafless and gnarled; all grasses brittle and dead. Water appears black and undrinkable, while buildings are mostly reduced to ruins. Death is ever-present across these landscapes, which is made even more clear by the kinds of creatures that stalk the plane-- zombies, ghouls, and various other grotesque undead creatures roam in place of wildlife, seemingly waiting for a living traveler to stumble upon them and provide a feast of flesh. While some living creatures do also populate the Shadowfell, they too are dark and twisted, unlike any monsters native to the Material Plane.
Perhaps the greatest danger of all, however, is the way that the Shadowfell itself weighs on the minds and souls of mortals. Anyone who travels into the Shadowfell will feel a purveying sense of dread prickling at the back of their mind; if one remains there for an extended period of time, that dread gives way to apathy, depression and madness. It is thus imperative that those who traverse the Shadowfell have a plan to exit as soon as their business is done-- while different for every person, most reports say that it takes about a month before the negative emotions fully take hold. It is unknown how or why this occurs (or what the origin of the Shadowfell is at all), but it has been theorized that perhaps this phenomenon is meant to protect something hidden within the plane-- some dark magic or secret no mortal should be able to access. Still, it is possible for individuals to survive in the Shadowfell for long periods of time; those who embrace these negative emotions and are able to withstand the harsh environment can live, as evident by the existence of the shadar-kai elves today (elves whose ancestors lived in the Shadowfell long ago, before escaping that plane and settling in Raen'dor).
The most recent example, and the one that most often is used to back up the theory of a magical secret hidden in the Shadowfell, is Saidro Vasvadan-- the Undying King. According to historians, Vasvadan lived in the Shadowfell for decades before emerging from a crossing on the northern islands that now bear his name. It has never been discovered how he was able to become such a powerful necromancer, commanding hundreds of undead at once; perhaps he discovered what secret the Shadowfell harbors, though we now may never know...
Until recently, travel to and from the Shadowfell was not limited to rare shadow crossings in Raen'dor. As with the Feywild, the Shadowfell directly overlapped and shared space with the realms. Shadow crossings might encompass an entire cave or dark expanse of jungle, rather than one small corner of a space; the largest crossings, while never as large as fey crossings, still spanned nearly a mile. It was (luckily) easier to tell when one had crossed between the Material world and the Shadowfell, which made it less likely that these crossings intersected with mortal settlements-- if anything, the discovery of a crossing was a reason not to settle nearby at all. Still, it was possible for travelers to wander into this dread plane if they were not careful; or perhaps even worse, it was possible for creatures of the Shadowfell to venture out.
Then the Realignment occurred, and for all the havoc it caused it brought relief to those who lived close to the borders of the Shadowfell. While plenty of terrifying creatures-- undead or otherwise-- still stalk the darker parts of Raen'dor as a result of centuries of crossings, most believe those creatures to now be limited in number. Journeying to the Shadowfell has become much more difficult in the last decade as well, which too is a welcome change; while no individual has gained powers close to what the Undying King wielded, it was long feared that another might venture into the Shadowfell and emerge the next great threat to Raen'dor. With access to the Shadowfell limited to only a few well-hidden shadow crossings, the hope is that that the realms are now truly safe from such a threat.
Regions historically known for Shadow Crossings include:
- The Isles of Vasvadan
- The Frostfens
- The Jungles of Na'vida
- The Blacksmoke Mountains
- The Sullerwoods
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