Shadowfell
"It is the toxic plane of darkness and power.
It is the hidden place that hates the light.
It is the darkness of the world unknown."
Geography
"A shiver runs down your spine as you gaze at the expanse of lifeless dread. An eternal, windswept moor adorned with husks of long-dead trees howls in the wind of infinite night... nothing feels right here."
As the Shadowfell is a Near Plane, its topography generally mirrors that of Uthilith. However, it differs in several key ways.
The border of the Shadowfell isn't nearly as strict of a border as Uthilith's is - where the globe of Uthilith has clear limits to where you cannot cross, significant portions of the Shadowfell are significantly more flexible. Those who cross these borders can unwittingly end up in the Astral Sea, Liminal Plane, and Ethereal Plane - which are in essence, transitive areas.
Some of the most remote corners of the Shadowfell contain pocket demiplanes that individuals travelling through the plane can easily stumble into. These are called the Domains of Dread, and each of them serve a spirit dedicated to a specific fear. It's nearly impossible to escape once trapped by a Dread Power; the most famous example recorded in Uthilithian history was that of Barovia.
Gravity and time are nearly identical to that of Uthilith, but the landscape is a twisted bastardization of the original form. Significant landmarks (such as holy sites or major political structures) are typically recognizable but warped in a way that unsettles the viewer deeply. Similar sites are often called shadow-analogues.
Localized Phenomena
Where the Feywild is suffused with energy from the Positive Energy Plane, the Shadowfell has affinity for that of the Negative Energy Plane. Thus, the creatures that call the Shadowfell their home are typically horrific undead and monstrosities.
Since the Shadowfell is ever-changing, it's quite prone to shadow earthquakes - morphic shifts in the landscape that closely resemble the earthquake spell. These can also interrupt those managing to project from another plane of existence, likely tossing them to another area of the Shadowfell completely, a Domain of Dread, or even another plane suffused with Negative energy.
History
Unlike the Feywild (whose transition was aided significantly from Exandria to Uthilith by Titania and Astrid), the Divine Creation ripped the Shadowfell from Exandria and attached it to Uthilith with no regard for the inhabitants. Thus, a mass extinction event occurred within the Shadowfell - the few powerful spirits that lived there were instantly slaughtered, as were hordes of undead and other monsters. This was also the birth of the Domains of Dread.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
