Shadowfell

The Shadowfell

The Shadowfell, also known as the Plane of Shadow, is one of the planes of existence in various cosmological models. Its purpose and characteristics have evolved as new cosmologies have been formulated. Other names for this plane included Shadowland, the Demiplane of Shadow, and simply Shadow. It exists as sort of counterpart to the Feywild, in the sense that it was a reflection, or "echo", of the Prime Material Plane. Unlike the Feywild, it is a bleak, desolate place full of decay and death.

It is the toxic plane of darkness and power. It is the hidden place that hates the light. It is the frontier of worlds unknown.

Cosmologies

Shadowfell in the Great Wheel Model

According to early versions of the Great Wheel cosmology, the Plane of Shadow was considered only a demiplane. Demiplanes formed out of the proto-matter that ebbed and flowed about the Ethereal Plane, creating a finite plane with its own Border Ethereal whenever a critical mass was achieved. The largest of these was called the Demiplane of Shadow, and was made up of both positive and negative energy in equal measure. For those traveling through the Ethereal Plane, the "curtain of vaporous color" for the Demiplane of Shadow was the color silver. Wizards could shadow walk directly to the edge of the Shadowfell and travelers could use this plane as a transitive plane to traverse many Prime Material miles very quickly. Clerics could use the plane shift spell to travel to this plane. If any were brave enough to cross the Demiplane of Shadow, it was possible to find the borders of other planes of reality. Very little was known about the Demiplane of Shadow other than it was a dim and dismal place.
In later and revised versions of the Great Wheel cosmology, such as the one following the Second Sundering, the Shadowfell was considered a parallel plane, or an "echo" of the Material Plane, coexisting with it along with the Feywild.

Shadowfell in the World Tree Model

In the World Tree cosmology model, the Plane of Shadow was seen as an infinite plane that coexisted with the Prime Material Plane, touching it at all points and having the same basic geography - but only accessible at night or from shady areas using the shadow walk spell. Naturally occurring intermittent portals called vortices appeared between this plane and the Material Plane in seemingly random areas of heavy shade or darkness. The entry and exit point of a vortex were unpredictable as was their duration, lasting a few days at most. The Plane of Shadow was no longer connected to the Ethereal Plane, even though it was coexistent with it. Rapid movement between points of the Prime was still possible by stepping into the Shadowfell and skirting the edge before stepping back into the Prime, but arriving at a particular destination was much less precise than before. Intrepid travelers could still reach other universes by traversing the Shadowfell and locating the border with an alien world such as Oerth for example.

Shadowfell in the World Axis Model

In 1385 DR, the Year of Blue Fire, Shar succeeded in engineering the murder of Mystra by Cyric, plunging the multiverse into years of upheaval and chaos called the Spellplague. The Elemental and Energy Planes collapsed into the Elemental Chaos but not before Shar managed to manipulate some of the necrotic energies from the Negative Energy Plane and inject it into the Plane of Shadow. Such was the power of this combination that the souls of the dead began to be drawn to this altered plane and had to pass through it before reaching their final judgment on the Fugue Plane. Shar called her new creation the Shadowfell. During this time, until the Second Sundering, the parallel plane became a place from which necrotic energies and shadow magic stemmed. 

Description

The most striking and immediate impression a visitor to the Plane of Shadow experiences is the lack of color and light; no sun, moon, or stars adorn the vault of the inky black sky, and all things look as if the color had leeched out, leaving nothing but black and white, which in the dimness is more like "dark black" and "light black". A light source only illuminates half the distance it normally would, flames and fires put out less heat, and spells that deal with light or fire are less predictable and prone to failure, whereas shadow spells are enhanced. On the other hand, although it will not illuminate as far, any light source on the plane can be spotted at a distance of up to ten times its normal range of illumination, such is the contrast to the constant gloom, similar to a star in the night sky. Even a light source that only puts out shadowy illumination, like a darkness spell or a lantern burning shadowlight oil, can be seen up to five times its range of illumination.
Gravity and time are the same on the Shadowfell as on the Prime, but because the Shadowfell is magically morphic (and divinely morphic in the realms of Shar and Mask) the landscape is a dark, twisted echo of what exists on the Prime. Upon entering the Plane of Shadow, the local features are usually quite similar: casting shadow walk in a forest puts you in a shadow forest; casting it under water drops you in a similar body of water, etc. But from that starting point, the landscape diverges rapidly away from the familiar, and on subsequent visits from the same starting point it diverges in different ways, making mapping the Shadowfell a useless endeavor. Landmarks are usually recognizable but altered in some bizarre way: buildings might be constructed in a different style, built with different materials, at a different location, and/or in any condition from dilapidated ruins to its normal appearance, or otherwise strange and distorted. Similar sites are sometimes called "shadow-analogues".
Due to the ever-changing landscape, the Plane of Shadow is subject to relatively frequent but very small earthquakes (called shadow quakes) that resemble an earthquake spell in an area about two hundred feet (sixty meters) in diameter. For those on the ground, damage is equivalent to a Prime earthquake, but shadow quakes can also disrupt the shadow walk spell and dump unfortunate travelers onto the Shadowfell in the middle of the disturbance at a place very likely unknown and far from their destination.
Some areas on the Plane of Shadow seem to have an affinity with the Negative Energy Plane and life-draining undead such as shadows, ghosts, and vampires. These "darklands" have a minor negative-dominant trait and unprotected visitors immediately feel the life force being sucked from their bodies—unless they exit the darkland quickly, all that is left of them will be a pile of ash. Someone with protection from negative energy can stop and admire the utter desolation in an otherwise forlorn landscape, and perhaps make the acquaintance of the truly inimical undead. Thankfully, no natural vortices open into darklands regions, preventing the unwary from stepping through into almost certain death, and keeping the creatures that thrive there from having easy access to other planes. Material Plane locations such as desecrated burial mounds, haunted battlefields, and necromantic foci frequently have a darkland echo on the Shadowfell.
Other less dangerous - but still quite unsettling echoes - occur in areas analogous to towns and cities in the Prime Material Plane. They are nothing more than mirages, but familiar faces and places seen through the macabre mirror of the Shadowfell can be very demoralizing. Structures might appear altered, dislocated, destroyed, or replaced entirely by something else. Mirages of the living have visages of distorted nightmares, but are still recognizable enough to give travelers a jolt of fear and revulsion.
Air, water, and food exist on this plane, supporting plants, animals, and some humanoids adapted to the shadow environment. Visitors can survive indefinitely if they are willing to endure thick, foul-smelling water, food that oozes dark blood, and a pervasive nip of cold in the air. A visitor can never feel warm, will often hear or sense the presence of things that aren't there, and can never shake the feeling of being watched. It is a constantly unsettling place. Over time, exposure to the Plane of Shadow alters living things, increasing various traits and abilities but also some vulnerabilities. Emotions and the ability to experience them seems to fade over time for those imbued with shadowstuff.
The morphic nature of the Shadowfell can produce strange effects, mainly in areas like the Black Rift that are especially morphic, and with events that have a particular affinity with the plane, like death. For example, in the Black Rift alone, a pile of bodies caused more skeletons to appear, until there were thousands. More bizarre are the strange biers upon which dead bodies spontaneously appear, apparently drawn from wherever they rested, anywhere in existence, only to disappear after a few seconds, presumably to wherever they'd come from. Stalactites in a cave drip ephemeral shadowstuff, which is reabsorbed into the plane rather than forming a puddle. Even common mushrooms bear realistic humanoid faces, capable of twitching or blinking. More significantly, forests of grasping tendrils sprout from some surfaces and reach for passersby, similar to the black tentacles spell.

Phenomena

Known as "shadowstuff", the material of the Shadowfell can be manipulated by illusionists to form semi-real monsters and quasi-real evocations that are still effective (to a lesser degree), even if the target successfully disbelieves the illusion. Another tool of illusionists is the shadow well spell, which can turn a creature's shadow into a temporary gateway into the Shadowfell. If successful, the victim is sucked into the Shadowfell through his or her shadow and spends a few moments in a pocket realm (a very tiny demiplane attached to the Shadowfell) being terrorized by dark phantasms. No physical harm results from this spell, but mental and emotional trauma resulting in a fear response is very possible.
An unsuccessful attempt to build a gate to the Shadowfell can result in what has been termed a failed Shadow Gate. A being that steps through one is taken only momentarily to the Plane of Shadow, but in that moment a "seed of shadow" is implanted in their flesh. This can cause their flesh to be subsumed by shadow, and they appear as mist away into darkness. Many have died this way, reduced to bare skeletons, but those who have survived acquired the powers of a dark creature.

History

The earliest known conscious interaction of the peoples of Toril with the Plane of Shadow was in the time of the Imaskari empire. In the Late period, circa −3500 DR, the archwizard Madryoch the Ebon Flame was focused on researching the secrets of the Shadowfell and plotted to use its dark power to overthrow Lord Artificer Omanond. His plans were thwarted by a young adept named Hilather. Knowledge of the existence of the Plane of Shadow was presumably lost with the fall of the Imaskari empire because it was some three thousand years later, in the Year of Plentiful Wine, −533 DR, that the Netherese rediscovered it and began their study.
In 1235 DR, the Black Horde attacked Faerûn. The Horde defeated Eldrith the Betrayer, who would go on to betray Baldur's Gate. They killed her and she was reborn out of hatred. In her soul of hatred, the Onyx Tower was created and tied to her life. The Onyx Heart was located in the Plane of Shadow and only with its destruction could the Onyx Tower be destroyed.
An adventurer and their companions were exploring the ruined Netherese city of Undrentide in the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR. In an Arcanist's Tower, they slipped through portals into its dark reflection on the Shadowfell, where they encountered shades. The adventurer later escaped impending doom by traveling back to the Plane of Shadow using a magic mirror.
Although the souls of the dead did not begin to be drawn to the Shadow Plane until after the Spellplague and Shar transformed it into the Shadowfell, it was possible to trap a soul there. Notably, this happened to a king of Damara, Gareth Dragonsbane, in the Year of Rogue Dragons, 1373 DR, by a cabal of wizards allied to the lich Sammaster. King Gareth's soul was rescued in the following year by a phalanx of paladins led by the smoke drake Brimstone.
In the Year of Lightning Storms, 1374 DR, Sharran and Cyricist cultists based in the Shadow Swamp on the Plane of Shadow, plotted to tear apart the Weave from the Black Rift. Adventurers pursued them through the Dusk Lord's Passage to the Shadow Swamp and disrupted their efforts, and found the Black Chronology among their detritus. That same year, a rift to the Shadowfell was opened in the skies over Sembia and the city of Ordulin was destroyed when a shadowy tract of land fell on it. Later, in 1376 DR, eight brave heroes ventured into the Plane of Shadow and defeated one of its guardians, Mordoc SeLanmere, and destroyed the Onyx Heart. 
A major change afflicted the Plane of Shadow in 1385 DR when Shar, having successfully arranged Mystra's death, bound the energies of the Negative Energy Plane with the plane. Since then, the plane has become known as the Shadowfell, existing as a center of Shar's power as well as a transitory place for dead mortals on their way towards judgment on the Fugue Plane. After the Second Sundering, the Shadowfell was no longer a waypoint for the souls of the dead on their way to the Fugue plane, but it remained known as the Shadowfell for most people.

Rumors and Legends

The special and unique nature of this plane cause not only cosmologists to speculate about its origins, but visitors and planar travelers as well. Some believe the Plane of Shadow spontaneously formed as a demiplane out of the Ethereal Plane. However, most cosmologists and planewalkers with a sense of adventure like to talk about the legend of the Shining Citadel. Briefly, this legend postulated that the Plane of Shadow was once bright and colorful like the Material Plane, but at some point in the distant past a mysterious group who worshiped the plane's creator took all of the light, color, and most of the life-force from the rest of the plane and concentrated it into a mighty citadel. One would think that a structure containing most of the energy from an entire plane of existence would be hard to miss, but no one has ever found the Shining Citadel, except perhaps, as the legend states, those who venture into the deepest parts of the Plane of Shadows and never return.
A theory bandied about among sages states that the Underdark was bottomless because it eventually becomes the Plane of Shadow. The only evidence supporting this hypothesis is that permanent portals to the Shadowfell are increasingly common the deeper one delves.

Notable Locations

Chaulssin

Located almost ten miles (sixteen kilometers) below the surface of northwest Faerûn, beneath the northernmost peak of the Rauvin Mountains, this was originally a drow city that was captured by shadow dragons in the Year of Shambling Shadows, −221 DR. Under the influence of shadow dragons for hundreds of years, the city was slowly absorbed by the Plane of Shadow until their overthrow in the Year of the Darkspawn, 634 DR. Abandoned in the Year of the Splendid Stag, 734 DR, the fringe of the Shadowfell continued to ebb and flow through streets and buildings filled with dangerous shadow creatures. Chaulssin was reestablished in the Year of the Shadowkin Return, 1136 DR, by House Jaezred as a base for the shadow dragon–blooded drow assassins. 

Chaul'mur'ssin

This city was established on the Plane of Shadow by the inhabitants of Chaulssin after fleeing an advancing army from Menzoberranzan in 734 DR. The Chaulssinyr hastily traveled through dangerous caverns until they found the abandoned lairs of their shadow dragon progenitors and claimed them, eking out an existence. Eventually, the city began to thrive and became a power that demanded respect. 

Evernight

The dismal reflection of Neverwinter. It was believed to be the dark version of at least one city in every world in the Prime Material plane.

Gloomwrought

The dark twin to Thultanthar (the Shade Enclave).

Mulsantir

Travel between the Shadowfell and the Prime Material Plane is possible in certain places in Mulsantir at certain times of day. Shadow Mulsantir contains a Temple of Myrkul, in the place where a Shrine to Kelemvor stands on the Prime. Within this temple can be found a portal leading to Kelemvor's domain, the Fugue Plane. 

Shadow Swamp

The Vast Swamp between Cormyr and Sembia has a Shadowfell counterpart, called the Shadow Swamp. Although the environment is similar in many ways, it is a great black swamp, where the water is dark and still and only moves sluggishly through the channels. Nevertheless, the landscape is different; there seems to be more water than in the fast-growing Vast Swamp. Sites in the Vast Swamp have echoes here: the Lost Refuge in the material world has a counterpart in the so-called Shadow Citadel, which follows the same plan but is even more ruined. A portal called the Dusk Lord's Passage links the two. On the other hand, a flooded fissure that forms an ordinary lakebed in the Vast Swamp is reflected as an empty canyon in the Shadow Swamp, known as the Black Rift. Swamp water flows in on all sides, yet the water at the bottom never rises and never seems to drain out, an entirely unexplained phenomena of the plane. The Black Rift is especially morphic—although it remains more-or-less the same shape overall, local changes in terrain are extreme and bizarre. The interplay between the magical Weave and the Shadow Weave is especially malleable, a trait which attracts the followers of Shar.

Sphur Upra

Located nine miles (over fourteen kilometers) below the surface of east Faerûn, between the surface nations of Mulhorand and Murghôm, this city was established on the Shadowfell in −2954 DR by five gloaming families seeking security and community. After almost 3,500 years, they expanded their city by creating portals to the Material Plane in the Year of the Spitting Viper, 534 DR, and became a major trading post for goods between the two planes.

Thultanthar (City of Shade)

This floating enclave of Netherese origin entered the Plane of Shadow just before Karsus's Folly brought down the empire in Year of Sundered Webs, −339 DR. Over the centuries, its population has acclimated to the new environment and become known as shades. In the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, Thultanthar was brought back to the Material Plane and became known as the City of Shade. The inhabitants then began the rebuilding of the Netherese empire.

Realms

Only three deities are known to have claimed the Plane of Shadow as their home:

• Mask, the Master of all Thieves and Lord of Shadows has a realm on this plane called Shadow Keep. It is made out of shadowstuff and is extremely difficult to see even when standing right next to it.
• Shar, Mistress of the Night and Lady of Loss, once resided in a high tower called the Palace of Loss. It had no apparent means of entry or exit, but her followers had no trouble gaining access. She sometimes kept prisoners there so she could enjoy their suffering. After the Spellplague, she moved her abode to the Towers of Night and left behind a deep dark hole guarded by evil creatures. This Foundation of Loss exudes palpable grief and is reported to contain a portal to her home in the Towers of Night.
• Null, draconic god of death, has realms named the Mausoleum of Chronepsis and the Mausoleum of Pain in the Outlands and Carceri, respectively. Parts of these are thought to exist on the Plane of Shadow at the same time.

Domains of Dread

Gates of Barovia

In remote corners of the Shadowfell there are demiplanes created by the Dark Powers which serve as prisons to trap creatures of extreme evil to serve as sustenance. One such demiplane is the valley of Barovia, ruled by the vampire Strahd von Zarovich, himself a prisoner of the Dark Powers. Passages to Barovia are rumored to exist somewhere in the Misty Forest, based on reports of werewolf attacks and Vistani presence in Daggerford and surrounding areas. 
Elminster, the Sage of Shadowdale, has shown himself aware of Count Strahd and his mist-filled domain, as well as how to journey to-and-from there somewhat freely. He briefly sent Volo Gaddarm to Barovia to explore the valley, although Volo was initially unaware of the dangers.

Inhabitants

The Shadowfell is home to a mysterious form of undead called shadows, other "shadow" creatures such as the shadow mastiff and shadow dragon, and a race of humanoids known as shades. In addition to these, there are numerous other inhabitants, such as communities of shadar-kai, Shadovar, and dark ones. Probably the most dominant race of beings on the Plane of Shadow are the shades—ancestors of ancient Netherese humans who resided on the plane in their floating city for centuries and acquired many abilities from immersion in shadow essence. Malaugryms may have been superior to shades, having the advantage of being shapeshifters and practically immortal unless killed in a certain fashion; but their small numbers, fierce independence, and difficulty in mastering interplanar travel makes them much less organized and effective.
Other creatures that are either native to the plane or have been attracted to it include bodaks, cloakers, darkweavers, ephemera of all kinds, veserabs, liches, nightshades, shadar-kai, shadurakul, spectres, and wraiths. Occasionally, animals and monsters wander or fall into a vortex to the Shadowfell and become trapped there. Those that survive eventually take on shadow-given abilities, carve out a niche in the ecosystem, and prey on whatever has attracted their attention. Examples include apes, basilisks, bears, owlbears, rats, umber hulks, and wolves. Such creatures can give rise to dark creatures, shadowy counterparts of natural creatures.
Shadow demons also inhabit this plane. These fiends are responsible for the creation of the race known as krinth, having interbred with Netherese slaves. Shadow sea serpents are not native to the Plane of Shadow, but were bred there by the Shadovar, crossing warm-blooded carnivorous orcas with vile shadow creatures. These serpents hunt in packs both in the sea and on land. Especially during the period between the Spellplague and the Second Sundering, the Shadowfell became prominently populated with dead creatures such as ghosts, specters, and other undead who, for whatever reason, refused to leave the Shadowfell and continue on to the Fugue Plane.

Notable Inhabitants

• Ambergris - A dwarf Shadovar cleric of Dumathoin and former member of Cavus Dun
• Afafrenfere - A human Shadovar monk, former member of Cavus Dun, former member of Brothers of the Gray Mists, and former member of the Monastery of the Yellow Rose.
• Dark Powers - Vestiges of ancient dead evil gods that either dwell on the plane or were banished there. They feed on evil creatures that become trapped in the Shadowfell
• Drasek Riven - A godling who had his fortress here, where he hid from Rivalen the Nightseer and the archdevil Mephistopheles, both of whom share a piece of the divine essence Drasek himself had
• Draygo Quick - A Netherese lord and powerful warlock
• Effron the Twisted - A tiefling Shadovar warlock, and former student of Draygo Quick
• The Ghost King - A composite being formed from: Hephaestus a dracolich; Crenshinibon and its seven disembodied liches; and the sentience of Yharaskrik, an illithid; which has powers over the undead denizens of the Shadowfell
• Glorfathel - An elf Shadovar wizard and member of Cavus Dun
• Herzgo Alegni - A tiefling Shadovar warlord, who wielded Charon's Claw
• Jermander - A tiefling Shadovar warrior and member of Cavus Dun
• Parbid - A tiefling Shadovar monk, member of Cavus Dun, and the Brothers of the Gray Mists
• Parise Ulfbinder - A Netherese lord 
• Ratsis the Spider Farmer - A human male shade and member of Cavus Dun
• The Raven Queen had a divine realm known as the Fortress of Memories here

Type

Dimensional plane