The desolate stretches of road and river where the Shadowfell bleeds over into the world, known as the Bleak Paths, allow travel to and from that dark realm. The power of shadow a nd death invariably infuses such locations, which are the sites of terrible crimes, large-scale tragedies, or powerful rituals that channel shadow magic.
Most of those who travel the Bleak Paths do so by performing the rituals needed to access them. In some cases, however, a traveler can stumble into the Shadowfell along such a road without warning. Such sudden disappearances might coincide with the manifestation of undead or shadow monsters in an area, and could depend on the nature of the event that created the Bleak Path.
One of the most infamous Bleak Paths lies within the Nentir Vale, on an overgrown track that crosses the Gray Downs. In ages past, a hill clan war chief walking in the company of his bride was set upon by the chief's brother, eager to seize control of the tribe. In a deadly ambush, the chief and his beloved were cut clown by a hail of arrows as they walked hand in hand along the path.
To this day, travelers that follow this ancient track are cautioned to never make physical contact with their companions as they walk. Legends tell of how those who do so near the location of the ambush are pulled into the Shadowfell as they inadvertently mimic the doomed couple's last steps.
The spiritual imprint that death makes on an area is the key to accessing a Bleak Path. As such, the Halflings' mastery of lore and secrets allows their scouts and clan leaders to accumulate untold numbers of such keys. This information, along with maps showing the locations of the Bleak Paths across the lands in which Halflings travel, is greatly treasured by the clans that possess it.
The lore of the Bleak Paths is concealed within otherwise mundane-looking maps. Vanishing ink made visible only by the light of a full moon, secret symbols woven into a map's decorative borders, and codes carefully worked into place names and histories protect this precious secret.