Publicly accessible lore (if you have access to secret lore, check posts below)
The Shadow Realm, a plane closely linked to Arda, stands as one of the most mysterious and dangerous realms in existence, shaped and sustained by the powerful fragment Izalith known for her cunning schemes and manipulations. This dark plane, where Entropic and Temporal magic saturate the air, reflects Izalith’s chaotic and corruptive nature. It is a realm of shadows, decay, and instability—where time and life are fragile and often twisted beyond recognition.
The primary connection to the Shadow Realm was through a large portal in the capital of the Golden Sands, which allowed researchers, treasure hunters, and adventurers to explore the plane. However, they quickly discovered that the Shadow Realm was anything but hospitable. Its polluted lands, devoid of sunlight and filled with deadly magic, made long-term survival nearly impossible for most humanoids.
Creatures and their connection to the Shadow Realm
There is a belief among some scholars that vampires, often seen as children of the night, may have been another creation of Izalith, emerging from the depths of the Shadow Realm. The evidence lies in their sensitivity to sunlight, which aligns with the Shadow Realm’s lack of sun and its pervasive dark magic. Just as the elves who ventured into the realm for long periods became the specie we know as Blight Elf, imbued with Shadow magic and adapted to its entropic and temporal forces, vampires might similarly trace their origins to the corrupting influence of the realm.
It is speculated that The Lord of Vampires, originally mortal, was transformed by the energies of the Shadow Realm, granting them long life and dark powers in exchange for their weakness to sunlight and dependency on life force, much like the corrupted magic of the realm itself. These vampiric transformations could be seen as a form of entropic magic, where life is drained and replaced with a twisted, undead existence—one that thrives in shadow but is repelled by the sun, a force they can no longer endure.
The Blight Elves and Vampires: Kin of the Shadows
Both Blight Elves and vampires share a connection to the Shadow Realm, albeit in different ways. Blight Elves, once normal elves, gradually adapted to the entropic and temporal magic of the realm, gaining resistance to its effects and becoming masters of Shadow magic. Vampires, on the other hand, may have been the result of a more deliberate creation, likely by Izalith or one of her followers, infused with the corrupt energies of the Shadow Realm but retaining more of their mortal weaknesses, such as their vulnerability to the sun.
Though the Blight Elves embraced the gift of Zeriax, seeing their survival in the Shadow Realm as a mark of divine favor, vampires are often more tied to the chaos and manipulation of Izalith, beings who were made to walk in the darkness and serve as a reminder of her influence on the mortal world. Both, however, draw power from the same shadowy source.
Infections from the Shadow Realm
The Shadow Realm's presence is not confined to portals alone. Accidental rifts and cursed artifacts sometimes leak the essence of the realm into Arda. This "infection" can corrupt both land and creatures, imbuing them with traits similar to those found in the Shadow Realm. Some infected creatures develop powers reminiscent of Shadow magic, and in rare cases, they may even undergo transformations into shadow-touched beings. Such occurrences are rare, but they remind the people of Arda that the Shadow Realm is ever-present, its influence always lurking, ready to twist those who fall into its grasp.
In sum, the Shadow Realm is not just a dark and foreboding plane—it is a reflection of Izalith's schemes and her influence on both Arda and the creatures within it. Vampires, with their aversion to sunlight and affinity for the shadows, may well trace their origins back to this realm, shaped by the same forces that created the Blight Elves. Both races are tied to the magic of shadow and decay, but where the Blight Elves see their power as a divine blessing from Zeriax, vampires are more likely the result of Izalith’s darker manipulations, forever bound to the night and the shadowed magic of the realm.