The Shadowfell

The Shadowfell, also known as the Plane of Shadow, is the dark and twisted counterpart to the Faewyld, created by Unknown and the Unknown to maintain the delicate balance of life on the Prime Plane. While the Faewyld embodies unrestrained life and emotion, the Shadowfell represents decay, death, and the somber echoes of existence. It is a bleak and desolate plane, where shadows of the Prime Material Plane are twisted into dark reflections of themselves. Here, noble heroes are mirrored as ruthless conquerors, benevolent rulers become despots, and the very fabric of life is dimmed by the essence of death.

Appearance

The Shadowfell is a plane of perpetual twilight, where the sky is a swirling mass of dark, foreboding clouds and the landscape is a barren, desolate expanse. The terrain is dominated by endless plains of ash and stone, interspersed with dead forests and crumbling ruins that stretch for miles. Life in the Shadowfell is scarce, and where it does exist, it is twisted and corrupt. Trees are withered and gnarled, rivers run black and stagnant, and the very air is heavy with the weight of decay.

Shadows dominate the landscape, and nearly everything is cloaked in a shroud of gloom. This realm is not entirely lifeless, as shades, spectres, and wraiths haunt its plains, many of them representing the dark reflections of creatures and people who live or once lived within the Prime Material Plane. These shadowy entities serve as constant reminders of the decay and death that permeate the plane.

It is believed that every sentient being on the Prime Plane has a shadow counterpart in the Shadowfell. This shadow-self lives a twisted existence, with even the most heroic of beings reflected as a corrupted version of themselves. Lords of honor and virtue on the Prime Plane might exist as tyrants in the Shadowfell, while conquerors on the Prime are magnified into monstrous despots.

Origin and Creation

The Shadowfell was forged from the remnant essence of Unknown, the Unknown of Decay and Destruction, after the Unknown. Created in opposition to the vibrant Faewyld, the Shadowfell was designed to be a necessary balance to the unrestrained life and emotion of its counterpart. The decay and death that define the Shadowfell serve to sustain life on the Prime Plane by maintaining the cosmic order between life and death.

The connection between the Shadowfell and the Plane of Oblivion is profound, as the two realms share the essence of entropy and death that flows from Thanatos. While the Plane of Oblivion serves as a limbo for souls awaiting judgment, the Shadowfell is where the shadows of life continue in a twisted reflection, bound to the decay and entropy that defines this realm.

The Mistress of Curses

One of the most infamous regions within the Shadowfell is the Everdark Forest, an ancient and foreboding place where only darkness lives. The trees of the Everdark are massive and twisted, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. It is within this forest that the Night Mother Nyx, the Goddess of Curses and Change, resides. Known as the Night Mother, Nyx embodies the shifting nature of darkness, both feared and revered as a deity of transformation and malevolence. Her influence over curses, fate, and the mutable nature of existence makes her a powerful and dangerous force within the Shadowfell.

The Everdark Forest is said to be a place where the barriers between the Prime Plane and the Shadowfell are particularly thin. Shadows here are particularly potent, and the twisted reflections of the Prime manifest in powerful and malevolent forms. The forest is a realm of perpetual night, where the light of the stars and moons are swallowed by the dense, oppressive gloom.

Shadowlords of Evernight

Ruling over the Shadowfell are the Shadowlords, former Solir champions of light and justice on the Prime Plane who have been corrupted by the power of the realm. These tyrants rule from the city of Evernight, a twisted reflection of grand cities that exist in the Prime. The Shadowlords ascended to power by stealing their arcane might from Valekith, an ancient ruler who once commanded the Floating City of Netheril. After the Continuum Crisis, Valekith escaped the collapse of his city, but the magic that once gave him power over the Shadowfell was taken by the Shadowlords, granting them dominion over the arcane forces of the plane.

The City of Evernight is a place of eternal darkness, ruled with an iron grip by the Shadowlords. It is a reflection of the great cities of the Prime Plane, but twisted into something far more sinister. The denizens of Evernight are shadows of their Prime counterparts, twisted into cruel and monstrous forms. The city is a place where power is everything, and where the strong rule over the weak without mercy.

Elemental Affinity of Death

The Shadowfell is deeply tied to the elemental forces of death and decay. It draws its essence from the Plane of Oblivion and the energies of Thanatos, which seep into the realm, corrupting everything it touches. This plane is a place where death is not an end, but a continuation of existence in a twisted and decayed form. Souls that are not granted peace or judgment may find themselves wandering the Shadowfell, cursed to live in a shadow of their former lives.

The energy of death within the Shadowfell is what sustains its existence, perpetuating the cycle of life and death within the cosmos. This realm, while dark and terrifying, serves a vital purpose in maintaining balance. Without the decay and death found within the Shadowfell, life on the Prime Plane would have no counterbalance, and the cycle of existence would be disrupted.

Connections and Significance

The Shadowfell plays a critical role in the cosmic balance, acting as a necessary counterbalance to the Faewyld and the forces of life. It exists as a mirror to the Prime Plane, where the shadows of all living beings reside in a twisted reflection of their true selves. The influence of the Shadowfell can be felt throughout the Prime, as every shadow is tied to the plane in some way, reflecting the darker aspects of existence.

The Plane of Oblivion is closely related to the Shadowfell, as both realms draw their essence from Thanatos and the forces of death. While Oblivion is a place of rest and judgment, the Shadowfell is a realm where the dead continue in a twisted, shadowed existence.

Legacy and Impact

The creation of the Shadowfell was a vital moment in the formation of the universe, as it provided the necessary balance to the unrestrained life of the Faewyld. The twisted reflections of the Prime Plane that reside within the Shadowfell serve as a constant reminder of the duality of existence, where life and death are forever intertwined.

The Shadowfell remains a realm of darkness and decay, where the echoes of life are perpetually distorted into something darker and more malevolent. Its influence continues to shape the cosmos, as every being that casts a shadow is connected to the plane in some way, and the energies of death and decay are necessary to maintain the cycle of life in the universe.