Shadowlands

The **Shadowlands**, also known as the **Darkness**, the **Shadow World** and the **Dark Mirror**, is a world which borders the Surface World. In various religions and cosmologies it is depicted as the land of the dead as well as a place of suffering, evil, and necrosis. It is a reflection of the Surface, acting as its dark counterpart. As its name suggests, it is predominantly filled with shadows, darkness, and bleakness.

## Description

As a dark reflection of the physical world, the Shadowlands are gray and filled with darkness. Soil and dirt in the above world are reflected as silt and gray sand while stones cast no colors besides shades of black and gray. The Shadowlands are not colorless however, rivers of crimson and veins of arcane ore dot against the barren background. The skies above are as colorless as the ground below; however, the moon shines vividly across the land, acting as the brightest, and at times only, source of light across the dark plane. However, as in the world above, the moon only shines for half of each day, leaving behind utter darkness when it dips below the horizon.

While the plane itself is, by all accounts, miserable, it is far from a lifeless realm. There are as many settlements and cities in the Shadowlands as there are in the above world, although their appearances can be quite different. Castle walls may appear as black iron barricades, wooden buildings may becomes stone prisms, and landmarks may become twisted or even appear as ruins. While visitors from the physical plane may find these reflections to be disturbing omens, in practice such structures are utilized by the Shadowlands' denizens without any issue.

## Ecology

Since it is the land of the dead, the Shadowlands is primarily populated by spirits, corpses, and other specters. It is said that bodies buried in the Surface World eventually make their way into the Shadowlands, where they may or may not reanimate. As such, much of the land is littered with the bones of beasts and mortals alike. Souls, on the other hand, mostly instantaneously make their way into the Shadowlands at the moment of death, where they are said to be processed by the Queen of Shadows. Though the exact process is unknown, it is clear that most souls that arrive in the Shadowlands do not retain their sentience and sanity for long. Malignant and tortured souls wander the grey land clinging onto a small semblance of life. It is these specters, as well as creatures of pure negative energy, which make-up the majority of the "life" in the Shadowlands and which makes survival in the realm extremely difficult. Not all souls undergo this process, however, or at least not immediately. A number of spirits, which maintain varying amounts of sanity, reside in the Shadowlands and "live" fairly normal afterlives. The leading theories suggest that spirits that have not been forgotten by denizens of the Surface World have a higher chance of not devolving in death.

Though the majority of the population of the shadow plane are dead, unable to escape from the world without the help of necromancy, there exists a small population of mortals that live in this world. Some mages and, typically evil, powerful individuals purposefully reside in the Shadowlands, usually in an effort to harness the world's dark energy. A number of organizations, such as the Quay Mor and the Underworld, use the realm as a means to keep their activities secret from the nations of the Surface World. Additionally, there is a species of mortals that are native to the Shadowlands, known as the Shadar. Very little is known about the Shadar, as they are virtually unknown to those in the Surface World. What is known is that all Shadar seem to serve the Queen of Shadows, and that they exhibit a seemingly virtually endless lifespan, similiar to Eteri and Dwrgrs.

## Cosmography

Most cosmologists agree that the Shadowlands are situated underneath the physical world, reflecting beneath it like a reflection in water. This explains why cardinal directions are seemingly reversed in the Shadowlands, as well as why the two worlds share the same moon at different times. However, this explanation does not explain why the sun does not appear in the Shadowlands after it leaves the Surface World. The most widely accepted explanation is that the radiance of the sun is too bright for the dark plane but the lesser shine of the moon is able to slip through.

Due to the proximity between the Surface and the Shadowlands, the border between the worlds is often thin and there are many locations were the two worlds connect and passage is possible. These borders often appear to be fragments of the Shadowlands bleeding into the physical world, complete with the plane's characteristic gloom and darkness. Many fear to stray in the dark for this very reason, as it may be easy to step into the Shadowlands, escaping is another matter entirely. Travelling between the two worlds requires a large amount of energy, which typically stops the dead from crossing the boundary. Additionally, the passages between the two worlds are often one-way, or only open during certain times. It is said that the Surface World and the Shadowlands are closest together during solar eclipses.

## Notable Locations

### Leirtes

* Sireak, better known by its residents as Avarice, the dark reflection of Osland's capital city functions as a gathering place for many of the Shadowlands' most powerful denizens.
* Xerous, better known as Red Spine, is a domain filled with arcane energy and monsters alike. This area is filled with raw magical energy and chaotic arcane currents, many of which has caused the creation of the Shadowlands' most deadly creatures. Many that choose to reside in Red Spine are scholars, searching for the answers to arcane and divine questions from the Surface World and beyond. The Quay Mor's Setriel citadel, Caes Mara, is located here, serving as a gathering place for the organization's agents, as well as a training ground for its latest recruits.