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Shadows

The presumed inhabitants of the Land of Shadow.

In mythology, the well-known Creation Myth speaks of "creatures that mimicked the noble creations of the Sun and Earth in horrible ways", which came to this plane with the shadowy light of the Land of Shadow.

Historically, the Ancient inhabitants of Puddleby Island opened a passage to a plane that is likely the historical basis for the Land of Shadows, and were then warred upon by its inhabitants. Later, the High Priestess of the fane? located on what is now called Gho-Wei Island? invited in the residents of the 'shadow realm of Gho?'.

In modernity, the animated and belligerent shadows of the residents of Gho-Wei Island have plagued visiting exiles, and within the haunted fane on that island exiles have been attacked by their own shadows. Meanwhile, the failing wards within the Shadowspring Citadel? have heralded the appearance of horrors.

Nature

It is not entirely clear what a Shadow is, nor whether they represent a specific species. Broadly speaking exiles have encountered two types of 'shadow creatures'.

Shadows of People

Shadows of individuals seem to fall into two categories.

Some residents of the haunted fane on Gho-Wei Island seem to be actively losing color and substance, as though they were 'fading' into a shadow state. One has remarked that every member of the order is "losing [their] connection to this plane." The High Priestess of the order appears to have completed this transition. These 'fading' individuals seem to retain some sense of themselves during the process.

In contrast, within the fane reside creatures which have the ability to instantly 'cast' a shadow duplicate of an exile, leaving the exile largely intact. In fact there may be multiple shadows of the same exile active at the same time. These 'cast' shadows have not been observed to speak or attempt any form of communication. Indeed they have given little indication of intelligence.

The exterior of Gho-Wei island is populated by the shadows of monks, warriors, and nomads, presumably originally cast by the denizens of the island. These shadows are physically nearly indestructible, and typically can only be defeated by the application of healing magic, which injures them. In this respect they are very similar to the High Priestess, suggesting that they are the end state of the 'fading' process.

Though the 'faded shadows' and the 'cast shadows' appear to differ greatly, they are common in that they exist only as a reflection of a living thing of the material plane. This is a contrast to creatures that appear to have originated from the Land of Shadow.

Creatures of Shadow

Aside from the faded shadow of the High Priestess and insane or corrupted Skeletal Monks? and Withering Priestesses?, the fane also contains a variety of creatures that seem to hail from the Land of Shadows:

Deeper within the fane, explorers periodically encounter mysterious creatures in the form of large shadowy insects. It is these beings who possess the ability to 'cast' shadows of exiles they encounter. Each of these beings has a name and sobriquet, which seems indicative of intelligence.

Below the Shadowspring Citadel in the eastern mountains of Puddleby Island, other creatures have been observed that seem to be invaders from the Land of Shadows:

More recently, some of these creatures have been observed within the haunted fane, seemingly as a result of Skeletal Monks? deliberately attempting to 'pierce the rend?'.

Arrival

Shadows appear to enter our plane through openings of various sort.

Residents of the haunted fane on Gho-Wei Island speak of their High Priestess's fascination with 'the shadow realm of Gho' and of her inviting its residents into the fane. Little is known about her means or method of contacting these beings, nor is it known whether she in some way opened a path for them or if they made their own way. Some have speculated that the strangeness on Gho-Wei Island may be a result of a partial merger between this plane and the shadow plane.

Mobile Dark Rifts have been observed throughout the eastern mountains of Puddleby Island, primarily concentrated near Ancient machinery. The most striking element of the Dark Rifts are the eyes peering out into our world.

Below the Shadowspring Citadel exists a rend in reality that appears to serve as a physical entry point for Shadows. It may also be weakening interplanar barriers and allowing the Shadows to pierce more Dark Rifts.

Pelaegia? has spoken of seals laid by the Ancients to keep the Shadows out of our plane which now appear to be failing.

Communication

On many occasions Mystic visitors to the Shadowspring Citadel have reported visions seemingly sent to them by the Shadows.

The Shadows have responded to music played in their midst in both positive and negative ways. On at least one occasion witnesses report hearing music seemingly played by the Shadows.

Evil Twins

Some have interpreted the Land of Shadows as being a sort of 'opposite world', within which every exile has a shadow, a sort of 'evil twin'.

The observed phenomena within the Haunted Fane on Gho-Wei seems to refute this interpretation, as an exile may 'cast' multiple shadows, all of which may be active in our plane simultaneously. This multiplicity suggests that 'shadow exiles' are created rather than pre-existing. This aligns well with the mythological claim that the Shadows mimicked the creatures of this world.

Some scholars retort that the notion of the 'dark copy' has existed in the popular mind for as far back as we have stories, and the possibility that these stories derive from factual accounts should not be dismissed out of hand. Given that there are two clearly distinct types of 'exile shadows' that have already been encountered, it is not impossible that a third type could be discovered.

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Page last modified on September 20, 2021, at 02:02 PM