Shadow Roads
A Shadow Road is a mystical pathway that runs through the Shadowrealm. They are often used by elves and others who know their secrets to rapid travel across the world. These road were originally created by ancient elven arcanists. They are powered by ley energy, and so require close material world connection to the leylines. A leyline musty be at least strong to support a Shadow Road. Accessing a Shadow Road requires entering and exiting it at a portal. Portals are located where leylines intersect. Toresta contains a portal because the Danilov Leyline crosses the mostly unknown Deep Water Leyline in the city. Accessing a portal requires specific knowledge, magic and perhaps connections.
Leyline crossings are not the only place portals are accessible. Titanic leylines often spawn temporary portals, which are very dangerous to use, along Shadow Roads linked to them. Such a portal can manifest uncalled for in a forest glade, dark wood or in a fairy circle (circle of mushrooms).Portals
A character who is proficient in Arcana can make a check against Intelligence (Arcana) at DC 15 to locate a portal they know exists. A geomancer or Leyline Initiate who can sense the associated leyline has advantage on this check. Shadow fey , who reside in the Shadowrealm, often have access to Shadow Roads. Negotiating with such a creature might allow access. (DC15 Charisma (Persuasion) check.) Entering the Shadow Road typically requires a spell (like Dimension Door or Misty Step) be cast by those seeking entrance. Some portals require a physical key, typically a mithral token. Others can be opened by an Elven Rune or a special phrase. Shadow Roads are typically not accessible through the Plane Shift spell, which is likely to instead give access to a random location in the Shadowrealm instead.
Navigating the Shadow Road
Once on the Shadow Road travel is faster that in the material plane, but unpredictable. A character needs to navigate using Wisdom(Survival) checks (DC13-15, depending on the roads' condition) to avoid getting lost. Dangers on the road include shade hounds, chasms (some of which have been spanned by mithral bridges built by the eleves), fey tricksters or other impediments. Arcane Rutters exist that allow characters to use Intelligence(Arcana) checks. The DC is the same as for Wisdom(Perception) but the character must have a Rutter for that particular road.
Exiting the Shadow Road
Best case, the character has a specific destination in mind where a portal exists. Portals on the Shadow Road side are marked with elven runes. A Intelligence(Arcana) check will allow the character to decipher the runes to identify the destination. Someone with the Far Traveller Feat has advantage on this check. A geomance who is locked to the leyline powering the Shadow Road also has advantage on this check.
Certain areas on the Shadow Road, which might also be marked with warning runes, can lead to places where the portals are unstable. This most often happens where a Weak leyline crosses a Strong or Titanic one. The portals here are likely unestablished and will seldom allow reentrance to the road.
In either case, only an act of will (no Action required)is required to pass through the portal from the Shadow Road side.
Time spent up on the road can be determined by rolling a 1d12. This specifies the number days that have past on the material plane since entering the Shadow Road.
