Shadow

A boundary exists between realities, neither entirely physical nor wholly metaphysical, which is referred to as Shadow by scholars, mystics, and displaced witnesses. Shadow does not constitute a distinct realm; rather, it serves as a liminal medium, a barrier that typically prevents one reality from encroaching upon another. Under normal circumstances, this boundary operates reliably, preserving the separation of universes governed by incompatible physical laws and metaphysical principles. Occasionally, however, this barrier weakens. When the boundary deteriorates, openings emerge, allowing fragments of one world to intrude upon another. Such an event is termed a Rift.

This breach characterizes the present era in the Mundane world. The familiar, modern, and rational environment has become the primary site for incursions originating from Shadow. The cause of this opening remains undetermined. Competing explanations include dimensional harmonics and metaphysical fatigue, yet no consensus has been reached. The effects are unmistakable: an influx of extraordinary creatures, anomalous objects, and a measurable increase in ambient magical potential. Magic and monsters, previously confined to myth, have become tangible realities.

Entities that traverse Shadow emerge fundamentally changed. The journey removes certainty and continuity, leaving only fragments of their former lives. Collectively, these arrivals are designated as Creatures of Shadow, with the sentient humanoid species among them identified as the Shadowkind.

Most Shadowkind retain only the most fundamental aspects of identity, such as names, close relationships, professions, beliefs, and deeply personal experiences. Broader knowledge, including geography, history, politics, legends, and secondhand information, is largely erased during transit. This phenomenon is referred to among the Shadowkind as the Gift of Lethe, a somber benediction that enables adaptation to a new world at the expense of comprehending the former one.

For example, an elf might recall her family, her craft, and the cultural values she internalized, yet be unable to name her homeland’s rulers, recall its borders, or describe neighboring kingdoms. Many Shadowkind do not remember the circumstances of their entry into Shadow. Reported experiences differ, including fog-filled nights, open doorways, or sudden darkness, but most accounts describe an abrupt discontinuity: one moment existing elsewhere, the next stranded in an unfamiliar reality with no memory of the transition.

Passageways through Shadow are inherently unpredictable, transient, and uncontrollable. These portals may manifest in any location without warning and disappear just as suddenly. Witnesses have reported that such manifestations may appear as viscous black pools, unnatural fog banks, collapsing pockets of darkness, or abrupt spatial distortions. When these phenomena subside, they leave behind whatever has traversed them, including creatures, objects, or, in rare instances, entire structures.

There is no consistent correlation between the appearance of a Shadow manifestation and the entities or objects that emerge from it. Identical portals have produced swarms of vermin, groups of monstrous humanoids, solitary titanic beasts, or, in some cases, only artifacts. Recovered items range from minor curiosities to clearly supernatural relics, including weapons, alchemical substances, and entire buildings displaced from another reality. Keeps, towers, and even castles have reportedly appeared fully intact, integrated into landscapes where they had not previously existed.

Shadow manifestations most frequently occur in remote or desolate areas, resulting in arrivals who are isolated, disoriented, and vulnerable. Individuals or entities that survive initial contact with the mundane world must adapt rapidly or face extinction.