Shadaesmyr

Shadaesmyr was the ancient home of the Shadar-Kai, the elves of the shadowfell, now destroyed and mostly abandoned.   It has recently been oocupied again by a large population of shadow goblins calling the city home.  

Geography

The city is surrounded by a dense forest of thorns, tangled roots, dead trees, and blood called Bloodmire creating a barrier that even locals find difficult to penetrate. On all other sides, the city is encircled by sharp mountains, their grey rocks posing a perilous obstacle to navigate without the guidance of an expert.  

Description

Ruins

The ruins of Shadaesmyr are located in the shadowfell near the mansion of Silver Remington. From a distance, multiple towers are visible, leaning in different directions as though the ground were collapsing beneath them. The ruins themselves lie next to a dense forest that used to also cover the city, and the rubble and collapsing towers on the edge of the city are covered in thorny vines and toxic fungi.   The corpses of the elven families that were killed in the rituals leading to the destruction of the shadar-kai can still be found, soulless, they ressemble empty cracking shells.   While the elves who survived the fall of the city have avoided the city for years, they now wish to reclaim the city and live amid the ruins.  

The fey quarter

Recently repurposed by goblins and elves coming from the deepest region of Bloodmire, a small section of the city's edge has been renovated to serve as the home of those new citizens.  

Society

Shadar-kai

A small group of survivors, the rare Shadar-kai still alive, have managed to reclaim the center of the city. However, their numbers are so depleted that their continued survival is nothing short of a miracle.  

Shadow Goblin

Another group, mostly composed of goblins, has settled on the city's edge, and are creating a thriving community. To visitors, the insular ‘goblins’ of the Bloodmire are kind enough: offering to heal those afflicted by the Bloodmire’s diseases for coin.   These disguised fiends can’t be detected as fiendish by divination magic or abilities, but can be seen as normal by a creature with true sight. However, there are subtle hints that might convince an observant character that something isn’t right with the creatures of these fiendish villages:  
  • Villagers are extremely careful about not touching the characters.
  • There are no cemeteries or funeral rites performed.
  • There are no children, but there are nursery rhymes.
  • Villagers are always shown as friendly to those afflicted by the Crimson Sight disease.
  Any questions about these inconsistencies only results in a terse (but not openly hostile) conversation with the villagers. Engaging in combat with any one villager makes all other fiends within eye- and earshot immediately hostile toward the characters.  

History

The city's river turned to blood eons ago when a legion of devil came and killed countless shadar-kai before the intervention of the celestial legion who cursed them and stopped their progression. After which their cursed leader started to be the source of blood rivers running through the forest, tainting the city with its blood.   The Shadar-kai city was once the largest elven settlement in the Shadowfell, an echo of Megima in the Plane of Shadow. However, the experimentation of Silver Remington, a higher Vampire, with the Philosopher's Stone creation process led to a devastating ritual that eradicated all life within the city, leaving behind only ruins and despair. Though some survivors remain, their numbers are few, and the chances of the city reclaiming its former glory are slim.

Geography

Alias(es)
Shar-Kai ruins
Region
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Size
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Society

Demonym
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Races
Elf
Religions
/
 

Commerce

Imports
/
Exports
/
Currency
/
 

History

Population
a dozen shadar-kai
Ruler
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Others



Cover image: Farewell by Greg Rutkowski

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