Originating from the work of renegade wizards who were exiled to the Shadowvast, nethermancy spells extract shadow magic from the environment and blend it with arcane energy. They can create impenetrable darkness, spark terror in your enemies, and form horrific monsters from shadowstuff.
THE PLANE OF SHADOW
The Plane of Shadow neighbors and overlaps the Material Plane, and many of the others as well. It is a dark, twisted reflection of the real world, made all the more alien by its nagging similarities. Color is a faded memory, bleached from the world and replaced with shades of gray. The sky is an endless vault of black, with neither sun nor stars to break the gloom. Emotions are as muted as colors—love and hate, joy and sorrow, mirth and mourning are all less potent, less expressive. Only true needs—hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and pain—remain undiminished. Bring all the light you like; it will not shine half so brightly as it does in the darkest night of your own world.
The Plane of Shadow is the literal shadow of the Material Plane, cast not by any light but by the mystical energies that hold creation together. The domain contains twisted reflections of everything that exists in the physical realm. Mountains rise from the earth, but they are perverse and foreboding. Structures stand clustered into communities, but they are warped and often worn.
The most twisted of all areas are the Darklands scattered throughout the Plane of Shadow. These stretches of land are infused with negative energy. They suck life from those who travel them. Desolate, bleak, and forlorn, the Darklands are the most inhospitable terrain in a harsh realm.
It is only natural to consider the Plane of Shadow lesser than the Material Plane. After all, it is merely a refl ection of “true” existence, a shadow distorted by the angle of the light and the movements of the world. It is simple image without substance. A rare few understand a deeper truth, however. Shadow is sculpted in the endless darkness. Carved from the only force that is truly eternal, it has a greater meaning, and a greater existence, than the physical world itself. Rather than the Plane of Shadow poorly refl ecting the Material Plane, the plane of light and substance is the ephemeral refl ection of all-encompassing shadow.
THE METHODS OF SHADOW MAGIC
Shadow magic is subtle and indirect. It involves two funda-mental principles of mysticism.
SYMPATHY
Like affects like. If a caster controls a thing similar to, or related to, a target, the mage controls the target itself. Spell-casters of certain cultures take advantage of this principle with dolls shaped like specifi c people, or by stealing a lock of hair or an item of clothing belonging to their intended targets. Shadow magic takes this concept much further by taking advantage of perhaps the greatest example of sympathy. By manipulating the shadows of individuals, the caster can control their minds, their souls, and even their physical forms.
REFLECTION
For every action, an equal and opposite reaction exists. The reaction is not visible in most forms of magic. The wizard who casts a fi reball into the midst of his enemies neither sees nor cares about the brief amount of fl ame that vanishes from the Elemental Plane of Fire to power that spell. The cleric who heals a dying friend knows that her god is a being of such might, he scarcely notices the energy she draws from him. Shadow magic does not hide these effects, but rather uses them, creating strength from weakness, substance from emptiness, and dark from light.
LESSER SHADOW MAGIC
Shadow magic has its lesser but far more familiar cousins. Casters of shadow magic scoff at those who believe that these feeble magics represent the limits of shadow. In truth, they barely scratch the surface.
Darkness and Related Spells
All spellcasters tap into the Plane of Shadow when creating darkness. They draw extraplanar shadows to them, for no shadow of the Material Plane is strong enough to displace the light. Comparing these manipulations of shadow to those practiced by shadow magic users, however, is as comparing a child playing with rude clay to the skillful efforts of a master sculptor. Others can only force shadow through the planar boundaries in fixed amounts; the shadow master can manipulate ambient lighting as a bard manipulates sound.
Shadow-Based Illusions
Several spells of the illusion school draw on shadowstuff to add an element of reality to their images. Swords seem to cut, lightning to burn. Yet these are no more real than any other illusion. They are shadows of shadows, merely skimming the tiniest amount of substance from the dark plane. Shadow magic casters understand that they need not settle for semireal images. They can create true items, as solid as anything found on the Material Plane.
Negative Energy
The association of negative energy with shadow is in fact a false one, although many of the wisest scholars—and even some shadow magic users—continue to make it. The propensity of mortal minds to associate the symbolic with the real causes most people to think of positive energy as “light” and negative energy as “dark.” The reasoning proceeds—if negative energy is dark and shadow is dark, they must stem from the same source. In truth, shadow and negative energy are separate cosmic forces, although they attract many of the same entities and can be used to accomplish some of the same effects. When a shadow magic caster draws the life or strength out of a foe, however, she is funneling the foe’s essence into the Plane of Shadow, replacing it with less animate shadows. She need not manipulate negative energy, any more than evil clerics manipulate shadow to control undead.
Shadowdancers
Not all who manipulate shadow do so through intense study and arcane formulae. A rare few grow so close to darkness, they brush the edges of shadow on an instinctive level.
Shadowdancers pierce the borders of the Plane of Shadow when they make use of their abilities, even if they remain ignorant of that fact. To date, shadow magic casters have been unable to determine what it is about shadowdancers that grants them this innate link to shadow, but it is an area of intense study and debate within their various societies and organizations.
LEARNING SHADOW MAGIC
The secrets of true shadow magic are diffi cult to learn, for only a rare and jealous minority possesses them. The majority of such lore can be found in the hands of a few specifi c organizations, such as the Tenebrous Cabal, and knowledge seekers must petition them for access. Although a few ancient libraries and lost ruins contain tomes of shadow lore, these are usually insuffi cient for readers to become shadow magic casters simply by perusing them. At best, they might point in the direction of other, more useful sources. Some religious sects and temples also possess writings and lore regarding shadow magic. The priesthoods of many dark gods study the Plane of Shadow, believing it to be an aspect of their deity’s power.
As a matter of self-preservation, these groups seek out those who show both an aptitude for magic and a desire to delve into the mystic. With varying degrees of ritual, they share the secrets of the multiverse and shadow magic with a desirable applicant. Because it requires a devoted, disciplined mind to master shadow magic, for it is alien in ways that other magics are not, these groups approach potential recruits infrequently and accept petitioners even more rarely. Still, for those who prove themselves both capable and devoted, access to these organizations opens up an entirely new understanding of magic, of eternity, and of reality itself.
Soul Sacrifice
Those who wish to connect to the innate power of the Shadowfell must forge a strong bond with the plane. To do so requires nothing less than a shard of the supplicant's soul, given over to the unknown of death. How this gruesome task is accomplished varies among practitioners.
According to Evard's Legendry of Phantoms and Ghosts,
"To tap into the powers of shadow, you must find that lightest part of your soul and use the following rites to kill it.l ear not. It is only right. That piece simply goes ahead, in death, to that void of great mystery beyond all mortal cares. (May the rest of your soul never join it.) The power of shadow shall bleed into the hollow, making you anew. A darker you lives on, more potent than before. ln a way, you have become my kin. Think not to become my rival."
Wizards such as Evard learn arcane rituals to bond with the Shadowfell in this way. Others make pacts with obscure entities of the Shadowfell or lendmagical potency to passionate oaths. Those who wield divine power swear service to the darker gods or focus on emotions that have destructive connotations. Practitioners of primal magic evoke spirits of death, disease, and decay, which have powers rooted in shadow. Assassins learn the secrets of soul sacrifice in their hidden guilds.
Not all who tap into shadow magic deliberately set out to do so, however. Shadow magic seems to have a quiet awareness that waits to fill any dire need or unintended opening. Fie ry vows sworn to no one in particular but made with ominous intent can awaken shadow magic within a person. A desire to transcend death at all costs, or the willingness to give up life and love for a goal, can infuse the soul with shadow magic. Careless use of sinister powers, rituals, or items can crack the soul, allowing the shadow in. Interaction with or falling prey to undead or entities from the Shadow fell might do the same.
Gorm the Hidden, the renowned assassin, came to his power in this way. A soldier in Nerath during the gnoll wars that led to the empire's fall, he was on the battlefield when King Elidyrr died. Gorm survived. He swore by any powers that were listening to avenge the king. For reasons only he knows, he and his companions went on to slay three barons who also survived the battle that broke the empire. Gorm's story has no true end. He eventually went into the Shadowfell, some say bound for the Raven Queen's domain of Lcthcrna, and never retu rned to the world again.
First in Shadow
History and the events of the present show humans to be impulsive and daring. They are also short-lived compared to many other races. Concern over their mortality can make humans try harder to give their existence meaning or to extend their lives. All these factors have guided humans of the past toward exploring and living in the Shadowfell, as well as tapping shadow for eldritch power.
Long ago, a tribal nation of humans in the world feared death above all else. They saw how Nerull, who was god of death then, abused the souls of the dead. None living could tell where the soul went after death if it passed out of creation, which most souls did. The existing gods were too demanding, and devils too depraved, to be trusted in the arena of possible immortality. When the Raven Queen claimed Nerull's throne over his broken body, these humans sought to deal with death herself. The Raven Queen granted them vigor and longevity for their fealty, and bade them move into the Shadowfell. They became the fetchlings, able to do as they wish as long as they serve the Raven Queen.
lt is said that even before they became a unique race, these precursors of the fetchlings founded the oldest part of the settlement now known as Gloomwrought. This first section was a black hall in which followers of Nerull still lurked. The early fetchlings sent these foul cultists to the grave and claimed Gloomwrought for themselves. Like a living creature, the city responded and grew to accommodate its new inhabitants. And so it still does, having passed over the years from the fetchlings back into human dominance-unless its mysterious caretakers, the keepers, are its true masters.
Since ancient days, humans have rightly seen the Shadowfell as a place where powerful and secret places, people, and items are lost or imprisoned. Orcus cast the entire city of Moil into the Plane of Shadow, where it still exists and holds its mysteries and treasures. Nameless forces drag those who have committed heinous crimes into mist-shrouded private hells, known as domains of dread, in the Shadowfell. The influence of those in such realms can reach beyond their prisons, and similarly, the marks the mighty beings leave behind linger in the dim realm as vestiges that can be called upon for power. Humans have ever found reasons to go to the Shadowfell and deal with beings there. These motivations are as diverse as the supernatural gifts that can be gained through such exploration.
Dark Teachings
Other races label humans as curious and ambitious, with both reasonability and some measure of disdain. Humans' curiosity is rooted in the adage that knowledge leads to power. Humans have a reputation for seeking knowledge, too often and too fervently, with little heed to the consequences. That tendency, however chancy, means that humans accumulate information and create institutions to disseminate that information for a price.
The Tenebrous Cabal, based in Gloomwrought, is such an organization. Most people agree that a human or a group of humans founded the cabal to study shadow and the eerie powers that can be had from that learning. Rumor and innuendo surround the actual names of those found ing few, including Evard, Maikedhon, Gorm the Hidden, and even Acerarak. Gaining admittance to the cabal involves undertaking a perilous task for its benefit.!\ ICw, however, get in by means of relationsh ips with current members or the influence of a patron. The cabal has a reputation for apolitical behavior and little concern for moral judgments. It is a ruthless meritocracy in which the capable climb to the top over defeated rivals.
The White Lotus Academy, which the human wizard Daniorra helped establish before Nerath's fall, has a staunchly academic stance toward arcane magic and the study of the shadow arts. Known for admitting students based on talent and tuition, the school also has a reputation that is far less sinister than that of the Tenebrous Cabal. The instructors discourage full devotion to shadow magic due to the strain that such concentration puts on a student's soul.
However, more than one academy scholar has crossed that line without censure. Policies forbid the use of black magic in the academy, but the administration remains hands-off as long as shadow practitioners remain within reasonable moral bounds. In fact, Marovic, the current headmaster of the school, is an illusionist who learned from a master in the Shadowfell. Marovic refuses to speak further about his teacher.
