[ ] Review the characters

Strong Start

The shadowfey highwaymen attack! The Sanguine Triumverate! Shadowfey Bandits (BoET 186).

Scenes

The shadowfey bandits (BoET pg 186) carry a stormy orcish opal of Seggotan the Dragon Lord of the Ocean and Eternity (MWB 367) that casts *Maze, Greater.* They plan to trade it to Nicneven the Queen of Witches. In return she will turn any blade into a Sword of Fallen Saints (VoM 39)
The Crossroads of Lindar. The queen of witches holds court at Havestel’s Crossroads. She awaits the bandits to bring her the Opal of Seggotan.
The bearfolk of Cracked Oak come to warn her that she is outside of her bounds here. They invite the characters to their campsight along the Archer’s Walk, the Cracked Oak Circle.
Choice: Archers Walk to Thorn
- Choice: Duskglade’s Run to the Stone Galleries
The howl of Old Shuck (Black Shuck TOB3 pg 59)

Secret and Clues

[x] Much of the Shadow Realm falls under the Court of the Shadow Fey. These Shadow Fey nobles think themselves rulers over the land. They are extremely arrogant and extremely powerful.
[x] The Fey lords of the Shadow Realm have territories and agreements. Violations are swift and severe.
[x] The bearfolk act as rangers of the Shadow Roads.
[x] Another empire of Ghouls exists in the Shadow Realms. They have no alliance with those of the mortal realm.
[x] Traversing the Shadow Realms requires an Anchor – an object or monument that pulls a rift open between the worlds. They are often unstable – sometimes dangerous.
[ ] The Archers Walk – well kept by the elves, the outer ley line of the Grand Duchy of Dornig always seems a forest of shadows, eerie bird calls, and rustling leaves. Shadow fey, monstrous giants, and other creatures are more common than they once were, but the fey portals leading in and out are secured in the various elven keeps and houses.
[ ] Even to most shadow fey, their history is unknown, and differing stories about their origin abound. The most prevalent story recounts that the shadow fey were elves who made pacts with forces of darkness millennia ago, most likely during the Sorceress’s Revolt when a groupof beleaguered elves turned to those powers out of desperation. The official history of the Shadow Courts assumes this version of events is true, and the Shadow Reckoning (SR) calendar begins at that time. Sarastra, the Queen of Night and Magic, is featured as both the divine patron and the founder of the shadow fey in this tale, a fact she is pleased to exploit when it suits her.
[ ] Dark energy infuses the Shadow Realm, corrupting and corroding everything it touches. Some barbarians intentionally consume this raw shadow, infusing their bodies with shadow energy to manifest potent magical abilities. Many of the barbarians who walk this path do so to absorb harmful shadow magic into themselves in order to protect others from its influence. A smaller group consumes shadow simply because they cannot resist its ever-present temptation.
[ ] The Shadow Realm has always existed but only in the last thousand years has its connections to Midgard formed. It happened during the Black Sorceress’s Revolt where human mages fought the perceived oppression of the elves and corrupted the fey roads. The elves abandoned the roads and sealed the off from their own hidden lands. The roads fell into shadow, becoming the Shadow Roads.