Shadowdust
Dust/Wasting Place
Shadowdust, cutter, now there’s a burg that’ll twist your noodle something fierce. It’s where the quasielemental plane of Dust gets all cozy-like with the demiplane of Shadow, mixin’ up in a dance of dark illusions and gritty truths, part one thing, part another, and all things confusin’.
In Shadowdust, the line between what’s real and what’s not ain’t just blurred—it’s downright obliterated. You’ll find the ground beneath your feet as reliable as a ladder in Limbo. One moment, it’s solid; the next, it’s a cloud of lies. Light and darkness don’t mean much here; they’re just different shades of deception.
As you step into Shadowdust, the first thing that hits you is the surreal landscape. Buildings don’t just stand; they float, drift, and sometimes flicker in and out of existence like ghosts in the night. Structures made from what seems like solid dust, constantly shifting and changing, rise up only to crumble away in the blink of an eye, as if they’re being simultaneously created and destroyed by some unseen cosmic hand.
The streets, if you can call them that, are like rivers of shadow, flowing and swirling around your feet. They lead you in directions that defy logic, turning upside down or looping back on themselves in impossible ways. Walking here feels like navigating a dream, where each step might take you somewhere entirely unexpected.
The sky above is a tapestry of twilight. It’s as if a sun and moon decided to share the sky, only the jealous moon constantly eclipsed the sun, casting an eerie luminescence that makes everything appear both illuminated and obscured. In this half-light, the shadows dance, sometimes taking on forms and figures that seem to whisper secrets of the universe.
And the inhabitants of Shadowdust? They’re as enigmatic as their home. Figures made of dust and shadow, they move with an ethereal grace, appearing solid one moment and translucent the next. Conversing with them is like trying to hold a conversation with a living mirage – their words and even their very beings seem to slip through the grasp of comprehension.
The berk Zumuzst (planar shadow mephit/shadow fiend (?) [he/him] / NE) claims he’s the big cheese of Shadowdust, the Master, if you will. But ask around, and you’ll hear all sorts of tales. Some say he’s a mephit of shadow, or a shadow demon cut off from the Abyss. Others whisper he’s a shade, a ghostly figure born of darkness. And then there are those who reckon he’s just a pawn, a marionette dancin’ on the strings of the yikaria, creatures known for their sly and shadowy ways. The truth of Zumuzst, like everything else in Shadowdust, is as clear as mud. In this realm, being one thing or another ain’t so straightforward. It’s a place where identities shift like shadows, and certainties are as fleeting as dust in the wind.
And the locals? Oh, they’re a motley crew, a mix of Dust and Shadow critters. They’re always up to some scheme or another, as ambiguous as the burg they call home. Plotting and planning, their machinations are as opaque as the realm itself. If Dust had a dark side, it’s this place.
So, if you’re lookin’ for a spot of adventure where the ground might give way under your feet and the truth is as elusive as a pickpocket in Sigil, Shadowdust is your place. Just remember, in this burg, takin’ anything at face value is like trustin’ a fiend with your soul. It’s a place of enigmas and illusions, where the only certainty is uncertainty itself.
Adventure hooks:
- The Shadow’s Core: Rumors tell of an ancient artifact at the heart of Shadowdust that controls the balance between light and dark, creation and destruction. The party must journey to find this artifact, facing moral dilemmas and challenges that force them to question the nature of duality. Is darkness merely the absence of light, or something more profound? The resolution reveals that the artifact doesn’t control balance; it is a mirror, reflecting the inner balance of those who seek it.
- The Ephemeral Library: An ancient library is said to appear and disappear within Shadowdust, holding knowledge about the entropic end of all things. The adventurers must find this library and uncover its secrets. They discover that the library is sentient, choosing who can access its knowledge. Its ultimate revelation is that entropy is not just an end but a transformation, a necessary part of the cosmic cycle.
- The Shadowdust Convergence: Once in a millennium, Shadowdust experiences a convergence, a moment where the boundaries between shadow, dust, and reality blur completely. The adventurers are drawn into this event, tasked with ensuring the convergence doesn’t tear the fabric of the planes apart. As they journey, they confront the idea that entropy and shadow are not just destructive forces but also creators of new possibilities and realities.
Source: Rip van Wormer, Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
