|Main|
|Prologue|
|Scribe|
|Maps|
| LinkExchange Member | Free Home Pages at GeoCities |
Shadowdale is a farming community straddling the North Ride from Shadow Gap to Voonlar. Its main town (of the same name) is the most civilized of the Dales and is located where that road crosses the Ashaba. The Dale is broken by patches of light woods that run to the borders of the town and interrupted by a large number of old ruins. These old haunts of treasure and monsters make the region very popular with adventuring companies, and more than a few have called this Dale their home.
Shadowdale is the most legendary of the Dales, and the most open toward strangers. Its ruler is usually an outsider chosen by acclamation by the Dalesmen after the previous ruler steps down or dies in office. There has not been a tradition of passing the mantle from parent to child, common in some other Dales.
Many regard Shadowdale as the heart of the realms. It is famous because of the great Battle of Shadowdale, when thousands of attacking Zhentilar were defeated by a true combination of cleverness and bravery. It is also known for it's excellent inn. But most of all, Shadowdale is known as the home of Elminster, the Sage.
Though certainly not modest in his abilities, nor trifling in the services he provides and has performed in the history of Shadowdale, Elminster lives a fairly solitary life in a modest tower across an open meadow from the tower of Ashaba, also called the Twisted Tower, an impressive stone tower which is currently the seat of power for Lord Mourngrym, ruler of Shadowdale.
Magic itself seems twisted in the realms. It is rumored that in some places, magic just disappears into the nothingness, with no effect at all resulting from its casting. And sometimes too the effects of magic run wild, twisting and backfiring against the caster without reason or warning. Some say that the only constant in life is that Death awaits us all, however a true adventurer does not sit by idly awaiting death, but rather seeks life in adventure. It has been said that true adventure can be found in the simple town of Shadowdale and it's neighboring lands...
| LinkExchange Member | Free Home Pages at GeoCities |