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The Shadow Stone Realm, sometimes called The Shadow Vale, is a mysterious place full of endless danger. The Shadow Realm extends throughout the entire continent as a vast network of underground caverns and tunnels, going down for miles and miles. Because of the earthquakes and caverns and tunnels that collapse, there is no “accurate” map of the Shadow Stone Realm. To make matters more complicated, the Drow are known for collapsing tunnels (as traps).

The Shadow Stone Realm is home to hundreds of unique wild life and fauna. Some of the wild life has escaped into the surface world, and some have harvested some of the Shadow Stone’s unique fauna. In many cases, the fauna does not always survive outside of the Shadow Realm, whether it’s due to exposure to the sun, or because the Shadow Stone’s unique water (due to mixing with mineral unique to the Shadow Stone Realm). Shriekers, for example were harvested and successfully brought up to the surface world, where they’ve learned to thrive in dark, damp areas. However, a unique tree called a black oak (named so, because it’s an oak tree whose bark is black as midnight throughout and extremely durable – almost like metal) can not survive outside of the Shadow Stone Realm and remains a unique tree to the Shadow Stone.

The “weather” in the Shadow Stone is also unique. The chemicals in the water can evaporate and when coming in contact with the adamantine in the ceiling, can trigger lightning like effects and create “clouds” and generate rain which helps keep the wild life and fauna alive. This unique weather seems to only appear where there is heavy amounts of adamantine in the ceiling. Because of these properties, the Mountain Dwarves purposely do not harvest mass amounts of adamntine as it would impact the flora and fauna of the Shadow Stone Realm.

The Shadow Stone Realm is divided into three divisions.

The Shadow Vale – Three miles beneath the surface, it is often called “The Shadow Vale” – because this is typically the furthest most people go into the Shadow Stone Realm. It earned the name “The Shadow Vale” because of the darkness; however, because of it’s unique life that’s grown here – mushrooms grow as tall and thick as towering trees of fifty to sixty feet in height and twenty feet in width – and in some areas even larger. Unique mushrooms also glow (and can change colors) – shimmering from red, blue, green, yellow, purple – and illuminate much of the area called “The Shadow Vale.” This area is also where the dwarves typically mine the ultra rare mineral of adamantine. Because of it’s rarity, Dwarves do not typically sell or distribute adamntine to the general population outside of Dwarven Culture, unless the person(s) have proved themselves as a great ally to the Dwarves. This is also the area typically populated by much of the Shadow Stone Realm’s residents such as: aboleth, ankheg, basilisk, behir, beholders, darkmantles, displacer beasts, duergar, Dark Elves (Drow), galeb duhr, fire giants, gnome (deep), grell, grick, hook horrors, illithid, and many, many others.

The Shadow Stone – This is ten miles beneath the surface, and where the Dark Elves (Drow), Illithid, Duergar, and others have often built their cities. At this depth, life becomes increasingly dangerous – as the Drow patrol their cities viciously, killing and enslaving any they find; the Illithid capture and devour those they find; and the Duergar, so consumed with paranoia will kill anyone they see. Beholders are also found here, dwelling and manipulating city officials of the various Shadow Stone societies. There is a bitter civil war between the Drow and the Illithid that has lasted for thousands of years; and the Drow also war with the Dwarves located in the Shadow Vale (any Mountain Dwarf). Though, because of being shunned by their cousins (surface elves) historically, the Drow will not hesitate to attack an Elf before Illithid or Dwarves.

The Deep Dark – This area is runs fifteen miles deeper than the area known as The Shadow Stone. Few (dare) to venture that far down – even the Drow and Illithid – do not journey down into the Deep Dark (unless for drastic reasons). There are creatures that have surfaced from the Deep Dark that have come forward into the Shadow Stone and the Shadow Vale, and some even breaking out into the surface world, bringing horrors that are difficult to describe. This is where Grimlocks dwell – a humanoid race, that is vicious, carnivorous, and very, very primitive. It is believed (according to lore) that The Deep Dark was essentially at one time, the surface world that was buried by some large event – and whatever happened, those that were trapped that far down were changed forever.