Shadowspace

Shadowspace
Shadowspace system map
Basic Information
Type	Crystal sphere
Size class	G
Shape class	Spherical
Celestial bodies	Myyn (primary) Tryggyt Delless Pajjax Kiffin Debris Belt Wirrit Chonnot Empunatus Ivussus Lukkum Sohhoras

Shadowspace is a little-known crystal sphere enveloped in streamers of black fog.

Overview

Shadowspace is a small, little-known crystal sphere. A thin haze permeates the wildspace of the sphere, reducing visibility to the point where planets and other celestial bodies can only be seen within 20,000 miles (32,186 kilometres). The ambient temperature throughout the sphere is about 50°F (10°C).

Location

Shadowspace is a free-floating crystal sphere located in the Flow, and has connections to Realmspace, Greyspace, and Moragspace.

Celestial bodies

All planets and other celestial bodies in Shadowspace are frozen in place, although the orbital paths displayed on the "Shadowspace system map" indicate that this was not always the case. Because the planets do not move, they do not experience night and day, and instead exist in perpetual twilight (objects that enter Shadowspace from outside are not subject to this effect). Additionally, most of the planets have collapsed in on themselves, similar to deflating balloons, and now resemble disc-shaped worlds. The flattened planets still experience normal gravity on both sides.

Myyn (Sun)

Myyn is a bright green size C pyramidal fire body located at the exact center of Shadowspace, and is technically the system primary.

Tryggyt

Tryggyt is a size C disc-shaped earth body that resembles a vast, fetid swamp.

Delless

Delless is a size C disc-shaped earth body that appears to be covered entirely in desert sand.

Pajjax

Pajjax is a size B disc-shaped earth body covered in dull grey hills.

Kiffin

Kiffin is a size B disc-shaped liveworld, and has one moon.

Debris Belt

The Debris Belt completely encircles the Sun and the inner planets.

Wirrit

Wirrit is a size A spherical air body.

Chonnot

Chonnot is a size B disc-shaped water body scattered with islands.

Empunatus

Empunatus resembles an immense comet with a humanoid face and a long streaming tail, except it is frozen in place like all the other celestial bodies in Shadowspace.

Ivussus

Ivussus is a size A cluster of earth bodies inhabited by kindori.

Lukkum

Lukkum is a size B disc-shaped earth body, and is shrouded in thick, dark green mist.

Sohhoras

Sohhoras is a size B spherical earth body that serves as a landfill and garbage dump.

Additional astronomicals

Black clouds

Thick black clouds surround Shadowspace, a defensive measure devised by the gods to discourage trespassers and increase security. The clouds churn constantly, but the churning poses little threat to passing ships. The clouds themselves reduce vision to 5 feet (1.5 meters), and are home to countless shadows, which will attack all aboard any vessel that enters the clouds.

Frozen darkness

The Frozen Darkness is a black cloud identical to the clouds enveloping the crystal shell, except it is currently located among the inner planets within the debris belt. Originally the cloud floated freely through wildspace, but since the sun's transformation, it has been frozen in place like the rest of the celestial bodies. Like the other black clouds, the frozen darkness is the lair of numerous shadows, who may attack ships entering the cloud.

Orbiting asteroid

The Orbiting Asteroid is a mysterious size A sphere apparently made of smooth black glass.

Crystal sphere

The crystal sphere of Shadowspace is an immense globe made up of black undulating clusters, enveloped in streamers of black fog spiraling from the surface and dissipating into the void beyond. There are only three safe points at which spelljammers may safely attempt to pass through the crystal shell. Even then, the two smaller (1,000 mile [1,609 kilometre] diameter) openings are filled with thin, black wisps, similar in effect to the black clouds with a small chance of encountering shadows. Only the larger (4,000 mile [6,437 kilometre] diameter) opening is clear and completely safe to enter.

Constellations

The arrangement of constellations within Shadowspace

The constellations of Shadowspace consist of a series of stars arranged to form four images. The stars are 300 foot (91 meter) diameter globes resembling immense pearls of various colors. The stars emit an extremely bright light that can be seen anywhere in Shadowspace but is not harmful: staring at the stars will not blind the viewer or cause any other adverse effects, regardless of distance. Shafts of light join the stars to create the images of a dragon, a skull, a goblet and a fish.

The stars are cool to the touch and have a slightly spongy texture, with the density of balsa wood. Despite their immense size, an average star only weighs 200 pounds (90 kilograms). The stars are physically embedded in special indentations in the crystal shell, but are not particularly difficult to dislodge. If a star is dislodged and left within 100 miles (160 kilometres) of its original position, it will eventually drift back into the indentation. If a star is taken beyond 100 miles (160 kilometres), it drifts through wildspace like any other object.

Each constellation has a magical effect which is activated when a sentient being approaches. The four constellation of Shadowspace include: Torr the Despairing Dragon, Rakk the Healing Cup, Homm the Angry Skull and Diss the Observant Fish.

The Rise and Fall of Shadowspace

Shadowspace once consisted of nine planets orbiting a red pyramid-shaped sun, whose life-giving energies sustained the entire system. Each celestial body comprised a single, unique environment with its own climate, terrain, and life forms. For example, one planet was covered entirely by a forest environment, while another was covered by freshwater. Each planet was interdependent, and required an element from another world to thrive. At the same time, each planet produced an element required by another for its survival. The forest planet, for instance, lacked clouds to produce rain: water had to be imported from the freshwater planet, while the freshwater planet lacked strong winds, which had to be imported from the air planet.

To transport the elements from planet to planet, the gods created Empunatus, an entity resembling an immense comet with a humanoid head. Empunatus delivered wind from the air planet to the water planet, carried precipitation from the water planet to the forest planet, and so on throughout the system, completing a cycle every few weeks.

The system would have flourished indefinitely had it not been for the selfishness of the inaii, a pegasus-like race who lived on Myyn, the world within the pyramid sun. The inaii lacked fertilizer to nourish their crops, so Empunatus regularly delivered mountains of dead roaches from the planet of Delless for this purpose. But the fastidious inaii found the roach corpses dirty and disgusting, and resented their dependence on Empunatus.

Enter Utok, a rogue god who had been roaming the universe in search of worshipers. Utok approached the leaders of the inaii and offered to liberate them from Empunatus in exchange for their devotion. The leaders readily agreed. Utok constructed an enormous idol of himself, containing a heart-shaped gem. The idol, powered by the gem, reversed the energy of the red sun, focusing the sun's sustaining rays inward, nourishing the crops and removing the need for fertilizer.

However, the changes wrought by Utok had devastating consequences for the rest of Shadowspace. With its energies turned inward, the pyramid sun turned from red to green, causing a drop of temperature throughout the sphere. More significantly, all of the celestial bodies were frozen in place, including Empunatus. Without Empunatus to deliver crucial elements to their planets, the various lifeforms began edging towards extinction. Eventually, many of the planets began collapsing in on themselves, like deflated balloons.