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Endless Alleys was the name of a haunted urban labyrinth in the Shadowfell.[1]

Description[]

True to its name, Endless Alleys comprised countless back-alleys winding off in all directions between tall, windowless and doorless buildings made of shadowstuff that looked like brick. The alleys were too narrow to navigate with a cart, and each felt distinctly like the worst kind of place one might find themselves in a dingy city on the Material Plane.[1]

The featureless buildings provided no means to enter or even to see inside them. It was possible to climb to the rooftops, which afforded a view of buildings and alleys extending endlessly in all directions.[1]

The magic of the shadowstuff comprising the buildings prevented teleportation and similar spells, and any effort to enter the buildings or pass through the walls simply led to another alley.[1] This meant that the only way out was to find exact, predetermined points of exit, of which there were at least two.[1][2]

Geography[]

Endless Alleys lay along the Shadowfell Road just a few hours east of Evernight through the Burning Woods. It was not physically located at this point, rather travelers were teleported to the middle of an alley when the road sent them through its first of many spatial jumps. The exact sites of the spatial shifts leading into Endless Alleys from either direction along the Road were often made obvious by empty carts sitting on the roadside (since caravans had to carry their cargo through the narrow maze).[1]

History[]

As of 1479 DR, Thayans under the command of Valindra Shadowmantle used the Shadowfell Road through the Endless Alleys to connect their operations at the Dread Ring near Neverwinter with their supply lines out of Surcross in Thay.[1][2] They were known to leave undead minions outside the entrance and exit to Endless Alleys to defend the carts which they had to leave behind.[1]

Inhabitants[]

The alleys were haunted by incorporeal undead that appeared as expressionless and blank-eyed children. These spirits would try to hug or tug at any living visitors, with their mere touch causing agony. Each child clutched a garish doll or stuffed animal from which could be heard giggling voices, which coalesced into a chorus of giggles that followed visitors. If a spirit was destroyed, its toy fell to the ground and began to dissipate, whining in disappointment as it did.[1]

Like everything and everyone else along the Shadowfell Road, these spirits had learned to leave Thayan caravans alone.[1][2]

Appendix[]

References[]

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