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On the other hand, you could have some Shadow Fey pretending to be Vistani or Carnival as part of a plan to lure mortals into the Rift.Joël of the FoS wrote: Tue Jan 13, 2026 10:21 am Yeah, that's a possibility.
Using the vistani or the Carnival won't work as I guess they've never been there.
Or I could try to make the Fracture more interesting: what could happen during this two days trip?
Mist talisman?Joël of the FoS wrote: Mon Jan 12, 2026 10:22 pm My players will go there eventually, and I'm exploring the idea of removing the Fracture. I'm not I like the idea of a "two days spent battling monsters but we can't remember anything". Not sure my players will like it.
What about using other ways to reach Shadow Rift? The Midnight Market? An oubliette?
Could work!Rock of the Fraternity wrote: Tue Jan 13, 2026 12:58 pmOn the other hand, you could have some Shadow Fey pretending to be Vistani or Carnival as part of a plan to lure mortals into the Rift.Joël of the FoS wrote: Tue Jan 13, 2026 10:21 am Yeah, that's a possibility.
Using the vistani or the Carnival won't work as I guess they've never been there.
Or I could try to make the Fracture more interesting: what could happen during this two days trip?
Could work too. Something Meave gave the PCs.TheArcaneWeirdo wrote: Tue Jan 13, 2026 3:43 pmMist talisman?Joël of the FoS wrote: Mon Jan 12, 2026 10:22 pm My players will go there eventually, and I'm exploring the idea of removing the Fracture. I'm not I like the idea of a "two days spent battling monsters but we can't remember anything". Not sure my players will like it.
What about using other ways to reach Shadow Rift? The Midnight Market? An oubliette?
Interesting idea, and very fey-like (a bard to record the epic trip, and to spy on behalf of Maeve on the PCs - also to report: is there one worthy of being her lover?)Teravala wrote: Wed Jan 14, 2026 9:11 am An agent of Maeve who is actively trying to bring adventurers of note and worth into the Shadow Rift on the orders of the Fae Queen, so she can have agents at her disposal who are unbound by the Law of Arak could do the trick? I've been working on a bard/warlock character who is pledged to Maeve in hopes of being able to transcribe their history into a tome of their history, exploits, magic, and stories. I've always kind of felt that if a powerful Arak wants you to be able to get there, they have their ways.
Sorry, was working last night and somehow missed this. I love a lot of the ideas you've got here. I instantly was on board with the feelings of disorientation and unnatural feels to the "dungeon", especially the gravity reversal, and the looping. What's more, is before I even got to the end I said to myself "I bet the way in is by jumping into the pit", so it stands to reason that the party will be able to figure out the puzzle as well, and it won't feel clunky or weird because it is a natural conclusion to the cumulative experiences of disorientation, fear, and despair.Joël of the FoS wrote: Wed Jan 14, 2026 12:52 pm Indeed, the borders are closed.
Interesting idea, and very fey-like (a bard to record the epic trip, and to spy on behalf of Maeve on the PCs - also to report: is there one worthy of being her lover?)Teravala wrote: Wed Jan 14, 2026 9:11 am An agent of Maeve who is actively trying to bring adventurers of note and worth into the Shadow Rift on the orders of the Fae Queen, so she can have agents at her disposal who are unbound by the Law of Arak could do the trick? I've been working on a bard/warlock character who is pledged to Maeve in hopes of being able to transcribe their history into a tome of their history, exploits, magic, and stories. I've always kind of felt that if a powerful Arak wants you to be able to get there, they have their ways.
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But I’m thinking of redesigning the Fracture, and remove the "you spent two days going down and battling monsters but we can't remember anything" part.
It is played during the game and the PC remember everything.
So what if the Fracture was a vertical dungeon crawl pit that obeys strange laws (mix of the fey / fiend roots of the Rift)?
While on the border of the rift, the PCs open a pit (with an object / ritual Maeve gave them). They get in it and it closes after them. There are stairs going down for the first hundred feets but after, they have to climb down the pit.
… they have to descent the rough pit for what seems like days…
… where they hear things or voices echoed in the pit, driving them nuts
… and where gravity reverses once in a while, forcing them to climb up instead of going down…
… where there are a few caves to get rest. (one of these is larger and has trees growing upside down)
… where they see traces of themselves passing there hours ago - marks they left, or a camp site (a loop thing, bonus if I think of a Moebius type loop) …
… where after sleeping in a cavern, after a few gravity changes, they eventually fight as to what is the up and the down …
… and monster attacks are viscious (ropers, otyugh, fiendish giant centipedes, underground dryads, and similar fiendish abberations)
… where a flight of powrie passes quickly through the pit after a few viscious attacks
… with memory drain – the fighter eventually do not remember how to use his bow, the cleric do not know his friend’s name, the wiz forget a spell, etc. They eventually do not remember at all what they are doing there.
OPTION : … This has a cumulative despair feel, and the only way to reach the exit is to throw ourselves in the pit (aka suicide by jumping in the pit).
You awaken in the Rift, near the cliffs.
That could work I think? It's unique and terrifying.
