hadowlands
During the reign of the Exalted Emporium, the Saarebas rulers had become too ambitious with their powers. The leader of the Exalted Emporium, Lord Endrin, in an attempt to transcend mortality, opened a bridge to the spirit world with all of his power, trying to absorb the strength of all the spirits coming through. He was corrupted, and turned into the most terrible of abominations. Through the Elemental Rift he had opened, spirits of every sort broke into the mortal world. When the massive dark temple he used, known as the Obsidian Spire, was reached by Avatar Fow Rung and his armies, the rift was closed and a massive wall of jagged peaks was created around the Shadowlands. While the rift had been closed, huge amounts of evil spirits now wondered the lands, so the jagged boundary was created to keep them from escaping the ravaged area.

The Shadowlands is the wasteland that lies to the southwest of Endris City, a twisted, nightmarish place corrupted by the power of Endrin and the evil spirits he released. It was from here that the Taint spread out, blighted, and corrupted the land. The Shadowlands is a constantly shifting and uninhabitable nightmare come to life. It is home to Oni, demons, all manner of evil spirits, the Lost, and countless other vile creatures. Any who enter the Shadowlands must ward againts the Taint, which slowly infect those within the blighted lands.

The White Mantel and Omashu hold the forces of the Shadowlands at bay along the Jagged Wall. The Shadowlands are also referred to as the Festering Pit, for the jagged wall created around the area makes it appear like a monstrous crater.