Melding BR with MotP

[Dosiere]

If I was in this situation, I would make the assumption that the SW is a true mirror of Cerilia (and thus all of Aebrynis for that matter). Next, I would take all the dread lords of evil from RL and all the rules that make RL a true land of dread and incorporate those rules as the working rules of the SW (magic effects, horror effects, etc.). From there, I would take the existing maps of Cerilia, get the most dark and forboding places that are in the real world, and carry those over into the SW (the various regions have a number of dark places where the SW is closer to the real world than usual) With those in place, you then populate your new SW with all manner of undead and other dark creatures that are to be found in RL (goblyns and such), city for city, province for province. It is knows that the SW is habited by undead, but the other creatures are just unheard of, or too rare to be mentioned. With the lands populated, you then take each of the dark regents from RL and make them the regents of your SW, adding many of your own making, sprinkle in some awnsheighlin and so forth, to carry over the continuity and connection with BR. They each would have carved out their domains differently from the way that the Anuireans, Brechts and such have formed theres. So the area of the SW that correspondes to Roesone, could be a small portion of the actual domain of a SW kingdom. A band of halflings that remained behind and roam the lands with no true borders (gypsies) could be a large portion of the few actual living beings there. A blooded ghoul priest of Azrai (or some other deity) would be a horrifying opponent, and then there is the Cold Rider, himself, who romes the whole of the SW, while all the other lords are restricted to their static empires. Many adventures could be incorporated from just conceptualizing this type of SW, without ever even fleshing it out in its enirety.;)

[Oeric Galdaneth]

The first time I read about the Shadow World I recalled the White Wolf RPG Wraith. I don't know if a lot of you are familiar with it, but a lot of the stuff the Shadow World is about deals with many of Wraith's description. The game is contemporary though, but part of the setting can be used properly.

[Lawgiver]

While it may spawn negative repsonses...

I personally hate Ravenloft and think it was one of TSR's biggest wastes of paper. I've never been into delving into evil incarnate games.

[Lord Eldred]

Lawgiver that doesn't suprise me about you given the fact that you brought christianity into your world. However, if such an evil place existed you and your priests would want to destroy it. It would still work as a campaign setting for the shadow world. You would want to rid it of the evil so the good haflings could return home and live in peace! ;)

[Lawgiver]

I actually have a version of the Shadow World. But its not nearly as foul as Ravenloft. My PCs haven't expressed much interest in it though, so I've never taken the time to expand it greatly. I even have a nifty verse for a springboard when I work on the SW:

Job 38:17
"Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?"

I'm not sure if your familiar with the Bible, but its a portion where Job questions God and his sovereignty. God replies with a series of questions rather than answers. This was one of them. The translation to the campaign is that God knows it exists, but that humans have yet to comprehend it.