Tragevec, usually referred to as Shadowlight in the Annals, is a major city on the southern continent ruled by the sorcerer called Shadowspinner. Tragevec is near the most populous and prosperous region of the Shadowlands. It is situated somewhere south of Dejagore and north of Lake Tanji.
Shadowlight was the location of the vast hall with a dozen vaulted windows and a pool of molten stone where the Shadowmasters convened on 3 separate occasions during Shadow Games.[1]
Before Shadow Games[]
Tragevec and Kiaulune were the first noteworthy cities to be conquered by the Shadowmasters, and their names were changed to "Shadowlight" and "Shadowcatch", respectively. A place called Pityus fell before them, but, Pityus was not a major city and this was largely unnoticed. Later conquests, including the cities of Six and Fred, would result in the Shadowmasters' holdings to be referred to as the Shadowlands.[2]
Shadow Games[]
Shadowlight's vast "fountained hall" was the location where the city's overlord Shadowspinner met with the other Shadowmasters: Stormshadow and Moonshadow in person, and also Longshadow, who was in attendance via sorcerous vocal projection despite being located in his fortress Overlook many miles away. Full of fear, they discussed the onslaught of their enemies (the Black Company and its ally Shapeshifter); their territorial losses around the Main; their and personnel losses in Taglios; and their military plans and priorities for the future. Shadowspinner, the host, was the Shadowmaster who spoke most seldom.[3]
Bleak Seasons[]
In Bleak Seasons, Shadowlight was now ostensibly loyal to Longshadow since its original lord, Shadowspinner, had been killed during the Siege of Dejagore. But Croaker the Liberator had his labor crews paving a new extension of the sturdy Rock Road between liberated Dejagore (formerly "Stormgard") and Shadowlight, and no resistance was offered. Murgen, floating in his disembodied spirit-form, spied on a meeting between Longshadow and Mogaba, who were discussing Croaker's road heading to Shadowlight. Murgen correctly suspected the road was a diversion, intended to distract his enemies: "Croaker's strategic plan did not require [the road]. He had no intention of besieging Shadowlight. That would tie up too many men for far too long."[4]
She Is the Darkness[]
Like all places in the deep south of the southern continent, Shadowlight suffered during the tremendous earthquakes which were caused by Soulcatcher's irresponsible tinkering in Shivetya's supernatural throne room far away at the center of the glittering plain. However, given its distance from the Shadowgate, Shadowlight was not as devastated as Kiaulune/Shadowcatch had been. Murgen recorded in his Annals that Shadowlight remained prosperous even after the earthquake.[5]
The city offered no resistance when it was finally liberated by the Black Company and its Taglian armies during their southward march in the Shadowmaster wars.[6] This occurred shortly before the Battle of Lake Tanji. Tragevec/Shadowlight is not mentioned again in the Annals.
The people of the city certainly dropped the name "Shadowlight" and presumably returned to being called Tragevec after their liberation from the Shadowlands. Later, like all other former Shadowlander locations, Tragevec became part of Soulcatcher's Protectorate at some point during the 15-year-gap between She Is the Darkness and Water Sleeps.