i completed the shrine of anephas. ive got a lot of loot and completed quests. i cant find a way back to the port town. i looked at the map and dont see a route

The easiest way is to create a portal to mark your place (move away from the shrine first, this area is a little picky about the portal working). After that, cast Call of Home to teleport to the town. Otherwise, need to retrace through the shrine *or* use Vanish to teleport through the trees just north/east of the shrine. There are plenty of spots on the maps that you can just Vanish through for a quick shortcut, but it can be a little harder near the shrine.

if i retrace through the shrine, how do it get through the front? i actually tried and never could make it back to the front door.

i figured it out.