Dreams of Hope - Recent changes [en]

Shadow Veil

Admiralbenbo — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:00:40 GMT

Created page with "AKA "the Veil". Shadow wraps around the Mortal Plane, isolating it from direct contact with the other planes. But wrapping around the deeper layers of Shadow itself is the Border Shadow, acting as a planar lubricant. And Border Shadow itself has two meaningful layers--the Verge and the Deeps. The Veil is the "membrane" that separates the Verge from the Mortal Plane. It prevents mortal, physical entities from accidentally crossing over into the Verge..."

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AKA "the Veil".

[[Shadow]] wraps around the [[Mortal Plane]], isolating it from direct contact with the other planes. But wrapping around the deeper layers of [[Shadow]] itself is the [[Border Shadow]], acting as a planar lubricant. And Border Shadow itself has two meaningful layers--the Verge and the Deeps.

The Veil is the "membrane" that separates the Verge from the [[Mortal Plane]]. It prevents mortal, physical entities from accidentally crossing over into the Verge, while also adding resistance to crossings in the reverse direction. Any teleportation or conjuration spell requires crossing the Veil, as does any ability to become ethereal. As does any manifestation of divine, demonic, devilish or angelic power in the Mortal more directly. Priests who petition their patrons, clerics awaiting promptings from their gods, and demon cults performing sacrifices all interact with the veil. Even incorporeal entities, such as the spirits of the dead, must pass through the veil to reach Shadow.

Pure aether, bereft of any consciousness, can pass almost entirely unhindered by the veil. As a result, spells and effects that move aether around, as well as worship, pass through the veil with only the most minimal of disturbances or resistance.

== Structure of the Veil ==
The veil itself is often thought of as a living organism--it changes and adapts to conditions and is self-healing against small wounds.

Some scholars suggest that the veil can be thought of as comprising multiple systems, including the Between (the medium in which everything else happens), micro-portals, macro-portals (the two differentiated by size and stability), and even an "immune system" of sorts, although this latter is exceedingly poorly attested.

== Passing through the Veil ==
Bodily passage of a tangible creature through the veil is difficult. It generally requires finding or creating a portal large enough to allow passage. Some of these, such as the [[Moonpath|Moonpaths]], are persistent. Others are ephemeral. Controlling where (and when) you arrive is also difficult. Most "normal" spells use workarounds.

=== Divine Guidance ===
Even something as simple as a cleric receiving guidance or power from their deity requires reaching through the veil. For the most part, the veil has minimal effects on this. However, it does cause ripples and, in areas where the veil is exceptionally thin, risks further damage. Greater manifestations (dreams, actual messengers) cause exponentially more disruption and have become quite scarce during the [[Time of Troubles]] to avoid cascading veil disruption.

=== Psychopomps and Incorporeal Creatures ===
The [[Catocracy]] has to patrol the Verge and Veil routinely to find lost souls. They do so by navigating micro-portal structures within the veil, often called "mouseholes". This they can do because cats are particularly flexible, both physically and metaphysically. These portals are purely ephemeral. Incorporeal creatures do the same. As a result, a particularly "thick" veil can impede souls from transiting into Shadow; this is used in several arcane workings to trap the disembodied.

=== Conjuration Spells ===
Most conjuration spells don't actually create large portals. Instead, they create or find a micro-portal, large enough to pass an incorporeal Name and then build a substitute body-shell out of aether at the destination. This also produces a beneficial side-effect--creatures conjured in this fashion do not die if their shell is destroyed; they are simply banished back to their home plane.

==== Demonic and Undead ====
These types of effects (summoning demons or creating undead) involve pulling jotnar through from the [[Abyss]]. This is inherently corrosive to the Veil and the tears formed in this process are slow to heal even under the best of conditions. As a result, every demon or undead summoned raises the likely-hood that more will leak through spontaneously. And as the veil reacts to form scar tissue, it raises the chances that any souls that die in that area will only find their way into the Waste to become prey for demons.

=== Short-range Teleportation ===
Spells such as ''misty step'' and other short-range teleportation (ie that that happens within a few dozen feet) don't actually pierce the veil. They simply skip the user along the surface of it, utilizing the leakage of Shadow's space-warping effect to bend space. As a result, this is only marginally affected by the [[Aether-flood|Aether Flood]] and is possible even where most planar movement is not possible.

=== Long-range Teleportation ===
Long-range teleportation (e.g. ''teleportation circle, teleport, etc)'' do require piercing the veil. Effectively, the spell creates a tunnel through the Verge, making a single step into a trip of arbitrary length. Tearing the veil in this fashion is both prone to disruption due to local aetheric conditions as well as damaging to the veil itself (although small amounts of travel don't cause lasting damage).

=== Plane Shift ===
Actually physically translating between planes is the largest form of veil breach. The spell by that name actually looks for existing portals leading to approximately the correct location and widens them instead of tearing new portals.

The only exceptions here are transits to demiplanes (which exist within Shadow itself) and summoned creatures (such as devils) voluntarily self-banishing, relinquishing their shell and returning home. These are fairly benign.

== Veil Thickness ==
The veil is not of constant thickness (ie resistance/durability) everywhere. It varies both with location (including down to small-scale effects) and with time. Both too thick (ie hardened by scar tissue or magic) and too thin (weakened by various forces) are problematic.
[[Category:Metaphysics]]
[[Category:Planes]]

Catocracy

Admiralbenbo — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 19:24:55 GMT

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	Ever wonder why cats stare at things you can't see? Cats have the ability to see Beyond, into the space between this world and [[Shadow]]. They can see the spirits that need assistance passing through the veil, and assist [[Gleaner\|gleaners]] in encouraging those who refuse to pass beyond to do so. Those cats that coordinate the efforts of the gleaners and maintain the feline information network are the Catocracy, a shadowy cabal of talking felines. Where their headquarters are is unknown, whether in the Mortal or in [[Shadow]]. It's said that they commune directly with the [[Watcher]], but that too is rumor. What is known is that is that they communicate via eek-mail, which involves a cat killing a mouse and attaching a message to its soul, which it delivers before passing onward. The reaction of unsuspecting mortals gives it its name--they wake up to find a dead mouse lying around and go "eek!".		Ever wonder why cats stare at things you can't see? Cats have the ability to see Beyond, into the space between this world and [[Shadow]]. They can see the spirits that need assistance passing through the [[Shadow Veil\|veil]], and assist [[Gleaner\|gleaners]] in encouraging those who refuse to pass beyond to do so. Those cats that coordinate the efforts of the gleaners and maintain the feline information network are the Catocracy, a shadowy cabal of talking felines. Where their headquarters are is unknown, whether in the Mortal or in [[Shadow]]. It's said that they commune directly with the [[Watcher]], but that too is rumor. What is known is that is that they communicate via eek-mail, which involves a cat killing a mouse and attaching a message to its soul, which it delivers before passing onward. The reaction of unsuspecting mortals gives it its name--they wake up to find a dead mouse lying around and go "eek!".
	[[Category:Organizations]]		[[Category:Organizations]]
	[[Category:Shadow]]		[[Category:Shadow]]

Northern Badlands

Admiralbenbo — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 02:45:52 GMT

Created page with "A broken region of gullies, ravines, steep hills, and other nasty terrain located south-east of Tal Elamor between there and the Shaanti Forest. The southern sea-shore is inhabited by the Kor Abantu, and the interior is inhabited by isolated groups of humans, orcs, and giant-kin. Most of them dislike outsiders and each other. This stands as a major barrier to land trade between Nirda/Tal Elamor and the rest of the continent; there are no permanent ro..."

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A broken region of gullies, ravines, steep hills, and other nasty terrain located south-east of [[Tal Elamor]] between there and the [[Shaanti Forest]]. The southern sea-shore is inhabited by the [[Kor Abantu]], and the interior is inhabited by isolated groups of humans, orcs, and giant-kin. Most of them dislike outsiders and each other.

This stands as a major barrier to land trade between [[Nirda]]/[[Tal Elamor]] and the rest of the continent; there are no permanent roads through the badlands.

== Settlements ==

* Kavu. On the north shore of the Torvan Gulf. Population of roughly 3,000, including a significant Clan Mafan garrison protecting the local iron and copper mines.

[[Category:Regions]]
[[Category:Noefra]]

Noefra

Admiralbenbo — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:54:27 GMT

Geographic Regions

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	* Frostbound Sea		* Frostbound Sea

			=== Region-specific Maps ===
			[[File:North East Noefra v1.png\|thumb\|North-East Noefra Ca 260 AC]]
	[[Category:Continents]]		[[Category:Continents]]
	[[Category:Quartus]]		[[Category:Quartus]]

File:North East Noefra v1.png

Admiralbenbo — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:53:08 GMT

Admiralbenbo uploaded File:North East Noefra v1.png

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Loose Geography and major political divisions of north-east Noefra ca 260 AC

Cragdale

Admiralbenbo — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 23:37:01 GMT

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			Cragdale is the 2nd city of the [[Axeholm]] nation as of 260 AC. It has grown significantly since its sleepy days a decade ago, and now acts as the channel for trade coming from the mountains and across the [[Sea of Dreams]] into the [[Sea of Grass]].

	==Location==		==Location==
	At the foot of the [[Dreamwall Mountains]] along the [[Avon-Pact]] River, about 3 days north of [[Sheplyn]] and 2.5 days south of [[Honedaxe]].		At the foot of the [[Dreamwall Mountains]] along the [[Avon-Pact]] River, about 3 days north of [[Sheplyn]] and 2.5 days south of [[Honedaxe]].

	~~An extraction Village (992 inhabitants)~~

	==Demographics==		==Demographics==
			A medium-sized town of 2650 people.
	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|- style="font-weight:bold;"		\|- style="font-weight:bold;"
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	\|-		\|-
	\| Human		\| Human
	\| ~~495~~		\| 1103
	\|-		\|-
	\| Halfling		\| Halfling
	\| ~~198~~		\| 343
	\|-		\|-
	\| Half Elf (various)		\| Half Elf (various)
	\| ~~150~~		\| 590
	\|-		\|-
	\| Dwarf		\| Dwarf
	\| 98		\| 380
	\|-		\|-
	\| Puun ihmisia		\| Puun ihmisia
	\| 50		\| 110
			\|-
			\|Other
			\|124
	\|}		\|}

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	\|-		\|-
	\| Arcane		\| Arcane
	\| 1		\| 2
	\|-		\|-
	\| Crafting		\| Crafting
	\| 2		\| 3
	\|-		\|-
	\| Divine		\| Divine
	\| 1		\| 2
	\|-		\|-
	\| Items		\| Items
	\| 2		\| 4
	\|-		\|-
	\| Lodging		\| Lodging
	\| 1		\| 3
	\|-		\|-
	\| Potions		\| Potions
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	\| Baron Jared Sumpter		\| Baron Jared Sumpter
	\| Young male human		\| Young male human
	\| Count. The local lord over Cragdale ~~and Honedaxe~~		\| Count. The local lord over Cragdale
	\| Casual		\| Casual
	\| Driven and mercantile. Much better with things and money than with people.		\| Driven and mercantile. Much better with things and money than with people.
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	\| Lady Eliza Sumpter		\| Lady Eliza Sumpter
	\| Young female human		\| Young female human
	\| Baron Sumpter's wife. Much younger (18 to his 30). They've been married 2 years.		\| Baron Sumpter's wife. Much younger (28 to his 40). They've been married 12 years.
	\| Devout		\| Devout
	\| Glamorous, ~~hates~~ the ~~countryside.~~		\| Glamorous. Glad things are getting more "civilized", but still not fond of the small-town life
	\|}		\|}

	==Services==		==Services==
	* ~~Basic lodging~~ and ~~goods~~.		* Most goods and services.
	* Basic potions
	* T1 divine spells

	[[Category: Cities]]		[[Category: Cities]]

Hopeseed

Admiralbenbo — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 23:28:54 GMT

Known Hopeseeds

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	== Known Hopeseeds ==		== Known Hopeseeds ==

	* One was buried dormant in a temple to a forgotten deity near [[Torpen Hill]] in the [[Ungoverned Lands]] until it was recovered (and saved from searching hags) in late summer 253 AC by the [[Repotaters]]. It ~~is still~~ in ~~their possession as~~ of ~~this writing~~.		* One was buried dormant in a temple to a forgotten deity near [[Torpen Hill]] in the [[Ungoverned Lands]] until it was recovered (and saved from searching hags) in late summer 253 AC by the [[Repotaters]]. It was then planted in the center of the [[Blood-thirst Wildlands]], becoming [[Cobaith]].

	[[Category:Artifacts]]		[[Category:Artifacts]]

Rhiannon Songweaver

Admiralbenbo — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 01:49:13 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:49, 31 August 2026
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	In 261 AC, the [[Argentones]] infiltrated the Tower of Melodies where she was entombed, brought hope to her in her memories (stored in the form of books), and eventually faced her sister, now a lich, and the husk of Theloman at the apex, sending Olwen reeling back to her husband/father and ending Theloman's cursed existence, but not before he could beg forgiveness. They freed Rhiannon and are carrying her back out of the cursed waste at this writing.		In 261 AC, the [[Argentones]] infiltrated the Tower of Melodies where she was entombed, brought hope to her in her memories (stored in the form of books), and eventually faced her sister, now a lich, and the husk of Theloman at the apex, sending Olwen reeling back to her husband/father and ending Theloman's cursed existence, but not before he could beg forgiveness. They freed Rhiannon and are carrying her back out of the cursed waste at this writing.

			The name Songweaver is a chosen last name; she has abandoned her birth name. Her friends call her Rhia.

	== Mechanics ==		== Mechanics ==

Rhiannon Songweaver

Admiralbenbo — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 01:48:15 GMT

Created page with "{{NPCDemographics | Birth Date = Approx. 3725 BC | Birth-Place = Calon'hud, Aethertide Empire | Residence = Jungle of Fangs | Lineage = aelvar | Description = A young (20s) aelvar woman of surpassing beauty. Spun-silver hair, eyes of sapphire. Height is 5'8". | Gender = female | Occupation = Refugee, bard | other = Born as one of the many daughters of the last Aethertide Emperor (2nd age). Her identical twin Olwen of Dark Silence married her father and became one of..."

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{{NPCDemographics
| Birth Date = Approx. 3725 BC
| Birth-Place = Calon'hud, Aethertide Empire
| Residence = Jungle of Fangs
| Lineage = aelvar
| Description = A young (20s) aelvar woman of surpassing beauty. Spun-silver hair, eyes of sapphire. Height is 5'8".
| Gender = female
| Occupation = Refugee, bard
| other = Born as one of the many daughters of the last Aethertide Emperor (2nd age). Her identical twin [[Olwen of Dark Silence]] married her father and became one of the Empresses; she was betrayed, tortured, and sealed in lunar crystal, to be used for her ability to gather souls via song.
| name = Rhannon Songweaver
}}

In reality, she lived a peaceful life as a bardic healer and comforter, until shortly after [[Moon's Fall]], when her sister, at [[Emperor Lorcan]]'s behest, used demonic curses to puppet and corrupt her loyal guardian [[Theloman of the Steadfast Blade]]. He kidnapped her and the two of them tortured her until they could impose false memories of despair and loneliness, priming her to become Sister Sorrow, the Architect of Lamentation. Sealed in a shard of the Third Moon, broken off much earlier, she remained in the depths and her unique talent of creating shadow copies of herself was used to blight the landscape, consuming the life and souls out of anything caught in it.

In 261 AC, the [[Argentones]] infiltrated the Tower of Melodies where she was entombed, brought hope to her in her memories (stored in the form of books), and eventually faced her sister, now a lich, and the husk of Theloman at the apex, sending Olwen reeling back to her husband/father and ending Theloman's cursed existence, but not before he could beg forgiveness. They freed Rhiannon and are carrying her back out of the cursed waste at this writing.

== Mechanics ==
Mechanically, she's a fairly standard bard with a few unique properties: she can create a duplicate of herself that can speak and move, but can only interact physically in a limited fashion. When it rejoins her, she shares its memories. Second, she is the singer of a Song of Power, created in cooperation between her and [[Lark]] of the [[Argentones]]. What power this song holds is yet unknown, but it contains a fragment of the power of the [[Allsong]] within it.
[[Category:Notable People]]
[[Category:Gwerin]]

Moon's Fall Vengeance

Admiralbenbo — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 01:33:20 GMT

Terrain

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	Each of the 4 secondary towers, the remnants of the ancient palace, houses the source of one "bane", one of the effects that plague the peninsula. The central tower emits the last bane, Oblivion, which shields the other towers. Notably, the banes cannot directly attack anything that is underground even by as much as an inch of stone. The goroesi believe it is the blessing of the Weaver (the [[Archon of Time]] as they worship it).		Each of the 4 secondary towers, the remnants of the ancient palace, houses the source of one "bane", one of the effects that plague the peninsula. The central tower emits the last bane, Oblivion, which shields the other towers. Notably, the banes cannot directly attack anything that is underground even by as much as an inch of stone. The goroesi believe it is the blessing of the Weaver (the [[Archon of Time]] as they worship it).

	# '''Tower of Black Rain''': Mentioned above. This served as a main external power source for whatever is driving this whole mess. Formerly located to the south-west of the central spire.		# '''Tower of Black Rain''': Mentioned above. This served as a main external power source for whatever is driving this whole mess. Formerly located to the south-west of the central spire. Note: destroyed in 261 AC by the [[Argentones]].
	# '''Tower of Lamentation''': Source of the Lamentation, which manifests as planes are forcibly melded and an "angelic" figure descends, multiplying to form a roughly 1 mile-radius ring. These figures sing a song of ultimate sadness, paralyzing anything caught in the ring. The ring then sweeps inward, drawing out the soul (and in fact most of the aether from the body) of anything it touches, including the remnants of the souls in the black glass. This Lamentation manifests somewhat randomly--no pattern has been observed. It's believed to be at least in part a recycling mechanism for the souls trapped in the glass, as well as reaping new souls for the Soul Engine of the Tower of Rain. Also notably, the apex of this tower glows green, similar to the green of the fallen moon. Located to the south-east of the central spire.		# '''Tower of Lamentation''': Source of the Lamentation, which manifests as planes are forcibly melded and an "angelic" figure descends, multiplying to form a roughly 1 mile-radius ring. These figures sing a song of ultimate sadness, paralyzing anything caught in the ring. The ring then sweeps inward, drawing out the soul (and in fact most of the aether from the body) of anything it touches, including the remnants of the souls in the black glass. This Lamentation manifests somewhat randomly--no pattern has been observed. It's believed to be at least in part a recycling mechanism for the souls trapped in the glass, as well as reaping new souls for the Soul Engine of the Tower of Rain. Also notably, the apex of this tower glows green, similar to the green of the fallen moon. Located to the south-east of the central spire. Note: Shut down in 261 AC by the [[Argentones]], who rescued the tortured soul at the core, [[Rhiannon Songweaver]].
	# '''Tower of Monsters''': This tower hosts the Bane of Monsters, whereby hostile creatures are bred and teleported to the entrances of the caves and tunnels, to bedevil and harass anyone living inside. Not much else is known other than it resides in the north-east.		# '''Tower of Monsters''': This tower hosts the Bane of Monsters, whereby hostile creatures are bred and teleported to the entrances of the caves and tunnels, to bedevil and harass anyone living inside. Not much else is known other than it resides in the north-east.
	# '''Tower of Storms''': This tower produces the Shadowstorms that afflict areas at random, sweeping whatever is in their path into Shadow. Or dumping things from Shadow (including demons) into the Mortal. Not much else is known other than it occupies the north-west slot.		# '''Tower of Storms''': This tower produces the Shadowstorms that afflict areas at random, sweeping whatever is in their path into Shadow. Or dumping things from Shadow (including demons) into the Mortal. Not much else is known other than it occupies the north-west slot.

Voiced Nest

Admiralbenbo — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 22:15:05 GMT

Created page with "A unique culture and lineage created by Misophis in about 150 AC. They are uplifted ants, reworked by fleshcrafting magic slowly into humanoid (but six-limbed) upright figures with free will and intelligence (as much as their creator disliked that first part). They have a single "city", the Nest itself, located a few miles north of Tal Elamor in the hills bordering the northern ocean. As of 254 AC, there are approximately 2000 of the Voiced. While capable of exp..."

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A unique culture and lineage created by [[Misophis]] in about 150 AC. They are uplifted ants, reworked by fleshcrafting magic slowly into humanoid (but six-limbed) upright figures with free will and intelligence (as much as their creator disliked that first part). They have a single "city", the Nest itself, located a few miles north of [[Tal Elamor]] in the hills bordering the northern ocean.

As of 254 AC, there are approximately 2000 of the Voiced. While capable of explosive population growth, they are strongly resource constrained due to the poor conditions and effects of prolonged demonic exposure.

== Physiology ==
The Voiced are a varied people, as different strains were bred for different purposes. They all have chitinous exoskeletons, 4 arms, and insectoid heads. The warriors stand roughly 5'6" to 6'0" tall and weigh about 150 lbs, while the workers are smaller and the (few) thinkers are even smaller. They reproduce via breeder-caste females and males who are of minimal intelligence; all of the Voiced are effectively neuter. In coloration, they are mostly dark colors (black, brown, and red). They wear little to no clothing except tool harnesses and armor, and signify roles and duties via painted exoskeleton decorations.

Intellectually, they are extremely linear thinkers, with a very strong sense of duty and rightness, but do not adapt to changing circumstances effectively. A very few Thinkers break this limitation and are capable of thinking "new thoughts" as the rest say. It's not known whether this is a biological fact or merely an imposition of their creator on the generations.

They communicate with each other in a combination of vocalizations (in their own unique language) and pheromonal displays. They have tamed mutated giant beetles to serve as draft labor, hunting companions, and pets; these are controlled via hypersonic vibrations and pheromones.

Their generations are short as is their lifespan. Most rarely make it to 30 years, with 5-6 years between generations. Some scholars believe that this will change as the demonic influence fades.

== Culture ==
The Voiced originally had three queens in rotating series: the Eldest had authority over the other queens and acted as the focus of the nest and Hand of the Voice (as they called Misophis). The Middle (who would become the Eldest once the previous Eldest died) had authority over the internal affairs--breeding, food production, etc. The Youngest had authority over the external security of the Nest. The last Eldest was killed when she sacrificed herself for Misophis. As of 254, it is unclear whether this pattern would continue. The queens had absolute telepathic power over any Voiced in their immediate vicinity, capable of making them do anything up to and including suicide.

Beyond the queens, each caste basically handled its own affairs. Conflicts were settled by ritual, negotiated competitions, often involving non-lethal combat.
[[Category:Nations]]
[[Category:Noefra]]
[[Category:Races]]

Misophis

Admiralbenbo — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 21:58:00 GMT

Created page with "Originally summoned inside the Eternal Library as Broken Ingenuity and confined to a containment crystal, it was "liberated" by Twisted cultists searching for information on weak spots of Leviathan immediately before the Cataclysm. Those cultists made it as far as the hills north of the city before dying to the effects of the aether plague. The resulting amalgam entity spent the next 250 years mutating the local insect population, using the patterns o..."

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Originally summoned inside the [[Eternal Library]] as Broken Ingenuity and confined to a containment crystal, it was "liberated" by [[Twisted]] cultists searching for information on weak spots of [[Leviathan]] immediately before the [[Cataclysm]]. Those cultists made it as far as the hills north of the city before dying to the effects of the [[aether plague]]. The resulting amalgam entity spent the next 250 years mutating the local insect population, using the patterns of the dead cultists, into the [[Voiced Nest|Voiced]].

It was destroyed in a showdown in early 254 AC with [[Three and a Half Women]] when the heroes used [[Bones of Leviathan|Apokalipsis]] successfully.

== Goals ==
Due to its hybrid nature, it had three, not-entirely-aligned goals

# Get back into the Library and consume everything there. This was the primary goal of the broken concept itself, with its utter hatred for the concept of independent thought.
# Build a submarine to strike at a nearby song nexus, one of the choke-points for [[Leviathan]]'s information flow. This was the primary goal of the cultists.
# Expand and consume everything. This came from the jotnar/aether plague itself.

== Tactics and Capabilities ==
Its own power was very limited. It relied on slow psychic manipulations and brainwashing more than direct force. Its direct radius of influence was limited to about 1/4 of a mile, but it built a repeater of sorts to influence the dockyard (about 3/4 of a mile away). Mostly it relied on crafting the information sphere and breeding the Voiced to reject independent thought and willingly surrender their agency.

It had to allow the Queens ''some'' agency, since they had to solve problems that weren't always in range. This led to its downfall when the younger two queens proved to be capable of following logic.
[[Category:Demons]]
[[Category:Historical Interest]]

Tal Elamor

Admiralbenbo — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 21:46:49 GMT

Notable People

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	# The Caretaker. An amalgam of the people who have gained borrowing privileges (and thus left a copy of their personalities and memories at the library). Not a real ensouled person, but is the personification of the [[Eternal Library]]. Considered to be as unkillable as the library itself. Pissing him off is a bad idea.		# The Caretaker. An amalgam of the people who have gained borrowing privileges (and thus left a copy of their personalities and memories at the library). Not a real ensouled person, but is the personification of the [[Eternal Library]]. Considered to be as unkillable as the library itself. Pissing him off is a bad idea.
	# Arni Black-egg. Ancient black [[Dragons\|dragon]], nearly 500 years old. Has been resident in Tal Elamor most of that time. Prefers the shape of a 5'2", 100 lb black-haired woman who rules Corpus Sanum with an iron fist. Also a proficient mage, but prefers to lift weights.		# Arni Black-egg. Ancient black [[Dragons\|dragon]], nearly 500 years old. Has been resident in Tal Elamor most of that time. Prefers the shape of a 5'2", 100 lb black-haired woman who rules Corpus Sanum with an iron fist. Also a proficient mage, but prefers to lift weights.
	# [[Rhys]]. [[Undead\|Lich]] and elemental mage. Unaligned, he doesn't belong to any of the factions.		# <s>[[Rhys]]. [[Undead\|Lich]] and elemental mage. Unaligned, he doesn't belong to any of the factions.</s> Killed in early 253 AC.
	# Gorgias Empiricus. Human male, 40s. Near archmage, leads Mentis. Strongly dislikes Arni.		# Gorgias Empiricus. Human male, 40s. Near archmage, leads Mentis. Strongly dislikes Arni.
	# Haile Rastafa. Human female, 30s. Head of Tope Alembic Recreational.		# Haile Rastafa. Human female, 30s. Head of Tope Alembic Recreational.

			== Recent Events ==
			252 - early 253 AC:

			* A consortium of artificers and mages made a prototype of a "device to end war"--a self-mobile, autonomous weapon designed to fire catastrophe bombs (effectively elemental resonance weapons capable of destroying a city) through the portal network at aggressors. This was co-opted by Black Rhys (as the self-aware [[jotnar]] that took over Rhys came to be known). It was destroyed, but only after causing much damage.
			* This was part of Black Rhys's plan to consume the city and hijack all the ley lines, which was stopped by [[Ad Elementis]].
			* The last remnants of the [[aether plague]] were rooted out by [[Ad Elementis]] and transformed by the phoenix into new life, freeing the Primal Woods from that threat.

			255 AC:

			* The Primal Woods and its therianthropic residents came under threat by the [[Voiced Nest]], at the instigation and manipulation of [[Misophis]], an amalgam of a [[Broken Concept]] and [[Twisted]]-cult demonic influence. This had plans both to infiltrate the Library via hidden backdoor (to consume it to stop the flow of new information) and to take ship in a submarine to attack [[Leviathan]]. This was stopped by [[Three and a Half Women]] using [[Bones of Leviathan\|Apokalipsis]]. The Nest is now free from the influence of Misophis, but only time will tell how this evolves.

	[[Category: Cities]]		[[Category: Cities]]
	[[Category: Noefra]]		[[Category: Noefra]]

Kerwin's Restoration

Admiralbenbo — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:56:11 GMT

Created page with "''A song written and performed by Roh, aka, Hiroh Megasaki'' How many years she laid there, imprisoned in a tomb Alive and yet unable, to save her land from doom No respite, Her soul consumed The evening hour ‘tis raining. As it has for years long gone Four thousand and still counting, and yet no savior comes. Long since have her last vain hopes flown. Condemned to live, no freedom, taken by wizards vile. Yet Argentones ascend now, to open her crypt’s doo..."

New page

''A song written and performed by Roh, aka, Hiroh Megasaki''

How many years she laid there, imprisoned in a tomb

Alive and yet unable, to save her land from doom

No respite, Her soul consumed

The evening hour ‘tis raining. As it has for years long gone

Four thousand and still counting, and yet no savior comes.

Long since have her last vain hopes flown.

Condemned to live, no freedom, taken by wizards vile.

Yet Argentones ascend now, to open her crypt’s door

Now her pains, will last no more

Set free by valor and pluck, her soul has flown far away

Beyond the cursed Moonfall,

To the refuge of the Fey
[[Category:Songs]]

Aerielara

Admiralbenbo — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 21:27:03 GMT

Pre-Divine Status

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:27, 29 August 2026
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	====Pre-Divine Status====		====Pre-Divine Status====
	A [[gwerin]] noble from the [[Phoenix Empire]]. A bard of no uncommon skill as well as a dancer, she was notorious for breaking every taboo of that hidebound empire. It wasn't until the last days before the [[Cataclysm]], when she refused the wrong noble and fell from grace, leading to her assassination. As her soul departed, the [[Cataclysm]] took hold and the [[Great Mechanism]] chose her as one of the new Divine Congregation.		A [[gwerin]] noble from the [[Phoenix Empire]]. A bard of no uncommon skill as well as a dancer, she was notorious for breaking every taboo of that hidebound empire. It wasn't until the last days before the [[Cataclysm]], when she refused the wrong noble and fell from grace, leading to her assassination. As her soul departed, the [[Cataclysm]] took hold and the [[Great Mechanism]] chose her as one of the new Divine Congregation.

			Her divine name is, like most of them, an assumed one. What is known is that she named herself after an ancestress of hers, and that her pre-divine family name was Uai'ten [Why-ten], which is also the name of a famous music school in the 2nd age, whose name has come down in fragmentary records.

	[[Category: Gods]]		[[Category: Gods]]
	[[Category: Religion]]		[[Category: Religion]]

Moon's Fall Vengeance

Admiralbenbo — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 16:51:37 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:51, 23 August 2026
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	The whole area is heavily under the influence of the [[Plane of Lava]] as well as wild magic and extensive pockets of demonic influence.		The whole area is heavily under the influence of the [[Plane of Lava]] as well as wild magic and extensive pockets of demonic influence.

			Discovered by the [[Argentones]] in 261 AC:

			The black glass is ''not'' ancient, as it was believed. Instead, it was formed by an intentional process, maintained over the millennia. The millions of aelvar and goblins who lived in the area were first killed by an enormous necromantic ritual that trapped them, body and soul, in a black sludge in Shadow. This sludge was the pumped into a tower (later called the Tower of Rain), tortured to produce excess aether, and then the gaseous remains emitted into the atmosphere, where it condenses and falls as boiling hot showers of black, soul-embedded glass. The liberated aether was then sent to the other Towers for use in their business. The Tower of Rain was destroyed by the Argentones in early 261 AC.

			=== Towers and Banes ===
			Each of the 4 secondary towers, the remnants of the ancient palace, houses the source of one "bane", one of the effects that plague the peninsula. The central tower emits the last bane, Oblivion, which shields the other towers. Notably, the banes cannot directly attack anything that is underground even by as much as an inch of stone. The goroesi believe it is the blessing of the Weaver (the [[Archon of Time]] as they worship it).

			# '''Tower of Black Rain''': Mentioned above. This served as a main external power source for whatever is driving this whole mess. Formerly located to the south-west of the central spire.
			# '''Tower of Lamentation''': Source of the Lamentation, which manifests as planes are forcibly melded and an "angelic" figure descends, multiplying to form a roughly 1 mile-radius ring. These figures sing a song of ultimate sadness, paralyzing anything caught in the ring. The ring then sweeps inward, drawing out the soul (and in fact most of the aether from the body) of anything it touches, including the remnants of the souls in the black glass. This Lamentation manifests somewhat randomly--no pattern has been observed. It's believed to be at least in part a recycling mechanism for the souls trapped in the glass, as well as reaping new souls for the Soul Engine of the Tower of Rain. Also notably, the apex of this tower glows green, similar to the green of the fallen moon. Located to the south-east of the central spire.
			# '''Tower of Monsters''': This tower hosts the Bane of Monsters, whereby hostile creatures are bred and teleported to the entrances of the caves and tunnels, to bedevil and harass anyone living inside. Not much else is known other than it resides in the north-east.
			# '''Tower of Storms''': This tower produces the Shadowstorms that afflict areas at random, sweeping whatever is in their path into Shadow. Or dumping things from Shadow (including demons) into the Mortal. Not much else is known other than it occupies the north-west slot.
			# '''Central Spire''': This tower, much larger than the others, was the residence of the emperor and the heart of his power. It is now the heart of the plagues that keep the peninsula a blasted waste. From it comes Oblivion, the field that surrounds the other towers. All planar travel through the boundaries of the tower is impossible (including teleportation) and any creature that touches the outside has its soul or animating force violently torn out and consumed. Any projectile launched at the outside of the tower has its magic drained or momentum nulled. This provides near-perfect protection for the towers, but, like the other banes, cannot extend underground. The towers' own reinforcing magics must protect it there.

	==Notable Places==		==Notable Places==