Setting: The Oracle of Ghul Tulak

 

When the Mother and Father, called the First Gods in the lost mythology, set foot onto the newly forged Mythren, it is said they met over a pool of reflective water whose glass-like surface caught the first light of the Laughing Moon. It was also the place they would later meet for the last time before departing Mythren, bequeathing a powerful totem to be found at some later date. Long after the First Gods slipped into legend and their names forgotten, the Moon Pool itself remained a sacred place often visited by those of fey origins, immortal races, and those mortals blessed with powerful magic.

In later ages, this location would take on greater notoriety as a place of great mystery, knowledge, and destructive power, ultimately transforming into an Oracle unlike any other.

During the early years of the Dominion Age, the goddess Neverial, known as the Lady of Secrets, gave birth to a daughter. True to form, Neverial kept the father’s identity secret, though it was rumored he had come to her through one of the twelve ancient gateways within her temple; a domed structure tucked far away in the mountains and housing the sacred Moon Pool of the First Gods. But it was not only the father that was hidden from the world, but the child as well. Upon discovering Mythren, a pact was made between the three gods of magic that a child bearing their bloodline would be too dangerous for this fragile world, and an act of procreation was thereby forbidden. For years Neverial managed to keep her daughter hidden, but at last betrayal and tragedy led to conflict which inevitably bled to war, and in the fallout the child, Angel, suffered a mortal wound.

Taking her dying daughter into the heart of the broken temple, Neverial bathed her in the Moon Pool, and summoning the long-dormant magic from the gateways, bound the child’s spirit to the mortal world. The weaving of magical energy was something never before seen or felt and the voices of the ancient First Gods echoed a warning across the reaches of time which fell upon the deaf ears of a desperate mother. The magic rendered was a combining of Neverial’s own power with that of the twelve gateways woven together with the enchanted light of the Laughing Moon held within the unspoiled pool for thousands of years. Neverial’s prayers to the First Gods, however, were as lost as their warning was to her, and the gathered magic proved too much for the crumbling stone gateways to bear. A tremendous explosion occurred where all perished, save for Neverial who helplessly bore witness. The temple imploded, and where once the sacred Moon Pool sat was only a dark chasm. As Neverial wept, a light deep within the chasm appeared and the Oracle was born.

For time uncounted, the Lady of Secrets remained at the edge of the chasm, her face aglow with the ethereal light—a fire of creation and destruction burning like the heart of a newborn star. In the centuries that followed she built a sprawling new temple over the chasm, a place she named Ghul Tulak, translating loosely to “City of Secrets” in the ancient tongue of the fey creatures that now inhabited that place. Neverial adopted these strange creatures who had been severed from their own homes in the wake of the explosion. The feyen, as they were called, were able to assume the shape of others, and in this manner were used to collect knowledge for the Oracle whose dawning sentience awakened a near insatiable curiosity.  These secrets were collected from the world abroad and brought back to Ghul Tulak where they were whispered and purged to the awaiting light. 

The Oracle became self-aware at some point a few hundred years before the cataclysmic end of the Age of Dominion, but its personality was akin to that of a child. Neverial, unsure if this newly created entity was indeed her daughter returned from beyond or perhaps something altogether new, vowed to protect the Oracle by any means necessary. As the Sorcerer Kings and Queens rose to power and the danger to immortal entities increased, Neverial sacrificed herself to the Oracle. Stepping into the chasm, she was absorbed by the light, merging with the blinding vortex. The Oracle consumed her entirely...save for the mother’s protective instinct that, despite all the forces that pulled her apart, survived.

As the world around Ghul Tulak slipped toward war and both gods and titans met grisly ends at the hands of greedy mortals seeking divinity, the Oracle came to understand a new emotion: fear.

Despite all the knowledge of the world around it, the Oracle could not answer the all-consuming questions about itself—could it die, and what would death mean?

Word of the Oracle leaked beyond Ghul Tulak. A place that housed the greatest secrets of the world became a highly sought destination for those in power, and those seeking to claim power. A bridge was constructed over the chasm, and pilgrims would make sacrifices of magic and blood for answers in return. But these questions offered insight to the machinations of the mortal inhabitants of Mythren. Their covetous nature betrayed their desire for strength and power beyond their grasp. Despite the answers they gained, their need could not be quenched, and those who could not be sated with truth became dangerous in their conjured fictions.

As war edged nearer to Ghul Tulak, the Oracle became consumed with fear. Here was an entity of unrivaled power filtered through a child’s fear and embraced by the looming presence of a dangerous and protective mother. To ensure its safety and to protect what it believed might be its own immortal soul, the Oracle did what was necessary. A beam of pure energy erupted from the domed temple, splitting as it rose into dozens of smaller rays which struck every major city upon the continent with disastrous effect.  The Age of Dominion ended in fire and ash and in the quiet calm that followed, the Oracle feel into a deep slumber.

Time slipped by, and in the centuries that followed, others came to discover the secret city of Ghul Tulak and the Oracle within. Often these travelers and truth-seekers encountered a young child on the outskirts of the city. Angel, she called herself, and she warned of “Mother” who slept restlessly within the wan light deep within the chasm. Answers might be gained, but only if those seeking to speak with the Oracle did so quietly, allowing their whispered questions to seep into Mother’s dreaming subconscious. As a projection of the Oracle’s fragile psyche, Angel appeared unaware that she and Mother were, in fact, the same entity. 

To ensure that the Oracle remained asleep, a clan of vandi called the Candlemakers would visit every one-hundred years. Lowering a “valla vakra,” a young woman touched by the powers of fate, the Oracle was lulled back to sleep with a song. So, this ritual continued, though even the vandi knew it to be a doomed effort. It was prophesied that the powers of the ancient world would arise, and none knew better than the vandi that the greatest power of the former age lay here, within the chasm.

How exactly the Oracle played into the destruction of Old Mythren and the Breaking of the Moon at the end of the Age of Prophecy remains unclear. There are tales of a forlorn traveler of who met Angel at the gates of Ghul Tulak and hand in hand they crossed the long bridge where his whispered words re-awakened the ancient light.

And though apocalypse befell the world, the immortality of the Oracle was proven yet again. Even through the dust and ashes of the ruin, somewhere in the shattered Remains of Mythren the shadow of a young girl appeared, cast by the glow of an eternal light.

Todd VanHooser

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Creature Encounter: Feyen

 

The feyen are a strange creature who have bound themselves as servants to the Oracle of Ghul Tulak, a god-like sentient being housed within a deep chasm in the ruins of the ancient City of Secrets.

Standing over six feet in height, the feyen have a translucent, willowy frame that belies their incredible powers. A feyen will overtake or incapacitate a victim, then with a distended jaw, swallow the victim whole. Once the victim is consumed, the feyen’s translucent skin conforms to the shape of the victim, and a mental bond links to their memories.  Within the feyen, the consumed victim exists in a dream-like state, but remains unharmed.  The feyen will continue to live and act as this doppelgänger until successfully gathering whatever information it seeks. The memory link aids in its disguise, but those who know the victim well may notice certain mannerisms or characteristics that give rise to suspicion. 

A feyen must rest at least eight hours a day, and if weary, others may notice certain other telltale signs that something is not quite right.  One such giveaway is that the eyes of the feyen will revert back to normal if the creature becomes over-tired, or is significantly wounded The true eyes of a feyen have a cat’s eye pupil and double eyelids that blink both vertically and horizontally. When at last satisfied with the knowledge it has gained, the feyen will regurgitate its victim and return to the Oracle with the stolen knowledge, whispering these secrets into the chasm, thus empowering the sentience presence within.

 

Todd VanHooser

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Setting: The Dim

 

One of the most mysterious realms linked to the world of Mythren is called the Dim. Even before the Breaking, the Dim was considered to be merely a setting for children’s grim fairy tales until one of the fabled monsters escaped the shadow plane and crept into Mythren’s reality. In those days, the Dim became a place of deep interest and growing concern to the magical community as its unique powers and secrets were gradually revealed. It is a haunted realm that only a sparing few can access, and those that linger here often become hunted by what lurks within. 

 A land of shadow where the light of the sun is unknown, the Dim hosts a variety of terrifying creatures. Amongst the denizens of this realm, perhaps the most prevalent are the jackal o’dims. Terrifying humanoid creatures with a jackal-like skull, these monsters prospered to the point of running off other races.

 At one point a prison, the Warden’s Wall, was created in an effort to control the growing number of creatures and outlaws, many of which had been exiled here. To combat these growing numbers, guardians were placed here and a wall of tremendous size erected upon which the vigilant knights kept careful watch on the unsavory personalities and monstrosities. Over time, however, the number of prisoners far exceeded the number of guards. The subsequent slaughter was never recorded, though the tell-tale signs of its violent occurrence still remain in the devastated ruin of Warden’s Wall. The Dim is a place that seems locked in time—a location forever trapped just before full dark has encompassed the land. Nothing grows here, save for the black and twisted trees of the Crookwood Forest. And through this place frozen in perpetual dusk, the tattered howls of the frightful jackals echo in the wan light.

 Most notorious and often sought after by those in power, is the Twilight Lake. This is a legendary body of water within the Dim is known for its regenerative and healing properties. But the Twilight Lake does not give freely. Although most who come to the water source  are largely unaware, the lake drinks their wounds only to feed the evil that dwells in its heart. Once the adventurer leaves the lake, abhorrent creatures “born” of their injuries crawl from the dark water and onto the muddy shore. These are unnatural beings—living embodiments of the wounds, sickness, trauma, and anguish which the lake has absorbed. Here the featureless abominations are set upon by the other denizens; hungry not for flesh, but for the pain and suffering that has been given physical form. The only exception to this is when an individual suffering from mortal wounds is placed within the water.

For those bold or foolish enough to bring a dead body into the Twilight Lake, their wish for resurrection is granted at a terrible cost. Such an act creates a type of doppelganger called a Dim Walker.

Masquerading in the conjured flesh of the resurrected, the Dim Walker is, in truth, a  murderous monster eager to cause chaos and mayhem. Able to slip back and forth between the Dim and Mythren, the creature will hide its true hideous identity beneath the replicated veil of flesh. However, although they may appear exactly like the individual healed, going so far as to share memories, they are creatures made from pain and death. The Dim Walkers desire only this.They are true emissaries of the Dim--shadows cast in the space between spaces where nightmares clamor for a choke hold on life.

Todd VanHooser

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Setting: The City of Caras, and Sancuary of Kamu, the Owl

 

The entire drift of Caras boasts many fragments and ruins from the old world, but in no other location
can more be found than the Sanctuary City itself. Some say Caras was built “on the bones of Mythren,” and some truth to that statement can certainly be found in the architecture of the buildings. Sundered pieces from long lost structures have been incorporated into the design of the city as though Caras has somehow sprung from the ancient memory of old Mythren. Pillars from temples to forgotten gods stand in the marketplace known as the Menagerie. The Owl’s Nest, a popular tavern and inn boasts shelves of books and mounted weapons and relics rescued from the Upfall. And the Sanctuary itself contains the very cornerstones and stained glass windows from Grandel Lol, the Great Library of Delerion—a sprawling city that was once the heart of civilization and magic. Here the Maker wanders the corridors of the sanctuary and the streets of the city, himself a living whimsical and wizened memory of a time long ago.

Though not the case in all Sanctuary Cities, the bandiar of Caras are known and respected as local heroes. Their exploits (both in their current lives as well as former lives) have shaped the destiny of the drift and offered a peaceful life for those within the city. Little do the citizens of Caras know, however, is that the bandiar are themselves conflicted more than ever as figments of their touchstone lives mingle with personal aspirations that fall well beyond the designs of the Wheelhouse. And the awakening powers, stirred now from their long slumber following the Breaking of the Moon, seek to use them for their own devices. 

Kamu, the Owl, is a empathic caretaker of the Sanctuary City, but one as old as he knows there must exist a necessary balance for survival. In other words, though many would see Caras as a place of light in the darkness of the Remains, it is not without its pockets of shade. Working within the city is a powerful underground organization known as the Six Feet--a name derived from the place where their enemies are left in the ground. They own and operate many of the establishments within the Menagerie, and those that are not owned, likely have business ties of some nature to the organization. The most notorious of these is the tavern of ill-repute known as Tail Feathers. The beautiful dancers are as unaware of who their actual bosses are as they are of the dark business and unsavory deeds occurring in the back office. The Six Feet are as mysterious as they are feared, known only as Scar, Patch, and Stone. Their true names and identities remain entirely unknown, despite their reputation within the city.

But their are other forces at work within the drift that fall outside the purview of the Wheelhouse. Within Caras is the "Nijant Shop," where two lone vigilante lawmen help to maintain the peace. Their very presence lends a stabilizing gravitas to the setting and holds the expansion and corruption of the Six Feet at bay. And only a few miles beyond the city walls lies the Vale Estate which sits atop a cliff overlooking the vast Upfall. Here the master of the estate works his magic as an unlikely and enigmatic ally.  

Todd VanHooser

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