Cristian Andreu
Explorer
Greetings. This is my first hombrew plane (which I made for my campaign setting). I am using an entirely different cosmology, which I will be building step by step.
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
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The Metallic Prisons, the Eternal Fields of Iron, the Jail of the Gods. These and many other titles refer to Dantos, one of the many pseudoplanes that surround Thea, which acts as the prison for enemies of the Gods, or as a final resting place to those foolish enough to enter the realm without the proper protections.
Dantos is a bleak, monotonous expanse of black, cold iron that extends endlessly in every direction. Its metallic ground has no more features than a flat, smooth surface, only disturbed by the still shapes of the plane’s prisoners, and its sky is a vault of oppressive blackness, devoid of moon, sun or stars. The horizon is an impossibly distant ring of dim red glow that seems to be the only source of natural light within the plane. Always below the freezing point, the temperatures are uncomfortable to the ill protected in the best of cases, and can drain away precious life heat in the worst, and the little water to be found in the plane exists as thin layer frost covering the black metal. Howling winds crisscross the plane, taking their chilling touch to the very bones of those caught in it, and powerful windstorms are spawned with relative recurrence, blowing away anything without a safe hold. In few words, Dantos is a hostile plane by its unforgiving environment alone.
But perils far more dangerous plague this forbidden plane, which is meant to let in but not out. The Mourning Brume, the Fog of Stranded Souls, spreads throughout the plane as a sea of weeping spirits, over from those many that have fallen here, only to see their soul and essence trapped within Dantos, unable to escape, destined to loom over this cruel place.
Echoes from the Demonic Storm still linger in Dantos, as the plane acted as a net for the chaotic energies released through the Lens of Kharduv. Occasional surges of pure chaos storm the plane, disturbing the balance of things and bringing forth the effects that are generally related to it.
The plane was created as a prison, and as a prison it exists. Entombed in iron, an unsurmountable number of captives, some known, some not, lie scattered all over the plane, as statues in unsettlingly still poses. These prisoners, of all kinds, sizes and shapes, are forever caught beneath the black metal, as escapes from its metallic grasp are unknown, and many doubt that any will ever be able to.
Although found all around the plane, the closer one gets to Dantos’ centre, where the Palace of Betrayal rises in all of its immensity, the more and more prisoners one can find. Thousands upon thousands of captives lie at the surroundings of the palace, standing as a grim field of motionless figures. Crypts and mausoleums created from the very iron rise here and there, filled with the metallic carcasses of many inmates, as if the creators and keepers of the plane wanted it to resemble more a graveyard than a prison. The ghostly images of the Mourning Brume ooze around this place, where the fog is particularly stronger, making it very dangerous to the unwary living.
Iron statues and crypts surrounding them can be found away from the palace, but in much lesser numbers. It is said, however, that much is to be found away from the plane’s centre, and that perhaps even the Old Gods may be found somewhere in the neverending expanses or iron.
Traits of Dantos:
Inhabitants of Dantos:
Few creatures live in Dantos as free beings. Most of the plane’s inhabitants lie in a state of suspended animation while they are held captive within iron. However, a handful of beings call this unforgiving plane home. The three Forbidden Guardians, Argivias, Bigas, and Kaliburas dwell within the Palace of Betrayal, along with Elthubar, Dantos’ Invigilator, and Amenor, the Examiner.
The feth, eye servitors of Elthubar, and the orda, Kaliburas’ flesh spawns, are the most common creatures found in Dantos, and the sigílcadrim, the metallic scions of chaos, appear from time to time as effects from the chaotic surges that spring occasionally within the plane. The desperate souls of many can also be found here, the Remnants, forced to stay within the plane after their deaths, stranded within the prison plane.
Visitors are rare in Dantos, as it requires great skill and care to come out from it. Furthermore, access to the plane is not easy, as there are few entry points, and direct transportation into it by magical means is impossible. Those few who happen to enter Dantos usually do with a very important goal in mind, and generally have means to defend themselves from the plane and resources to leave it after they are done.
Asides from the Forbidden Guardians, the Invigilator, and the Examiner few deities ever come into Dantos, as the plane is feared and abhorred by most of them. Nessanor’s chamberlain Drovanoth, however, who has the duty of inspecting each and every of the planes under the Court’s control, arrives to Dantos from time to time, usually along with a small cortege of deities of little power. Their visits are quick and they treat only with Elthubar, considering that the Forbidden Guardians are no more worthy than any of the other prisoners of the plane.
Reaching Dantos:
Access to Dantos is very limited, as an adamant shell of power prevents any mean of reaching it. Only a handful of portals, created by the Key of All Worlds, ordered by Nessanor, allow entrance to the plane. With the use of the Key of All Worlds, Drovanoth and his predecessor Alabron, have opened portals in a few locations that have been considered useful or required. One of the portals lies within Nessanor’s own palace, which is rarely used, as Nessanor has visited the plane in only three occasions. A second portal can be found in the gadoxian prison of Sigíleinidiloth, commissioned by Nessanor in the past, when a short alliance between the Courts and the Crown of Thorns took place. A third portal is located in the ruins of the castle of Coldenbrad, in Elenior, created by the baron of Coldenbrad when he stole the Key of All Worlds from the previous chamberlain of Nessanor. There is a fourth portal that stands in the deepest halls of the Fane of the Fleshspawn, in Cárpathia, created by Alabron when he felt pity for Kaliburas. The fifth portal was created by Nessanor’s order after being requested by Elthubar, and is located within the ruined city of Gaalbenauth, in the Pits of Kraizz.
There are rumours that there might be a sixth portal within the Hall of the Gatebreaker, in Tháenimcarath, in Sisgardia, created by Mórdethen, after the academy acquired the Key of All Worlds for a short period of time before being returned to Nessanor.
The portals do not have any common shape in particular. While the one in Nessanor’s palace is a tall gate between two ornate columns, that of Sigíleinidiloth is a grotesque arch of iron sculptures; the one found in Coldenbrad is a simple ring of metal attached to a stone wall; that of the Fane of the Fleshspawn is a massive structure of gold and black marble, and the one located in Gaalbenauth is a large stone gateway at the top of a ziggurat. The portal itself, however, is a surface of black iron, which remains solid until the portal is activated. Once it is, it is possible to walk through the iron as it where not there. From Dantos, all portals look as a blur image of what lies at the other side inside slender arches of metal with profusely ornate borders.
All portals lead to the same place: A grand hall in the centre of the Palace of Betrayal. A visitor will be interested to see that there are ten arches in the hall. If all of them are portals, is unknown, and to where would they lead if they were, is knowledge forbidden.
Movement and Combat:
Movement and combat in Dantos is normal.
Aspects of Dantos:
The Forbidden Guardians: Argivias, Bigas, and Kaliburas, the three Forbidden Guardians, the Jailors of Dantos, forever bound to suffer and writhe, to bleed, to scream, to rot.
As with many of those days, the exact date of the Guardians’ capture remains unknown. All that sages have been able to compile is that they fell victims of Nessanor’s wrath during the cataclysmic wars of the Pandemonium, when the three of them, at that time powerful beings among the Vérgorel, stood against the tide of power that threatened to, and ultimately will, destroy the Old Gods, the Saviours of the World. Argivias, Bigas and Kaliburas, whose real names lie hidden, where the last of the Vérgorel to stand for the Old Gods, and it was thanks to them that four could escape the Írungorel. This, however, infuriated Nessanor, who would punish them for their acting. They would be sent to Dantos, where many already lied entombed in metal, but they would have to suffer. And so he devised an eternal torture for each.
Argivias, High Priest of Wösse, would see his body wretched and bloated, and hundreds of chains would be hooked and nailed to his flesh, tearing it apart and further disfiguring him. He now walks through the halls of the Palace of Betrayal, pulling a mountain of metal behind his body, leaving a trail of blood and guts on his wake. Such is his pain that he seeks to share it with other, and many have seen their end within Argivias’ chains, which are entwined around still living bodies and writhing carcasses, unable to die, forever crawling behind the Guardian.
Bigas, who stood for Darlis, would find torment and fear wherever he went, his mind punctured by abominations and nightmares of the darkest of kinds. Every single one of his personal mistakes would spring forth and punish his soul, and he would lie encased within himself, tortured forever. The wails and screams of Bigas reverberate through the metallic halls of the Palace of Betrayal, speaking of an agonizing soul that has fallen into the deepest pits of madness and despair. Such is the grief emanated by this poor one that those who hear his wailing can experience part of his suffering, seeing their own nightmares and horrors taking over their minds.
Kaliburas, who once spread the words of Welferet, would now rot and decay forever, vomiting bile and blood, twisting in the agony of an endless spasm of pain. His body would fall apart slowly, decomposing in fetid putrefaction. His organs would spill out, his skin would fall in black sheets, and his flesh would wither and fester, drowning himself in his own foul pus. But his body would regrow constantly, so he would forever feel the pain of unending wounds. In his despair, he seeks the flesh of others to replace his own, in a vain attempt to tear away his rotten body and build a new one. His servitors, the orda, born from the same festering flesh that falls from his body, carry on his will, haunting the plane for victims, or going through the portal of the Fane of the Fleshspawn into Thea.
Nessanor’s punishment proved to be more effective than he originally thought. Such was the madness into which the three Guardians had fallen, that they would impose a fierce watch over the plane; they had found a fate worse than death for the sake of the gods that left them to their luck, and they would take their revenge upon all those poor souls that were destined to lie entombed in Dantos.
The Invigilator: Even though the Forbidden Guardians were threat enough to anyone seeking to disturb Dantos, the Courts of Nessanor did not trust them entirely; perhaps because they once served the Old Gods, perhaps because they were beyond the borders of insanity. They needed someone to watch over the plane and the Guardians themselves, and so Elthubar, the All Seer, was commissioned to establish himself within Dantos.
The Invigilator of Dantos oversees every event and happening that takes place within the plane or that relates to it. Its servants, the feth, crawl all over Dantos and in the surroundings of the portals that lead to it, informing the Invigilator of all that he seeks to know. Elthubar sees through each one of them, and thus his eyes can reach anywhere.
It is well known by Nessanor that Elthubar does not limit himself to Dantos; his eyes are everywhere, even in his own palace. But this makes him a resourceful member of the Courts, one that he knows he can use if properly controlled.
The monitoring of the Forbidden Guardians has proven to be one of Elthubar’s favourite doings, as he despises them and enjoys watching them suffer. The own Guardians are unaware of the Invigilator’s existence, even though they feel that something else is warding the plane.
Being the one that brought beholders into Thea, Elthubar holds meetings with those of his kin from time to time. Although he is not seen as a god to them, beholders do keep him in high regard, and understand that his great power can help their various causes. These meetings have become less common, however, since the fall of the beholder city of Gaalbenauth in the hands of the dhuzan, which has made access to the portal a difficult thing. But beholders are crafty, and they manage to find a way to reach Dantos when they propose to do so.
Elthubar lies confined within the walls of the Observatory, a large circular hall at the top of the Palace of Betrayal. The hall has no way in or out, but the Invigilator can bring forth anyone who is within the plane that he wishes to meet. He rarely does so, however, as he prefers to observe rather than to have direct contact.
The Examiner: As prisoners were being sent to the Metallic Prison, it became an interest of Nessanor to keep an accurate record of whom and what was being entombed beneath the iron. He ordered his chamberlain, Alabron at the time, to commission someone to act as the Examiner, who would take care of such task. Alabron took quite a while looking for someone with the capacity and willingness to act as the bookkeeper of Dantos. However, he finally found someone: Amenor. She had been the former Head Librarian of the arcane community of Bastor before it was destroyed by Gulgas. Solitary and jealously protective of her work, she would be perfect for the task.
And since that day, Amenor, the Examiner of Dantos, has been carefully recording every bit of information she can extract from those trapped in the plane. It is said that Nessanor gave her a special artefact that allows her to delve within the mind of those held captive. If such rumour were to be true, the knowledge held by Amenor would be impressive, and perhaps quite dangerous. However, although many have attempted to, she has never revealed anything.
Amenor inhabits in a small flying tower that she uses as mean of transportation, and as vault for all the books that contain the information she collects.
The Palace of Betrayal: Rising over two miles in the dark sky, built from the very iron of the plane, the Palace of Betrayal is a massive, imposing structure that signals the centre of Dantos. Thousands of fat domed towers, slender spires, impressive arches and hanging bridges lie cramped in the mountain-like shape that is the palace. Immense halls, endless hallways and a myriad of rooms of all kinds and shapes fill it, all consumed in almost absolute darkness, only illuminated by the red glow of the plane or by the occasional pass of a Remnant.
The Guardians move through the palace without a clear goal, unless there is someone to go after; the Invigilator inhabits secluded within the Observatory, and the Examiner is rarely found within the palace walls at all. The feth, however, are everywhere, and few places of the palace are off Elthubar’s all seeing eyes.
This colossal palace was originally intended to be occupied by Unoth, the Still. The statue god had proved to be a great guardian during the time he served as Banobral’s custodian, and when he joined Nessanor’s side, he was chosen to be the Jailer of Dantos. However, a battle between Unoth and Erafos, Nessanor’s daughter, ended with the death of the last, and he was destroyed in the fury of the father, his body scattered all over Ghorea to never be reunited again. This created an urgent need for a replacement, as without a Jailor the power of the plane could not be channelled, and it could be not set into use. This forced the plane to remain dormant for longer than it was expected, until the three Forbidden Guardians were punished and sent to act as Dantos’ Jailors.
The palace is mostly uninhabited; only the three Guardians and the Invigilator, along with the creatures native to this plane and the wandering Remnants, occupy it, and vast sections of it lie unused, some of them even unexplored. Many gods have chosen this place as a safekeep for their treasures or personal important objects, well hidden within the depths of the palace, usually well warded by magical traps and other means of protection.
The Hall of Gateways: A great hall within the Palace of Betrayal serves as the point of arrival of the portals that connect to Dantos, where ten large arches of metal lie scattered symmetrically around the circular room. From there it is possible to take one of the five tall hallways that extend outward from the hall, that lead to the innards of the palace. It is not difficult to get lost within it, and the inexperienced will find it difficult to even reach the outside.
The Tower of the Examiner: There is a small flying tower near the top of the palace, where the Archives lie. Here, thousands upon thousands of texts, keeping accurate detail of every single prisoner of the plane, lie carefully kept. Amenor, Dantos’ Examiner, is the one in charge of writing and guarding these texts. However, she is generally travelling throughout the plane, seeking to extract additional information from the captives. The tower itself is usually away from the palace, as Amenor uses it as mean of transportation. Among these texts is believed to be the ones that speak about the Old Gods in detail, and many have found their end trying to uncover them. Amenor protects them with fierce opposition, so it is not a simple task to reach them.
The Observatory: This large circular chamber is the dwelling of the Invigilator. Massive windows of translucent metal surround it, and a large dome serves as its roof. From its location, more than two miles from the metallic ground, the Invigilator has an impressive range of vision over the plane, which he can fully appreciate thanks to his keen eyes. The feth are created here by Elthubar himself, which he then sends to do his bidding. Beholders can be found here from time to time, staying for long periods of time to learn from the great wisdom and knowledge of the Invigilator.
The Chamber of the Maimed: Deep within the Palace of Betrayal lies Kaliburas’ working chamber. This large hall is filled with dismembered bodies, lumps of flesh, hewn bones, stretched skin and all manners of chirurgical –some would say butchering- tools. Blood paints the floor and walls, and dead bodies hang from chains or lie maimed in working tables. All this is part of Kaliburas’ effort to create a new body for himself, one that does not rot and fester. Even though he works with impressive skill, detaching every single piece of his victim’s bodies and incorporating them into his, the curse set upon his body is simply too strong, and he is bound to fail.
The Pits of Filth: Extending below the Chamber of the Maimed, a vast network of hallways and rooms, sunken below fetid remains of destroyed bodies acts as a spawning nest for the orda. Accumulated during thousands of years by Kaliburas’ horrid work, the rotten flesh that once passed through his body fills this area of the palace. Imbued with the power of Kaliburas himself, these bodily remains sometimes give birth to the orda, which rise in many shapes and sizes, living lumps of flesh and blood, mindless, but bound to the Guardian from where they originate. These pits are very dangerous; many fools who have dared to delve in them have met a bloody end, either due to the perils of the pits or in the hands of Kaliburas.
The Reliquaries: Scattered across the palace lie vaults of many kinds, sizes and shapes, where artefacts and treasures are kept with utter care. Some of them are there because a certain god or powerful entity wishes them to remain safe, while others are dangerous enough for them to have to be kept in Dantos. The Reliquaries are very dangerous places, usually guarded by a host of potent traps and powerful wardens. Reaching them may also prove difficult, as they are specifically located in labyrinthical areas of the palace in order to keep visitors and thieves away.
The Empty Throne: This seat of grand scale lies at the bottom of a tremendous and empty throne hall that extends for hundreds of meters from the entrance to it. The throne itself is wide enough to allow seat dozens of men, and so high that it disappears into the darkness above. This was supposed to be the reigning seat of Unoth, from where he could witness and control the entire plane. However, after his demise, the plane saw no new ruler, until the Forbidden Guardians arrived. But the Guardians had been granted innate control over the plane, and Elthubar was chosen as the plane’s overseer, so the functions were divided. This made the throne useless, and it became forgotten in the grand hall at the back of the palace. The twisted conscience of the plane itself can be felt, and fought –even control- through this throne, even though it can prove to be a quite difficult, if deadly thing to do.
Using the Throne: The Empty Throne is large enough for a Colossal creature to sit on. Whoever sit on the throne, immediately takes 1d8+2 points of permanent Wisdom and Charisma damage (use the same roll for both), unless he succeeds at a Will saving throw DC 28. If the creature fails the save, it is immediately cast out from the throne by a blow of invisible force, smashing it against the floor or walls for 10d6 points of damage. If it succeeds, its body enters a state of suspended animation, which it may cancel immediately and step away from the throne without danger. However, if it chooses to remain in that state, it can try to take control over the planes conscience, which is expressed through the throne, but once it chooses to do so, it may not cancel the action. Any creature that touches the one over the throne will be blown away by the same invisible force for 5d6 points of damage, plus 1 point of Wisdom and Charisma drain (Will save DC 25 negates Wisdom and Charisma drain). The creature must succeed an opposed Wisdom check against the conscience (Wisdom 24). If failed, the creature takes 1 permanent point of Wisdom and Charisma damage, as its souls is being drained by the plane, and may try again. If the creature succeeds at any check, it establishes control over the conscience, immediately entering a state of connection with the plane. In such state, the creature acquires knowledge of everything that is currently taking place within the plane, and becomes aware of any soul that is not currently entombed beneath the iron (it does not, however, acquire direct sensorial knowledge of the whole plane). Furthermore, it becomes capable of controlling the plane itself, being able to use the iron that composes it and give shape to it, and it even can set free a prisoner, as long as it knows the exact location of such captive. In order to maintain this control the creature must succeed at a Concentration skill check with a DC of 30 every turn. If failed, the conscience will try to break free and the creature must again succeed an opposed Wisdom check against it.
The creature may chose to end the effect if it has control over the conscience. Doing so, however, drops the creature to -10 hp, instantly killing it.
If the creature receives enough Charisma or Wisdom damage for both to reach 0 (if any of both reaches 0 before another, the creature does not fall unconscious if it is still engaging the conscience of the plane), its soul is consumed by Dantos, killing the creature irrevocably. Creatures that die in this manner may not be resurrected by any mean, not even through the use of a Wish or Miracle spell.
The Prisoners: There are thousands upon thousands of prisoners entombed within the plane, scattered all over its surface. The captives’ body is trapped in iron, standing as statues of various sizes and shapes, which usually tell of a painful moment before being sealed away, with desperate expressions and agonizing poses. The iron reflects the form of the prisoner perfectly, and it is possible to recognize who or what is below it just by looking.
The iron is impossible to destroy, and the only way to free a prisoner is to have some form of control over the plane, which only the Nessanor, the Forbidden Guardians, and those who manage to dominate the will of the plane through the Empty Throne have. In any case, it may be a perilous thing to free anything from within the plane, as many will surely prove to be hostile and dangerous to those nearby. They were sealed there for a reason.
Beings trapped in the iron do not die; they enter a state of suspended animation instead. The body ceases all functions, and the soul becomes encased within it. Therefore, a prisoner may walk out alive after thousands of years of captivity, without any memory of having been trapped.
Although scattered all over the infinite plain of iron, most of the prisoners can be found in the proximities of the Palace of Betrayal. Similar to a cemetery of pure iron, grand mausoleums and crypts of various levels rise, filled with statues of metal. Many more figures stand around the buildings, in a wide area that surrounds the entire palace. The closer one comes to it, the more captives can be found. This is mostly because the Forbidden Guardians do never travel too far from the Palace, and prefer to entomb the prisoners close to it.
Although many have searched for them, the statues that should correspond to the trapped Old Gods have never been found. This has spread the belief among those with knowledge that perhaps the Vérannurel are not held within Dantos. But such idea would suggest that there is someplace else where they are, unless they were utterly destroyed during the Pandemonium, which is unlikely. In any case, there are no few tales of sightings of great statues far in the horizon, in regions where the very iron crisps and shatters. It could be that the great Old Gods are there, or maybe something of great power yet unknown. Dantos holds many secrets, too many some would say.
Dangers of Dantos:
Death in Dantos: Dying in the Prison Plane can prove to be quite a problem, as the plane itself attracts the souls of the dead so they become stranded, unable to escape. The souls of those who die in Dantos become automatically bound to the plane; unlike of what would happen if death is found within Thea or any other of its pseudoplanes, where the soul would be attracted by the Tentábedar. The soul then will be left to wander in Dantos forever, only to join the many others that already compose the Mourning Brume.
This effect makes it impossible to revive someone that dies in Dantos, unless its soul is found and recovered, through the use of a Soul Beacon spell combined with a Soulcage, or any similar mean.
The essence of those who die in Dantos is stained forever with the blight of the plane. This becomes particularly troublesome to those revived after dying there, as they will contract the Woe of Dantos.
Woe of Dantos: Save DC: 28; Primary Effect: Wisdom and Charisma score reduced by 1d10. Secondary Effect: The character receives a -4 to all attack, damage, skill or save rolls. This penalty increases to -8 while on Dantos or within 50 feet from an object made from Dantos’ iron. Special: This woe can only be removed through the use of a Miraculous Purification spell. All characters who die in Dantos and are revived acquire this woe.
Chaos Echoes: After the Demonic Storm, the plane of Dantos acted as a net for the chaotic energies that poured through the Lens of Kharduv, trapping part of the unreal power. Unlike the rest of Thea and its pseudoplanes, remains, echoes from the storm remained within Dantos, reverberating through the bleak metallic eternity. This created a strange aura of chaos that lingers in the plane, slightly altering reality, and some times bringing forth disastrous events.
While on Dantos, actions and effects have a chance of being slightly altered by the echoes of chaos. Whenever a d20 is rolled, roll a d6, and adjust the roll as indicated below:
The Mourning Brume: Whenever someone dies within Dantos, its soul, unable to escape the plane, becomes stranded. These leftovers, locked within Dantos forever, have no choice but wander across the plane, without a purpose or goal. The faint presence of ether in the plane eventually makes them visible, ghostly figures of barely recognizable features, gloomy shades of grey vaguely representing what they were in life. Some of these ghosts wander through the plane alone, desperately seeking for a way to exit Dantos. These are the Remnants. The majority of them, however, falls down into a spiralling pit of despair, loosing all hope or desire, mourning forever their ill fate, joining the whispering sea of lost spirits that is the Mourning Brume, the Fog of Stranded Souls. The souls that compose the Brume are sunken in despair to such degree that they are, for all matters, senseless. However, the fact that the largest concentration revolves around and inside the Palace of Betrayal suggest that they know or feel that the gateways that lead out of the plane are located there, and are somehow trying to reach them.
The Mourning Brume is a visible fog of white and grey colours, usually found as a faint mist close to the ground, although some times larger concentrations can be found, swallowing entire areas of the plane as damp clouds. Even though it is odour or tasteless, and it is impossible to touch –since it is not composed of physical matter-, those caught within it will feel very cold, although not enough to cause any harm, and will hear the sinister whispers and faint moans of the dead. It moves slowly, as if carried by gentle winds, but it remains unaffected by it, no matter how strong the currents are. It may be found anywhere within the plane, although it is most common nearby the Palace of Betrayal, sweeping among the thousands of iron statues and mausoleums.
Being caught within the Mourning Brume is not an immediate danger. Characters who remain in areas covered vaguely by the Brume face no threat, although they have a slight chance (15%) per hour to receive strange memories and thoughts, parts of the lives and afterlives of the stranded souls, although only receiving cryptic pieces of information and unconnected images or sounds. If the Brume is thick enough (as to obscure vision to 50 feet), the chance to receive a wandering memory increases to 30%, and they are much clearer. High concentrations of the Brume (obscuring vision to 15 feet or less) increase the chance to 75%, and the memories are vivid as if they were of the character himself. These memories are usually gruesome and twisted, generally depicting the last moments of the dead, or some traumatic moment of their lives, although happy or joyful memories may also spring, but very rarely.
The whispers and moans of the souls are unsettling at the very least. However, unless there is a strong concentration of stranded souls in the area, there is no real danger. If there is, however, characters are subject to the despairing effects of the mourning. For every ten minutes spent within an area thickly covered by the Brume, the characters must succeed a DC 24 Will save or receive 1 point of Wisdom drain. For each time the save is failed, the DC is increased by 1. A character may not be reduced to less than 1 point of Wisdom this way. Characters who reach 1 point of Wisdom this way fall to the ground in an absolute state of despair, haunted by horrifying thoughts and feelings, and it will be unable to act until all of its Wisdom lost points are regained and at least one week has passed away from the Brume.
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
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The Metallic Prisons, the Eternal Fields of Iron, the Jail of the Gods. These and many other titles refer to Dantos, one of the many pseudoplanes that surround Thea, which acts as the prison for enemies of the Gods, or as a final resting place to those foolish enough to enter the realm without the proper protections.
Dantos is a bleak, monotonous expanse of black, cold iron that extends endlessly in every direction. Its metallic ground has no more features than a flat, smooth surface, only disturbed by the still shapes of the plane’s prisoners, and its sky is a vault of oppressive blackness, devoid of moon, sun or stars. The horizon is an impossibly distant ring of dim red glow that seems to be the only source of natural light within the plane. Always below the freezing point, the temperatures are uncomfortable to the ill protected in the best of cases, and can drain away precious life heat in the worst, and the little water to be found in the plane exists as thin layer frost covering the black metal. Howling winds crisscross the plane, taking their chilling touch to the very bones of those caught in it, and powerful windstorms are spawned with relative recurrence, blowing away anything without a safe hold. In few words, Dantos is a hostile plane by its unforgiving environment alone.
But perils far more dangerous plague this forbidden plane, which is meant to let in but not out. The Mourning Brume, the Fog of Stranded Souls, spreads throughout the plane as a sea of weeping spirits, over from those many that have fallen here, only to see their soul and essence trapped within Dantos, unable to escape, destined to loom over this cruel place.
Echoes from the Demonic Storm still linger in Dantos, as the plane acted as a net for the chaotic energies released through the Lens of Kharduv. Occasional surges of pure chaos storm the plane, disturbing the balance of things and bringing forth the effects that are generally related to it.
The plane was created as a prison, and as a prison it exists. Entombed in iron, an unsurmountable number of captives, some known, some not, lie scattered all over the plane, as statues in unsettlingly still poses. These prisoners, of all kinds, sizes and shapes, are forever caught beneath the black metal, as escapes from its metallic grasp are unknown, and many doubt that any will ever be able to.
Although found all around the plane, the closer one gets to Dantos’ centre, where the Palace of Betrayal rises in all of its immensity, the more and more prisoners one can find. Thousands upon thousands of captives lie at the surroundings of the palace, standing as a grim field of motionless figures. Crypts and mausoleums created from the very iron rise here and there, filled with the metallic carcasses of many inmates, as if the creators and keepers of the plane wanted it to resemble more a graveyard than a prison. The ghostly images of the Mourning Brume ooze around this place, where the fog is particularly stronger, making it very dangerous to the unwary living.
Iron statues and crypts surrounding them can be found away from the palace, but in much lesser numbers. It is said, however, that much is to be found away from the plane’s centre, and that perhaps even the Old Gods may be found somewhere in the neverending expanses or iron.
Traits of Dantos:
- Normal Gravity: As in Thea, the pull of gravity goes downward, and beings may move normally.
- Normal Time: The pass of time in Dantos is unaffected.
- Infinite Size: The plain of iron that composes Dantos grows endlessly outward. In the same way, one can travel into the black sky and never reach an ending point, nor find one by opening a breach in the iron that composes the plane.
- Divinely Morphic: Only Nessanor himself and those commissioned by him (such as Drovanoth, Elthubar, and the three Forbidden Guardians) may alter Dantos. Ordinary creatures find Dantos indistinguishable from Thea (the may alter the plane as they would be able to physically or magically alter Thea).
- No Elemental Traits: None of the main elements have a superior presence in Dantos.
- Impeded Magic: All spells and spell-like abilities are impeded while on Dantos. These spells and spell-like abilities can still be used, but a successful Spellcraft check (DC 15+level of the spell) must be made to do so.
- Blocked Teleportation: It is not possible to use any kind of teleportation, transmigration or planeshifting method to reach Dantos, nor new portals can be created that lead to it. The only possible way is through the gateways already created.
Inhabitants of Dantos:
Few creatures live in Dantos as free beings. Most of the plane’s inhabitants lie in a state of suspended animation while they are held captive within iron. However, a handful of beings call this unforgiving plane home. The three Forbidden Guardians, Argivias, Bigas, and Kaliburas dwell within the Palace of Betrayal, along with Elthubar, Dantos’ Invigilator, and Amenor, the Examiner.
The feth, eye servitors of Elthubar, and the orda, Kaliburas’ flesh spawns, are the most common creatures found in Dantos, and the sigílcadrim, the metallic scions of chaos, appear from time to time as effects from the chaotic surges that spring occasionally within the plane. The desperate souls of many can also be found here, the Remnants, forced to stay within the plane after their deaths, stranded within the prison plane.
Visitors are rare in Dantos, as it requires great skill and care to come out from it. Furthermore, access to the plane is not easy, as there are few entry points, and direct transportation into it by magical means is impossible. Those few who happen to enter Dantos usually do with a very important goal in mind, and generally have means to defend themselves from the plane and resources to leave it after they are done.
Asides from the Forbidden Guardians, the Invigilator, and the Examiner few deities ever come into Dantos, as the plane is feared and abhorred by most of them. Nessanor’s chamberlain Drovanoth, however, who has the duty of inspecting each and every of the planes under the Court’s control, arrives to Dantos from time to time, usually along with a small cortege of deities of little power. Their visits are quick and they treat only with Elthubar, considering that the Forbidden Guardians are no more worthy than any of the other prisoners of the plane.
Reaching Dantos:
Access to Dantos is very limited, as an adamant shell of power prevents any mean of reaching it. Only a handful of portals, created by the Key of All Worlds, ordered by Nessanor, allow entrance to the plane. With the use of the Key of All Worlds, Drovanoth and his predecessor Alabron, have opened portals in a few locations that have been considered useful or required. One of the portals lies within Nessanor’s own palace, which is rarely used, as Nessanor has visited the plane in only three occasions. A second portal can be found in the gadoxian prison of Sigíleinidiloth, commissioned by Nessanor in the past, when a short alliance between the Courts and the Crown of Thorns took place. A third portal is located in the ruins of the castle of Coldenbrad, in Elenior, created by the baron of Coldenbrad when he stole the Key of All Worlds from the previous chamberlain of Nessanor. There is a fourth portal that stands in the deepest halls of the Fane of the Fleshspawn, in Cárpathia, created by Alabron when he felt pity for Kaliburas. The fifth portal was created by Nessanor’s order after being requested by Elthubar, and is located within the ruined city of Gaalbenauth, in the Pits of Kraizz.
There are rumours that there might be a sixth portal within the Hall of the Gatebreaker, in Tháenimcarath, in Sisgardia, created by Mórdethen, after the academy acquired the Key of All Worlds for a short period of time before being returned to Nessanor.
The portals do not have any common shape in particular. While the one in Nessanor’s palace is a tall gate between two ornate columns, that of Sigíleinidiloth is a grotesque arch of iron sculptures; the one found in Coldenbrad is a simple ring of metal attached to a stone wall; that of the Fane of the Fleshspawn is a massive structure of gold and black marble, and the one located in Gaalbenauth is a large stone gateway at the top of a ziggurat. The portal itself, however, is a surface of black iron, which remains solid until the portal is activated. Once it is, it is possible to walk through the iron as it where not there. From Dantos, all portals look as a blur image of what lies at the other side inside slender arches of metal with profusely ornate borders.
All portals lead to the same place: A grand hall in the centre of the Palace of Betrayal. A visitor will be interested to see that there are ten arches in the hall. If all of them are portals, is unknown, and to where would they lead if they were, is knowledge forbidden.
Movement and Combat:
Movement and combat in Dantos is normal.
Aspects of Dantos:
The Forbidden Guardians: Argivias, Bigas, and Kaliburas, the three Forbidden Guardians, the Jailors of Dantos, forever bound to suffer and writhe, to bleed, to scream, to rot.
As with many of those days, the exact date of the Guardians’ capture remains unknown. All that sages have been able to compile is that they fell victims of Nessanor’s wrath during the cataclysmic wars of the Pandemonium, when the three of them, at that time powerful beings among the Vérgorel, stood against the tide of power that threatened to, and ultimately will, destroy the Old Gods, the Saviours of the World. Argivias, Bigas and Kaliburas, whose real names lie hidden, where the last of the Vérgorel to stand for the Old Gods, and it was thanks to them that four could escape the Írungorel. This, however, infuriated Nessanor, who would punish them for their acting. They would be sent to Dantos, where many already lied entombed in metal, but they would have to suffer. And so he devised an eternal torture for each.
Argivias, High Priest of Wösse, would see his body wretched and bloated, and hundreds of chains would be hooked and nailed to his flesh, tearing it apart and further disfiguring him. He now walks through the halls of the Palace of Betrayal, pulling a mountain of metal behind his body, leaving a trail of blood and guts on his wake. Such is his pain that he seeks to share it with other, and many have seen their end within Argivias’ chains, which are entwined around still living bodies and writhing carcasses, unable to die, forever crawling behind the Guardian.
Bigas, who stood for Darlis, would find torment and fear wherever he went, his mind punctured by abominations and nightmares of the darkest of kinds. Every single one of his personal mistakes would spring forth and punish his soul, and he would lie encased within himself, tortured forever. The wails and screams of Bigas reverberate through the metallic halls of the Palace of Betrayal, speaking of an agonizing soul that has fallen into the deepest pits of madness and despair. Such is the grief emanated by this poor one that those who hear his wailing can experience part of his suffering, seeing their own nightmares and horrors taking over their minds.
Kaliburas, who once spread the words of Welferet, would now rot and decay forever, vomiting bile and blood, twisting in the agony of an endless spasm of pain. His body would fall apart slowly, decomposing in fetid putrefaction. His organs would spill out, his skin would fall in black sheets, and his flesh would wither and fester, drowning himself in his own foul pus. But his body would regrow constantly, so he would forever feel the pain of unending wounds. In his despair, he seeks the flesh of others to replace his own, in a vain attempt to tear away his rotten body and build a new one. His servitors, the orda, born from the same festering flesh that falls from his body, carry on his will, haunting the plane for victims, or going through the portal of the Fane of the Fleshspawn into Thea.
Nessanor’s punishment proved to be more effective than he originally thought. Such was the madness into which the three Guardians had fallen, that they would impose a fierce watch over the plane; they had found a fate worse than death for the sake of the gods that left them to their luck, and they would take their revenge upon all those poor souls that were destined to lie entombed in Dantos.
The Invigilator: Even though the Forbidden Guardians were threat enough to anyone seeking to disturb Dantos, the Courts of Nessanor did not trust them entirely; perhaps because they once served the Old Gods, perhaps because they were beyond the borders of insanity. They needed someone to watch over the plane and the Guardians themselves, and so Elthubar, the All Seer, was commissioned to establish himself within Dantos.
The Invigilator of Dantos oversees every event and happening that takes place within the plane or that relates to it. Its servants, the feth, crawl all over Dantos and in the surroundings of the portals that lead to it, informing the Invigilator of all that he seeks to know. Elthubar sees through each one of them, and thus his eyes can reach anywhere.
It is well known by Nessanor that Elthubar does not limit himself to Dantos; his eyes are everywhere, even in his own palace. But this makes him a resourceful member of the Courts, one that he knows he can use if properly controlled.
The monitoring of the Forbidden Guardians has proven to be one of Elthubar’s favourite doings, as he despises them and enjoys watching them suffer. The own Guardians are unaware of the Invigilator’s existence, even though they feel that something else is warding the plane.
Being the one that brought beholders into Thea, Elthubar holds meetings with those of his kin from time to time. Although he is not seen as a god to them, beholders do keep him in high regard, and understand that his great power can help their various causes. These meetings have become less common, however, since the fall of the beholder city of Gaalbenauth in the hands of the dhuzan, which has made access to the portal a difficult thing. But beholders are crafty, and they manage to find a way to reach Dantos when they propose to do so.
Elthubar lies confined within the walls of the Observatory, a large circular hall at the top of the Palace of Betrayal. The hall has no way in or out, but the Invigilator can bring forth anyone who is within the plane that he wishes to meet. He rarely does so, however, as he prefers to observe rather than to have direct contact.
The Examiner: As prisoners were being sent to the Metallic Prison, it became an interest of Nessanor to keep an accurate record of whom and what was being entombed beneath the iron. He ordered his chamberlain, Alabron at the time, to commission someone to act as the Examiner, who would take care of such task. Alabron took quite a while looking for someone with the capacity and willingness to act as the bookkeeper of Dantos. However, he finally found someone: Amenor. She had been the former Head Librarian of the arcane community of Bastor before it was destroyed by Gulgas. Solitary and jealously protective of her work, she would be perfect for the task.
And since that day, Amenor, the Examiner of Dantos, has been carefully recording every bit of information she can extract from those trapped in the plane. It is said that Nessanor gave her a special artefact that allows her to delve within the mind of those held captive. If such rumour were to be true, the knowledge held by Amenor would be impressive, and perhaps quite dangerous. However, although many have attempted to, she has never revealed anything.
Amenor inhabits in a small flying tower that she uses as mean of transportation, and as vault for all the books that contain the information she collects.
The Palace of Betrayal: Rising over two miles in the dark sky, built from the very iron of the plane, the Palace of Betrayal is a massive, imposing structure that signals the centre of Dantos. Thousands of fat domed towers, slender spires, impressive arches and hanging bridges lie cramped in the mountain-like shape that is the palace. Immense halls, endless hallways and a myriad of rooms of all kinds and shapes fill it, all consumed in almost absolute darkness, only illuminated by the red glow of the plane or by the occasional pass of a Remnant.
The Guardians move through the palace without a clear goal, unless there is someone to go after; the Invigilator inhabits secluded within the Observatory, and the Examiner is rarely found within the palace walls at all. The feth, however, are everywhere, and few places of the palace are off Elthubar’s all seeing eyes.
This colossal palace was originally intended to be occupied by Unoth, the Still. The statue god had proved to be a great guardian during the time he served as Banobral’s custodian, and when he joined Nessanor’s side, he was chosen to be the Jailer of Dantos. However, a battle between Unoth and Erafos, Nessanor’s daughter, ended with the death of the last, and he was destroyed in the fury of the father, his body scattered all over Ghorea to never be reunited again. This created an urgent need for a replacement, as without a Jailor the power of the plane could not be channelled, and it could be not set into use. This forced the plane to remain dormant for longer than it was expected, until the three Forbidden Guardians were punished and sent to act as Dantos’ Jailors.
The palace is mostly uninhabited; only the three Guardians and the Invigilator, along with the creatures native to this plane and the wandering Remnants, occupy it, and vast sections of it lie unused, some of them even unexplored. Many gods have chosen this place as a safekeep for their treasures or personal important objects, well hidden within the depths of the palace, usually well warded by magical traps and other means of protection.
The Hall of Gateways: A great hall within the Palace of Betrayal serves as the point of arrival of the portals that connect to Dantos, where ten large arches of metal lie scattered symmetrically around the circular room. From there it is possible to take one of the five tall hallways that extend outward from the hall, that lead to the innards of the palace. It is not difficult to get lost within it, and the inexperienced will find it difficult to even reach the outside.
The Tower of the Examiner: There is a small flying tower near the top of the palace, where the Archives lie. Here, thousands upon thousands of texts, keeping accurate detail of every single prisoner of the plane, lie carefully kept. Amenor, Dantos’ Examiner, is the one in charge of writing and guarding these texts. However, she is generally travelling throughout the plane, seeking to extract additional information from the captives. The tower itself is usually away from the palace, as Amenor uses it as mean of transportation. Among these texts is believed to be the ones that speak about the Old Gods in detail, and many have found their end trying to uncover them. Amenor protects them with fierce opposition, so it is not a simple task to reach them.
The Observatory: This large circular chamber is the dwelling of the Invigilator. Massive windows of translucent metal surround it, and a large dome serves as its roof. From its location, more than two miles from the metallic ground, the Invigilator has an impressive range of vision over the plane, which he can fully appreciate thanks to his keen eyes. The feth are created here by Elthubar himself, which he then sends to do his bidding. Beholders can be found here from time to time, staying for long periods of time to learn from the great wisdom and knowledge of the Invigilator.
The Chamber of the Maimed: Deep within the Palace of Betrayal lies Kaliburas’ working chamber. This large hall is filled with dismembered bodies, lumps of flesh, hewn bones, stretched skin and all manners of chirurgical –some would say butchering- tools. Blood paints the floor and walls, and dead bodies hang from chains or lie maimed in working tables. All this is part of Kaliburas’ effort to create a new body for himself, one that does not rot and fester. Even though he works with impressive skill, detaching every single piece of his victim’s bodies and incorporating them into his, the curse set upon his body is simply too strong, and he is bound to fail.
The Pits of Filth: Extending below the Chamber of the Maimed, a vast network of hallways and rooms, sunken below fetid remains of destroyed bodies acts as a spawning nest for the orda. Accumulated during thousands of years by Kaliburas’ horrid work, the rotten flesh that once passed through his body fills this area of the palace. Imbued with the power of Kaliburas himself, these bodily remains sometimes give birth to the orda, which rise in many shapes and sizes, living lumps of flesh and blood, mindless, but bound to the Guardian from where they originate. These pits are very dangerous; many fools who have dared to delve in them have met a bloody end, either due to the perils of the pits or in the hands of Kaliburas.
The Reliquaries: Scattered across the palace lie vaults of many kinds, sizes and shapes, where artefacts and treasures are kept with utter care. Some of them are there because a certain god or powerful entity wishes them to remain safe, while others are dangerous enough for them to have to be kept in Dantos. The Reliquaries are very dangerous places, usually guarded by a host of potent traps and powerful wardens. Reaching them may also prove difficult, as they are specifically located in labyrinthical areas of the palace in order to keep visitors and thieves away.
The Empty Throne: This seat of grand scale lies at the bottom of a tremendous and empty throne hall that extends for hundreds of meters from the entrance to it. The throne itself is wide enough to allow seat dozens of men, and so high that it disappears into the darkness above. This was supposed to be the reigning seat of Unoth, from where he could witness and control the entire plane. However, after his demise, the plane saw no new ruler, until the Forbidden Guardians arrived. But the Guardians had been granted innate control over the plane, and Elthubar was chosen as the plane’s overseer, so the functions were divided. This made the throne useless, and it became forgotten in the grand hall at the back of the palace. The twisted conscience of the plane itself can be felt, and fought –even control- through this throne, even though it can prove to be a quite difficult, if deadly thing to do.
Using the Throne: The Empty Throne is large enough for a Colossal creature to sit on. Whoever sit on the throne, immediately takes 1d8+2 points of permanent Wisdom and Charisma damage (use the same roll for both), unless he succeeds at a Will saving throw DC 28. If the creature fails the save, it is immediately cast out from the throne by a blow of invisible force, smashing it against the floor or walls for 10d6 points of damage. If it succeeds, its body enters a state of suspended animation, which it may cancel immediately and step away from the throne without danger. However, if it chooses to remain in that state, it can try to take control over the planes conscience, which is expressed through the throne, but once it chooses to do so, it may not cancel the action. Any creature that touches the one over the throne will be blown away by the same invisible force for 5d6 points of damage, plus 1 point of Wisdom and Charisma drain (Will save DC 25 negates Wisdom and Charisma drain). The creature must succeed an opposed Wisdom check against the conscience (Wisdom 24). If failed, the creature takes 1 permanent point of Wisdom and Charisma damage, as its souls is being drained by the plane, and may try again. If the creature succeeds at any check, it establishes control over the conscience, immediately entering a state of connection with the plane. In such state, the creature acquires knowledge of everything that is currently taking place within the plane, and becomes aware of any soul that is not currently entombed beneath the iron (it does not, however, acquire direct sensorial knowledge of the whole plane). Furthermore, it becomes capable of controlling the plane itself, being able to use the iron that composes it and give shape to it, and it even can set free a prisoner, as long as it knows the exact location of such captive. In order to maintain this control the creature must succeed at a Concentration skill check with a DC of 30 every turn. If failed, the conscience will try to break free and the creature must again succeed an opposed Wisdom check against it.
The creature may chose to end the effect if it has control over the conscience. Doing so, however, drops the creature to -10 hp, instantly killing it.
If the creature receives enough Charisma or Wisdom damage for both to reach 0 (if any of both reaches 0 before another, the creature does not fall unconscious if it is still engaging the conscience of the plane), its soul is consumed by Dantos, killing the creature irrevocably. Creatures that die in this manner may not be resurrected by any mean, not even through the use of a Wish or Miracle spell.
The Prisoners: There are thousands upon thousands of prisoners entombed within the plane, scattered all over its surface. The captives’ body is trapped in iron, standing as statues of various sizes and shapes, which usually tell of a painful moment before being sealed away, with desperate expressions and agonizing poses. The iron reflects the form of the prisoner perfectly, and it is possible to recognize who or what is below it just by looking.
The iron is impossible to destroy, and the only way to free a prisoner is to have some form of control over the plane, which only the Nessanor, the Forbidden Guardians, and those who manage to dominate the will of the plane through the Empty Throne have. In any case, it may be a perilous thing to free anything from within the plane, as many will surely prove to be hostile and dangerous to those nearby. They were sealed there for a reason.
Beings trapped in the iron do not die; they enter a state of suspended animation instead. The body ceases all functions, and the soul becomes encased within it. Therefore, a prisoner may walk out alive after thousands of years of captivity, without any memory of having been trapped.
Although scattered all over the infinite plain of iron, most of the prisoners can be found in the proximities of the Palace of Betrayal. Similar to a cemetery of pure iron, grand mausoleums and crypts of various levels rise, filled with statues of metal. Many more figures stand around the buildings, in a wide area that surrounds the entire palace. The closer one comes to it, the more captives can be found. This is mostly because the Forbidden Guardians do never travel too far from the Palace, and prefer to entomb the prisoners close to it.
Although many have searched for them, the statues that should correspond to the trapped Old Gods have never been found. This has spread the belief among those with knowledge that perhaps the Vérannurel are not held within Dantos. But such idea would suggest that there is someplace else where they are, unless they were utterly destroyed during the Pandemonium, which is unlikely. In any case, there are no few tales of sightings of great statues far in the horizon, in regions where the very iron crisps and shatters. It could be that the great Old Gods are there, or maybe something of great power yet unknown. Dantos holds many secrets, too many some would say.
Dangers of Dantos:
Death in Dantos: Dying in the Prison Plane can prove to be quite a problem, as the plane itself attracts the souls of the dead so they become stranded, unable to escape. The souls of those who die in Dantos become automatically bound to the plane; unlike of what would happen if death is found within Thea or any other of its pseudoplanes, where the soul would be attracted by the Tentábedar. The soul then will be left to wander in Dantos forever, only to join the many others that already compose the Mourning Brume.
This effect makes it impossible to revive someone that dies in Dantos, unless its soul is found and recovered, through the use of a Soul Beacon spell combined with a Soulcage, or any similar mean.
The essence of those who die in Dantos is stained forever with the blight of the plane. This becomes particularly troublesome to those revived after dying there, as they will contract the Woe of Dantos.
Woe of Dantos: Save DC: 28; Primary Effect: Wisdom and Charisma score reduced by 1d10. Secondary Effect: The character receives a -4 to all attack, damage, skill or save rolls. This penalty increases to -8 while on Dantos or within 50 feet from an object made from Dantos’ iron. Special: This woe can only be removed through the use of a Miraculous Purification spell. All characters who die in Dantos and are revived acquire this woe.
Chaos Echoes: After the Demonic Storm, the plane of Dantos acted as a net for the chaotic energies that poured through the Lens of Kharduv, trapping part of the unreal power. Unlike the rest of Thea and its pseudoplanes, remains, echoes from the storm remained within Dantos, reverberating through the bleak metallic eternity. This created a strange aura of chaos that lingers in the plane, slightly altering reality, and some times bringing forth disastrous events.
While on Dantos, actions and effects have a chance of being slightly altered by the echoes of chaos. Whenever a d20 is rolled, roll a d6, and adjust the roll as indicated below:
Code:
d6 Adjustment
1 -2
2 -1
3 0
4 +1
5 +2
6 Roll Again*
*The d20 roll is made again.The Mourning Brume: Whenever someone dies within Dantos, its soul, unable to escape the plane, becomes stranded. These leftovers, locked within Dantos forever, have no choice but wander across the plane, without a purpose or goal. The faint presence of ether in the plane eventually makes them visible, ghostly figures of barely recognizable features, gloomy shades of grey vaguely representing what they were in life. Some of these ghosts wander through the plane alone, desperately seeking for a way to exit Dantos. These are the Remnants. The majority of them, however, falls down into a spiralling pit of despair, loosing all hope or desire, mourning forever their ill fate, joining the whispering sea of lost spirits that is the Mourning Brume, the Fog of Stranded Souls. The souls that compose the Brume are sunken in despair to such degree that they are, for all matters, senseless. However, the fact that the largest concentration revolves around and inside the Palace of Betrayal suggest that they know or feel that the gateways that lead out of the plane are located there, and are somehow trying to reach them.
The Mourning Brume is a visible fog of white and grey colours, usually found as a faint mist close to the ground, although some times larger concentrations can be found, swallowing entire areas of the plane as damp clouds. Even though it is odour or tasteless, and it is impossible to touch –since it is not composed of physical matter-, those caught within it will feel very cold, although not enough to cause any harm, and will hear the sinister whispers and faint moans of the dead. It moves slowly, as if carried by gentle winds, but it remains unaffected by it, no matter how strong the currents are. It may be found anywhere within the plane, although it is most common nearby the Palace of Betrayal, sweeping among the thousands of iron statues and mausoleums.
Being caught within the Mourning Brume is not an immediate danger. Characters who remain in areas covered vaguely by the Brume face no threat, although they have a slight chance (15%) per hour to receive strange memories and thoughts, parts of the lives and afterlives of the stranded souls, although only receiving cryptic pieces of information and unconnected images or sounds. If the Brume is thick enough (as to obscure vision to 50 feet), the chance to receive a wandering memory increases to 30%, and they are much clearer. High concentrations of the Brume (obscuring vision to 15 feet or less) increase the chance to 75%, and the memories are vivid as if they were of the character himself. These memories are usually gruesome and twisted, generally depicting the last moments of the dead, or some traumatic moment of their lives, although happy or joyful memories may also spring, but very rarely.
The whispers and moans of the souls are unsettling at the very least. However, unless there is a strong concentration of stranded souls in the area, there is no real danger. If there is, however, characters are subject to the despairing effects of the mourning. For every ten minutes spent within an area thickly covered by the Brume, the characters must succeed a DC 24 Will save or receive 1 point of Wisdom drain. For each time the save is failed, the DC is increased by 1. A character may not be reduced to less than 1 point of Wisdom this way. Characters who reach 1 point of Wisdom this way fall to the ground in an absolute state of despair, haunted by horrifying thoughts and feelings, and it will be unable to act until all of its Wisdom lost points are regained and at least one week has passed away from the Brume.
