The Fabled Planes of Power Lore – Part 7 The Plane of Nighmares The Plane of Nightmares is ruled over by Terris Thule, the Dream Scorcher.
The western region of Terris-Thule's domain is a dense forest with many small clearings. A river dissects the forest above and the barrows below, eventually becoming a water fall that drops into a lake. To the northwest, there's a small cottage that lies in the disrepair. Behind the cottage, a modest graveyard services the mortal victors of this realm.
Great gnarly trees with foul twisted visages formed in the patterns of the bark compose much of the dark woodlands. The trees are sentient, powerful, and malevolent beyond comprehension; they will often spring to life as mortal trespassers enter their domain. The entire forest, like the maddening nightmares sent by the plane's horrific mistress, is unpredictable and unquenchable in its hunger. Reports come to New Tanaan with regularity regarding the disappearance of the foolishly brave that travel to this realm.
Terris-Thule's most treasured minions lurk in the southwest caverns, living a dual existence in both astral space and upon the primal world. These include terrifying goblins that infect the minds of all, for none are beyond Terris-Thule's reach.
Mujaki the Devourer Chronicled by Sage Unimvariea of the Gatecallers of Erudin
Mujaki was born the first child to the Erudite couple of Tevrai, a mage, and Etumara, a cleric. His father, Tevrai, had high hopes for a son to follow in his footsteps and become a powerful wielder of magic. However, Mujaki seemed to lack the spark for magical pursuits early on. Much to his father's chagrin, little Mujaki liked to play more and had a physical affinity for the world around him, not a magical one.
The couple, Tevrai and Etumara, looked forward to bringing another child into the world, but met with little success. Whatever ailed Etumara after her first birth did not allow her to conceive again. This was a serious point of consternation for Tevrai who desired another heir who might carry on his magical research. It was a notable point of shame for Etumara. She found comfort in the church of Prexus, focusing on helping those she could when she could not please her husband. A rift grew between the couple and for several years they existed in a somewhat detached, distant relationship.
All of this was lost on young Mujaki though he knew that for some reason he did not please his father and his mother was often less than happy. This weighed heavily on the young mind, planting seeds of gilt and inadequacy. As he grew in his childhood, Mujaki was often found at his mother's side in the church of Prexus and was a source of comfort and solace for her as she delighted in his advancement in the "lesser" arts, as his father would say.
As Mujaki approached the age of seven, his parents rejoiced as Etumara was again with child. Tevrai was nearly obsessed with the possibility of a magically adept heir. Young Mujaki simply looked forward to the promise of another playmate. However, as the pregnancy progressed, it was clear that it would not be a smooth one. Etumara was not carrying the child well and complications developed late in the term. As fate would have it, Etumara would deliver to Tevrai a beautiful baby boy adept in magic, but at the cost of her own life.
Tevrai's sorrow knew no bounds and his anguish turned to self blame for it was he who had so desired another child. It was only the responsibility of caring for his new son that saved Tevrai from destroying himself with profound sadness. The infant was named Etumer in memory of his mother.
Mujaki was crushed nearly as much as Tevrai. However, with little love coming from his father, he found solace in the support of the clerics of Prexus and his mother's many friends there. Despite his best understanding of what happened, Mujaki could not help but blame his infant brother for taking his mother from him.
As the years passed, Etumer would greatly please his father with his aptitude for the magical arts and further alienate Mujaki from the family. Despite this rift, Mujaki still looked to his father for acceptance and worked exceedingly hard to prove his worth to Tevrai. He would devote his life to the ways of Prexus and became a devout paladin of the Ocean Lord.
As Mujaki entered into manhood, he became attracted to the young Lady Yuntair, a magician who had gained an early reputation of being exceedingly skilled in magic.
At the same time that a relationship was developing between Yuntair and Mujaki, Etumer was discovering something wonderful, powerful and innately sinister -- the ways of necromancy. Initially introduced as something innocent and an outgrowth of his regular magical studies, Etumer was seduced by the power that necromancy offered. He could not hold these discoveries from his father. With a charming tongue, and milking his father's pride, Etumer drew his father to the study of necromancy also.
Even when the principles of The Faceless, Cazic-Thule, were revealed by Etumer's dark friends, it was sufficiently clouded in righteous logical posturing to not sway the son or his overly ambitious father from delving deeper into the possibilities of this dark art.
Heady with newfound power and possibilities, Etumer was introduced to Mujaki's acquaintance, the lovely Lady Yuntair. Smitten by her radiant beauty, Etumer began to pursue Yuntair, having little to no respect for his brother. Playing out the same seduction that he had with his father, Etumer swayed Yuntair by appealing to her thirst for knowledge.
Mujaki was tormented by his position and languished in indecision. He was pulled by the iron grip of the principles of Prexus and pushed by his deep-seeded inadequacy enforced by the actions of his own family. At first he was plagued by dreams that tormented him with possibilities of what may happen should he not find a way to repair his failings in his father's eyes.
By the time Mujaki moved to salvage his relationship with Yuntair, he was too late. Initially, he uncovered his brother's treachery by stumbling upon Etumer and Lady Yuntair in a very loving embrace and this was further compounded when he learned of his brother's involvement with necromancy. Dumbstruck, Mujaki could only flee the scene, battling with his feelings and duty-bound heart to reveal the necromancy to the Erudin authorities. Mujaki approached his father for guidance, only to be spurned with statements alluding to Etumer's superiority in ability, despite the deficit of his age. Tevrai reasoned that Etumer should rightfully win the Lady Yuntair over Mujaki.
This, coupled with his father's casual dismissal of necromancy, crushed Mujaki's ego and caused him to further question himself for many days. Throughout this time, his sleep was wracked by the nightmares of Terris-Thule who delighted in twisting the knives of his situation deeper into his psyche.
Finally, he chose to cast Prexus aside and seek his family's acceptance at the cost of his own principles. He returned to his father seeking the teachings of necromancy. He hoped if he could find favor with his father and use his new knowledge to impress Yuntair, she would fall in love with him. And his situation improved for some time.
The reality of the situation he led himself into became all too apparent one night as he Mujaki discovered his father, brother and Lady Yuntair, along with several of Etumer's friends, practicing the most foul and evil necromantic experiments. Suddenly gripped with an overwhelming loathing for his father, a deep-rooted disdain for his brother for the loss of his mother and his beloved, Mujaki swept into action, drew his once-holy blade and bloodily killed them all.
His mind wracked with what he had committed, Mujaki ran from his house into the streets of Erudin, his mind lost in a frenzy of emotion. As he ran, Mujaki fell headlong into a side ally, his own blade bloody with gore of his family goring his midsection. It took a long time for Mujaki's life force to ebb and as he succumbed to death, his thoughts were wracked by calamity and insanity.
Mujaki's essence was trapped by The Dream Scorcher, Terris-Thule. She played upon Mujaki's feelings of inadequacy and his need for acceptance to bring this essence of terror to her own plane of Nightmares. Terris-Thule continues her manipulation of Mujaki even now; driving him to reap the essences of others he holds so much contempt for -- those like his father and brother.
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