Pearls in the Oil - The Phantasmal Forest

[Speedwagon]

Hello everyone! I had been doing some reading up on the Shadowlands/Shadowborn Cluster and saw that John W. Mangrum had mentioned the idea of 'pearls in the oil', in that Ebonbane brought various aspects of Kateri Shadowborn's legacy into the Phantasmal Forest to better eradicate and/or corrupt her legacy. I was really interested in that idea, as it gives the Phantasmal Forest a lot of potential flexibility for future DMs who want to do something in the Shadowlands. While I'm sure that the Fraternity of Shadows will probably get around to doing a Gazetteer on this Cluster at some point, I figured that we could all take the initiative and come up with some ideas? I know that there was also the "Fallen Avonleigh" reinterpretation of the Cluster, which I really liked, but I don't want to steal the original poster's ideas or thunder and want to see if there was anything that could work. Any thoughts?

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I also fell in love with this idea, and ran with it when my campaign spent some time in Nidala. I added Forenoon Abbey as one of the "pearls" and had Lysander there as the new Abbot. I also had Dasmaria haunting the place as a ghost. (both from the Shadowborn novel. )

If interested, my campaign journal has all the details, starting at session 18:
http://www.themistway.com/Ravenloft-Session18.html
and running through session 22.

[Speedwagon]

Hey Gonzoron! It's nice to hear that you played within Nidala with your group. I hope they had fun in their time there, and I'll definitely have to ask you about how to flesh out Nidala for my own campaign, in terms of towns and sites of interest. In regards to the Phantasmal Forest and Ebonbane's pearl collection, I think I have a few places in mind. Lysander captured Kateri in the city of Hammerlin, right? That could be a place close to Kateri's history and something that Ebonbane would try to draw into the Phantasmal Forest. It could give a good false sense of security for the players while also elaborating further on the history of the Great Kingdom. There's also the region of Sined Pass, which could be drawn into the Phantasmal Forest. Maybe Ebonbane has made it so ghosts and phantoms in the Sined Pass fight an undying battle against one another? There could also be a 'pearl' in the form of one of the descendants of the Caliph of the Southern Empire, or one of his viziers that was loyal to Ebonbane. This particular 'pearl'/pseudodomain could serve as a Mistway from the Phantasmal Forest into Pharazia and vice-versa. Otherwise, I'm still trying to come up with ideas, and appreciate any input that anyone can offer!

[The Lesser Evil]

Here's a few ideas inspired by the novel Shadowborn:
*Kateri's magic sword, Corona, was created from special metal from the Kingdom of Avonleigh and forged into a weapon by the master swordsmiths of a largely undetailed land simply called "the Eastern Kingdom". Here's a couple of ideas:
--A mine or even meteorite crash site where the forces of evil have taken over and have been using it for nefarious ends.
--A betrayer among the swordsmiths, perhaps a jealous rival or rogue apprentice, whom killed some of their number. Perhaps they might even defected to the Ahltrian, making the Ebonbane sword that would bind Lussimar.

*Kateri is said to have driven off an attacking force of "Sea Raiders" from the "Nordlands". This seems like a group of viking types to me. IIRC, after Kateri drove the Sea Raiders out of the Great Kingdom, they attacked the Southern Continent. In any case, it might be neat to have a surviving encampment of Sea Raiders, driven to allegiance to Ebonbane's cause out of a desire for vengeance agianst the Shadowborn family. Of course, they don't know that the Shadowborn family is already long gone and thus their efforts and plans are futile.

*The palace or mausoleum of the Grand Caliph Muhdar ab Sang, haunted by his tormented ghost, driven insane by Lussimar's long possession and corrupted by the fiend's unholy presence.

*Tombs and graves from Brimstadt that were desecrated by Ebonbane's ghouls

-An eternally burning copy of Sanschay or Letour, ruled over by a particularly heinous raider.

[Speedwagon]

Those are some great ideas! I haven't yet bought the Shadowborn novel so I appreciate the references to the canon within the book. I came up with a few other ideas this morning, I think they might be both good for a pseudodomain and also a good representation of just how obsessed and committed Ebonbane is to wiping out Kateri Shadowborn's legacy. I'll definitely need help fleshing these out, but once they're better written, we can compile a list of pseudodomain suggestions made thus far.
-A bard or minstrel who told tales of Kateri Shadowborn's exploits; Ebonbane snatched them away to corrupt their praise into denouncements that smear her good name
-A statue erected in Kateri Shadowborn's honor, now given a mockery of life by Ebonbane
-A fortress besieged by Kateri during the Heretical Wars
-A library that managed to record some of Kateri's good deeds during the war, as well as the history of the Shadowborn family
-A Druid who healed Kateri after a terrible battle, their kindness now repaid by Ebonbane's damnation (this was inspired by how Strahd was nursed back to health by Vistani and his gratitude to them)
-The prison that Kateri was tormented in, now located not too far away from Shadowborn Manor, and it is where Ebonbane keeps his newest 'acquisitions' to be tortured until they renounce their goodness and become another pearl in the oil
-A monastery from either the Eastern Kingdom or the Southern Empire, which learned either of Ebonbane or of Kateri's tale and were thus damned (side note: this is starting to feel more and more like an infohazard akin to Roko's Basilisk lol)
-A gala or ball that Kateri attended to meet and socialize with other knights and nobles, now they all dance forever to Ebonbane's tune
-Kateri Shadowborn's favorite tavern or restaurant (yes Ebonbane is that petty, it's why the Dark Powers were interested in him I'd say)
-A female noble who was inspired by Lady Shadowborn's example to take up the fight against evil, but suffered a tragic fate
-A guild or guildhall which Lady Shadowborn collaborated with against some enemy once
-The tournament grounds for a tournament Lady Shadowborn participated in and had fond memories of, now used to sharpen the skills of Ebonbane's minions
-A squire of Kateri Shadowborn who greatly missed their master, corrupted by Ebonbane into serving as a left-hand or right-hand henchperson.
-A monster Kateri Shadowborn slew, now brought back from the dead (this could be anything and give some geographic variety to the Phantasmal Forest, like a Green Hag in a swamp or a giant on a hill or something dark fantasy-esque like that)
-A rival Fiend of Ebonbane that subtly aided Kateri Shadowborn's crusade against him, now imprisoned within the land of the Phantasmal Forest so that Ebonbane's true name is not known to anyone else.

[Speedwagon]

Alright, here are a few pseudodomain concepts I came up with in collaboration with you guys. I appreciate all of the help I've received and I think that even half of these pseudodomains and the demilords within would be enough to better expand the Phantasmal Forest (and by extension Ebonbane) into a more active part of the Shadowborn Cluster and an open wilderness for players to get terrified and die in! This is only the first installment of pseudodomains!
-The Forge of Fury & The Broken Hill Mineshaft: The metal that was used to forge Lady Shadowborn's sword came from a meteorite that struck a well-used mineshaft just outside the town of Brimstadt. The meteorite's impact did significant damage to the hill within which the mineshaft (which already was noted for its excellent quality of metal) was found, hence the name. The very metals from the mineshaft and from the meteorite not only forged the Corona sword of Lady Shadowborn, but were also instrumental in forging the blade that would keep Lussimar contained. The blacksmith of the shop known as the Forge of Righteous Fury, a man known as Valadoc was an honest man but a poor judge of character. He did not know that his apprentice, Afacius, only joined the trade for the sake of making a quick profit under a master like Valadoc. Frustrated by the lack of progress he was making, it did not take much effort from Ebonbane's part to turn the apprentice into one of his Ahltrian and have him slaughter the master blacksmith, drawing both the blacksmith's shop (now known to others as just the Forge of Fury) and the Broken Hill Mineshaft into the Phantasmal Forest.
-The Grand Mausoleum of the Caliph: It is known that the Southern Kingdom's Caliph, Muhdar Ab Sang, was possessed by the Ebonbane when he went to pray to his gods for counsel against the Sea Raiders that threatened his territory. It is also known that the Caliph, once Ebonbane's possession was undone, could not live with the fact that his voice and authority were used to sanction such bloodshed, and thusly took his own life. What is not known was the extent to which Ebonbane would go in order to make sure that the Caliph was his once more, not out of a true need for the ghosts' power but as another collection of Kateri Shadowborn's legacy. Now, the very mausoleum in which the Caliph was interred to rest peacefully in shakes with his tormented wails. Ebonbane may yet turn the Caliph into a commander of the Ahltrian, just as the Caliph had the Ahltrian as his elite servants in life, and task the Caliph's ghost with leading the charge against Nidala's military.
-The Brimstadt Nightshade Graves: In this graveyard, not too far away from the city of Brimstadt, the dead of the Heretical Wars between the Great Kingdom and the Southern Empire are given their final rest. But this is not just any gravesite, but one for the heroes of that war and of their families too. The many friends Kateri made and lost both prior to and during the Heretical Wars were given a heroes' send-off in the Nightshade Graves of Brimstadt. They rise now as Ebonbane's elite guard, tasked with killing as many of the Knights of the Circle as they can on their pilgrimage to Shadowborn Manor. The demilord is Bodoc, a graveyard worker who resented his station in life. Despite the high amount of bodies to bury during the conflict, he felt that he was truly thanked or reimbursed for his efforts. It did not take much persuasion from Ebonbane's minions to coerce the man into letting them into the graveyards. He even went through the effort of digging up the graves of such heroes.
-Sanschay: The city of Sanschay was next to fall. It had seen the fate of neighboring Letour and correctly deduced that treachery gave the city to the Southern Empire, but they had not anticipated to what level of depravity the enemy would sink to. The soldiers of the Southern Empire besieged the city of Sanschay relentlessly. It was as if they were fueled by demonic urges, never resting in the night so that the defenders could reorganize nor stopping to assess their tactics, nor did they ever fall back in the face of a rout no matter how major or minor. The unyielding assault of the Southern Empire tired out the war-weary defenders of the frontier city, who believed that perhaps by surrendering the invaders would be willing to let them keep their local governance in exchange for taxation and partition of certain supplies at the worst. The city never believed that the invaders would do so much worse. The Southern Empire’s hellish soldiers flooded into the city and once their leader, a hulk of a man who had been recently appointed as a torturer within the Caliph’s court (a position that once went completely against the values of the Southern Empire and is proof of its demonic corruption) mystically persuaded Sanschay’s leadership to lay down their weapons, the nightmares truly began. The invaders slaughtered anything they saw and ate their flesh where they stood, boiling adults in cooking pots and skewering children on spits and slicing the women to pieces so that every soldier would have a woman to take with them to bed. The commander still rules over the city of cannibals, eager to do whatever Ebonbane asks of him while jealously guarding his mound of filth and flesh.
-Letour: The town of Letour already profited greatly from the Great Kingdom’s border with the Southern Empire. Letour had access to the finest luxury goods, from salt, incense, spices, ivory, marble and even dyes. Letour also had a strongly mixed population between the two polities, with the leader in charge even being of mixed blood. Despite this, the noble ruler of Letour was loyal to the Great Kingdom and helped rally the people in defense of the city. But the same could not be said for the captain of the guard, another of mixed blood with dual loyalties. Promised a good payout by the forces of the Caliph, the captain derelicted his duty and gave the information on how to enter the city. Thus, the forces of Ebonbane were able to take Letour far more quickly than anticipated by the Great Kingdom, and thousands lost their lives. Of those thousands, the captain of the guard was among them, as the forces of Ebonbane never truly planned to follow through with their deal. He met his end with cowardice as the arrows peppered his body. Now, the captain of the guard is eternally disgraced but loyal to Ebonbane. He conducts frequent inspections of Letour and finds naught but ghosts. He believes that he wants an honorable battle and death, but he truthfully wants to win against an opponent with as little chance of failure as possible and is a cheater.
-The Gala of Ghosts: An assortment of aristocrats and high society civilians who backed the efforts of Lady Kateri Shadowborn in winning the Heretical Wars. They were gathered once more by Ebonbane and burned in the ballroom, their charred ghosts now dancing to Ebonbane's tune for the Fiend's amusement. The demilord of this pseudodomain is a noble woman named Lisalinde Sulenet. Lisalinde was never on the front lines of conflict, but despite being a noblewoman, she had such high respect for those who were capable of fighting. She had also never considered herself worthy of the battlefield by virtue of her womanhood, so it was like Belenus and all the other gods in the pantheon heard her doubts and squashed them when she met Kateri Shadowborn. Lisalinde was inspired by Lady Shadowborn's relentless and righteous courage, so much so that she became a wealthy backer and friend to the Shadowborn family as a whole. She rejoiced gleefully when Lady Shadowborn returned victorious from the Southern Empire, and she wept inconsolably when Lady Shadowborn disappeared. It was her great admiration and love for Kateri's legacy that allowed Ebonbane's minions to dupe her with false promises of knowing where exactly Lady Shadowborn went, and she sealed her doom by gathering the other aristocrats who believed that someone like Kateri would be just what the Great Kingdom needed in these trying times. Her burnt specter still floats about the gala and controls the ghosts of all the others in attendance.
-The Shadowborn Statue at the Circle's Square: The Circle's Square was a town square within the capital of the Great Kingdom dedicated to the Knights of the Circle. Statues of each of the knights are erected here, but the statue of Lady Kateri Shadowborn is unique. It is a golem animated by Ebonbane to be a twisted and horrible mockery of her good name. The animation was made possible by the sacrifice of a soul that, like the squire of Shadowborn before him, was deeply impacted by Lady Shadowborn's example. This soul on the other hand, deeply envied Lady Shadowborn. How could she, a woman and a noble, ever understand the plight of good Belenus-fearing folk like him from the boonies? In his jealousy of her, Ebonbane gave the man the chance to be just like her.
-The Blessed Library of Brigit: The people of the Great Kingdom did not worship Belenus exclusively, contrary to Elena Faith-Hold's word. Brigit, the moon goddess, was important to many within the land, and the presence of Forenoon Abbey within the Phantasmal Forest proves it had significance to Kateri as well. This library dedicated to Brigit, in a town not too far away from Shadowfast, had long recorded the deeds of each and every member of the Shadowborn family. The keeper of these archives, a woman by the name of Lufleur, was a dedicated companion to the Shadowborn family. Ebonbane made sure to send minions to not only kill her but also to torture her by sullying her life's work with her own blood staining each and every book through their magic. Now it rots within the Phantasmal Forest, used by the more magically-inclined of Ebonbane's minions to hone their arcane knowledge and figure out the secrets of the fiend's imprisonment. Unfortunately for Ebonbane, the lore collected here pales in comparison to that of Morgoroth's Domain.
-The Ruins of Shadowfast: The Dark Powers placed this here, as a reminder to Ebonbane that it is not all powerful and that Kateri's legacy lives on. Much like the Dolmens, Ebonbane is completely blind here. Furthermore, Ebonbane's minions cannot even step foot nor be within 500 feet of the manor. Thus, it has been used as a safe house by the Knights of the Shadows for decades.
-The Brennan Farmstead: Many stories begin when a young peasant hears the call to action and decides to answer. Such was supposed to be the case for young Reynold, who was inspired by Knights of the Circle like the Shadowborn Family. He saw the poverty of both wealth and spirit that afflicted the nation and wanted to do something about it. Scrounging up the money he could from his diligent farm-work, he managed to buy a book and taught himself how to read. Oh, what great misfortune befell him that he chose one of the last chronicles in the entire Great Kingdom of the clan Shadowborn. By this point, snuffing out any traces of that miserable woman had become routine to the Fiend, but it still bought him a perverse sense of satisfaction. The Ahltrian were gathered, and the boy and his family were eaten alive. To add extra insult to injury, the Ahltrian bothered to salt the farm’s fields and burn it to the ground. What Ebonbane did not know was that this would be the last connection between the Phantasmal Forest and the Great Kingdom, at least from his end of the planes. This pathetic little family farm is devoid of all life or undead inhabitants. Well, that’s not entirely true. The spirit of the farm is that of its former occupants, all meshed together and warbled in an agonizing mess but with a singular desire overriding the misanthropy such treatment would typically entail: the destruction of Ebonbane. Thus, the farm is a safe haven to any and all whom the farm detects as enemies of Ebonbane, regardless of their moral alignment or other intentions. The food and water and shelter within is meager but just enough to provide for any inhabitants within its confines, no matter their party number. Staying within the safe haven for more than 3 nights in a row, however, instills within the occupant an unshakable and unreasonable desire to march into the Shadowborn Manor and destroy Ebonbane as soon and as painfully as possible, regardless of the chances of success.
-The Grand Phoenix Theater: Part of the reconstruction period projects ordained by the king in the wake of the Heretical Wars. This theater was the location of a tragedy in the waning days of the Great Kingdom. The theater was meant to lift the spirits of the downtrodden and increasingly hopeless masses of the land, with its primary plays being tales of chivalric romance and the great and heroic exploits of the knights within. Relentless in his goal to quash the world of hope, Ebonbane took note of this wriggling flame and snuffed it out. The night when the play about the Shadowborn family was meant to be acted out, an agent of Ebonbane possessed the main actress and used her supernatural strength and speed to slaughter the rest of the troupe, with the actress left to wallow in the deed. She could not live with herself and committed suicide but a few days later when the authorities weren’t looking. The demilord is the main actress herself, a bard known as Norder Lonestep. She was a passionate soul and one easily taken by tales of chivalric romance. She saw the waning spirits of the citizens of the Great Kingdom and resolved to do her own part to bring back the greatness of the kingdom, just as the knights she admired had done, but in her own way. Now, her powerful singing voice brings knights to their knees, while her legs that once let her deftly move across the stage can outrun the fastest of horses.
-Ozariath's Grove: Ozariath was not a powerful druid, but she was an honest one. She tended to the wilds between the Great Kingdom and the Southern Empire, as they were the wilds in which she had been born. When the forces of the Southern Empire trampled through her wilds, cut down her forests, slaughtered her animals and polluted her waters, it was suffice to say that Ozariath was more than willing to side with the Great Kingdom against the invaders. It was by chance that she met Lady Kateri Shadowborn, as the knight had to traverse through Ozariath’s wilds to get to Sined Pass. Lady Shadowborn had already been captured by Ebonbane and knew the true nature of her foe. She had confided such information to Ozariath in exchange for the druid’s assistance. Ozariath fought bravely alongside Lady Shadowborn and even gave her animal reinforcements for some of the battles she would face later in the war. When Lady Shadowborn was killed by unknown assailants, the news eventually spread to Ozariath, who mourned her companion. Ebonbane had not forgotten the aid this druid had given to Lady Shadowborn, and made sure to dispatch his strongest Ahltrian minions to drag her into the Phantasmal Forest. After a long battle within the groves, Ozariath was defeated. Captured, she was forced to witness the desecration of her land, and forcefully polymorphed into a multitude of animal shapes. Ozariath’s Grove has been drawn into the Phantasmal Forest with Ozariath as the demilord, twisted by Ebonbane into being the apex predator within its confines.

[Speedwagon]

Next batch of Phantasmal Forest pseudodomain ideas!
-Grand Palace of the Moon: The death of the Caliph and the loss of the Heretical Wars spelt instability and upheaval for the Southern Empire. In such turbulent times, one of the Caliph's advisors dared to wonder exactly how and why the Caliph changed so drastically in his later years, and more importantly, how he could take the throne from the jackals in the court. It was not long before records within the palace, penned by the Caliph, were discovered by the vizier's agents. The vizier quickly understood the dark force that the Caliph gave his life too, but arrogantly thought himself as the one that would be calling the shots, as the Vizier knew the fiend's true name. Or so he thought; Ebonbane would never have been foolish enough to tell the Caliph this, but would have been smart enough to provide false information to goad gullible would-be deceivers into his hands. The vizier now skulks about a mockery of the grand palace, tasked by the fiend with finding any reference to Kateri Shadowborn or Ebonbane's true name and dispatching the Ahltrian to draw whatever remnant of Shadowborn's legacy there may be into the Phantasmal Forest or eradicate whatever reference to the fiend's true name may surface.
-Tournament Grounds: The tournament that served as Lady Shadowborn’s familial rite of passage. A fun diversion from the miseries of the day. Competitors from across the Great Kingdom had once gathered here to test their mettle and chivalrous virtues against one another. Ebonbane now uses the tournament grounds to indulge in the past and train his horsemen, who will one day ride upon the land outside the forest. Strangely enough, the grounds are where the famous Carnival can be found occasionally passing through.
-Sorrow's Watch Outpost: The northernmost outpost in the Great Kingdom, built during the reconstruction period ordained by the king. The late king knew that despite the victory of the war, there would always be threats from within and without that would capitalize upon weakness. The outpost was built to be the first line of both defense and warning against the Sea Raiders of the North, who had now developed a hatred for the Shadowborn bloodline. What the king did not expect was for a lowly soldier at the outpost to be enticed by Ebonbane into drinking too much and taking a nap, right when the Sea Raiders were marching upon the northernmost village in the territory. That soldier could have rang the warning bell, but Ebonbane convinced her not to draw the Sea Raiders attention by lighting the warning fire. Thus she clung to life by damning innocents to the sword through her inaction.
-The Sunrise Monastery: The Eastern Lands had mercantile connections to the Great Kingdom, enough that the Heretical Wars with the Southern Empire caused them concern. The Easterners were charmed by the generosity given by Lady Shadowborn, as her family lineage had helped pave the way for peaceful relations between the two polities. As a token of gratitude, they taught Lady Shadowborn some of their fighting styles and techniques, along with spreading her story to their homeland. Ebonbane corrupted these monks by capitalizing on their isolation and innermost character flaws, with the monks killing one another by the end of the night. Now, the monastery is a mockery of its namesake, and it fulfills multiple purposes for Ebonbane. Ebonbane bothers to have his Ahltrian take a more "alive" form here, so that they may trade with the Rokuma that come through the Mistway that connects to Rokushima Taiyou. The monks also serve as spymasters and information brokers, gathering information not only for Ebonbane to exploit directly but to indirectly seed the doom of the other Darklords. Finally, they serve as teachers, willing to accept any denizens of the Mists willing to forsake their morals to learn from their power.
-The Spire of Howling Hatred: It was in this prison that Kateri Shadowborn was tortured by Ebonbane, and where she was made to conceive Alexi. The citadel is a spire with no stairs, with Lady Shadowborn's cell at the very top. Magical runes and keys allow for movement from one prison cell to another. The wardens are flying spirits loyal to Ebonbane. The prisoners are unique souls that have interested Ebonbane, either for their goodness or for their connections to either Kateri Shadowborn or to the other Darklords within the Shadowlands.
-The Lexmerry Academy: The children are the future, and a good education will lead them to greatness. The Lexmerry Academy was meant to be an experiment in learning: a school not only for children but that continued into higher education, thus providing for a more learned community to grow. Established in the east of the Great Kingdom, it had access to lore from across the lands. It did not take long for scrolls and records penned by Eastern monks to reach this institution. It did not take long for the professors and students to find references to Kateri Shadowborn and the Heretical Wars. It did not take long for Ebonbane to feel that a new group of victims were learning about him, for when one gazed into the abyss, the abyss is sure to gaze back. The Lexmerry Academy was quickly turned into the headquarters for a cult to Ebonbane, and an attempt on Lord Ferran Shadowborn's life was made. It failed, thanks to the intervention of Morgoroth the Black. The mage acted swiftly and drowned the academy where it stood, creating a small lake that is now part of the Phantasmal Forest.
-The Stronghold of Silat: This fortress was the site of a pivotal moment in the Heretical Wars. It was here that the Southern Empire buckled to the might of the Great Kingdom, as their impregnable castle was besieged by Lady Shadowborn and her companions. It was a bloody and grueling battle. The full extent of the Southern Empire’s corruption was laid bare, as inhuman monsters and dark spells were used by the defenders to make every step taken inside the fort drenched in blood. The battle against the enemy commander was just as dire, for the wicked soul used her own blood as a weapon and reveled in death, even her own. Ebonbane correctly suspects that this encounter with human evil had prepared Kateri Shadowborn for the level of inhumanity that it could muster, and has used the stronghold as a laboratory to create stronger versions of the Ahltrian.
-Sined Pass: The very same pass in which Kateri Shadowborn defeated Lysander Greylocks and removed the fell sorcery that drew him under Ebonbane's thumb. Now the pass remains as a treacherous route through which the Knights of the Shadows must traverse in order to get to Shadowborn Manor, and it is the site of many casualties for that very reason. The pass moves through the Phantasmal Forest, but is always placed right before the Shadowborn Manor so that Ebonbane can kill as many of the knights as possible.
-Hammerlin: This dilapidated city, once the main settlement between the capital of the Great Kingdom and the more southernly settlements like Letour and Sanschay, stands now as a memento to Ebonbane of his earlier accomplishment of capturing Kateri Shadowborn. The city crawls with enemies and is avoided by all but the most desperate of wanderers within the Phantasmal Forest. The demilord of the city is a mercenary guild. This mercenary guild competed with Lady Shadowborn throughout the course of the heretical wars. Despite being of similar skill, they were dispatched to far away battlefields away from the main theaters of combat as a result of their brutality. As mercenaries, the Black Hounds were never truly loyal to the Great Kingdom. And in the fog of war, it is never truly known if an enemy or an ally is responsible for the deaths of one’s forces. The Black Hounds, led by their cruel leader, Wyard, were persuaded by the agents of the Caliph to ambush the reinforcements Kateri Shadowborn had sent to secure the city of Hammerlin. Though Lady Shadowborn won the battle, the losses incurred by the Black Hounds were responsible for her defeat and capture by Lysander Greylocks.

[Speedwagon]

And here's the final batch of pseudodomains that I could come up with as a result of everyone's help. I hope that any of these may enhance any future wanderings within the Phantasmal Forest!
-The Gray Raven Inn: This was Lady Kateri Shadowborn's favorite tavern/restaurant. The cooks were starved by Ebonbane's cultists and forced into cannibalism, damning their souls to this pseudodomain. Recently a band of wereravens from the Keepers of the Feather have taken over this location by containing the spirit of the demilord within a binding magical device; this fact is unknown to Ebonbane. The Keepers of the Feather have an uneasy relationship with the Knights of the Shadows, as both sides find trust to be too valuable a commodity to be given away freely within the sunless realm of the Phantasmal Forest.
-Arawn's Sanctuary: The Great Kingdom worshipped the same pantheon as Tepest and Forlorn. These ruins were dedicated to Arawn, god of the dead. A trio of magicians knew that the Great Kingdom would fall to ruin if there were no heroes left to protect it. But in their opinion, there was no time left to find a new hero. Thus, they decided to resurrect old heroes, and they had heard of the exploits of the Shadowborn family. Their necromancy was encouraged by Ebonbane, and it went awry. The trio are fused to one body and refuse to interact with the outside world.
-Starlight Home Orphanage: The Shadowborn bloodline has always dabbled in philanthropy and altruism. The construction of an orphanage to house the children left parent less by the war was but the latest in a long line of charity. The kindness given back to the community by Lady Shadowborn was forever remembered in those children’s hearts. Ebonbane made sure to wait until one of the children was old enough to leave the orphanage and poison their heart with whispers of resentment. Why hadn’t Lady Shadowborn just adopted us? If she truly cared and had the money, she wouldn’t have abandoned us as damaged goods in a place to be seen but not heard! The boy returned to the orphanage and made sure to give the foster parents agonizing deaths akin to children’s punishments, before killing the rest of the children in their sleep.
-White Willow Hospital: The Heretical Wars had left scars upon everyone’s bodies and souls. Lord Ferran Shadowborn knew this but would not leave his feudal subjects without salvation. The White Willow Hospital & Sanitarium was constructed to give refuge to those in need and heal them fully. Unfortunately, the horrors of the war never ended at the doors of the institution. A veteran of the Heretical Wars who had lost their sight and was slow to trust was a good target for Ebonbane’s servants. The fiend planted suggestions and paranoia into the poor veteran’s mind, convincing them that they were surrounded by inhuman creatures and that the war never ended. It was unfortunately a matter of time until the veteran rampaged through the hospital, guided by Ebonbane to strike down as many innocents as possible before being shot down by crossbow bolts.
-Thorkell's Landing: The Sea Raiders of the Norderlands despise the Shadowborn family. What ought to have been a lucrative target to plunder, the Great Kingdom, was fiercely defended by their bloodline and drove them to find opportunities even further south of home. This resentment and link to his arch-nemesis did not go unnoticed by Ebonbane, who used his dwindling time possessing the Caliph before Kateri drove him out of that body to contact the Sea Raiders and make them into his worshippers. The Sea Raiders had not forgotten this link to their new master and made sure to harass the Great Kingdom in its waning days after Morgoroth's disappearance and the fall of the Knights of the Circle. Their leader was a powerful warrior by the name of Thorkell Skullsplitter, who lived and breathed war with a burning passion for bloodshed. His manchild-like desire to fight and refusal to empathize with others, along with his hypocrisy in stooping to dirty tricks within combat, ensured that the Sea Raiders would be drawn into the Phantasmal Forest. They quickly made camp and are one of the few living creatures within the Phantasmal Forest. Ebonbane takes advantage of their living flesh by using them to raid settlements in the other domains, knowing that the fact that the Sea Raiders are living means that any wards against the undead are of little use.
-Deepwood Vault: The vault in which the heirlooms of the Shadowborn family were stored. These items, both sentimental and imbued with powerful magic, are given to Ebonbane’s most powerful Fiend enforcers, who have been summoned from beyond the Demiplane to serve their master once again. The demilord entrusted with outfitting Ebonbane's minions was a former squire of Kateri Shadowborn, a woman known as Adelicia Rainmane. Adelicia had been honored to be serving under someone as righteous and courageous as Kateri Shadowborn, but had always been afflicted with a low self-esteem and nagging sense of self-doubt. This would prove to be her undoing. Ebonbane made sure to slowly but subtly gaslight and deceive the young squire, once Lady Shadowborn had disappeared, into believing that the older woman had taken advantage of Adelicia and had treated her as less than even a common squire (and not as the beloved companion she truly was). After a long campaign of gaslighting and wearing away at the sanity of Adelicia Rainmane, she was tasked by Ebonbane to infiltrate the Shadowborn's private vault of heirlooms and desecrate it to prove her loyalty. She succeeded and was promptly whisked away to the Phantasmal Forest for her devotion.
-Via Corona Bridge: This bridge was constructed in honor of the Shadowborn family at the end of the Heretical Wars as a reconstruction project ordained by the king. Ebonbane learned of this structure dedicated to his self-declared arch-nemesis and made sure to make it as miserable a crossing as possible, animating a special troll-like ghoul to harass any upon the bridge. After enough murders of innocents, Ebonbane ordered the troll to destroy the bridge so that it may be drawn into the Phantasmal Forest. Today, this bridge, just like Sined Pass, moves about the Phantasmal Forest and is usually placed (whether by Ebonbane or by the Dark Powers is unknown) right in front of the path of the Knights of the Shadows after they set out from Morgoroth's domain (but before they run into Sined Pass). When crossing the bridge, reality is distorted so that the bridge is hundreds of feet long. The troll beneath the bridge can phase through the stone like water and drag victims into the stone and 'telefrag' them, one by one.
-The Thing in the Crystal: Ebonbane was not without foes in the immortal coil. His disappearance led to a vicious power struggle amongst his former supporters and outsider enemies. One such enemy was the Oinoloth known as Paincrest (true name: Surthregor), which learned Ebonbane’s true name of Lussimar and his current whereabouts. It was quickly sequestered into the Phantasmal Forest but she was expecting this. Ebonbane dared not destroy her for she had a deadman’s switch ready, and Ebonbane’s understanding of the Demiplane was (and is still) quite limited. The Fiend is imprisoned within a massive cavern of crystals that can be found within the Phantasmal Forest. Coincidentally, this cavern connects to aquifers used by the nearby Domains for water. Paincrest knows that if Ebonbane ever misplays his hand, all the other Domains and their Darklords could get poisoned very quickly, thus robbing Ebonbane of potential pearls for his collection.
-The Tree of Lost Souls: This is the tree upon which Lysander Greylocks would have hanged himself out of guilt, had it not been for Kateri Shadowborn. The positive emotional and ethereal resonance by this tree has been completely corrupted by Ebonbane. Now, it is a well known fixture of the Phantasmal Forest that dominates all other trees with its supernatural age and height. It does not stay in a fixed location. It emits a siren song to the downtrodden and hopeless masses of the other Domains, hoping that they hang themselves upon its branches.

[Mistmaster]

I might use some ofthese locations, people and facts for my Nidala.

[Speedwagon]

As a big fan of your Mistworld, I'm honored to receive such praise, and feel free to use whatever's here!