The Nightmare

Overview

The Nightmare is a dimly lit dimension that is both coterminous to and coexistent with the Material Plane. It overlaps the Material Plane much as the Ethereal Plane and The Dreamlands does, so a planar traveler can use the Nightmare to cover great distances quickly. The Nightmare is also coterminous to other planes. With the right spell, a character can use the shadows of the Nightmare to visit other realities. This plane is a world of darkness; a clear opposite to the bright life of The Dreamlands. It otherwise appears similar to the Material Plane. Despite the lack of light sources, various plants, animals, and humanoids call this Plane home.
The Nightmare is a dimly lit, murky mirror of the Material Plane, warped by proximity to the Negative Energy seeping from the Void (the opposite of the Dreamlands, who are more close to the Lifespring) and inhabited by sinister beings and undead. Where on the Material where a city might exist, in its place in the Nightmare may be ruins or some twisted representation of that city's populous. Distances do not correlate between the planes, however, so that a person who takes a short walk in this plane might find herself transported leagues away after returning to the Material Plane.

Planar Traits

• Gravity none
• Time normal
• Realm immeasurable
• Structural Magically Morphic - Parts of the Nightmare continually flow onto adjacent planes. As a result, creating a precise map of the plane is next to impossible, despite the presence of landmarks. In addition, certain spells, such as shadow conjuration and shadow evocation, modify the base material of the the plane. The utility and power of these spells within the this plane make them particularly useful for explorers and natives alike.
• Essence mixed
• Alignment mildly neutral-aligned
• Shadow Magic Enhanced - Spells with the shadow descriptor are enhanced in the Nightmare. Furthermore, specific spells become more powerful in the Nightmare. Shadow conjuration and shadow evocation spells are 30% as powerful as the conjurations and evocations they mimic (as opposed to 20%). Greater shadow conjuration and greater shadow evocation are 70% as powerful (not 60%), and a shades spell conjures at 90% of the power of the original (not 80%). Despite the dark nature of this Plane, spells that produce, use, or manipulate darkness are unaffected by the plane.
• Light Magic Impeded - Spells with the light descriptor or that use or generate light or fire are impeded on this Plane. Spells that produce light are less effective in general, because all light sources have their ranges halved in the Nightmare.

Denizens of the Nightmare

D’ziriaks - Despite the perpetually dim nature of the Nightmare, it supports a surprising variety of life. Several types of plants have developed within the shadows, all of them eerie, twisted, and colorless reflections of species found on the Material Plane. Likewise, animals suited to the darkness prowl the plane, from shadows and shadow mastiffs to gloomwings, umbral dragons, dark fey, tenebrous worms, and various nightshades. Sentient species also make their home here, but few are welcoming to visitors from other realities. The unusual nature of d’ziriak society combines with their appearances—something between humanoid and termite, with elaborate luminescent patterns across their bodies— to unsettle most outsiders. These colorful exoskeletons are strangely unaffected by the Nightmare's penumbral gloom. D’ziriaks maintain a complex social structure, most of it hidden within their extensive, partially underground cities lit through a combination of alchemical and illusory lighting and the creatures’ own natural bioluminescence.
Fetchlings - Descendants of humans that long ago settled in the Nightmare, fetchlings are perhaps the most familiar denizens to those on the Material Plane. They are a distinctive species, exceptionally slender and bleached of most natural coloring beyond pale yellow eyes, but many fetchlings value extraplanar pigments to dye their hair in striking colors when visiting other worlds (such colors remain muted in their home plane). They are among the most populous of the plane’s residents, establishing humanoid settlements far and wide—often overlapping with Material Plane counterparts.
Kyton Demagogues - Many kytons have their own divine leaders. The kyton demagogues maintain their own realms in the darkest parts of the Nightmare, known as sanctuaries, ranging from meeting spaces to mind-shattering mazes to an exhibition of the culmination of kyton artistry.

Alternative Name(s)

The Plane of Shadow

Type

Dimensional plane