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mabar [2019/12/23 15:52] – ↷ Links adapted because of a move operation 0.0.0.0mabar [2025/12/11 15:20] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +====== Mabar ======
 +<WRAP box bggreen fgblack 350px left :en>
 +{{mabar_crest.png}}
 +{{amaranthine-mabar.jpg|La cité d'Aramanthine au centre de Mabar}}
 +<panel type="primary"  no-body="true">
 +^ Alias    | La Nuit Sans Fin  |
 +^ Alignement | Non aligné |
 +^ Magie Amélioré | Magie Négative |
 +^ Magie entravée | Magie Positive |
 +^ Limitrophe | 3 nuits à chaque 5 ans |
 +^ Éloigné | 5 jours à chaque 5 ans |
 +</panel></WRAP>
 +
 +{{bone_king.png}}
 +** Mabar, La Nuit Sans Fin ** est un royaume noirci où la plus faible étincelle de lumière est rapidement dévorée par l'obscurité sans fin. C'est un plan imprégné d'énergie négative et c'est l'antithèse d'[[: irian |]]. Les mers sembles être faites d'ombres liquides, le sable est noir et les falaises sont composés de basalte. Un crâne qui gît à moitié enfoui dans le sable ne sera pas blanchi par le soleil, car il n'y a pas de soleil ici; seule une faible lueur d'une lune violette qui est suspendue dans le ciel. 
 +
 +Ceux qui savent peu de choses de l'au-delà de la réalité supposent souvent que la nuit sans fin est le plan de «l'obscurité» - que ce trait physique est son concept déterminant. Bien que le plan soit entouré d'ombres, cette morosité éternelle n'est qu'un symptôme de la vraie nature de cet endroit. Même le jour le plus lumineux finira par finir dans l'obscurité, et la Nuit sans fin incarne cette idée. C'est l'ombre qui entoure chaque îlot de lumière, attendant patiemment de la consommer. Ce n'est pas l'endroit où les âmes des vivants vont après la mort, mais c'est le plan de // la mort elle-même // - l'ombre affamée qui consomme à la fois lumière et la vie. Mabar symbolise tout ce qui succombe à la mort et à l'entropie, même l'espoir et la lumière, car au final tous ce finis dans l'obscurité.
 +
 +====== Description ======
 +Sur [[Eberron]], on peut être ramené après la mort soit en {{tagpage>Mort-vivant}} soit en {{tagpage>Éternel}}. Ceux qui sont Mort-vivant auraient été imprégnés de l'essence de Mabar, tandis que les Éternels serait imprégné des pouvoirs d'[[: irian |]]. Ceux qui adorent la [[: cour_éternelle |]] souhaitent retirer tous les Mort-vivants du monde. Ces [[: la_garde_de_la_mort | Garde de la Mort]] traqueront les zones de manifestations de Mabar, essayant de rompre leurs connexions avec le royaume.
 +
 +D'un autre côté, les prêtres du [[le_sang_divin|Sang Divin]] rechercheront également les zones de manifestations de Mabar, pour y construire des sanctuaires et leur permettre l'accès à des sorts plus puissants. En outre, une secte de druides appelée les [[: Nightbringers | Nightbringers]] adore également Mabar et recherche ses zones de manifestation, en particulier [[: l_obscurité |]].
 +
 +Certains pensent que Mabar est une source de désespoir et de désolation, qu'il draine à la fois l'énergie émotionnelle et physique du monde. Bien que cela ne soit pas prouvé, Mabar est certainement la source // d'énergie négative //. Les magies nécromantiques puisent dans le pouvoir de la Nuit sans fin. Tous les morts-vivants drainent l'énergie vitale du monde qui les entoure. Typiquement, ce drain est suffisamment léger; mais c'est pourquoi un tombeau hanté sera souvent entouré de plantes mortes et de vignes ratatinées. Les prêtres de la [[cour éternelle]] affirment que les morts-vivants négatifs détruisent lentement le monde et que cela finira par causer des dégâts irréparable; c'est pourquoi les [[gardes de la mort]] Aéréni cherchent à traquer et à détruire les morts-vivants Mabarien autant que possible.
 +
 +Un point ici est la confusion commune entre Mabar et Dolurrh. Dolurrh est le royaume // des morts //, mais ce n'est pas // le plan de la mort //. Dolurrh est un lieu de transition. C'est là où les âmes des morts vont // après // la mort, où les charges de la vie sont enlevées. Donc Dolurrh est l'endroit où les gens vont // quand // ils meurent; mais Mabar incarne l'idée // de // la mort, de la perte inévitable et de la fin de toutes choses.
 +
 +======   Couches de Mabar   ======
 +Comme beaucoup de [[plans]], la Nuit sans fin n’est pas un paysage contigu. Ce sont plutôt des couches de réalité, chacune ayant une vision différente de la désolation et de la décadence inévitable. Dans une couche, un désert de sable noir est brisé par des pics d'obsidienne dentelés. Dans une autre couche, une vallée autrefois fertile a disparu, des fermes en ruine éparpillées au milieu de champs desséchés. Une autre couche est une seule grande ville, ses fontaines sont sèches, ses murs sont fissurés, mais les tapisseries pourries et les mosaïques ébréchées parlent d'un ancien âge de merveilles. La chose critique à comprendre est que cette ville a TOUJOURS été une ruine. Voilà ce qu'est Mabar: la fin des choses incarnées. Lorsque des mortels passent, l'idée de la détérioration peut se manifester de façon spectaculaire - un pont s'effondre, un sol cède - mais revenez dans une semaine et il y aura un nouveau pont en ruine prêt à tomber. Ces couches sont des symboles d'entropie inévitable et de gloire perdue.
 +
 +Ces couches ne sont pas liées par les lois de l'espace physique. Ils peuvent être minuscules ou apparemment infinis. Un désert peut se refermer sur lui-même, et les ruelles d'une ville pourraient se tordre de manière impossible pour toujours vous ramener sur la place principale… ou vous pourriez simplement arriver à un ravin devant un vide sans fin. 
 +
 +Pour passer d'une couche à une autre, vous devez soit utiliser vos propres sorts, soit trouver un portail qui relie les deux royaumes. Parfois, ils sont assez évidents: une porte massive isolée dans le désert, une fosse remplie d'ombres tourbillonnantes. Dans d'autres cas, la connexion pourrait être entièrement abstraite. Si vous êtes dans la vallée du [[Roi des Os]] et que vous souhaitez vous rendre dans le [[désert de la Reine de toutes les larmes]], la réponse est simple: tout ce que vous avez à faire est de pleurer sincèrement, et les larmes elles-mêmes vous y emmèneront.
 +
 +Bien sûr, si vous voulez explorer la nuit sans fin, vous rencontrerez des problèmes, où que vous alliez. Le royaume lui-même consomme constamment la lumière et la vie. À moins d'être protégé par une certaine forme de magie protectrice, la Nuit drainera continuellement l'énergie vitale d'un visiteur, finissant par le consommer et ne laisser rien d'autre qu'une [[ombre]]. Même si on est protégé contre cet effet, il fait toujours faire face à l'obscurité. Toutes les sources lumineuses dans ce plan sont réduites à // une lumière faible //. Les sorts qui utilisent une énergie négative seront maximisés, tandis que les sorts qui dépendent de l'énergie positive sont minimisés.
 +
 +===== L'obscurité Consommatrice =====
 +De nombreuses couches de la Nuit sans fin sont purement symboliques. Ces ruines existent depuis aussi longtemps que le plan existe. Beaucoup… mais pas tous. 
 +
 +Normalement les plans n'interagissent pas entre eux. Les armées du champ de bataille se battent sans cesse, // les uns contre les autres //: elles n'assiègent pas le royaume de la folie. Par contre le concept qui définit la Nuit sans fin // est // la faim de consommer la lumière et la vie, avec la chute inévitable de toutes choses. Et lorsque toutes les forces s'alignent parfaitement, des fragments de d'autres plans peuvent être entraînés dans la nuit sans fin. Ces fragments sont pris au bord de la nuit, de la même manière que les rêves des mortels dérivent au cœur du royaume des rêves. Au fil du temps, ils sont drainés et tirés plus près du noyau, jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient finalement complètement assimilés dans le plan comme une nouvelle couche lugubre. Typiquement, les mortels seront transformés en ombres ou dans d'autres formes de morts-vivants; les immortels pouraient devenir des yugoloths, ou devenir de son reflet d'eux-mêmes.
 +
 +**La Citadelle Dérivante** est exactement une telle couche. Cette tour flottante était autrefois une bibliothèque des [[Syranie]]. Maintenant, elle dérive à travers un vide glacé, ses grandes fenêtres fracassées et ses livres tombés de leurs étagères. Des ombres de sages s'agrippent aux livres avec leurs doigts fantomatiques, à jamais incapables de tourner une page. Les bibliothécaires angéliques sont maintenant des esprits tourmentés qui ont soif de connaissances, vidant les souvenirs de toute créature assez malheureuse pour tomber à leur portée.
 +
 +Les morceaux volés dans le plan matériel peuvent n'avoir aucun moyen de savoir ce qui leur arrive. Donc, vous pourriez avoir un petit royaume dirigé par un seigneur tragique qui exerce un grand pouvoir et qui est pourtant consumé par les ténèbres… un royaume incontournable entouré de brumes, semblant coupé du reste du monde. 
 +
 +Certain savant ont comme hypothèse que le deuil pourrait être ce qui se passe lorsqu'un morceau de réalité est consommé ... auquel cas la reine [[Dannel]] pourrait toujours régner sur une version de [[Cyre]] qui est lentement consommée par les ombres. Il se pourrait que cette blessure ne guérisse jamais et que [[les Terres du Deuil]] soit maintenant une partie permanente d'Eberron; ou il se pourrait que, compte tenu du temps, un pouvoir réparateur découlera de l'[[Irian|Aube Éternelle]] pour restaurer la terre brûlée, créant une nouvelle [[Cyre]].
 +
 +Ce processus de consommation ne peut être arrêté, même par les êtres les plus puissants des autres plans, cela fait partie des mécanisme de la réalité. La Nuit sans fin consomme et des fragments de réalité sont perdus. Ceux qui sont entraînés dans l'obscurité peuvent lutter contre cela, mais le résultat final est inévitable. Sans l'[[Irian|Aube Éternelle]], Mabar finirait par tout consommer. Mais au fur et à mesure que la nuit consomme, l'aube rétablit, et donc l'équilibre est finalement maintenu. Est-ce que les fragments qui sont consommés le sont de façon // aléatoires //… ou est-ce que l'[[Impératrice des Ombres]] a une certaine discrétion à ce sujet. Il ne serait peut-être pas possible de lutter contre la venue de la nuit… mais il se pourrait que des émissaires planaires viennent dans la ville d'Amaranthine pour négocier avec l'[[Impératrice des Ombres]] afin de tourner l'obscurité affamée dans une direction différente.
 +
 +====== Habitants ======
 +
 +Les habitants les plus nombreux de Mabar sont les [[Ombres]]. Ces esprits semi-intelligent s'attardent dans des endroits où l'on peut s'attendre à trouver des gens, pantomimant tristement les rôles des habitants absents. On peut trouver des ombres d'enfants jouant au coin d'une rue Mabarienne, ou l'ombre d'un prêtre priant silencieusement un dieu absent et inconnu dans un temple brisé. Beaucoup de sages qui étudient les plans croient que ces ombres sont liées aux mortels… que chaque créature mortelle intelligente a une ombre dans la Nuit sans fin, une manifestation de leurs impulsions plus sombres. Ces ombres ne parlent pas et ne sont motivées que par l'impulsion et l'instinct. Ils ont faim de la force vitale des mortels, et si des voyageurs planaires ne sont pas protégés par la magie, ils peuvent être submergés par des ombres affamées.
 +
 +Les plans les plus désolés abritent des // [[Noctambules]]. // Ces créatures puissantes sont des conduits d'énergie négative. Dans le désert d'obsidienne, d'énormes [[vers nocturnes]] se cachent dans le sable noir tandis que les [[marcheurs nocturnes]] revendiquent les ruines et dominent les ombres. Les Noctambules attaquent souvent les fragments, se nourrissant de l'énergie du fragment et accélérant son assimilation. Dans ces attaques, les [[Vers Nocturnes]] peuvent compter sur leur force brute et les [[marcheurs nocturnes]] peuvent conduire des armées de [[morts-vivants]]. Bien qu'intelligents, les [[Noctambules]] sont plus aliens et sauvages que les [[Yugoloths]] et négocient ou conversent rarement avec des étrangers.
 +
 +Si la Nuit sans fin avait un cœur, ce serait la [[Ville d'Amaranthine]], une métropole qui remplit une couche entière. Rien ne prospère dans ce plan; les bannières sont en lambeaux et les jardins sont fanés. Mais cette ville reste merveilleuse dans l'étendue de ses tours cyclopéennes et de ses grandes fortifications. C'est la capitale d'un empire en déclin, et pourtant l'allusion de ce qu'elle était au sommet de sa gloire la rend merveilleuse même dans son état décrépit. Et ce n'est pas une coquille vide, c'est une ville pleine d'activité. C'est le siège de l'[[Impératrice des Ombres]] et de son peuple de [[Yugoloths]]. Ces esprits des ténèbres, incarnes la faim, le désespoir et la mort. Selon toute apparence, les [[yugoloths]] sont les citoyens d'un vaste empire; ils soutiennent que toutes choses étaient autrefois dans l'obscurité et finiront par l'être à nouveau.
 +
 +De nombreux [[yugoloths]] servent dans l'armée. La [[Légion de la Nuit]] assiège les fragments de plans qui ont leurs propres habitants puissants. Les [[yugoloths]] se battent avec des [[anges]] et des [[démons]] piégés dans leurs fragments condamnés, jusqu'à ce que ces fragments soient finalement complètement drainés, assimilés et que leurs habitants immortels furent convertis en une forme plus adaptée à la Nuit sans Fin. On peut se demander si ces batailles accélèrent réellement l’assimilation, ou si elles sont simplement un moyen pour les démons de passer le temps.
 +
 +D'autres [[Yugoloths]] sont // des jardiniers de l'obscurité //. La plupart de ces jardiniers travaillent les [[ombres]]. Ils recherchent des [[ombres]] prometteuses et utilisent leurs capacités pour renforcer une ombre d'une certaine manière. On pense que cela nourrit à son tour les ténèbres du mortel lié à cette Ombre, le remplissant de désespoir ou l'entraînant sur des chemins sombres. Lorsque le mortel finit par mourir, le [[yugoloth]] peut exploiter et affiner l'essence de l'ombre, qui peut être utilisée pour créer des outils, des élixirs ou des œuvres d'art. Alors que la plupart des jardiniers travaillent avec des ombres, certains pénètrent dans les fragments du plan matériel en train d'êtreassimilés, tordant et tourmentant les mortels prisoniers de manière lente et subtile.
 +
 +Ce sont des voies communes, mais il y en a beaucoup d'autres. Certains sont des philosophes et des oracles qui contemplent la nature de l'entropie et la façon dont les choses se termineront. Certains sont des artistes et des artisans, fabriquant des Ombres et des esprits pour créer des outils et des armes (qui pouraient provoquer la mort et le désespoir s'ils se retrouvait dans le monde mortel).
 +
 +Il y a beaucoup d'autres petits habitants de le plan. // Les [[succubes]] // sont des esprits inférieurs qui incarnent la douleur et la perte émotionnelles. Certains succubes sont solitaires et s'attaquent aux mortels prisoniers de leurs fragments, tandis que d'autres vivent aux côtés des [[Yugoloths]] pour les manipuler; la souffrance d'un démon leur est aussi satisfaisante que celle d'un mortel. D'autres [[succubes]] sont des jardinières, et certains pensent qu'une [[succube]] peut drainer l'amour d'un cœur mortel en le saignant de son ombre. 
 +
 +Et enfin, mais surtout, la Nuit sans fin abrite des hordes de **[[morts-vivants]]**. La plupart de cess morts-vivants sont symboliques: les armées squelettiques sans fin du [[roi des ossements]] ne sont pas en fait les restes d'êtres mortels, et le [[roi des ossements]] lui-même, alors qu'il semble être une liche, n'a lui aussi jamais été mortel. Les spectres et les âmes en peines existent généralement en tant que prédateurs, à mi-chemin entre les Nightshades et les [[Ombres]]. Certains croient que lorsqu'un vampire ou une liche est finalement détruits, son essence est entraînée vers le bas dans Mabar où il persiste comme un spectre ... le repos accordé à autres esprits mortels leurs étant refusé, étant toujours entraîné par la faim de la nuit. La plupart sont rendus fous par cette épreuve.
 +
 +
 +* Les habitants les plus peuplés de Mabar sont les [[: yugoloths | ** yugoloths **]] (démons). D'autres démons, comme le [[: barghest | ** barghest **]] **, le kastighur ** et le ** [[: succubus |]] **, appellent également Mabar chez eux.
 +   * Les créatures d'Ombre sont générées à partir de Mabar, comme ** [[: noctambule |]] s **, ** [[: ombre_mastiff | Ombre mastiff]] s ** et ** [[: trilloch |]] s ** .
 +   * Certains [[: mort-vivant |]] hantent Mabar, dont ** [[: bodak |]] s **, divers ** [[: nightshade |]] s **, ** [[: necronaut | |] ] s **, ** [[: ombre |]] s ** et ** [[: vasuthant |]] s **.
 +   * Mabar abrite également les énergies négatives connues sous le nom de ** [[: energon # xeg-yi | xeg-yi]] **.
 +
 +====== Zone De Manifestations ======
 +Toutes les zones manifestes vers Mabar sont de fortes sources d'énergie négative. Ces zones sont d'excellent endroit pour effectuer toute sorte de rituel qui puise dans l'énergie négative. En dehors de cela, voici quelques traits possibles des zones de manifestations Mabarienne.
 +
 +  * Végétation brûlée ou non naturelle.
 +  * Faible fertilité et résistance réduite aux maladies. Les créatures nées dans ces régions peuvent être malades ou contre nature (comme des Tieflings Mabarien).
 +  * Tristesse psychologique: tendance au désespoir et aux pensées suicidaires.
 +  * Présence d'ombres, de spectres ou d'autres morts-vivants. Bien que ceux-ci puissent être des mortels tués par d'autres morts-vivants, ce ne sont généralement que des manifestations de Mabar, des incarnations de la consommation des ténèbres.
 +  * Les squelettes ou les zombies peuvent s'animer spontanément à partir de cadavres. Ces morts-vivants n'ont aucun souvenir et cherchent généralement à tuer toutes les créatures vivantes qu'ils rencontrent.
 +  * Obscurité artificielle; les sources lumineuses pourraient être réduites, donc même la source la plus brillante ne produise qu'une faible lumière. Vous pourriez même avoir une zone entourée de ténèbres magiques en permanence.
 +  * Les sorts et effets qui dépendent de l'énergie négative pourraient être améliorés ou même maximisés; les morts-vivants pourraient être renforcés.
 +
 +La plupart de ces effets ne sont pas des traits très accueillants, et peu de gens choisiraient probablement une zone de manifestation de Mabar comme endroit pour construire leur ville. À Karrnath, les communautés du [[Sang Divin ]] construisent souvent des temples dans les zones Mabariennes et accomplissent des rituels qui aident à contenir les impacts négatifs de ces zones. Quelques une des terribles famine qui ont affectés Karrnath lors de [[la dernière guerre]] furent causé lors de la conquête par des soldats ennemies de villes contenant ce genre de temple. À défaut de maintenir les rites nécessaires dans les temples, cela provoqua une corruption soudaines et dramatiques. 
 +
 +Ainsi, une zone Mabarienne pourrait être occupée par des personnes essayant de contenir ses effets ou par des nécromanciens qui les canaliseraient; mais souvent, ils sont susceptibles d'être des zones évitées dans la nature.
 +
 +Exemple de zone:
 +  * Dans les [[: confins_d_eldeen | Confins d'Eldeen]], une section de la [[Forêt Imposante]] appelée ** [[: l_obscurite |]] ** est une [[: zone_de_manifestation |]], résultant d'arbres défigurés et [[: horrid_animals | horrid animals]].
 +  * Dans la ** [[foret_evanouie |]] ** de [[: brelande |]], une grande arche mystique a été fabriquée. Elle ouvre un portail vers Mabar toutes les dix nuits et transforme toute la zone en [[: zone_de_manifestation |]] vers Mabar pendant le mois de [[: sypheros |]].
 +  * La ** [[Jungle de Shanjueed]] ** sur le continent de [[: sarlona |]] abrite une [[: zone_de_manifestation |]] de Mabar.
 +  * Après le [[: jour_du_deuil |]], le ** [[Champ Valin]] ** dans [[: cyre |]] est devenu une [[: zone_de_manifestation |]] avec à la fois Mabar et [[: shavarath | ]]. Ceux qui y entrent en sortent à jamais souillés.
 +
 +====== Effets sur le plan matériel ======
 +La moindre parcelle d'énergie positive est suffisante pour empêcher qu'un endroit devienne un conduit vers Mabar. La lumière est la source d'énergie positive la plus commune, mais une maison pleine d'amour et de joie est tout aussi efficace. Cependant, un endroit imprégné de désolation et de décadence, comme le sous-sol d'un ancien manoir décrépit, pourrait être très dangereux pendant que Mabar est limitrophe.
 +
 +Un prêtre instruit du [[Sang Divin]] conviendrait certainement que le pouvoir de Mabar est intrinsèquement dangereux. Comme le feu ou l’électricité, il peut-être dangereux d'utiliser l'énergie de Mabar si vous ne savez pas ce que vous faites, mais lorsqu'elle est exploité par quelqu'un qui la comprend, elle peut être utilisés pour faire le bien. Comme le montre leur travail pour contenir le danger posé par les zones manifestes, ils peuvent contenir ce danger. Les prêtres croient que leurs connaissances et leur compréhension leur permettent d'utiliser cette énergie dangereuse de manière positive.
 +
 +===== Limitrophe =====
 +Les nuits deviennent plus noires et plus dangereuses lorsque Mabar devient limitrophe avec Éberron. Se rendre à Mabar devient aussi facile que d'entrer dans une zone où il n'y a pas de lumière, et les habitants du plan s'échappent des ombres et entrent dans le monde. Le plan devient limitrophe une fois tous les cinq ans les trois nuits de la nouvelle lune la plus proche du solstice d'hiver.
 +
 +===== Distant =====
 +Lorsque Mabar est éloigné, l'obscurité sur Éberron semble moins profonde et les nuits moins redoutables. Ces périodes se produisent tous les cinq ans les cinq nuits autour de la pleine lune la plus proche du solstice d'été.
 +
 +<ifauth @admin><alert type="warning">
 +
 +**SCHEMES AND ADVENTURES**
 +
 +One of the simplest ways is simply to work a manifest zone into a story. A necromancer has a tower in a blighted grove, and this empowers their magics and undead minions. The PCs take on the necromancer and defeat him. But when they return they discover that the necromancer’s work was holding the power of Mabar at bay, and the blight is spreading. Can they find a way to restore the balance? What if someone has to stay in the tower? Does one of the villagers have the talent? Or do they need to find another necromancer willing to hold the post – and can they trust her with this power?
 +
 +Manifest zones could inspire many stories or interesting encounters.
 +
 +  * The PCs discover that House Thuranni is experimenting with the potential of the Mark of Shadows, seeking to channel the power of Mabar. There’s a research center in a Mabaran manifest zone. What happens if the experiments work? Are the elves in full control of their powers? Or are they consumed by their own shadows, leaving dark hearts cloaked in flesh wielding terrifying powers?
 +
 +Overall, the denizens of Mabar have no interest in Eberron; they have everything they need in Mabar and its fragments. However, just like the Daelkyr or the Kalashtar Quori, you could have an individual or small group of spirits that take an interest in Eberron. Here’s a few possibilities.
 +
 +  * A disguised succubus is a scholar of loss, subtlely engineering disastrous tragedies for the people of a small community in order to study their reactions. Alternately you could take the same concept but she could be targeting powerful, successful individuals — such as player characters — instead of a particular place.
 +  * A small group of Yugoloths are studying the world and choosing the next location that will be consumed by Mabar. The consumption //will //happen, even if the Yugoloths are defeated… but can the damage be minimized?
 +  * A yugoloth artisan crafts artifacts and sows them into Eberron to cause death and despair. A weapon forged in Mabar could be a literal demon — a battleloth — or it could possess great power but bring tragedy to the one who wields it. A villain could cause great havoc with this night-forged blade; once the villain is defeated, will a PC claim the blade or leave it be?
 +  * A nightwalker has broken through into Eberron, turning a Mabaran manifest zones into a gateway. The dead are rising in response to the nightshade’s call, and it has a force of nightcrawlers and nightwings. The Nightwalker has no agenda other than destruction, despair, and drinking in the energy of the world. Where is this gateway? What will it take to close it and contain this threat?
 +  * Queen Dannel’s Cyre has been pulled into Mabar. There’s no way to reclaim it and return it to Eberron, but the now-vampire Dannel has a bigger goal. In Mabar, everything must end… even the yugoloth order. Dannel believes that she can overthrow the Empress of Shadows and become the new immortal overlord of the realm… but she needs the help of epic-level PCs to do it. Will they help transform Cyre into the new heart of the Endless Night?
 +
 +The idea of the consumed fragments opens up another host of story possibilities.
 +
 +  * Forced out into the wilds during a Mabaran coterminous period, the PCs find themselves in a strange land. This could be a familiar town that’s now suffering from dangers and threats; can the PCs figure out what’s going on, and if it can’t be stopped can they help friends escape? It could be a realm pulled out of history, time slowed by the process of assimilation — the last stronghold of Karrn the Conqueror or Malleon the Reaver. Or it could be something entirely new, like Ravenloft.
 +  * An angel of Syranie reaches out to the PCs. Something vital is trapped in a Syranien tower that was pulled into Mabar. If the angel goes to the fragment, it will be trapped there forever; but mortals could enter the fragment, retrieve the relic and escape. What is the relic? What else might they find in the lost tower?
 +  * Similar ideas could take the players into the heart of Mabar itself. What treasures are hidden in the tomb of the Queen of All Tears? What secrets lie in the scattered tomes of the Drifting Citadel?
 +
 +</alert></ifauth>
 +
 +Mabar: The Endless Night
 +A sea of liquid shadows laps against black
 +sands and basalt cliffs. A skull lies half-buried
 +in the sand, empty sockets gazing
 +into the roiling mist. The bone
 +isn’t sun-bleached, for there
 +is no sun here—only a faint
 +glimmer from the smoky gray
 +moon that hangs in the sky.
 +Early scholars studying
 +reports of Mabar concluded that
 +it was the Plane of Darkness—
 +that this physical property is
 +its defining concept. However,
 +the plane’s eternal gloom is
 +just a symptom of its true
 +nature. Even the brightest day
 +eventually ends in darkness,
 +and Mabar embodies this idea.
 +It’s the shadow that surrounds
 +every island of light, patiently
 +waiting to consume it. It’s entropy,
 +despair, and loss. This isn’t the place
 +where the souls of the living go after death,
 +but rather, it’s the plane of death itself—the hunger that
 +consumes both light and life.
 +Mabar is the source of negative energy, and the origin of
 +most undead. Manifest zones—and most undead—tied to Mabar
 +consume the life force from the world around them. However,
 +some people maintain that negative energy itself is just a tool,
 +and that the power of Mabar can be harnessed for good.
 +Universal Properties
 +The Endless Night consumes life and light. It’s a wellspring
 +of necrotic energy, where light is swallowed by gloom, and
 +unprotected creatures quickly die. Mabar has the following
 +universal properties.
 +Necrotic Power. A creature has disadvantage on saving
 +throws against necromancy spells. An undead creature has
 +2 extra hit points per Hit Die and advantage on saving throws
 +against being turned or frightened.
 +Radiant Void. In order to cast a spell that deals radiant
 +damage or restores hit points, a creature must succeed on a
 +spellcasting ability check with a DC equal to 10 + the level of
 +the spell. On a failed check, the spell is not cast and its spell
 +slot is not expended, but the action is lost.
 +Eternal Shadows. There is no bright light in Mabar. Any
 +object or effect that would usually create bright light only
 +creates dim light.
 +The Hunger of Mabar. Mabar consumes the life force of
 +living things. For every minute a living creature spends in
 +Mabar, it takes 10d6 points of necrotic damage. If this damage
 +reduces a creature to 0 hit points, it immediately dies and its
 +body crumbles into ash. Natives of Mabar, creatures that have
 +resistance or immunity to necrotic damage, and creatures
 +under the effects of a death ward spell are immune to the
 +effects of this property.
 +Standard Time. Time passes at the same pace as on the
 +Material Plane, and is consistent across its layers.
 +The Consuming Darkness
 +The planes don’t usually interact with one another. The
 +armies of Shavarath endlessly battle each other; they
 +don’t lay siege to Xoriat. Each plane is an isolated, perfect
 +vision of a particular concept. But the concept that defines
 +Mabar is the hunger to consume all light and life, along
 +with the inevitable downfall of all things. When the proper
 +forces align, Mabar pulls fragments of other planes into
 +the Endless Night; over time, these are drained of light and
 +hope and transformed into new layers of Mabar.
 +Initially, these captured planar fragments become part of the
 +Hinterlands and night falls in the region, but they don’t yet have
 +any of Mabar’s universal properties. Over time, the fragment’s
 +properties from its previous plane are replaced by the properties
 +of Mabar. Once the fragment acquires the last property in
 +this process, the Hunger of Mabar, it’s fully assimilated into
 +the Endless Night as a new symbol of entropy and despair.
 +Mortal inhabitants of the fragment are typically transformed
 +into shadows or other forms of undead, while immortals might
 +become yugoloths, or twisted into dark mockeries of their former
 +selves. The conversion is slow and inevitable, and the Dark
 +Powers of Mabar don’t have to take any action—but regardless,
 +most enjoy tormenting the fragments. Undead prey on the edges
 +of fragments besieged by the Bone King, and yugoloth soldiers
 +raid fragments claimed by the Empress of Shadows.
 +As an example of a converted fragment, consider the Drifting
 +Citadel. This floating tower was once a library in Syrania. Now
 +it drifts through an icy void, grand windows shattered and
 +books fallen from their shelves. Shadows of sages clutch at
 +books with insubstantial fingers, never able to turn a page. The
 +angelic librarians have become tormented spirits who hunger
 +for knowledge, draining the memories from any creature
 +unfortunate enough to fall into their grasp.
 +At times, the great powers of other planes have tried to
 +stop Mabar from capturing fragments of other planes—but
 +to no avail. The darkness can’t be stopped, as it’s part of
 +the machinery of reality—the Endless Night consumes and
 +fragments are lost. Those pulled into the darkness can fight
 +against it, but the ultimate outcome is inevitable. Were it not
 +for Irian, Mabar would eventually consume everything. But
 +as the Night consumes, the Dawn restores, and so balance
 +is ultimately maintained.
 +The process of consumption is slow and ongoing, and there
 +are always multiple fragments in the Hinterlands. It may take
 +Mabar months, years, or even centuries to consume a fragment.
 +As the properties are replaced, the landscape of the fragment
 +changes to reflect it. In a former fragment of Lamannia, the
 +vegetation around the borders begins to wilt. Creatures become
 +sickly, and totems may not be seen at all, or they might be
 +terrifying shadows, killing the grass they walk on.
 +Mabar typically targets other planes, but it can claim pieces
 +of the Material Plane as well. This initial effect is reminiscent
 +of the Mourning; gray fog rolls over the region that’s affected,
 +and all that’s caught within the fog is lost. However, Mabar
 +typically claims a region the size of a town, or perhaps a county;
 +it’s never been known to claim an entire country. Typically
 +the fog fades within a day, leaving a barren region stripped of
 +vegetation and structures. Mabar’s power is such that it also
 +consumes the memories of the place; most mortals simply
 +forget that the affected region ever was anything but barren,
 +and forget the people consumed in the process. This process
 +isn’t perfect or absolute, but when contradictory information
 +is presented, people instinctively try to rationalize it. Maybe
 +they heard a story about the lost town? The uncle who lived in
 +that town? Didn’t he die in the war? In short, player characters
 +might realize something is wrong, but be unable to convince
 +others of it. Because of this magical effect and the fact that
 +it happens so rarely, the common people of Khorvaire don’t
 +know about this aspect of Mabar. But if a group of strong-willed
 +player characters investigates it, they might be able to discover
 +the cause of lost colonies and other mysteries.
 +
 +Denizens
 +From shadows of mortal souls to Mabar’s Dark Powers, the
 +Endless Night’s inhabitants all embody aspects of darkness,
 +despair, and death. The plane’s denizens fall into these five
 +general categories.
 +Shadows
 +Shadows are the most numerous inhabitants of Mabar.
 +These semi-sentient spirits linger in places where you
 +might expect to find people, forlornly pantomiming the
 +roles of the absent inhabitants. You’ll find the shadows of
 +children playing on the corner of a Mabaran street, and
 +the shadow of a priest silently praying to an absent and
 +unknown god in a shattered temple. In his Planar Codex,
 +Dorius Alyre ir’Korran asserts that every mortal has a
 +shadow in Mabar, much like the conscripts of Shavarath;
 +this theory is supported by the shadow-gardeners of the
 +Amaranthine City. However, the shadows of Mabar don’t
 +speak, and they’re driven by impulse and instinct; if they’re
 +tied to living creatures, they’re just a dark sliver of each soul.
 +The shadows hunger for the lifeforce of mortals, but they
 +ignore creatures that have resistance or immunity to necrotic
 +damage or that are shielded by the death ward spell.
 +Most Mabaran shadows use the statistics for shadows
 +from the Monster Manual, though especially strong
 +shadows could be represented by wraiths or specters.
 +Yugoloths and Other Immortals
 +The immortals of Mabar are spirits of darkness. The
 +yugoloths—embodiments of hunger, despair, and death—are
 +the citizens of a vast empire centered on the Amaranthine City,
 +most serving as soldiers. In the Hinterlands, yugoloths battle
 +celestials and fiends trapped in these doomed fragments, until
 +the fragments are ultimately fully drained, assimilated, and
 +their immortal inhabitants converted to a form more suited
 +to the Endless Night. It’s questionable if these battles actually
 +speed up the assimilation, or if they’re simply a way for the
 +yugoloths to pass the time. If there are no immortals to battle,
 +the yugoloths simply spread despair; an oinoloth may spread
 +plague through a fragment of the Material Plane, then spend
 +a year watching the result.
 +Some yugoloths are gardeners, but what they cultivate are
 +shadows. By shaping a mortal’s shadow, a fiend can fill that
 +mortal with despair or drive them down dark paths. When
 +the associated mortal eventually dies, the yugoloth can refine
 +that shadow into quintessence; this substance is crafted by
 +yugoloth artists and artisans into tools and weapons that
 +can cause death and despair, should they make their way to
 +the mortal world. While most gardeners work with shadows,
 +some go into the fragments of the Hinterlands to directly
 +torment the hostages in slow and subtle ways. Other yugoloths
 +are philosophers and oracles who contemplate the nature of
 +entropy and the way in which all things will end. And some
 +serve menial roles in the Amaranthine City.
 +The yugoloths make up the majority of the immortals of
 +Mabar, but there are others. Mabaran incubi and succubi
 +embody emotional pain and loss. Some prey on hostages in
 +fragments, while others live alongside the yugoloths and ply
 +their wiles on them; the suffering of a fiend is just as satisfying
 +to them as that of a mortal. Other incubi and succubi are
 +gardeners, and some believe that these can drain the love from
 +a mortal heart by bleeding it from their shadow. There are also
 +immortals from other fragments that have been transformed—
 +angels and devils reshaped by the Endless Night.
 +Undead
 +Mabar is the origin of most undead. Sentient undead are
 +created when a dying creature’s soul is bound to Mabar
 +instead of passing to Dolurrh. The energy of Mabar sustains
 +the creature—be it wraith, mummy, or vampire—while the
 +creature serves as a conduit to the Endless Night. This is
 +why many undead directly consume the life force of other
 +creatures. Even those who don’t do so directly may drain life
 +from the world simply by existing; this is why plants are often
 +withered in areas frequented by the undead. Likewise, this
 +connection to Mabar has a corrupting effect that pulls most
 +intelligent undead toward evil alignments. Even people who
 +were good in life find that Mabar erodes their empathy and
 +compassion; it’s a struggle to maintain your humanity when
 +your existence is bound to the Endless Night.
 +There are also many undead in Mabar itself. Many of these
 +are merely symbolic manifestations of Mabar, not actually
 +the remains of mortal beings; the endless skeletal armies
 +of the Bone King are manifestations and the Bone King
 +himself was likely never mortal. Specters and wraiths are
 +especially powerful shadows; some are the work of gardeners,
 +while others emerge from the pure darkness of Mabar. The
 +more desolate planes, like the Obsidian Desert, are ruled by
 +nightwalkers, powerful conduits of negative energy; they often
 +attack fragments, feeding on the energy of the fragment and
 +accelerating its assimilation.
 +Beyond this, the souls of sentient undead are bound to
 +Mabar. When a vampire, mummy, lich, or similar creature
 +is physically destroyed, it doesn’t get the release of Dolurrh;
 +instead, the soul becomes a wraith in Mabar, forever driven
 +by the hunger of the Endless Night. Most are driven mad by
 +this process, but perhaps the adventurers might once again
 +encounter a vampire they previously killed, now a spectral
 +lord in the Endless Night.
 +The Dark Powers
 +The mightiest and most malevolent beings in Mabar are
 +known as the Dark Powers. Each embodies a particular
 +aspect of Mabar and rules a domain of linked layers. Some
 +have been part of Mabar since the beginning of time, while
 +others have risen from the fragments consumed by the
 +Endless Night. Most of the Dark Powers are equivalent in
 +power to archfey or archfiends, though they’re even stronger
 +in the layer they’re bound to, their seat of power. However,
 +they have a limited ability to act beyond Mabar, and can
 +only affect the Material Plane through warlocks or undead
 +servants. Three of the Dark Powers that are known on
 +Eberron are described later in this section, but there are
 +many more in the shadows.
 +Hostages
 +The fragments in the Hinterlands hold all the creatures that
 +dwelled in each before they were captured. When a mortal dies
 +there, they return as a shadow or undead. Immortals are bound
 +to their fragment; they can’t leave it, and if they die, they’re
 +reborn there. So creatures from any plane could be found here,
 +including the Material Plane. A chunk of Risia might hold frost
 +giants. A fragment of the Endless Ocean might have a pod of
 +merfolk. But the longer they remain in Mabar, the more the plane
 +corrupts the fragment and the creatures in it, until they become
 +shadows, undead, or something worse. A mortal creature that
 +lives through this process may have all the light drained from its
 +soul or be consumed by despair. While it might retain its original
 +appearance, it should be considered an aberration; in the end,
 +it will seek to spread misery and extinguish both light and life.
 +
 +Layers
 +It’s always night in Mabar, and its shadowy moon, Sypheros,
 +remains fixed in the sky. While the setting varies across
 +its countless layers—a desert, a ruined city, the withered
 +remains of fertile farmland—the story is always about loss,
 +entropy, despair, and death. A layer might contain a massive
 +battlefield filled with the intertwined bones of dragons and
 +giants. Ossuaries and catacombs. Crumbling memorials,
 +with names too faded to read. Barren orchards and dried
 +riverbeds. And tombs, from tiny unmarked crypts to the
 +death-palaces of fallen rulers, necropolises filled with traps
 +and treasures. And this being the Endless Night, some of
 +those dead rulers still dominate their domains, whether they
 +take the form of undead or simply malevolent will.
 +Layers are linked in domains, and each one is bound to one
 +of the Dark Powers. The denizens of the layers and the overall
 +themes reflect the influence of that Dark Power, so layers in
 +the Kingdom of Bones are largely inhabited by undead, while
 +yugoloths dwell in layers bound to the Amaranthine City.
 +Some layers are bounded by physical barriers, but most either
 +loop back on themselves or end in walls of fog—not unlike the
 +dead-gray mists of the Mournland—and any who wander into
 +the mists reemerge elsewhere in the layer. Within domains,
 +layers are often connected by physical portals—perhaps a
 +massive gate or a pool of shadows. Moving between domains
 +requires plane shift or performing a ritual tied to that domain.
 +These rituals need not be magical; they’re simply secrets that
 +have to be learned. If you’re in the Kingdom of Bones and
 +you want to get to the domain of the Queen of All Tears, the
 +answer is simple: All you have to do is sincerely cry, and your
 +tears will take you there.
 +Here are three examples of Mabar’s domains, each of
 +which could hold many layers.
 +The Amaranthine City
 +The Amaranthine City is widely seen as the heart of Mabar.
 +Experienced planar travelers may find it familiar, for it’s a
 +dark reflection of the Amaranthine City of Irian. Irian shows
 +the city in its first days of glory: prosperous, clean, full of joy
 +and life. The Amaranthine City of Mabar is a haunted shadow
 +of this glory. Like its counterpart, this immense metropolis
 +fills an entire layer, but here, its banners are faded and torn,
 +walls are cracked, and fountains are dry. Shadows still move
 +through the streets, a miserable reminder of the crowds
 +that once filled the city. The rotting tapestries and chipped
 +mosaics speak of a past age of wonders and glory. The two
 +are unmistakably the same city, both in architectural style and
 +the layout of its streets. This feels like the last days of a grand
 +empire, an image of decaying grandeur; but there’s great
 +power beneath the tragic façade. The walls may be cracked,
 +but they are still mighty, and the mezzoloth’s rusty trident
 +can kill you as easily as a polished one.
 +The city’s ruler, the Empress of Shadows, is the first and
 +greatest of the Dark Powers. Her defining principle is hunger,
 +the desire to consume all that is light, to expand her empire
 +across eternity. She prefers an elegant fiendish form, with
 +polished horns and chitin plates engraved with arcane sigils,
 +but she can take the shape of any yugoloth. She spends much
 +of her time presiding over the decaying pomp and grandeur of
 +the Amaranthine City, but also closely monitors the campaigns
 +in the Hinterlands and occasionally takes time to torment
 +her hostages. The sages of Syrania believe that the Empress
 +of Shadows chooses which fragments of other planes will be
 +pulled into Mabar, and planar emissaries sometimes dwell in
 +the Amaranthine City seeking to negotiate with her.
 +This city is the seat of the yugoloths; for every yugoloth in
 +the Amaranthine City of Mabar, there is an angel in the city in
 +Irian, all the way up to the Dawn Empress and the Empress
 +of Shadows. Most likely, this is just a way of reflecting the
 +planes’ core concepts—beginnings and endings, hope and
 +despair. But it’s possible that Irian and Mabar are somehow the
 +same—perhaps the Dawn Empress is the Empress of Shadows,
 +and though they appear to exist at the same time, they reflect
 +the beginning and end of the same spirit.
 +The layers tied to the Amaranthine City reflect its theme
 +of imperial ambition and decaying power. Some embody
 +desperation—a collapsing fortress awaiting an assault that will
 +surely destroy it, or an abandoned sanitarium whose inmates are
 +trapped and starving. These regions are inhabited by shadows,
 +but the fiendish gardeners can instill near-sentience into them
 +if it serves their purposes. Fragments claimed by the Empress
 +of Shadows are drawn into her empire, and usually acquire a
 +yugoloth outpost even as the life is drained from the region.
 +The Kingdom of Bones
 +Where the domain of the Amaranthine City feels like an empire
 +in its last days, the Kingdom of Bones is one that’s already
 +fallen. If a layer contains a fortress, it’s not preparing for a
 +final battle; it’s what remained after the battle. The gates are
 +shattered, and bloodstains and broken weapons are scattered
 +across the floors. The people of this domain fought a dreadful
 +war and lost . . . but this being Mabar, their bones remain. The
 +skeletons of peasants continue their menial labors, seemingly
 +oblivious to the futility of their actions. Even in death, these
 +commoners are oppressed by their cruel lords. Wights,
 +deathlocks, and vampire spawn might serve as the soldiers of
 +the tyrants, while the overlords themselves may be vampires or
 +mummy lords, still ruling from their ruined keeps.
 +All of the kingdom’s cursed nobles bow before the Bone King,
 +who embodies the concepts of death and decay. A lich in rotting
 +finery, he stands as a warning that even the mightiest lords
 +eventually become dust and bone. He prefers to drain the life
 +slowly from fragments he claims; he wants his hostages to dwell
 +on their coming death while their land withers around them, for
 +lords to turn on their people before he finally kills them all.
 +The Bone King’s statistics could be represented using Orcus
 +as a foundation. He can serve as an Undying patron for warlocks,
 +and is known to teach mortal wizards the foul rituals that allow
 +ascension to lichdom. To all who serve him in this way, he grants
 +titles in his kingdom—and the knowledge that when they die,
 +they’ll be forever bound to serve in it. He makes few demands of
 +these servants; they feed him whenever they use the powers he
 +grants to slay the living. But a warlock may be tasked to destroy
 +a lich or vampire—or even another warlock—because the Bone
 +King desires them to serve in his kingdom.
 +The Last Desert
 +A desert of black sand under a starless sky—this is one of
 +Mabar’s iconic images. In the Last Desert, there are remnants
 +of glorious monuments: the half-buried head of a grand statue,
 +its eye cracked; a fragment of a memorial wall, engraved
 +with names that can no longer be read; ruins so worn that it’s
 +impossible to guess what purpose the building once served.
 +Characters proficient in History and Arcana can recognize
 +that these monuments are drawn from dramatically different
 +cultures; some are the work of celestials, while others might
 +have been created by the giants of Xen’drik.
 +At the center lies a massive tomb-palace. Its style suggests
 +the architecture of Aerenal, but it’s grander than even the City of
 +the Dead. This is the fortress of the Queen of All Tears, the Dark
 +Power of this domain. The Queen is an embodiment of misery,
 +and her subjects are largely incorporeal undead, shadows and
 +wraiths from the barren sand. Meanwhile, cruel specters and
 +banshees attend the Queen, along with succubi and incubi who
 +bask in the delicious misery that suffuses the region. The Queen
 +herself takes the form of a mummified corpse, enshrouded by a
 +spectral image of a beautiful elf woman. The suffering of others
 +is her mead, and her only pleasure is the slow torment of the
 +hostages in her Hinterland fragments.
 +The Queen of All Tears is one of the youngest of the Dark
 +Powers. She was once a mortal who dreamed of mastering life
 +and death, but her pursuit of these goals resulted in the deaths
 +of everyone she ever loved and everyone who shared her blood.
 +Her kingdom was razed, and she killed her own daughter
 +and transformed her into a lich, so at least one piece of her
 +legacy might survive. Her name was Minara Vol, and she was
 +the mother of Erandis Vol. In the process of becoming a Dark
 +Power, she’s lost much of her own identity and sense of her
 +past. She despises both elves and dragons, but has forgotten
 +even her own daughter. If the Queen were to somehow regain
 +her memories, she might seek to strike at the Undying Court
 +and Argonnessen, or to aid Erandis—or it may be that she
 +continues to dwell in her despair and ignore her past.
 +The Queen’s layers are largely desolate and miserable,
 +filled with wailing wraiths and banshees. One is a battlefield
 +plucked from Aerenal, where the bones of elves and dragons
 +lie intertwined; this may hold the key to discovering her past.
 +The Hinterlands
 +The Hinterlands are the outer edge of Mabar, the collection
 +of planar fragments that are currently being consumed and
 +integrated into the Endless Night. Here, the Hunger of Mabar
 +property has not yet taken hold, which generally makes
 +them safer to visit than other layers of Mabar. The Mabaran
 +properties a fragment reflects vary depending on its nature
 +and how close it is to complete integration with Mabar.
 +There can be infinite variety in the fragments within the
 +Hinterlands. This largely depends on what plane a fragment
 +is from. Is it a verdant forest of Lamannia? A floating tower
 +of Syrania? Or is it a piece of the Material Plane—a fortress
 +plucked out of the Last War or a Riedran village? The second
 +question is how long the fragment has been under siege. To
 +what degree does it retain its original flavor, and how much
 +has the influence of Mabar overtaken it? The final question is which of the Dark Powers has claimed it—and why? What is it about this region that draws it toward a Dark Power’s domain? The Empress of Shadows looks for places that shine too brightly—places that bask in their achievements, sure their glory will never fade. The Bone King claims fragments where commoners suffer or where rulers turn to tyranny; there are a few Karrnathi fragments in his domain, though it can be hard to tell how close they are to being subsumed. The Queen of All Tears seeks the places where terrible tragedies have occurred, forcing the inhabitants to forever dwell in these moments of misery. With fragments of the outer planes, it’s more a question of reshaping the plane to fit these stories. By contrast, when it comes to the Material Plane, it’s the story itself that often draws the dire hand of Mabar.
 +Planar Manifestations
 +Here are a few ways Mabar can influence the Material Plane.
 +Manifest Zones
 +Mabaran manifest zones are infamous and almost universally shunned, for nearly all are harmful to the flora and fauna of the region. In some zones, life withers and dies. In others, it’s twisted in strange ways; plants may seek the blood of living creatures, or grow unnaturally pale and cold. Rot and decay are often accelerated, and disease can thrive. However, such regions are also often powerful sources of negative energy. Mabaran zones often possess the Necrotic Power universal property, and there are epic rituals and eldritch machines that require a Mabaran manifest zone. The Odakyr Rites that create Karrnathi undead are an example of this, and the Karrnathi city of Atur is built on a Mabaran zone. This often has a curious synergy: if the negative energy of a Mabaran manifest zone is regularly channeled into rituals or spells, it prevents that energy from spreading disease or killing vegetation. In his War and Death: A History of Karrnathi Necromancy, Jolan Hass Holan asserts that the plagues and famines Karrnath suffered early in the war were due to the Seekers who normally tended those zones being pushed out of them due to strategic concerns—which, in turn, forced Karrnath to embrace necromancy to counter the effects of those famines.
 +While Mabaran manifest zones rarely serve as gateways to the plane, they are powerful sources of negative energy and produce undead. Skeletons, zombies, and ghouls can all spontaneously rise in Mabaran manifest zones, and more powerful undead can be created under the proper circumstances.
 +Coterminous and Remote
 +On nights when Mabar is coterminous, the Necrotic Power property encompasses the entire world, and the radius of all light sources are halved. During these periods, regions of deepest darkness can serve as gateways to Mabar, releasing shadows or other foul things into the world. This primarily occurs in regions that are suffused with despair or misery, and only at night, ending as soon as dawn breaks. As a result, during coterminous periods, friends and family usually huddle together indoors, keeping the lights burning and telling cheerful tales.
 +When Mabar is remote, all creatures have resistance to necrotic damage, and undead have disadvantage on saving throws against being turned or frightened.
 +Traditionally, Mabar is coterminous for three nights in the month of Vult—the nights of the new moon closest to the winter solstice. The people of the Five Nations call this time Long Shadows. Mabar is remote less frequently, for a period of five days around the summer solstice, but only once every five years.
 +Mabaran Artifacts
 +Mabaran artifacts are formed from quintessence, the solidified energy of Mabaran shadows. This matte black substance can be used in a similar way to wood, metal, or cloth. Quintessence items are powerful conduits for necromancy and necrotic energy; a staff of withering, sword of wounding, or sword of life stealing might be made from Mabaran quintessence. Items that create undead or consume light might also be crafted from quintessence; such items drain joy and empathy from those that carry them, and those who wield such items often become cold and cruel. Yugoloth artisans can create unique items with even greater powers, but the purpose of these tools is to spread despair and misery. Some drain Hit Dice from their wielders to pay for their deadly abilities; others cause the bearer to rise as an undead creature after death.
 +The most powerful Mabaran artifacts are battleloths—yugoloths that have allowed themselves to be forged into objects to spread death and despair. These are intelligent and powerful, but drive their wielders down dark paths.
 +When plants do grow in Mabaran manifest zones, they’re often poisonous; bloodvine can produce a variety of deadly venoms. However, the elves of the Bloodsail Principality have mastered the art of gardening in Mabaran zones, and there, you can find wondrous plants that feed on shadows instead of sunlight—darkwood trees, ebon sedge grass, and more. Here, they produce spices and wines unlike any others in the world.
 +Mabaran Stories
 +Mabar inspires cruelty and despair. Its necrotic energies can be a general environmental threat or harnessed as a weapon by warlocks or necromancers. Here are some stories you might explore about this plane.
 +Fragmented Mourning. It’s unlikely that the Mourning was caused by Mabar. The effect is much larger than any fragment, the lingering strangeness doesn’t resemble Mabar, and people know it’s been destroyed, unlike with most fragments. However, it’s entirely possible that part of Cyre could have been claimed by Mabar as the Mourning unfolded—perhaps Metrol still exists in the Hinterlands of Mabar! If so, is there any chance it could be saved? Is Queen Dannel alive? Or could she have somehow been responsible, sacrificing her own people to become one of the Dark Powers herself?
 +Shadow on the Moor. While passing across a moor, the adventurers are set upon by the shadows of wolves and hawks. The following dawn, they discover that one of the characters is missing their shadow; it’s been lost in the manifest zone. Do they need to go back and find it? If so, how? If not, what does it mean that this character no longer has a shadow?
 +The Master of Shadholt. A cruel warlock holds a small village in his grip. When the adventurers defeat the villain, they make an unpleasant discovery: the village of Shadholt is in a Mabaran manifest zone, and while the warlock was a villain, his rituals also prevented the zone from spreading plagues throughout the entire region. Can the adventurers help one of the villagers take the warlock’s place, forging the pact and gaining the powers needed to contain the threat? What Dark Power must they deal with?
 +The Drifting Citadel. The adventurers are contacted by Itheriel, a scholar-angel of Syrania. The celestial seeks to recover a tome of knowledge from a library tower that was consumed by Mabar. If Itheriel goes to Mabar, they’ll be trapped there for eternity; they need the adventurers to recover the book. What isn’t Itheriel telling them about the book? Could this celestial relic have become the Book of Vile Darkness? What else can be found in the drifting tower?
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