Nocturne
Land of Dreams
Battlemaps set in this location
Thorolay
Thorolay is a floating mote that drifts along the coast of Avu, pouring radiant, glowing inspiration directly into the Dreaming Sea. There, these brilliant ideas flow freely into the minds of sleepers who visit, inspiring fresh visions and, in turn, birthing new mimsy.
Aphantasia
Nocturne is vibrantly chromatic, brimming with exhilaration and imagination, the forest of Aphantasia stands in stark contrast as a black and grey void. It's a barren oblivion of creativity that leeches the very color from anything that enters. This is where sleepers drift when they experience dreamless nights, or when their dreams hold little meaning or consequence. Aphantasia is not malicious like the darker realms of nightmare, yet neither is it joyful like Avu. It is a land of nothingness, a place without imagination: a forest of apple trees that never bear fruit.
Idio
Idio, the Crystal City of Nightmare, sits under the shadow of a crescent-shaped, snowy gray mountain. It serves as the home of the Nightmare Mimsy and a sanctuary for darker, more malicious beings in Noctrune, offering them a place to live without fear of reprisal. The city is built from the most resilient ideological material in the sleeping world, dreams of anxiety. This crystalline substance is nearly impenetrable and only grows stronger under attack; it can only be dismantled through observation and gradual deconstruction.
In ages past, Dream and Nightmare mimsy clashed for dominance over Nocturne. However, with the ascension of Boog, the God of Greams, a fragile unity was forged, allowing both Dream and Nightmare mimsy to pass freely between realms. While peace has held for many decades, a guarded boundary still separates the two domains, ensuring that if old tensions reignite, both sides will be ready.
Famishad
Famishad is a floating mote looming over the nightmare landscape, a jagged formation of rocks sharp as fangs. Below this ominous shadow lives a cortège of vampires, cursed to dwell eternally cut off from any human prey upon which to feed. Starving for centuries, these vampires have degenerated into frenzied, monstrous creatures with bat-like features. Now dangerously strong and almost mindless, they prey on anything that crosses their path. They are driven by an insatiable hunger for even the faintest semblance of the human essence that once sustained them.
Rrah’oam, the Sanguine Dragon, is the elemental primordial of the Sanguine Ley Line, a conduit of power that pulses with the life-force of all beings. As the guardian of the Portal of Blood, Rrah’oam exudes a deep, ancient mastery over sangromancy, the magic of essence and blood. The dragon's presence causes the air to thrum and vibrate, drawing out the latent vitality in any living thing that approaches.
Rrah’oam’s scales are deep crimson, glistening like polished garnets, and his body seems to radiate with veins of flowing red energy. His powers allow him to manipulate the essence of creatures, drawing life from the surrounding environment or gifting vitality to allies at great personal cost. His sangromantic abilities are rumored to be so potent that they blur the lines between life and death.
Rrah'oam: The Sanguine Dragon
Avu the City of Dreams
The largest City in the land of Dreams, Avu. In all of Nocturne the visions of dreamers reshape the environments but rarely do they disturb the Mimsy here. Ruled over by Queen Liii of Avu and her husband the god of madness, Boog. Together, they reign over mortal memory, creativity, and inspiration. Dreamers who visit Avu in their sleep often find themselves wandering its streets, absorbing its essence, and carrying fragments of its wonder back to the waking world. Even during the dark period of the nightmare Mimsy’s hostile takeover long ago, the flow of memory, creativity, and inspiration within Avu was safeguarded. The nightmare mimsy, while sinister, understood that these elements were essential not only for sustaining the dreams of mortals but also for generating new Mimsy for Nocturne.
Torpor
The lands of Torpor lie at the very edge of the mountain range that leads to the grand dreaming city of Avu. Torpor is largely populated by the dreams of beasts, creatures in seasonal slumber, dreaming away in their dens while food is scarce. As a result, the mimsy here take on far less civil forms than those found throughout the rest of Nocturne. They appear in bewildering, inhuman shapes, reflecting how animals might imagine humans. They fuse familiar traits such as fur and fangs with distorted versions of collars, jingling bells, and other scraps of the mimsy’s usual jester or clown likenesses. These mimsy seldom return to the city, as their duty in tending to the dreams of animals becomes more difficult when they grow too close to the dreams of men. Torpor serves as a natural boundary between the misty lands of the oni and the northern dreams of Avu. It is also where the two groups, who share dominion over the spirit lands, most often meet.
The Jolly Sphere
The Jollysphere is a whimsical pocket reality within the dreamscape, manifesting only during the annual solstice. This vibrant realm is home to Christoph the Giver, a benevolent spirit tasked with spreading gifts and joy across worlds. Spirits who have done good throughout the year find themselves drawn to the Jollysphere in their dreams, where they join Christoph in fending off the various troubles and mischief-makers intent on disrupting his holiday work.
In this realm, cozy lodges, glittering snowscapes, and towering gift-laden trees create a festive landscape alive with merriment and purpose. The spirits engage in playful tasks, sorting enchanted presents, weaving protective spells, and even embarking on small quests to ensure all is ready for the giving season. They may face challenges from creatures born of greed, envy, or doubt, but together, with Christoph’s guidance, they always succeed.
When spirits awaken from their visit to the Jollysphere, those who have upheld kindness and goodwill find a special gift waiting for them, something uniquely tied to their deepest needs or wishes.
Wing of Aarosh
The Serria mountain range forms a barrier between northern Okugai and southern Nocturne, where the oni peaks of Languor bleed into the mountains. This breathtaking landscape serves as the source of many of Okugai's oldest myths, one of which is the tale of Aarosh. Aarosh, the Griffin Queen, is said to possess eight magnificent wings and a mind so sharp that she can predict all the movements of a chess game with an opponent after hearing their first words.
Noddling peaks
The gigantic central mountains of Nocturne, the Noddling Peaks, are home to the firmest, most detailed, and most potent dreams from the waking world: those of children. A single child’s dream can sometimes spawn a hundred new mimsy to sculpt and guide it. These dreams often lack subtlety, and the mimsy who personify them represent very simple concepts. Yet they are no less powerful, in fact, the simpler a child’s dream, the more firmly it takes hold among the peaks. As children grow older, their dreams become more complex and directed, easier to categorize and weave throughout the lands of Nocturne. But a child’s dream can embody countless things at once, helping them process the endless parade of new experiences they face each day simply by being young and alive. The sheer volume of dreams, combined with the blustery, snowpacked mountain range, makes crossing generally not worth the time or effort. Most travelers in the land of dreams choose to navigate around it instead.
Lucid
Lucid is a unique realm within Nocturne. It is where those from the waking world who have chosen to abandon their former lives live eternally within the dreamscape among the mimsy. This fluid region is less substantial than most of Nocturne, sustained by the constant presence of human imagination and the esoteric powers it weaves through the fabric of the dreamrealm. In Lucid, residents and mimsy alike can inhabit forms and realities that shift with their thoughts, making it a paradise of creativity. But with so much shifting wonder, it’s easy to lose track of yourself and forget that nothing here is truly real, nor will it ever be.
Lethar
Lethar is the tranquil outskirts of dreaming, a serene realm that exists at the delicate boundary between the waking world and the depths of Nocturne. It serves as a refuge for restless souls, where weary travelers may find themselves during brief moments of sleep, whether in the midst of a nap or during fitful nights. in Lethar dreams are light and fleeting, born from the mundane and inconsequential thoughts of everyday life.
The Mimsy of Lethar embody this simplicity, mirroring the calmness and gentleness of their surroundings. These humble beings lead contented lives, tending to the needs of those who wander into their domain. They offer guidance and comfort to wayfarers, helping them navigate the transition from wakefulness to the rich, vibrant experiences that lie deeper within Nocturne.
In Lethar, time flows differently, allowing travelers to rest and recharge as long as they prefer, losing no time at all from their overall dream, offering ample time before delving further into the more chaotic realms of dreams.
The Oaks of Nod
The Oaks of Nod form a formidable barrier south of Coma, serving as the crucial boundary between the whimsical realms of Nocturne and the sinister grasp of the trap realm known as Coma. Towering above the landscape, these ancient oaks are gnarled and twisted, their branches stretching out like skeletal fingers. The air around the Oaks is thick with an otherworldly mix of enchantment and dread.
Under the watchful eyes of Nod, the master of Coma, these trees have been infused with dark magic. From their sprawling branches dangle dangerous dream catchers: intricate, shimmering webs designed to ensnare any mimsy who attempts to traverse the boundary between the dreaming and the eternal sleep of Coma. These dream catchers are cruel traps, woven from the very essence of nightmares. When a mimsy strays too close, the dream catchers activate, capturing Nod’s prey in a vortex of despair.
Coma
Anyone who unwittingly stumbles into Coma finds themselves under the absolute control of Nod. Many have ventured into this valley seeking solace from their troubles, only to find themselves ensnared in a nightmare from which they cannot awaken. The air is thick with a lethargy that drags at the mind and body, making it increasingly difficult for visitors to resist the allure of sleep. Those lucky enough to escape are followed by strange visions. Persistent Nightmare Mimsy that attempt to pull them back to Coma each time they fall back to sleep.
Coma is a foreboding realm known as the Land of Nod, ruled by the sinister mimsy known only as Nod. This dark territory serves as a prison for those who have fallen into a deep and unending sleep, trapped in a state of perpetual slumber. The Sky is heavy with gloom and despair. The land, shrouded under never ending mist. Nod, the mimsy who governs this domain, harbors a deep-seated animosity toward the waking world. His malevolent ambition is to ensnare as many souls as possible, slowly attempting to weave them into his tapestry of eternal sleep. The landscape of Coma is shaped with dreams that have gone awry as nightmare and dream muddy into one.
Cosh: Slumbering Titan
Long ago, the sky giants were the most powerful mages in Crudilex. Their khanate ruled the skies unchallenged until ambition led them to expand their realm beyond their control. They marched their armies from Algere into Nocturne, igniting a great war against the dreamland. This conflict culminated in the sky giants channeling their immense powers to elevate Khan Cosh from a giant into a Titan, wielding a mile-long blade of loftice. In response, the Dream bestowed unparalleled control of the realm of Coma upon the mimsy warrior, Nod. With this newfound power, Nod trapped Cosh in an eternal slumber, transforming him into a mountain and imprisoning him forever in the snowdrifts of Coma. This ended the war, but the treacherous mimsy Nod did not relinquish this power, leaving him with a dreadful mastery over the fabric of reality within his domain. A power he continues to abuse to this day thousands of years later.
Somnolence
Somnolence is the land where the oni and the mimsy share equal power over the region. The oni here are like wild spirits whose desires shape the landscape of dreams for those entering Nocturne from the waking world without sleeping. This is the place of dreams that follow an internal logic which seems impossible when awake, yet makes perfect sense within the dream itself, largely because that logic is offered by an oni.
The mimsy who live here do not wield as much power as those in the other dreaming valleys at the roots of the Noddling Peaks. They cannot reshape a dream entirely, but they can subtly alter it. The Mimsy of Somnolence call themselves the Court of the Unseen Wall. They style themselves as mimes and use their craft to gently coax both oni and dreamers into following a kind of narrative. Their goal is to weave meaning from within the nonsense and strange rules of the dream.
Languor
The land of the oni is a realm where each peak is home to an individual oni. None who enter may leave without first immersing themselves in the experience of that oni and sharing its story. The landscape shifts in response to the oni's moods; it can be serene one moment and tumultuous the next. To progress through Languor and ascend to the next peak, one must solve the oni's dilemma or learn the lesson it embodies.