Hello, it's been a while since I've written anything. I've been playing a lot of DnD though and this campaign has been all I can really think about for a while. My group uses the setting of Somnus Domina, which was created by Logan Laidlaw. I do not own the setting, and that is also Logan's. I understand that not everyone might be familiar with the setting, so I've decided to include a small glossary at the end of each chapter with terminology I couldn't squeeze into the chapter without it being out of place. If you are interested in it as well, feel free to look up Nat19 or Project Mouthwash! The campaign, Vestiage of Ophichus is what the setting is based on and the entirety of it is up on YouTube.
This is chapter is not 1:1 with the session. I considered doing it, but 6 hours of DnD per week is hard to fit into one chapter. That being said, I hope you enjoy!
With a blast of bright light, the small being crawled through the small crevice she created in the boarded up entrance to the cave. Tall, thin ears twitched this way and that as she listened for any signs of life within. After a few moments of listening- and no citizens of the City of Steel appearing, telling her off for breaking in, the young Flooflin Seelie entered the abandoned mine.
The cracked rocks of the wall were rough from countless pickaxes and hammers that had chiseled away at them. The floor was smoother, having been worn away by the feet of the many miners that had likely used these tunnels in the past. Her leather boots made a gentle clicking sound against the ground as she entered. She ran her hand along the wall as she walked, though it wasn't that she was using it to guide her. She could see the varying shades of gray in the stones, the gentle downwards slope of the cave, and the empty sconces on the wall despite the lack of light in the tunnels. The walls, to Seelie, were surprisingly clean for being an abandoned mine. They were rough, yes, but there were no cobwebs, rubble, or anything lining them or the ground near the wall.
Despite that, she continued on, deciding to follow the right wall to avoid getting turned around while underground. Every once in a while, she'd see the image of a beautiful woman with dark hair in the corners of her vision. Most people would probably find such a recurring thing to be terrifying or at least unsettling, but to Seelie, it was reassuring. Who wouldn't be calm and confident if their closest friend was always there?
She wandered through the dark tunnels for what felt like an hour, though she was uncertain of how long it actually had been. As she made a turn deeper into the tunnel system, she heard a booming, guttural groan of what she expected to be some sort of undead. It sounded like it came from somewhere back towards where she came. Her ears twitched slightly in annoyance more than fear. She'd have to deal with that at some point but-
A vision pressed her, distracting her momentarily. She saw the very tunnels she was in, but there was a crossroads. At one of the ends was a large door that she had yet to see. At the same time, she felt a sensation of something like a gentle amusement. It wasn't unpleasant, nor was the timing of the vision particularly bad. When she came to, nothing had sneaked up on her, and she was still alone in the tunnels. Seelie pressed on, intending to find that crossroads, and maybe an answer to any of her questions.
A few feet further in, her ears twitched. Footsteps. Her eyes narrowed, and she muttered a spell under her breath, causing her nails on both her hands to lengthen and glow a sickly yellow-green. Though she had heard the moaning mere moments before, she had definitely been the first person into this mine. She didn't want trouble, but she didn't want to risk endangering herself either. This spell wouldn't threaten anyone unless they got close to her, so it was good for self defense. She stepped forward, pressing into the darkness, and ending up at the crossroad from her vision.
But it wasn't empty, like it had been in her vision. In each of the pathways, minus the large door, stood another person. In between the three of them, a pedestal with a gem illuminated the room, filling the room with a gentle green light.
Directly ahead of her, Seelie saw a young Kits'adrian woman, with long white ears, almost the same size as her own. Her hair was the same light color, which made the bright red kitscratch that wrapped around her luminous yellow eyes all the more striking. She had on a sensible travel dress, with the top part of it in white, while the skirt was a black that almost blended into the darkness behind her. Three tails fanned behind her, the fur on which was slightly raised. It seemed she was just as startled by the presence of others as she was. Sparks of magic formed at her right hand, which curiously was bandaged all the way up to her elbow. Her eyes narrowed down to Seelie, then further down to the claws she held at her side, before the Kits'adria seemed to dismiss her and turned her attention to the other person in the pathway.
The other person was a man with spiked blonde hair, and reddish brown eyes that flicked between Seelie and the other girl, as if trying to decide who he'd have to strike out at first. His breastplate seemed somewhat impractical to the Flooflin, the pauldrons were made of metal, providing ample protection over his shoulders and forearms, but at his collar, it changed to leather. Even more odd, it cut off just at his abs, fully exposing them, leaving his midriff completely bare of armor. He had baggy pants also made of leather, and metal greaves protecting his feet. It felt to her at least that his armor was covering all the wrong parts of his body. He had two swords at his waist, a rapier and a shortsword, and one of his hands was sitting on the pommel of the latter, prepared to strike out should either of the girls make a move.
"So…" The kits'adrian girl spoke, her eyes glancing between the two. Her voice was nonchalant, but bits of flame still sparked at her fingertips. She wasn't going to be the first to back down, but she didn't seem opposed to talking. Seelie could respect that. "I suppose that explains why the mine was broken into."
The man's grip relaxed on his sword, and his gaze rested on the girl who spoke first. "It seems this does. You don't happen to be here due to some strange visions, do you?"
"Straight to the point, but you are correct. I've traveled quite far to get here." Seelie said. Despite her confidence, she almost winced at her voice. Her accent was unmistakably Cu Chullian, and stood out against the Retian accents of the other two. She didn't hate her voice; it was just a reminder that she was definitely as far from home as she could possibly get. She had traveled across the continent of Cu Chullis, through the waters separating it from Retia, across a desert and through the City of Steel just to get to this mine. She was tired and homesick, but she was far from ready to turn back now.
The man opened his mouth to speak, just for that low moan that she had heard earlier to sound through the caverns. It echoed, but was so loud it sounded to be just behind Seelie. She jumped a bit, readying herself to fight as she spun around. She didn't know the two people she turned her back to, but they didn't seem like they were the type to backstab her. She hoped so at least.
A loud clicking sound echoed down the corridor, growing louder with every second. She held her claws in front of her, ready to strike, as a shape formed in the darkness. A large nose, horns… a cow trodded forth, a figure perched high on its back. The creature's dark fur blended in with the darkness of the cave, but as it came into the light of the crossroads, both its regal red trimmings and the rider on its back came into view.
The man on the cow's back had skin as dark as night, with well kept silver hair braided into a bun. Short horns crested the top of his head, decorated in silver ribbons that matched the silver earrings and ties in his hair. His pure sapphire blue eyes were alight with a certain aloofness that betrayed his elven heritage. He wore a black cloak, which did little to obscure his heavy metal armor that clanked with every step the cow took. "Hello!" He called out jovially, a smile on his face. "I didn't expect to see others down here. There was a hole in the wood blocking the entrance, but it was so small I didn't think anyone could get through it! I had to have my trusty horse, Ventriloquist, help me pull it down so that he could fit." The cow mooed in response to confirm its assistance. It's tail flicked accordingly.
His mood and the absurdity of a cow all the way down in the mine managed to break the tension between Seelie and the others. Not to mention the fact that he seemed to fully believe that the mooing cow was a horse. Seelie let the magic fade and her claws retract, while the human man crossed his arms and the sparks of flame at the kits'adrian girl's hands faded to nothing.
"I fit perfectly fine," Seelie retorted. "I made it large enough to fit myself. I wasn't expecting others to follow me."
"Well, it was in bits by the time I arrived," the other girl responded, clearly amused by the elf's choice of steed. "So I arrived sometime after the two of you." Her gaze flitted towards Seelie before she spoke again. She seemed to study her for a moment, though for what, the flooflin wasn't sure. "I came here due to visions as well. I suppose that means all four of us…?"
"Mm." The blond let out a sound. Seelie wasn't sure if it was affirmative at first, but he seemed to catch onto that, nodding quickly a moment later.
The elf's eyes lit up, and he slid off the cow, giving it a slight pat on the side after he was firmly on the ground. "I've been having those too. So… If we're here for the same reason, shouldn't we work together? My name's Niren." He offered a kind smile, looking down to Seelie. Her eyes narrowed as he crouched down to her level. "What's your name, little girl?"
Seelie's short stature wasn't normally a point that bothered her, but one thing she didn't enjoy was being treated like a child. "Stand up straight. No need to condescend to me." she realized she might've been a bit rude as he stood up and awkwardly took a step away from her. "My name's Seelie. I am fully grown… I'm just small."
The other man nodded in agreement, "Don't go judging people by their appearances, Niren. My name's Malachi. You can call me Mal… Chi.. just don't go mispronouncing it."
"Well, I suppose that means I'm last." The kits'adria offered a coy smile. "My name's Trinity," she fanned her three tails, flaunting them as they curled in the air behind her. "My mother named me for my tails. If we're going to be working together… I'd like us to discuss what we can do so that we are able to account for everyone's strengths and weaknesses. I'm fine with starting!" She reached into her bag, producing a large spellbook. "I study magic. I'm quite good at it, if I may say so," she bragged, then turned her attention towards Seelie.
"I… also cast spells." She shrugged. It wasn't inaccurate, though it also wasn't truthful. She had a few things she kept about her, a flower in her hair, jewelry she had been gifted by her family and a close acquaintance, all of which could be used to guess at what kind of spellcaster she was. She even had a tome of her own, though her friend was the one who gave her the ability to cast her spells, and added ones it thought she would like to the tome. Her patron appeared momentarily behind Trinity, offering a kind and reassuring smile. Most people found warlocks to be either manipulative or manipulated, but Seelie wasn't like that. She just wanted to help people be happy, and experience bliss everlasting once she could awaken her god, Mnemosyne. If she found that she truly could trust them, or should they find themselves in truly unavoidable danger, she was fine revealing it, but for now, she planned to be as anonymous as a Cu Chullian could be in the industrial lands of Retia.
Malachi seemed hesitant, glancing down at himself. After a moment, a resolute look crossed his face as he seemed to make an internal decision. "I'm a swordsman, though if we're being honest about strengths and weaknesses," he pulled on his lip, showing his elongated canine teeth, "I should probably let you know I'm… not exactly alive. Nor am I dead."
"A vanquis," Trinity sounded somewhat in awe. Seelie watched her gaze drift down to her bandaged arm. "If we're being that honest, then I suppose that I'm fine with letting you know that I'm part Yokai, and therefore a Hanyou." Her hand drifted to her bandaged arm, and she held it gently in her hand. It seemed to squish oddly beneath her grasp, but she didn't comment on it at all.
"Yokai?!" Niren seemed to be taken aback. "But they're all evil!"
"What did I just…" Malachi sounded exasperated, cutting himself off to let out a sigh at the child-like behavior Niren was displaying.
"Wait a second," Seelie spoke as she, Trinity, and Malachi all seemed to come to the same realization. "You're just a child, aren't you Niren?"
His face paled slightly in what Seelie realized to be a blush. "I'm… not. I'm grown! I bet I'm older than all of you!" He retreated a few steps, glancing between the three others, looking for someone who wasn't skeptical of that statement. The judging stares provided no respite for Niren whatsoever. "I'm 29… that's an adult. For most races." He muttered the last part under his breath.
Seelie shook her head, pressing her lips into something almost like a pout. She didn't seem to believe Niren one bit, but she also didn't seem to be inclined to argue it any further. Instead, her gaze drifted towards the pathway that none of them currently stood in. Her ears twitched as she tried to listen deeper inside, to try to figure out what lay before them, but the path was ominously silent.
"Well, introductions are done. We should get heading further in." Malachi took a step forward, glancing at Niren momentarily. A look Seelie couldn't quite place crossed his face. She wasn't sure if it was because he was bad at showing his emotions or if it was something else. "I'm going to take the lead, I have experience in exploring places like this. There haven't been any so far, but I think a place like this might have traps in place."
"But if there are traps, then I should be in front. I'm good at taking a hit." Niren looked down to Seelie with the same look that the others had given him.
"I didn't suggest stepping forward. I'll keep a reasonable amount of distance, but I also think it'd be better for Malachi to lead. Especially if he's a seasoned adventurer." Seelie replied.
Seelie looked up at him, feeling a bit miffed about the child worrying about her. She wasn't certain how the others had figured him out, but both her parents, Aisling and Menaeli, and herself had lived under the care of an Elven Lord named Masahiko Mizuno. Her mother and father were chefs, and still worked under the lord to this day. Seelie herself didn't understand how they could after… how that man had treated them. But her parents wanted better for her and initially tried to raise her in the path of a musician, though she only found interest in the kalimba, though she did play it quite well. Regardless, he was just over 140 years old. He was fully grown, though many other nobles considered him quite young for his station. She'd often hear rumors about that sort of thing before she left. Regardless, such a young elf worrying over her, even if he was technically 10 years her senior, left her feeling a bit confused. If anything, she should be the one making sure he had happy childhood memories to look back on.
"Fine," he muttered. "But I'm going to help him regardless. The elven boy took a few steps towards the path forward, urging the rest of the newly formed group forward. Especially if they didn't want to have the boy leading them. In response, Malachi quickly pressed ahead, leaving Seelie and Trinity to take up the rear. When they started on though, Niren's dismounted 'horse' followed behind the two of them, deciding that it should follow them without being led on by its owner. Seelie glanced at it, and saw it tilt its head slightly towards her in response. It seemed to be more intelligent than she'd given it credit for.
The large, open pathway quickly narrowed to be just a bit taller than Malachi, who was taller than Niren by just a few inches. Niren himself was just a bit taller than his cow, who was just barely making it through the cavern's thinned walls. While Seelie heard Trinity and Niren conversing about yokai, she was too busy scanning the walls and ground before her. Malachi had pointed out a few traps almost immediately, leaving the young woman on high alert. She might not be able to spot the traps the same way Malachi so naturally seemed to be able to do, but she could start to learn. Even if she still almost stepped on a few traps here and there, it was good vigilance training. In addition, it also allowed her to look around for anything interesting that might catch her eye.
As they traveled further down the corridor, the cave began to glow with the same green light of the crossroads before. Instead of being lit by a single pedestal, instead the walls were filled with hundreds of partially exposed emeralds, emanating a verdant color throughout. It seemed that whatever mining project had been down here wasn't here to harvest them. At least, that wasn't the primary goal, as just Seelie was going to discount that idea, she saw a single emerald sparkling on the ground, laying clear of any traps that Malachi had pointed out. It was hidden by the refracting light from all of the other emeralds embedded in the walls. She picked it up and slipped it into her pocket, thinking it would fetch a good price from the merchant that she had met back at the Dragging Dagger.
Seelie was unsure of how far they had traveled by the time the tunnel opened up into a large cavern. Pillars carved out of stone and etched in a language Seelie couldn't understand towered up, supporting the room and preventing any kind of collapse. A glowing green mist swirled off the walls and pillars in a waterfall-like torrent, obscuring the view of the drop offs from the raised pathways that branched off from the entrance. They zagged across the room, along what Seelie assumed were the walls, around the pillars, and straight down the center of the room to the imposing stone door that towered far above the group. Just before the door was a lamppost, though it didn't seem to be producing light.
The four adventurers branched off across the room, leaving the cow to sit in the mouth of the cave entrance they had come from. Seelie found herself comfortable at one of the pillars, content to let the others explore the current room, after all, with her inability to understand the writing, there wasn't much else she was drawn to.
She pulled a book from her bag and began composing a short letter within. I miss you mother. I hope you and father are doing well. I have reached a deep cavern within the City of Steel. Her fingers brushed over her mother's name, Aisling. It wasn't in Seelie's handwriting, though she eyed it fondly. Content, she tucked the book away before glancing around at the others in the room.
Trinity was by the door, her ears on alert as she ran her hands along the writing. It seemed she too was incapable of reading the writing on the walls, and was trying to find some kind of mechanism in the door. Malachi was staring into the emerald mist, trying to figure out where it was coming from as he started climbing the wall as if it was just the floor. The sight of it almost made Seelie queasy, until she remembered that she was stably on the ground. Niren for his part was near Trinity, inspecting the lamp. He reached inside where someone likely would've put a lamp or oil and Seelie watched him run his hand along a groove within. "It feels like we could set something in here. It's never had a flame in it before; it doesn't smell like ash or oil."
That got Malachi's attention, and he headed back towards Niren, walking along the door until he righted himself at the floor again. "It's shaped like one of the gems from the hall. Though none of them looked loose, and I don't see any mining equipment on any of us…" He glanced between the group's bags looking skeptical.
Seelie's hand instantly drifted to her pocket, feeling the smooth, cool gem there. It seemed so far fetched that she had just happened to see it, but behind Niren, she saw her patron, motioning her forward. She got up, pulling the small emerald out of her pocket. "Will this fit it? I found it while we were heading here, though I figured it'd just be some odd curio that I could keep." She held it out, allowing Malachi to take it from her.
The vanquis examined it for a moment, rotating it in his hand before setting it in the lamp. Instantly, the green color of the gem faded, replacing itself with a bright magenta light. It grew brighter than any of the green mist, expanding across the room in a blinding fashion. Every place the magenta light touched, the green light shifted to match until the entire room was awash in the purple light.
"This is… a temple of Vestias…" Trinity's face radiated pure awe as she reexamined all of the writings that she had been failing to decipher. "It's not one of the main branches, not with it being underground and abandoned like this but… This is a historical place." She reached into her bag, fishing around until she pulled out a holy symbol. Seelie recognized it as a symbol of Vestias, the very god she had just mentioned. Trinity closed her eyes, in what seemed to be prayer, which was surprising to Seelie. She hadn't exactly spoken to her, but she didn't seem to be the religious type. When she opened her eyes, a wave of the magenta light washed over Trinity, and she seemed to relax. "Yeah, definitely Vestias."
In the meantime, it seemed like Niren had made his way over to the door, pushing it open. "Did it do that a moment ago, Trinity?" He looked genuine, as if he didn't realize how offensively that was phrased.
With a slight flush, she shook her head. "It didn't budge and I'm definitely not strong enough to force it open."
Malachi shook his head, seemingly undecided on if he should intervene before they started bickering. It appeared that he decided saying, "Well the way's open now. Let's get going."
As Malachi tried to step forward into the unknown, Niren bumped into him. "One second, I'm gonna bring Ventriloquist with us so he can keep watching our rear!"
"Niren, I don't think your cow can fit in here… The pathways look too thin." He walked a decent bit across the room before Seelie could get a single word out. She looked at the thing, still stubbornly standing in the path, not even having entered the room. It mooed at Niren, as if it were agreeing with Seelie.
He looked like he was about to relent, until he realized what she had said, "That's a horse! Not a cow! I was raised by druids, you think I'd know what an animal is. Are there no warhorses in Cu Chullis?"
Seelie looked at Niren, feeling absolutely dumbfounded. There was no way he was this unintelligent. But his earnest look about the type of creature that stood behind him, pawing at the ground before crouching down on the stone- which couldn't have been comfortable, was damning evidence. She opened her mouth to argue, but realized that it would fall on deaf ears. She shook her head, turning her attention towards the path forward. Her ears twitched as she heard something faintly, like stone scraping against stone. "Something's ahead. Keep an eye out."
"On it." Malachi responded, taking point once again as the group started moving forward. Niren followed closely behind him, then Trinity, then Seelie.
Even as they walked down the new short corridor, Trinity glanced back to the large doors. "Should we close them? Never mind I don't even know if we can without locking ourselves in here." Her eyes lingered for a moment on the purple lamp that had unlocked the entire mechanism.
"I know I didn't announce I was coming here, so it should be fine," Seelie told the other girl. Trinity's form lost a bit of stiffness that Seelie hadn't noticed initially as she nodded in agreement.
The corridor behind the door was relatively short, but still looked as if it had been painstakingly carved from stone. Regardless, it seemed as though this was supposed to initially be a stairwell, but it hadn't been finished. At the far end of the hall, there was a hole in the ground with a wooden ladder in place. The purple mist fully filled the room, but it seemed to not travel down the hole, for some reason.
One by one, they traveled down, ending up in an even smaller tunnel that they could only truly fit in a single file line down. Seelie figured that if it came to it, she probably could run between the legs of the others with little issue, though she hoped that wouldn't be the case. Each step they took brought them closer to the the scraping sound, and as Malachi rounded a corner, she heard the sound pause.
"There's a strange creature," Malachi started, pulling out both of his swords. "And it doesn't look friendly."
Niren started pushing past Malachi, which caused a couple of issues, with him getting past. By the lack of sound immediately after, it seemed that he hadn't even managed to make it to whatever creature Malachi had seen.
Trinity let out a sigh before striding up to Malachi. "Hey, I'm gonna cast a spell, let me help you here." She mumbled something that Seelie couldn't quite make out, and in an instant, Malachi had disappeared from the hallway. The flooflin ran past Trinity just in time to see what was about to happen.
The turn in the hall opened up into a large room, though it was maybe half the size of the room they had just come from. It seemed to be some kind of common room, with a bar near the center of the room. Tables and chairs scattered around the room were filled with the skeletal remains of past patrons. Some still had tankards on the tables before them and were still draped in the clothes that they perished in. All kinds of shiny objects twinkled around the room, each one diverting Seelie's attention ever so slightly as she made a mental note of them.
In the center of the room was a tall creature made of metal. The creature was something not quite feline, with a beak and sharp eyes that latched onto Seelie when she entered the room. Along its lanky body the steel had been sculpted into a shape resembling feathers. She imagined that they once were sharp, but scratches along the walls and doorways seemed to be the result of it trying to squeeze its way into different rooms. It looked to have at one point been made of copper, but it had since turned a more green color, having oxidized despite being deep under the earth. And before it stood Malachi, his swords poised to strike.
It didn't seem threatened by being outnumbered, and it was easy to see why. Some of the dents in the creature's hide were clearly caused by weaponry, and a scimitar was embedded deep in its belly.
Malachi managed to take note of it, and dropped his shortsword as he swung with his rapier. He missed initially, but used the motion to slip down towards the creature's belly and swiftly removed the scimitar. He seemed to almost instantly grow used to its weight, swinging again with his rapier and slicing away at the metallic hide of the creature. He followed it up with a swing from his new scimitar, which cut cleanly through the creature. It let out a sound that was a mix between nails on a chalkboard and the screams of a wounded animal. It tried to move out of the way of the next scimitar attack, but failed horribly as the scimitar once again found purchase. It sliced off another layer of metal as he hit it once more with the rapier. Though it seemed to barely do any damage in comparison to the new weapon he'd acquired, it was just enough. The beast fell, colliding with the ground and scraping against the stone.
Just as Seelie was about to relax, Niren let out a heart wrenching cry, "Someone is coming! Ven-Ventriloquist is dead."
The flooflin's ears swiveled as she tried to listen up the ladder to no avail. Staying in the corridor wasn't any good for her well being either, so she dashed into the room, picking up a few trinkets that interested her as she did so- namely a small circlet and a pair of glasses. As she reached Niren and Malachi, she placed her hands on both of their legs. "Protect us, will you please?" She imbued them each with a bit of her magic. Neither of them had been hit by the creature, yet the magic made them stand up a bit straighter, and Niren seemed to lose a bit of his fear at the loss of his steed. She imbued them with pure Heroism, before motioning for them to walk past her.
Both of them did so, taking up stances on either side of the door. Seelie didn't immediately join them, but instead pulsed a bit of magic through the glasses she had picked up. Their magic responded in kind, filling her with a bit of knowledge about them. They'd let the wielder detect any type of magic being used around them with as much knowledge as casting a spell to detect magic would. "Trinity, you should take these. They'll help you a bit more than myself." She held them out to the other girl who took them without hesitation.
As if to help her, she watched as the kits'adria also grabbed the circlet. She felt a faint burst of magic, as it seemed as though Trinity was identifying the crown for her. "It… lets you learn spells that you might not be able to normally. And if you don't have access to all of your spells at once, it lets you recall ones you might not remember." Trinity didn't take the circlet, but Seelie didn't need it either. Her patron already helped her with doing as much. She stuffed it into her bag, intending to maybe find a place to sell it later- if she could find such a place in Retia.
As she started making her way towards the door, Trinity held out her arm, stopping the girl. Seelie looked up at her, a little perturbed, but she had already put the glasses on and was staring up at the ceiling. "Don't get any closer- it's…" She began backing up herself, "It's going to blow! Take cover!"
Seelie was the quickest to react, dashing behind the bar and tucking herself away inside of one of the cabinets. She heard two sets of footsteps. One of the boys hadn't reacted in time. Before she could peek out to figure out who, there was a loud boom as rocks and rubble flew across the room as something gave out. When things seemed to settle a bit, Seelie peeked her head out, sneezing from the dust that was now settling across the room.
The entire wall and ceiling from the first fourth of the room had fully collapsed, and Seelie saw Niren buried beneath the rubble. His head was shielded by his hands, but his face and what she could see of his skin was cut up and bruised fairly badly from the rocks. The rubble was in various sizes from smaller than her nail to larger than her head. She started making her way over to help, but Niren started pulling himself out, though he seemed a bit weak.
"Seelie," he muttered, still on the ground. "I don't think I'd be as well off as I am if you hadn't cast whatever that was on me." He muttered. He clearly wasn't alright. No one would truly be fine after part of the ceiling and an entire wall fell on them. Niren was very lucky that he had managed to protect his head and could even move after the sheer weight of the rocks that had fallen on him. Would he have died without her help?
Before Seelie could reach Niren, Malachi jogged back over, and started removing rubble from the elf's form before helping pull him up.
"I'm glad we're all fine," Trinity spoke, looking around what remained of the room, as well as the various paths out of this room the group could take now, "But I think we have bigger problems. We're stuck down here unless we find a path out. And I'm worried there might not be one."
The four looked between each other, worry painting their faces as the realization sunk in that this place could be their graves.
Glossary of Somnus Domina Terminology, Important Beings, and Locations
Edit: Cu Chullis description altered to be slightly more accurate. Also fixed spacing for mobile. Specifically dark mode.
This section is with information that I think might be important for context, but don't fit naturally into the story. This will be a mix of practical information as well as my own notes. I am still watching the source of this information and this game is still ongoing, so my knowledge isn't perfect. I will be putting terms at the end of each chapter they first appear in. If I miss anything, feel free to let me know. I will edit the chapter or add it on to the next one.
City of Steel- The capital of Greyrock located within Mount Astromis. It is populated primarily by dwarves, but plenty of other humanoids make the city their home. As its name suggests, the city is primarily constructed from metal, and is a sprawling metropolis that has expanded out from its initial location- within the mountain.
Cu Chullis- A continent separate from where the campaign is currently taking place, and Seelie's homeland. It's a land of magic and a haven for the druidic races of Somnus Domina. It is a mix between real life Gaelic and Asian influences.
Dragging Dagger- An adventuring guild with branches in almost every major city within Retia and has outposts on each continent. It allows adventurers to set up smaller guilds under it to make the traditional adventuring parties. They apply ranks to both guilds and jobs in order to keep adventurer casualties to a minimum.
Druidic Races- Humanoids who have an innate connection to magic in some way. The majority of these humanoids live on Cu Chullis, having left Retia to escape persecution. Elves, Flooflin, Goblins, and Kits'adria fall into this category.
Flooflin- A humanoid race that resides on all of Somnus Domina's continents, but was believed to originate in Cu Chullis. They resemble rabbits or bunnies, with long ears, buck teeth, fur all across their bodies and large feet that support their powerful jumping capabilities.
Greyrock- The northern region of Retia. It's a region characterized by its mountains, but what isn't mountain is desert, creating a harsh region where the major cities are the only places of relief. The area is surrounded by water on all sides, except to the south, where it is blocked off from the rest of Retia by a massive wall of mountains.
Hanyou- A humanoid race born from the union of another humanoid and a Yokai. They are not inherently evil, but they tend to more physically take after their Yokai parent.
Industrious Races- Industrious races are historically aligned with the Retian empire and its ancient values, considered to be the inheritors of their regions and/or allies of the empire. These races are thought to have originated within the continent and carry its spirit of moving forward and building a new and independent future. Ex: Humans, Gnomes, Dwarves, Birdfolk, Dragonkin and more.
Kits'adria- A humanoid race of people with fox like features. They have a boundless curiosity and a tendency to finding themselves in mischief, but for the most part tend to be good intentioned. All kits'adria have unique colorful markings along their body that are as unique as a fingerprint. These markings are known as kitscratch.
Mnemosyne- A fallen Grand Primary who intended to lock the world in an eternal sweet dream of happy a Grand Primary, she was one of the beings that originally ruled over Somnus Domina and had dominion over time. After her plan failed, she was locked away in slumber to protect the entirety of humanity.
Pale Shadow- An unintentional creation of Mnemosyne's. It seeks knowledge in order to awaken the sleeping goddess, collecting memories, but has the unfortunate side effect of also spreading disease… The Pale Shadow is Seelie's Patron.
Retia- Retia is the name of the continent that makes up the Retian empire, ruled by the Royal Family from Heaven's Jaw. It is comprised of six countries, each of which has pledged itself to serving in Retia's best interests (though their cooperation with one another is not enforced by the empire). The continent where the majority of the campaign will take place. It is considered the land of industry.
Sword Saint- A class similar to fighter and monk. The practitioner studies the path of a hero, or antihero, and turns their techniques into their own. They are heavily proficient in combat and each path is named after the hero that it embodies. Malachi is a Musashi Sword Saint.
Vanquis- Vanquis are not a race, rather they are the product of undeath gaining a conscience. They are those who suffer from various states of undeath but retain enough of their mind to persist in spite of it, acting against their base impulses.
Vestias- The goddess of magic within Somnus Domina. She also has some control over the domain of Time, having inherited it from Mnemosyne when she was sealed away in sleep. She is considered to be evil, but is still worshipped as she is a necessary evil. She keeps magic in check through the use of the Eidomantic Web.
Yokai- Within Somnus Domina, powerful souls that resist the process of death entirely and break free from it are contaminated by strange multiversal energies, resulting in them becoming yokai. Their new existence becomes dictated by the twisting knots of emotional turmoil that led them down this path.