Re: The True Nightmare

First topic message reminder :

Morbius wrote:No enemy you could possibly concieve is more powerful than the True Nightmare. Unless you present real coherent threat, it's peanuts compared to the Nightmare.

Sounds like a challenge to me!

_{(Jer wants his thread to remain on topic.)}

"I managed to find the remnants of the ancient civilization that the stories talk about. It seems people used to worship a god here years ago in numbers far greater than a simple cult following. Sadly there is little remaining so I have nothing else to tell. As soon as I entered the area the ground swallowed me whole. I felt there was something watching, waiting. It’s like there is some evil power under the ground that wanted me to suffer. As if it got some sort of empowerment from it. At least whatever it is, it doesn’t want to reveal itself to the world yet…"

Sound familiar?

Okay, the armour is really difficult to draw, because I am really lacking inspiration right about now. I'll just describe it to you.

Shadow Apprentice Mage Robes - An elegant garment, sporting knee high boots, a tunic with hood and large sleeve openings that covers the torso. A cloak which is specifically designed to cover the left shoulder and arm is sometimes worn for more senior mages. The choice of weapon is either a barbed staff or twisted thorn wand. Mages that use chemicals in their spells will also wear a gas mask that conceals most of the face, a thin, curved, red visor being their means of sight.
Worn by - Ashnor the Incubbus + Arleus Aquastone

Shadow Apprentice Archer Ensemble - Long, leather coats with buckles across the close left hand side are usually worn, tough hide spaulders and a thick scarf around the neck area. The cowl covers the mouth and also features a set of spectacles that enhance night vision and block bright sunlight. The weapon of choice is either a bloodwood longbow or an aggressor's crossbow.
Worn by - Thaelis the Scourge + Freya Dreadsaw

Shadow Apprentice Warrior Armour - Armour very similar to Nomad's except it doesn't feature a cape of scarf. The helmet very much resembles a demon's head with three horns protruding from the rear. Pretty much, any melee weapon is used. Lighter weight armour is worn by ambushers and usually carrying a blunt instrument. Variations of this armour are used by all classes of Shadow Apprentice, but mostly by warriors.
Worn by - Braxin the Vandal + General Frost (partially, he wears a standard khaki brown shirt instead of the breast plate)

Shadow Apprentice Infiltrator Outfit - The armour bears a great deal of resemblance to a Victorian style suit, with larger collar, cuffs and overcoat. Conceals a whole mannerism of hidden weapons such as flick blades in the wrists and poison darts in the cufflings. Since they don't do a great deal of hand-to-hand combat, carrying large weapons or armour isn't their style. Helmet is usually an armoured coif.
Worn by - Srechna the Treacherous and Adam Vozen (without coif)

Shadow Apprentice Summoner Clothing - Long sweeping cloak and samurai style torso modified to express chest definition. Partial plateskirt and leg armour resembling jeans worn on legs. Helmet mearly consist ofmask and a mane covering the back of the head behind it (Two long seperate lengths to indicate Demon Lord, curved spiked main to indicate Spirit Master or standard vale to indicate Necromancer). Weapons usually consist of a whip or cane.
Worn by - Yrganos the Bestial + Paige Shadowplay (without the mask)

Following the Battle of the Shadow Apprentices, the Player, Terra, Wahisietel and Sliske scout ahead, now that the Shadow Apprentices have fled. The two Mahjarrat say they detect a former presence of their own kind and wish to discover what it is. It's on they're familiar with as well. Eventually, tied onto a stake and left to rot, is Bilrach.

Already deceased, but kept from crumbling to dust by the Torn Realm, Bilrach has been tied to a stake and labled like a museum specimen. For added kicks, the Nightmare installed a little mechanism where Bilrach's corpse will look at you, cackle and grin leeringly as you approach it. In his pocket you find the last few pieces of his journal.

Here is what you find;

Year 166
I have reached the very depths, only to find that I have been played for a fool. Zamorak is not here, Zamorak was never here and part of me has been slightly aware of this for a long time. Upon entry, I was the only one to penetrate the darkness, the others died on entry or, like the human Blink, were driven to insanity before even touching the rift. The entire composition of this realm is unlike anything I've seen before. The entire concept of physics here is a cruel joke and most of what occurs does so by the governance of another presence. I am not alone here.

Year 167
Retreating from the rift has proven of ill-use. I have tried my methods of opening rifts to the co-ordinates I have acquired from those I encountered on my descent. Through my calculations I should find these worlds myself. Kal'ger, the Stalkers Abyss and the Gorajo plane; none of them exist. Or at least, they did, but the darkness of this realm I always reach out to when I try to hone in on their planes is all I find and my continued work has only made the link stronger. It only explains why all the creatures swarmed into Daemonheim and offered themselves so willingly to my cause.

Year 168
And this is where I conclude my journal. Not out of choice, but as necessity. When I look back over what I thought was my life's work, I see that in reality my descent has only been down 30 feet into the ground and that the whole torture of this expedition is the direct result of travelling through folded space. I now wait here, as the rift engulfed me and closed shut, I will find no escape.

It's here! It's found me! It wants my research, my work, to force it's way through! I cannot allow it!

And that is where the journal ends.

From what we have discovered, Bilrach has lost his sanity by the stage in which Moia reaches him, in year 168. By this stage, as is revealed in the Nightmare Begins, Bilrach is already deceased by the time Moia reaches him, his body being squeezed of everything the Nightmare can get out of it before he's no longer of any use.

The encounter with the Nightmare, and subsequent possession, killed him instantly; the Nightmare just imbues "simple reanimation" just to get the last of his memories out of him. It plants him back in Gielinor to allow Bilrach's brain to settle whilst the last of his memories bleed out.

"Here is Bilrach, fully rejuvenated as was to our intentions. The Mahjarrat's natural schizophrenia made the ideal catalyst for my thoughts to colonise his weary and war-washed brain.

By the time he reached my domain in search of his lord, he was slowly losing sanity. Yet he denied me what I so desired by yielding the information of portals that he had developed; such refusal to assist me does not go untolerated.

This cadaver stands as both a warning and as a tool. With the last few years erased and turned back inside his brain, he was oblivous to my commands and granted me complete access to his works and to a most valuable artefact that no one noticed being taken.

Look upon his now deceased body, the physical form parting from life long ago, but the last few secrets of his mind lasting well into the present. It doesn't matter what monstrosities your worlds may yield, what enemies you possess; in the end, I will kill hope where ever it appears, even in its most unlikely of forms.

Please do not touch, he's of no further value to anyone now."

Mahjarrat...Bilrach...Daemonheim...I'm missing something... Why the hell does this story take place in Daemonheim with Sliske of all people helping you!?

By the time Moia has reached Bilrach in Daemonheim, he is almost dead. He entered the Nightmare's domain and was driven insane. When he refused to give in to the mental torture, the Nightmare just simply switched off his vitals (effectively stealing the life from him), but kept his brain active.

It reanimated Bilrach, sitting within his brain, setting his memories back a few years so Bilrach would behave normally and returned to Daemonheim. This allowed the secrets Bilrach had been trying to keep away to expose themselves and the Nightmare to acquire the information in a way that not even Bilrach could notice. As far as anyone could tell, Bill was alive, if a little incoherent.

Moia tries to look into Bilrach's mind (if you choose a certain ending) and sees something purely horrible (the Nightmare). Of course, Bilrach's cadaver is being used as a vehicle for the Nightmare (it extends its mental reach, but not its power, that remains bound to the Torn Realm for the time being) and takes Moia to help co-ordinate a greater and much deadlier purpose. She has always wanted priase and now this is her time to get it...

The rift in Daemonheim is a rift to the Torn Realm.

Terra: We've allied what forces we could for this mission.

A small troupe of reinforcements join you.

Player: This is the best we could get?

Ga'al-Xox: Sorry YtHaar, we may not be supreme, but we good fighters regardless.

Kennith: Most of the main cities couldn't spare anyone, we're all that was available after the lock down.

Sir Vyvin: Can anyone explain what we are doing?

Player: I'm better off going on my own.

Terra: We cannot allow that (player), protocol insists that at least two are together for such missions. In this case, we need at least three, but I believed our success was best constituted in numbers.

Player: I'll summon Photonix then.

Photonix is summoned

Photonix: The hour is at hand, our trespassing into the Nightmare's domain begins. As a being of light, I can only enter the rift, but not penetrate the Torn Realm entirely.

Cheyenne: Whatever...

All board Photonix and enter the rift as it blasts a powerful beam into the master rift.

The heroes approach an empty space, on the path to the Oni Fortress.

Terra: This place looks ideal for an ambush.

To arms everyone!

Shadow Apprentices teleport into the field.

Paige: Did you really think it was going to be easy?

This is the Torn Realm, the domain of the Nightmare. People don't come visiting for a reason.

Player: Considering how I now know your weaknesses, I'd advise you stand back Paige!

Paige laughs

Paige: But how are you even going to get even close to me? I am joined by some of the most powerful of the Nightmare's units, even so much as breathing near me is impossible.

Cheyenne: Your apprentices are pathetic; I have seen them for the cowards they truly are.

Paige: These dregs maybe, but what about our newest, or should I say, former, addition to our legions?

At least two dozen Mahjarrat teleport into battle.

Kennith: Who are they?

Player: Mahjarrat! But how?

Syndel: This is Arzonus' little collection from the God Wars. Sealed inside containers for eons until we found the means of setting them free.

Bound to serve our ends, you surely do not stand a chance.

Terra: (whispers) I can see our chance, she's going to make a break for it, so we need a distraction.

Cheyenne: (whispers) I have just the thing.

Ga'al-Xox throws obsidian ring at Paige, who dodges and runs for the fortress; Cheyenne throws an ionic disturber into the field and the threesome run through the distraction.

This seems to be coming along well, then.

Are you near completion? Or is there still a lot to do? I'm very much curious to read the Nightmare Begins...

I just have no idea what's going on. I'm too far behind.

An awful lot needs doing.

The Nightmare gives the player monologues as they progress. It seems to harbour some kind of respect for the player, once it considers how hard they've worked.

Don't worry Han, you're not the only one

Do you have an estimated release date yet, Morb? I noticed today that the original post for this thread was 2 years ago. Have you been working on it for that long?

Yes, very big.

You know, quite frankly I agree with Slayer.

You have to be at least nearing completion since you wrote thirty pages of "teasers".

Will it be longer than Gielinor's Fiyre? (I'm to get a comparison here)

Plot wise, yes. Writing wise, not.

And how long did Fiyre take you to write, Dragon?

If I am honest, I am really far from completion.

Slayer, probably a few months of my freshman year in HS for the original quest then my sophomore and junior years for the rework but I did everything in parts and forgot about it completely for large amounts of time

*Googles what sophomore means*

Sorry, we don't have that in England. But I think I get the idea. 3 years of scarce work for original plus rework?

More or less, but yeah 3 years.

The QBD is such a bitch, I wanted to make the strongest monster! Seriously, why all these ridiculous steroid enhanced bosses?

You got beaten Morbious, as simple as that

The Nightmare Begins will, hopefully, become the first quest of its kind to feature optional adaptive difficulty. In other words, should you meet additional requirements, you can unlock harder bosses or additional challenges for more rewards. By completing certain achievements before-hand, you can choose to take on new challenges during or after the quest.

Completing "Nomad's Requiem" before starting "The Nightmare Begins" will unlock a side chapter, "Courtesy of the Black Arms". Within this story, we rediscover Nomad, who has explains that he is a former Shadow Apprentice and the machine he built was intended to empower him enough to take on an organisation that supplies the Kinshra called the Black Arms. This company is in league with the Shadow Apprentices and works on recruiting more to the dark cause through human kingdoms.

Completing "The Void Stares Back" unlocks "Between The Spaces" and shows how the Nightmare has begun to make its approach to the void between spaces so as to seize control, now that the queen has gone. Using a set of incantations and technology, the player will enter the Void so as to be able to close the portals being used to traverse this area.

Defeating Nex and the Queen Black Dragon beforehand increase the Nightmare's strength in the final battle. As the player defeats these two super villains, they become a part of their fears, allowing the Nightmare to sap from them during the time of Blood Red Moon and can harness their powers, allowing the Nightmare to use ancient magics (if Nex has been defeated) or dragon breath (if the Queen Black Dragon has been defeated). These additions to the battle are ENTIRELY optional, even at the Dominion Tower, and the player can be granted an Ancient lamp or a Draconic lamp awarding generous experience to a combat skill.

I know Morbius that you have some tough competition, but you seriously can come up with better ideas.

Why not just leave the nightmare level-less and let the player's imagination decide his true power?