Mad World

The Mad World, also known as the Dark World or Dark Realm (and in the case of the Darkwalkers, the Sacred Realm), is a bizarre, and terrifying realm created by Lilith. Horrifying monsters, undead and tortured souls roam this place freely. 
The only known way to reach this realm of nightmares is to be sent there by Lilith via her blackholes, or be slain by a weapon cursed with the native darkness. Alessia is also capable of opening portals into the darkness. 
Sane and innocent souls lose all sense of time and conscience, and quickly lose their minds, and end up becoming just another lost soul, forever wandering the dark realm in madness.
The dark world is in fact a twisted and nightmarish version of the Kingdom of Rodinfall, now known as The Gallows Swamp. This dimension was created when Lilith's darkness broke free of The Box of Ensi, and was so destructive and powerful it manifested itself as its own plane of reality, a shadow of the beautiful land it completely corrupted.
==Notable Denizens==
===Shadow===
All Elemental Spirits, regardless of their creation status, were imprisoned in a elemental plane of their own, and the Great Wolf Shadow is no exception. After his death, he was sent into the Shadow Zone, and will remain there for all eternity. It is both his prison and his realm, with Shadow having been described as "being at the top of the food chain there". Shadow, like all inhabbitants, has fallen to violent insanity here. 
Shadow is feared by all in this place, and is the judge jury and executioner of the Mad World. 
===Calliope===
The tiny fragment of Lilith's soul that remembered her life as Calliope lived on in this twisted realm. It has been revealed that she is trapped there, and she cannot leave, the same way Lilith cannot enter. Here she is known as the Light Witch, and holds unspeakable power. She has taken it upon herself to save any innoncents who are unfortunate enough to find themselves here. She can infuence Shadow to an extent. This part of Lilith's soul has since remerged with herself, and she has recovered all her memories, and powers, as such. 
===The Clowns of Diabolique===
The Cursed Clowns of Carniva Diabolique reside here and are among the most violent and cruel to roam the realm. It is because of their time in this realm that they have all fallen to the darkest depths of insanity. They are the twisted souls of The Tarpis Troupe.
Every time they are "slain" in the real world, they are sent back here, to await their resummoning. 
The Cursed Clowns have created a territory of their own here, a malevolent and twisted carnival located on a pier to the far west. 
With the passing of Adamar Rona, all members of the Tarpis Troupe have been at last laid to rest. The lone exception to this is Nathan, who willingly sacrificed himself to the darkness a second time in an attempt to stop The Hangman. Nathan has since gone on to become a Mad Lord himself.
===The Mad Lords===
Dark and terrifyingly powerful entities who rose to power during Lilith's first imprisonment. They would go on to attack Haven in a long campaign of horrors, with their end goal being to unleash Shadow upon the world and bring about an age of darkness.
==Notable Locations==
===The Dark Carnival===
Located in the northwestern edge of the dark world, this is the haunt of the Clowns of Diabolique. This dark and foreboding place is a twisted fairground, complete with desolate stands, abandoned tents and a large merry go round who's animals are on the hunt for blood whenever they aren't bound to the ride. Excluding them, there were no other undead who stalked the grounds, as even in madness, lost souls keep clear less they fall victim to powerful wraiths who call the carnival home. At the back end of the carnival that is on a pier over the water, there is a ornate, gothic throne surrounded by skulls where Reaper would sit. The grounds were abandoned and empty for a couple years, but have been reclaimed by Nathan, who has become the newest Mad Lord. There is now a whole host of ghouls and wraiths all dressed as clowns and jesters, who serve the newly fallen mad lord. Nathan now sits upon the throne where his dear friend once did, and the place is alight with torches for the first time since their respective saga. This is one of the few places not to have a real world counterpart.
===The Festering Hive===
Far to the south of the carnival grounds, is The Festering Hive, the domain of Mad Lord Carrion. A gnarly, aberrant woodland completely infested with undead insects. Massive hives home to endless swarms of fliers, or giant burrows containing armies of unholy bugs litter the landscape, and the buzzing made from the sheer amount of insects present can be heard for miles around. Years after the fall of the mad lords, Alessia's forces are still trying to purge this area of its festering inhabitants, as the insect swarm has gone feral without its master. Its real world counterpart is The Whistling Woods. 
===Lake Dread===
Deep to the southeast is the massive Lake Dread, home to the Mad Lord Dread. This immense body of water is several miles across, and the waters shine with an unnatural bright purple glow. There are a handful of islands scattered throughout, but none dare venture here less they become the dark titan's next meal. The lake itself is actually full of fish, who have also fallen to darkness. Curiously, given the nature of the dark world, whenever these fish "die", they simply come back at most a day later, so Dread has virtually an infinite supply of food. However, when hungry enough, he has left and rampaged nearby. The real world counterpart of this lake is Lake Serenity. 
===The Cesspools ===
In the easternmost part of the mad world can be found The Cesspools, ruled by the Mad Lord Vile. An absolutely grotesque and pestilence ridden bog littered with pools filled with a substance so foul mortals cannot even begin to comprehend them. These pools were host to disgusting worms and parasites that befouled one's body, and worse, very soul. It was also where the mass of people corrupted and enslaved by the slithering dark one gathered, turned into nothing more than mindless drones to obey his whim. In a desperate attempt to help Erykas to find a cure to the sickness infecting not only her best soldiers, but the people of Haven as well, Tara ventured into the cesspools to collect essence from the disease pools. Swarmed by the unholy beings that lurked about, Tara was forced underground beneath the pools, which was no better. Crawling her way to the portal that opened to escape, simply spending less than thirty minutes in this forsake place was enough to make the Grand Commander so ill she fell into a coma for 6 days, and was also rendered infertile. After the fall of the mad lords, Lilith herself deemed the area befouled beyond redemption, and Alessia's forces had to purge all of it with Infernal Fire, as not even White Magic could fully remove the taint. It's real world counterpart is The Moon Springs.
===The Necropolis===
A mighty unholy keep, this dark abode was erected after The Lich escaped from The Suffering, and became his seat of power within the madness. Deep within the ominous halls lies The Lich's Tomb, a massive font of power and forbidden knowledge. The twisted soul had a great host of undead at his command, and was at one point, for a couple years, one of the most powerful forces in all the dark world as well as the swamp itself. The Necropolis has no real world counterpart, intentional by design, as The Lich guards his secrets fiercely. This was something used as a bargaining chip after Lilith's soul was fully restored and she and Alessia reclaimed both domains. The Lich now serves both women, albeit loosely, in exchange for his tomb remaining hidden from everyone but himself. Nathan is currently seeking the tomb's location for unknown purposes.
=== The Pit===
Farther southeast from The Necropolis lies The Pit, the personal lair of the Mad Lord Havoc. As Havoc was one of the few mad lords to not have any underlings, this enormous hole in the ground was mostly empty. It is at least fifty feet deep, and has a lone pathway leading down into it. Whenever Havoc was defeated, he would reform here with alarming speed. This was also where he personally brought chosen victims to brutally massacre them over and over again. The final showdown with the mad lord took place here, with Alexander and Jessica fighting to rid themselves of the evil fiend once and for all. After all traces of Havoc were burned away by Shadow, this dark pit is now empty. It's real world counterpart is the Rodinfall Colosseum. 
===The Silent Woods===
In the southernmost part of the Mad World is The Silent Woods, the domain of the Mad Lord Lost. These woods are hauntingly silent, to the point where the lack of noise by itself is enough to drive souls insane. An even greater danger is the woods itself, as when one isn't looking, they are constantly changing and shifting; Someone who thinks they are keeping track of their route can turn around to find the path they were on is completely different, making traversing this dark forest almost impossible. There is a grove at the center with a pond which is where the undead woman who calls the woods home keeps her collection of lost souls whom she collects once they're good and lost in the maddening trees. It is not known what the real world counterpart of this area is.
===Town of Black Watch===
Located south of the center of the shadow zone is Black Watch, a surprisingly large town filled with undead who served the Mad Lord Abyss, lord of the town. A shock to the forces of Haven when they first approached the spooky town, souls of people were going about their business both in and around the area. However, surrounding the town were towers each containing a large, strange floating eye. These eyes belonged to Abyss, and once made aware of the incoming army, the true nature of the townsfolk was revealed as they attacked viciously and relentlessly, devouring soldiers even as their bodies were destroyed. The eyes also served as powerful defense tools, as they shot beams of black magics out. In the heart of the town, was a heavily guarded well. This well seemed to go on forever, but in reality lead to a place simply called The Dark Void. A pitch darkness of the blackest shadow, here is where Abyss himself dwelled. As the mad lord was battled, Abyss ordered his eyes on the outside to begin carving out an enormous moat all around the town, and leading away from it. This was then flooded with water, and the dark titan Dread arrived. Everything except the center of the town was then destroyed by Dread, literally eating all of it to transform the remaining piece of land into a floating island. The Haven forces barely escaped via a portal, and the lone spit of land with the well remains floating in the waters. It's real world counterpart is Queen's Light Village.
===Crystal Lake Graveyard===
In the northeastern part of the Mad World lies the Crystal Lake Graveyard, domain of the Mad Lord Doom. Located on a hill in the center of all the graves, is the infamous Crystal Lake Manor. This haunted estate was cursed even before the arrival of the undead Dragon, and its residents forced to forever relive a horrible massacre that transpired thousands of years ago. However, with the arrival of Doom, all the souls that were killed that dark night were doomed to undeath, now trapped reliving that massacre as well as being haunting shadows of their former selves. The manor itself was corrupted with the dark magics, and inanimate objects became hostile, and even the plantlife became violent and monsterous. All three stories of the house were filled with death and terror, but it was ultimately discovered that the curse that predated Doom, ended up keeping the fallen dragon dormant, and its resident lost souls, trapped in limbo, but free from his control. When the curse was broken, Doom awoke, and all denizens of the manor fell under his will. It is not known what has happened to them since his defeat. The entirity of Crystal Lake, exists as is in the real world, as the whole lake is in a constant flux between the real world and the dark one. 
===The Black Citadel ===
This evil architectual marvel, the domain of the Mad Lord Nightmare, has no set location, and instead can be found floating in the dark skies above. It would roam from place to place, but it is known Nightmare had full control of the citadel and could send it where she pleased. This ominous structure appeared as a massive fortress, with towering spires and a decrepid cathedral in the center. The painted windows within the central building showed images of horror, and terrifying beings born from the most frightning of nightmares. Across the entire area were statues, that took the form of whatever the person looking at them feared most. These statues would come to life and attack on orders of their Mistress, but otherwise remained inanimate. After Nightmare was defeated, the entire citadel exploded in a flash of purple flames and evil magic, raining destruction on the land directly below. Its real world counterpart is the Rodinfall Cathedral.
=== The Temple of Torment===
To the far north of the dark world is The Temple of Torment, home of the Mad Lord and Demon King Trauma. This unholy site of ritualistic torture and suffering was found at the center of an immense maze, a maze patrolled by the creature known as The Imp, and his pets, demonic hounds of varying sizes. The temple itself was very large, needing to be to accomodate its immense master, with its main hall being at least fifty feet high. Pools of black blood could be found outside, all of which pumped into demon adorned fountains. The temple had four spires in each corner, with secretly at their center was a portal to the demon realm itself, where Trauma summoned his legion of demon soldiers from, but himself was unable to enter. Screams of the souls tortued within echoed loudly within, and beyond its halls, a never ending symphony of torment. The maze surrounding it was a mix of various caves and forest areas. It's real world counterpart is a temple of The Lunari.
===The Black Beyond===
Next to nothing is known about this place, as its existence is only rumors. All that is known, is that this is known as the Mad World's own equivelant of the realm of the dead. This is where the Mad Lord Legion ruled, and where his infinite fallen armies reformed. Even after the fall of the mad lords, nobody knows where to find this area, with Lilith stating it might not even be a physical place.
===The Starving Bayou===
Mystery surrounds this large marsh, filled with dark spirits kept in a state of endless hunger. The reason for this is that the voodoo tribe that called this place home were actually protected against the darkness. The black cataclysm claimed their lives, but their spirits were not cursed to wander the dark world, and are free in the normal world. The monsters here can sense them, and hunger for them, but are powerless to interact with them. It's real world counterpart is The Bayou.
===The Nooses===
Located between The Festering Hive and The Necropolis, and west of the heart of the Mad World, is The Nooses, a morbid and macabre forest ruled by the first Mad Lord, The Hangman. Bodies, all living, dead, or undead, hang by the hundreds from the large trees. Each of them a prisoner of the Hangman, an eternal plaything, as well as his army. In a large clearing at the center lies a great noose, which itself is an animate golem like structure, always looking for souls to hang in its master's name. It's real world counterpart is The Great Rodinfall Forest.
===Fields of Oblivion===
The dark and twisted heart of the Mad World itself, as well as the epicenter of The Curse of Madness. From here is where the darkness was unleashed, and it is here that the maddening shadow magics is most powerful. It is difficult to tell if there is even a physical ground in this place, as the curse was so catastrophic that this area is more raw, pure shadow energy still raging as violently as the day it was released. There is virtually nothing that can survive in this place, as souls are vaporized in seconds if anything so much as steps foot in this almost sacred black site. All mad souls instinctively avoid this area at all costs, not only because of the land itself being shadow manifest, but because the Fields of Oblivion is the den of none other than Shadow himself, the only being capable of surviving there. Its real world counter part is the one and only Castle Rodinfall, and all the land around it.
Category:Place
Category:Mad