The Nightward

Penned by Rachel Roth bani Bonisagus the Solitaire.

## Overview

To the best that I have been able to ascertain the Horizon Realm called The Nightward is the ongoing Twilight of a Marauder of such a brutal intensity that life itself has become anathema. There can be no doubt that this Marauder, identity unknown, is located somewhere within the realm but the pure chaos, the pure madness, of this Realm makes locating him or her impossible.

The Nightward is a Realm wherein humans and Umbrood creatures known only as Black Judges have been locked in a battle for both survival and supremacy for centuries. Tiny pockets of humanity survive here by remaining indoors constantly, as the laws of the Realm prevent the Black Judges and their horrid spawn from entering any contained structure. The Realm is one of eternal night, where at some times vile and revolting constellations rip through the blackness of the sky; and at other times only an uninterrupted black void can be seen when one turns their gaze skyward.

Humans and Umbrood are not the only denizens of the realm. There are Wraiths here as well. A very small contingency of these lose souls walks the streets or station themselves in buildings, somehow drawn into the Twilight against their will and very confused and frightened as to why they are here. As one elderly gentleman, shattered beyond repair, stated to me: "The answer is simple. This is Hell."

The Nightward appears to be an exact mirror image of the October City district of MoorePark, but a version of it where everything is falling to entropy. Buildings sag on their foundations, light-less windows are cracked and shattered. The sidewalks are pitted and overgrown with dead weeds, and strange green fungi and molds cling to every wall. It is always hot and humid, and a feeling of lingering malignancy flavors the air and brings despair.

In The Nightward, it is a crime to be a living, breathing human being.

## Residents

The Nightward is populated by three distinct indivual groups: Humans, Black Judges, and Wraiths.

**The Humans**
The human population is the smallest and most endangered of the three groups that make the Nightward home. At last count, there were 483 humans. They were represented by an elected 'Queen', Rose Anodai du Lioncourt. Queen Rose is a mystery, at the time of my finding the Nightward she had already passed away and nobody I met would discuss the subject of Her Majesty.

Queen Rose was replaced by her sister, Masha Anodai du Lioncourt. Queen Masha refuses to be addressed y title and instead goes by the monkier of Halloween. Halloween is a very strong Euthanatos whom has learned how to use the all-pervasive entropy of the Nightward as the foundational basis for her magick. A Master in Entropy and Forces both, Halloween has dedicated herself to protecting the humans under her care; a dute she takes extremely seriously.

The humans live in small clusters and always indoors, venturing out of doors only when circumstances become extremely dire.

**The Black Judges**
The Judges appear to come from a terrifying and chaotic realm within the Deep Umbra. Whether they were sucked into the Realm upon its creation or came in later of their own accord remains wholly unknown. They are, in a word, monsters.

No two Judges look alike, and their very bodies are composed to allow them to do what they do best: murder. There are some coveted in spines and spikes, others with horribly clawed hands and feet, others still with limbs that are themselves weapons. They are furtive and silent, able to blend into the shadows dominating the Realm so seamlessly that their victims are not even aware they are there until only just a brief moment before the human's demise.

The Judges make use of canine Umbrood creatures called bargheists as pets and hunters. The bargheists fairly resemble hyenas, with massive upper bodies but rear quartes that are thin and narrow. The barghiests have a singular ability to instantly detect when and where a human is out of doors and will immediately set out on the hunt, always with a Judge or two close behind.

Halloween has studied the creatures intensively, and has uncovered evidence in the form of small clay tablets that the Judges use as means of communication with each other. Halloween has translated the bizarre scribbles and shapes on the tablets and the majority of these tablets seem to discuss an enigmatic being they refer to only as *HIM*, which is either a god to their or their creator.  It's quite likely that this strange and hidden HIM is the Maurader that created the Nightward.

**Wraiths**
Wraiths comprise the final residents of The Nightward. These poor fractured and lost souls have either been dragged kicking and screaming into the Nightward or they simply find themselves here after the moment of death. Wraiths are very common, found in a large number of dwellings or roaming the streets looking for a means of escape. Interestingly enough, the Black Judges seem to be utterly incapable of detecting the ghosts and may, indeed, may be entirely unaware that the Nightward even has Wraiths.

## Magick

Within the Nightward, only the spheres of Forces and Entropy work. All oter Sphere magick immediately fails at the best of circumstances. At the worst of circumstances, using any of the other seven Spheres generates an immediate--and often spectacular looking--Paradox backlash. Mages entering the Nightward are very strongly warned to find shelter indoors immediately and to use no magick other than the Spheres of Forces or Entropy. Further warning comes for rotes or effects fueled by Prime for either of the accepted Spheres: The use of Prime WILL also generate a Paradox backlash. Only raw feats of Entropy and Forces are accepted by the mad paradigm of the Nightward.