I look up at the noise. 'Did that thing lie to me when it said I was trapped and if it did, what do I do with whatever is outside?' Before I could make a decision, the crappy wooden door swung open revealing not what I expected. Now I'm a demon, well technically, a Fiend Princes and a True Nightmare Demon at that! So, what I didn't expect was a human or what looked like a human. She had silky white hair, blood crimson eyes and skin that was too pale to be healthy. She was wearing a French maid uniform, black and white in color and why did she call me "My lord"?
As she opened the door and looked down at me, I notice that I was completely naked. Pale skinned with an almost noticeable blue tint to it, I was also really skinny almost an unhealthy skinny. I could see my ribs! With my skin pulled tight over my body I also noticed I had no sex, there was nothing there....
But still, as the door swung open, I jump to my feet to try and hide my crying as a thought of 'showing weakness is unacceptable' crossed my mind. Wait, why did I think that I wonder, but there's no time to think more, just to act.
"What do you want?" As I look down at the human? I was also able to hear my voice and I didn't know what I was hoping for, but my voice sounded like my normal one, maybe a bit more powerful.
"To see if my lord has finally awakened." As she spoke there was no emotion in her voice, it was a bit creepy to hear especially since she didn't show any facial expression. "As you are now awake my lord, what is your first course of action?"
I look at her, somehow keeping my face stern and passive. "Give me a minute and get me some clothes."
She gives me a bow and left with out of a word. 'I hope I didn't piss you off, but I just can't shake this feeling of showing any weakness....'
"Haaaaaaa!" I hate this, I don't know what I'm doing and this feeling making me act like I know what I'm doing isn't helping. But all I could do was to try to center myself. Almost a minute later, the human returned with an old cloak, a wide brim hat and some pants. The color of the clothes were shades of ashen grays. After she hands me my clothes, she just stands there, seemingly waiting for me to put them on. I stare at her but that doesn't seem to bother her, to the point that I couldn't stand it anymore and told her to leave.
"Of course, my lord as you wish." She bows again and leaves the tiny room with still no emotion showing.
The clothes were well fitted even though it looked old and a bit tattered, but it was something. After getting dressed I had a quick look around the small room and the only thing of interest was the throne in the windowless wooden room. The throne was made of a dark blue-gray stone with only one other detail visible, that of a carving of a person in a bubble with other people around it, their arms pointing at it.
"That must be me being trapped in wherever I am." I whisper to myself as I leave my room.
As I open the door, I was greeted by a wasteland where the land was salt white with cracks covering the ground for as far as the eye could see. By the door was human waiting, seemly for me but unlike before, she was smiling. It was nice but why is she smiling now?
She turns to me. "My lord, you are finished, it's good that I don't need to turn off my emotions when seeing you again." She says in an almost chipper tone.
I look at the human in confusion, but I decide to say nothing about it. We stand there in uncomfortable silence, or at least for me as she looked quite happy just waiting. 'Why does she have to make this so difficult for me.' I wonder. Waiting for another minute as nothing is said I finally speak, hating the fact that I had to speak first, and this is made worse by the nagging feeling in my mind to show no weakness.
"So, what are we working with." I ask, keeping my gaze straight forward.
"Well, my lord, you don't have much. Your stores of essences are almost empty and access to the material plane is restricted ,so not much my lord." Sounding no less chipper.
'Well fuck, that tell me almost nothing.' Also, what are essences and why does it matter? I think to myself. But I might be able check that with a thought and a new blue box opens, to my surprise it had useful information in it for once.
Beginner Guide for Divinity - Fiend Prince Addition
This is a basic guide to help you get started.
Let's get started with the fact that you are not a Divine Entity you are a Fiend Prince but like a Divine Entity you both use essence.
What Is Essence?
Well, essence is many things but to keep it simple it's the building blocks of reality. Which is what creatures of divinity use to affect the world around them.
How Do I Gain Essence?
For a Fiend Prince to gain essence they will have to generate or have a concept been directed at them. This can be any concept, but certain concepts can harm you. The further away from you it is, the less effective it is. Concepts closer to you will give more essence.
How Do I Use Essence?
Well, if you got to this point and don't know how to use essence then you really shouldn't be reading this.
Well at least it told me something but at the same time, not helping at all! I tried thinking of 'states' and it worked to my surprise. At least this system is easy to use, I thought.
Name: Helmer Lord of Nightmares
Race: Fiend Prince
Subrace: True Nightmare Demon
Health: N/P Mana: N/P Stamina: N/P
Essence: 300 Souls: 0
Titles: Lord of Nightmares, Emissary to the Fiend Emperor, Deal Master
Abilities: Nightmare Aura, Shapeless, Nightmare Sense and Horizon Walker
Patron Style: Gray Dreams
States: Do not apply in your realm.
Skills:
level 107 - Shadow Magic (Master)
level 105 - Sneak (Master)
level 103 - Contractor (Master)
Level 90 - Dark Magic (Adept)
Level 89 - Bargaining (Adept)
Level 86 - Dream Weaver (Adept)
Level 71 - Crafting (Adept)
Level 70 - Blood Magic (Adept)
Level 69 - Unarmed Combat (Journeyman)
Level 67 - Pierce the Veil (Journeyman)
Level 57 - Tactics (Journeyman)
Level 53 - Sense Motive (Journeyman)
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Level 49 - Self Awareness (Journeyman)
Level 47 - Life Magic (Journeyman)
Level 45 - Tracking (Journeyman)
Knowledge:
Homunculus Creation - Vessel (Innovative)
Magic Theory - Shadow (Advanced)
Portal Creation - Dreams (Advanced)
Nightmare Creation - Lesser (Simple)
Essence - Manipulation (Simple)
'Ummmm where's the spells and techniques, must be in a different menu.' It was nice to see the new knowledge added especially the homunculus creation. Also, it says knowledge, but do I have to read it and if so, how? As I picked 'Essence - Manipulation' a surge of pain spread thought my mind like a fire with fresh oil added to it. As the pain kept increasing, I could feel the knowledge of how to manipulate essence and what it is. After a bit of time, I came back to my senses with the knowledge of how to use essence, but it was painful, and I am not certain I'm willing to do it again any time soon.
As I looked around, I notice I was on the ground, and that the human was looking down at me in concern. I slowly get to my feet, waving of the help of the human.
"I'm fine, just got hit by a surprise that's all." I think over what I just learned and just how little I have plus that if I make the wrong choice with the essence then I'm going to starve in here.
As I now knew that as a Fiend Prince, I needed to use essence to stay alive, not just to affect the world. It also made me unkillable to anything that wasn't also made of essence. With how little essence I have, I will have to be careful on how I use it with and if my suspicion is correct, about my prison.
I next check why my patron style had changed and what I found was interesting as well as making my idea more plausible.
Patron Style: Gray Background
Gray Background has turned into Gray Dreams.
This is due to your evolution into a True Nightmare Demon.
Patron Style: Gray Dreams
You find it easier to contact creatures that wish to hide and find information even easier well they are sleeping.
Essence type: Fear (Nightmare)
Gifts:
Shadows Embraces: In darkness creatures will want to look away from you and find the need to leave the area that you are in if you so wish. (30 EP)
Nightmare Eye's: You can see the fears of a humanoid if they make eye contact, and they fail a Charisma save. (15 EP)
Dream Eater: You can eat the dreams of a humanoid creature, this will allow the Lord of Nightmares to make a contract with that creature, this will cost 300 MP. (1000 EP)
Call Nightmare: You can summon a creature from the Lord of Nightmares realm to help you but the cost varies on how strong the nightmare will be. (100 EP)
Custom Gift: Make a gift, cost will vary on gift. (??? EP)
Well, that definitely confirmed how little essence I have. If I had to guess the EP means essence points, nice to know. I focus on the Gray Dreams part to see if I could get more information from it, and it worked. Well sort of, I got the feeling of how to make contact, but I was missing something. And that something was most likely a way to make contact with anything outside of this place.
I guess that leave me with no option but to try and build a portal. I hope I have enough essence to do this. As I look at the human again before deciding to ask them something.
"I wish to pick your mind for a second."
"Yes, my lord?"
"When I make contact with my first mortal which one should I pick?" I start making my way inside my shack.
"Hmmm I believe you should make contact with some person who's on the run and give them a gift with a quest where they must complete it to keep the power!" She said in that almost too happy tone, as she follows me inside.
The room was still empty apart from the blue-grey stone throne so I move to it. Sitting down on the throne, I start looking over all that I now own, even if it's not much. I get ready to do something I really don't want to do but my life is on the line, so I brace myself to trigger the Portal Creation knowledge and when I did, I almost wish I didn't. The pain washed through my mind once more, that's when I realized that this is so much worse than the essence knowledge where it just put information into my head. This knowledge felt much more intrusive as it remade my thinking, how I put two and two together, how I see the world. But the pain was overwhelming like in the void and I started losing myself. After some time, and it felt much longer that last time, I came around. I don't know how long I was out. The human looked at me, a worried expression on her face.
"How long?" I say in a raspy voice, looking back at her.
"Around an hour, my lord." She notes I was not fatally damage so her happy demeanor returned.
There was one other benefit that came as a surprise and that was some knowledge about my prison. In basic terms, I could not leave but essence could leave and also come inside. As long as it's directed at someone in the prison. But I can't do much with the essence once it leaves. So, once I send it out, I can't change it but that's not as important as being able to gain essence.
As I focus on what I want, and a blue box appears.
Gate of Dreams Eye: Cost (250 EP)
This portal was created by Helmer the Lord of Nightmares to allow them to see the dreams of mortals on the material plane.
Dreams Touch: This portal will allow the user to see and to a limited degree, interact with dreams. This effect increases if you are the Lord of Nightmares and or a True Nightmare Demon. (Effects stack)
Dream Beacon: Creatures that have interacted with Gate of Dreams Eye can be marked by the user and the marked creature will be easier to fine when using the gate. The user can mark up to five creatures for free, any more will need essence to increase marked creatures. The eases of finding marked creature is increased when the Lord of Nightmares and or a True Nightmare Demon is using the gate. (Effects stack)
Lost to the Dream: When using the Gate of Deams Eye you may get lost in the dreams of other creatures and might never find your way back to your body. (Curse)
Not the most ideal but with what little I have to work with, as anything more will blow the cost out of my range. But I should be able to make the most out of this especially with Dreams Touch and the cures isn't too much of a problem as I have a feeling that my prison wouldn't let me get lost in the dreams of mortals. I will also have to keep a note, just an idea of what I wanted was good enough to give me this. It only makes me wonder what the others like my kind can do. But for now, I push other thoughts away as I select it to be made.
As I do so, I feel the essence leave me and it feels sickening, it was like throwing up but unlike feeling better afterwards, you just feel ill. But watching the essence forming was something of beauty. At first it was thousands of different colors, all different but in harmony, then it shifted from a liquid to a solid made of hundreds of different pieces as they all quickly and smoothly start building the Gate of Deams Eye like a 3D puzzle. As the last piece goes in, a ripple goes over it and it was finished. The Gate of Dreams Eyes was a circular sphere of clear glass floating in midair surrounded by three fine rings, one gold, one obsidian and the final one being make of different gemstones. The main ones being amethyst, black tourmaline and scolecite. The last main detail was what looked like stained glass floating around it in a random pattern.
"My lord may I ask a question?" The human turns her head towards me.
I pause for a second for nodding my head to her.
"Thank you, my lord but why didn't just go the breach to make contact with the mortal plane?" She asked as she turns her red eyes on me.
I look at her for a second and somehow keeping a straight face as I kick myself for not asking about it. I don't know anything as that damn feeling wouldn't let me. 'Think, think what should I tell her.... Well fuck I don't even know her name and I need to think of a lie that will sound plausible.' And where does this feeling of mistrust come from, I want to know. I wasn't like this. Then inspiration struck and it would allow me to kill two birds with one stone.
"Well, that's easy because it strengthens my connection to the mortals' dreams on the material plane and it will allow you to help me deal with the mortals when I might be preoccupied." I said and can see it in her face as she thinks it over. Just when I think she will call me out for the lie, she nods.
"That makes senses my lord, sorry for not understanding. I will be more diligent next time." She turns her sharp gaze to the Gate of Dreams Eye.
While making the gate, I was also given the knowledge of how to work it. As I put my hand out, the slowly moving rings and shards of glass start picking up speed as I feel my consciousness fall into the gate. It is hard to describe the feeling of using the Gate of Dreams Eye and even harder to understand but it felt comfortable, right, it felt like home. But I push away the unimportant thoughts and focus on my patron style where I felt at first five lines going off in the distance then more going off and more until I lost count. All of the strings were different some were brighter or dimer, others had hundreds of colors, but some only had three. They were like people, and now I knew how someone could get lost as I felt myself wanting to go off and see all of what I knew to be dreams. But I take control of myself and focused more on my patron style as some of the strings glowed even more brighter.
I followed the brightness one and I could feel that it was the one I was looking for. But in my casting, some of the lines had a strand of darkness go down them without me noticing.