**Sentient Necrotic Mist | Veil of Memory | Binder of Divinity** --- ### ❖ Overview The **Shroud of Hexa** is not merely a magical mist—it is a sentient arcane phenomenon of unknown origin, one of the oldest necrotic forces in Solare. Though concentrated in [[Hexa Landing]] beneath Queen [[Callidora]]’s domain, the Shroud has appeared in multiple ancient sites across the world: the **Ruins of [[Gor’Karn]]**, the **Halls of the Forgotten Seers**, and even near divine ruins deep in the [[Prismatic Forest]]. The Shroud is drawn to places of intense sorrow, betrayal, or divine silence—where oaths were broken, gods abandoned mortals, or memories were erased. It may also appear in the presence of certain individuals unknowingly tied to its will: descendants of vampire royalty, failed saints, or mortals who possess divine memory fragments. --- ### ❖ Nature & Purpose The Shroud appears to feed on **memory**, **identity**, and **faith**. It may be a prison crafted by forgotten gods, or a living veil intended to protect the world from deeper truths. Some sages believe it was created to **trap a god of secrets or undeath**, and now it searches for replacements, drawing power from mortal minds and slowly unraveling the divine tapestry. Though Queen [[Callidora]] sustains it, she does not control it. The Shroud uses her as a **conduit**, amplifying its reach through her reign and castle. In return, it grants her protection and subtle boons—but never reveals its full purpose. --- ### ❖ Manifestation - **Appearance:** A thick, slow-moving fog with hues of violet, gray, and green. Often glows faintly from within. - **Phenomena:** Whispers, phantom lights, hands brushing unseen. At times, burning embers or shadowy faces flicker in and out of view. --- ### ❖ Mechanics (in any region touched by the Shroud) - **Obscured Vision:** Heavily obscured beyond 10 ft. - **Divine Spell Disruption:** Any spell of 5th level or higher cast by a divine caster requires a DC 20 spellcasting check. On failure, the spell fizzles. - **Wishbreak (Global):** _Wish_, _divine intervention_, and _true resurrection_ spells require a DC 26 spellcasting ability check. On failure, the spell fails. On a natural 1, the caster suffers 6d10 psychic damage and forgets the spell until their next long rest. - **Memory Drain:** DC 15 Wisdom save each hour or lose a memory. DC increases by 2 after each failure. At zero memory, the creature becomes a husk (see: Mist-Walker template). - **Planar Interference:** All teleportation and planar travel effects have a 50% chance of failure. Failure may instead send the target into a Shroud domain (a demiplane of memory echoes). - **Divine Lock:** Deities attempting to manifest or send avatars into an area touched by the Shroud must succeed a DC 28 Charisma check or be sealed out. --- ### ❖ [[The Mirror Veil]] When the Shroud of Hexa grows thick enough, it can **consume entire regions**, pulling them into a half-real domain known as the **Mirror Veil**—a shadowy reflection of the real world layered in sorrow and memory echoes. This alternate realm mirrors the terrain, buildings, and people of the original location, but everything is distorted by pain, fear, and unresolved grief. - **Twisted Reflections:** Inhabitants pulled into [[the Mirror Veil]] may encounter versions of themselves warped by trauma or regret. - **Memory Beasts:** Creatures formed from nightmares, half-formed memories, and divine echoes roam the Veil. These entities can cross into the real world to hunt those they are linked to emotionally or spiritually. - **Fear Cycling:** The Veil loops traumatic events from a character's life, forcing relived memory encounters unless the individual succeeds on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. Failure inflicts 3d10 psychic damage and draws the attention of a memory beast. - **Escape Is Rare:** Escaping [[the Mirror Veil]] requires either defeating a linked creature, resolving a deep personal trauma, or locating a Shroud Rift anchored to a divine object. - **Mist Overlap:** While a region is mirrored, the Shroud gains power in the real world as well—feeding on both realms simultaneously. Once a place has been consumed, the Shroud leaves a faint, lingering fog and a permanent scar upon reality. --- ### ❖ Special Traits - **Sentience:** The Shroud can subtly alter its shape and whispers. It may respond to strong will or sacrifice. - **Divine Banishment:** Once per month, the Shroud may suppress the influence of a god in its region for 1d4 days. Clerics and paladins of that deity lose access to their divine features. - **Soul Binding:** Any creature slain in the Shroud risks having its soul trapped (DC 22 Charisma save). Failing this makes resurrection impossible without a divine relic. --- ### ❖ Anchors & Spread (Updated and Expanded) The Shroud appears only where one or more of the following conditions are met: 1. A **historical betrayal** involving divine figures, royalty, or champions. 2. The **presence of a bloodline descendant** tied to vampiric or divine failure. 3. A region where **gods have gone silent** or failed to answer prayers for generations. 4. A sealed **artifact or site of divine punishment**, such as the [[Sacred Stone]] of Grushnar. 5. A location where **great evil** has occurred—such as a massacre, the betrayal of a divine oath, or the casting of a forbidden spell. These events scar the Weave and act as fertile ground for the Shroud’s anchoring. The Shroud spreads slowly—typically no more than one mile per year—unless accelerated by a magical catastrophe, ritual of severance, or the death of a divine being. Each anchor leaves behind a unique echo in the Shroud's wake, often spawning new entities tied to the trauma of the location. These creatures are shaped by the local history and serve as guardians, hunters, or tormentors. #### Notable Anchors and Manifested Creatures - **Ruins of Gor'Karn** – Anchored by an orcish genocide during a false god’s rise. - _Entity:_ **Gorehowl Revenants** – Undead berserkers who scream names of their slain kin in battle. - **The Black Spire of Caedros** – Once a monastery turned to blood magic. - _Entity:_ **Veilbind Monks** – Eyeless, silent assassins formed from broken oaths and failed enlightenment. - **Catacombs of Farlien** – Where a demigod was betrayed and drained. - _Entity:_ **Lumivores** – Pale, leech-like spirits that feed on divine light and cause spells to flicker or fail. - **Cinderwatch Hills** – Site of a mass ritual that burned innocents to empower a warlock king. - _Entity:_ **Ashbound Children** – Charred specters of lost youth, trailing smoke, who whisper to lone travelers and set fire to hope. - **The Hollow Court of Elzareth** – Where an entire royal family cannibalized itself to survive a siege. - _Entity:_ **Crownshard Wretches** – Noble-looking undead whose twisted etiquette masks horrific instincts. --- ### ❖ Story Hooks - A shrine loses its divine connection overnight; the Shroud has begun creeping in. - A captured NPC begins losing memories—revealing they carry a fragment of a forgotten god’s mind. - The Shroud expands suddenly after a high priest breaks an ancient vow. - A relic deep in the mist pulses with divine resistance, holding the last hope to cleanse a city. --- ### ❖ Related Creatures - **Mist-Walkers:** Former mortals consumed by memory loss. These ghost-like entities wander the fog, unable to recall who they were. - **The [[Shroudcaller]]:** A rumored avatar or emissary of the Shroud, appearing only when it begins to anchor permanently to a new region. --- The Shroud of Hexa is not just a hazard—it is a legend. A mystery. A force older than memory, whispering through time, waiting for a world to forget itself entirely.