Mare Research

Mare Research

by Pyrotechnix

Summary

According to most non-informed Dreamers, Darkmares take on two distinct roles in the Dream. The two roles are referred to as the following; Darkmare Player Killers (PKers) and others that interact with the inhabitants of Cloudsbreak, which do not attack unless provoked. This group seems to want to be able to roam the Dream freely and may in fact have conflicting views with the other group that prefers to be aggressive. In any case, when Darkmares attack certain Houses, they seem to attack the Institution itself rather than for fun, to steal, or wreck havoc. Now of course this theory does not apply to all of them, but there is some evidence to support it.

Darkmare Story

There seems to be knowledge of a grouping system within the Darkmares. Most notably an elite or leadership group that some refer to as The Circle of Darkmares. This group consists of 12 veteran Darkmares whom govern over all the other Darkmares. Although not all the names are known of these 12 Darkmare Rulers, six have been discovered and much detail will go into them later. This group generally decides what Darkmares should do, when they should do it and how. They also see over the raising of the younger Darkmares and most importantly were considered to be the personal attendants of the Mother Beast and her eggs. Some on this counsel of 12 had mastered the Arts of Chaos, which include but are not limited to Terror, Chaos Ball, Rend, Teleport, Link, Regeneration, and Chaos Transference. In addition, they are all telepathically linked to the Mother Beast who can order them about, direct them or call out to them for assistance if required.

The Circle of Darkmares, before The Nightmare Wars, had wandering Chaos Patrols, which traversed the Chaos looking for enemies. Since the Chaos was so vast and random, some of these areas were never seen by a patrol for decades or centuries. It was during one of these random times that the City of Dreams Underlight was built and able to flourish unmolested. However, as usual, all good things end and a patrol did happen by and noticed the "deformation" in the Chaos. They took their findings to the Circle of Darkmares and reported what they had found, seen and sensed. A great debate ensued as to what their next move would be and how to handle this anomaly.

The Circle sent out two members to investigate and discovered the presence of many intelligent beings within the "deformation." They also found that these beings could and were passing intrusively through into the Chaos. Those Circle members captured some of these intelligence's (consciousness) and brought them back for study. It was discovered that they could use one per Darkmare and each could be tapped for its knowledge and used for its power to take on a "deformed" body (hence Avatars and essences). Having not yet what Dreamers looked like yet, they knew that Draining them was wrong and planned to infiltrate the City and find out more about what was going with these Chaos interlopers.

When the Entropy Coalition breached the walls of the City with their research efforts, it was then that the Darkmares sent in the first group to infiltrate the City. Consisting only of Emphants, the group never returned and so the Circle tried Bogroms, Agoknights, and Shamblix. One after another was sent in but with the same results. It was later at this point that the Mother Beast decided that the weaker Mares must not return to Chaos without guidance and ordered 6 of the 12 Circle of Darkmares to go into the anomaly to investigate for themselves and report back, figuring at least one would return. They set out; each with one of the passing consciousness, with a strange sense of dread never felt before among st their kind. A feeling as if their existence were about to change forever…

Circle of Darkmares (notes on six):

1. Tehthu: Leader and head of the Circle of Darkmares, he holds the first Seat of Power (a kind of Maren hierarchy much as the Houses of Dreamers has Circle of Rulers). The eldest and most powerful of the Darkmares, he has become one of the most feared due to three factors; the use of all arts available, the high intelligence and power shown, and the use of the most feared Art in the Dream City, Dreamstrike. He has the ability to infect an opponent with a type of disease that deteriorates the target the more times it is hit. The organizational abilities and the intelligence of Tehthu, matched with his power that makes him a perfect combination of thinker and warrior. Whatever he lacks his mate, Fae-Baal, makes up for.

2. Fae-Baal: Occupies the second Seat of Power on the Circle of Darkmares. Mated to Tehthu she fills in the gaps of his leadership. Not much is known by the Dreamers of Underlight about this creature. However, some knowledge, which has passed on through means not available to most, is that she used a Chaos Art much like that learned and studied by Memnoch. She used the Art during one of her brief jaunts into the City to place a Dark Seed within a Dreamer and sometime during that Dreamers family line a thing will be born. More Maren than Dreamer and that child will either be the end of the City of Dreams or its salvation. Even Fae-Baal does not know which, such being the nature of Chaos.

3. Kruugaar: Is to have once occupied the fourth Seat of Power with the Circle of Darkmares. Not much is known as to whether he still holds that position or not. However, his rank within the grouping was fairly high and he prefers to single out a single target in combat and attack continuously until that target is defeated. He then moves onto the other attackers. Kruugaar has shown more intelligence than most Darkmares and tries to communicate with Dreamers once defeated. Once defeated, Kruugaar will try to escape to some place close and form a circle out of defeated opponents essence tokens, drawing power to regain coherence and so as to return all the sooner. He is considered one of the more persistent Mares.

4. Memnoch: Occupies the fifth Seat of Power and is known to other Mares as the learner. Memnoch learned to identify an opponent by its face and would keep returning to find and attack that opponent until a strategy could be evolved. Also, she was able to learn the Arts used against her during combat by studying the moves, words, and actions of evokes and thus has a huge arsenal from which to draw on. Memnoch also brought with her from the original trip from the Chaos into the Dream City many Chaos Arts. These Arts draw not from the mind and willpower of the creator, as the does the Dream City Arts, but rather draws energy from the pure Chaos around the outside of the City walls. These Arts can do harm to those not already infused, consisting of or born of the Chaos. She has disappeared for many months and has finally emerged sporadically from time to time now. She acts as if trying to regain power after being away from the Chaos for so long or drained of strength and energy.

5. Xegoth: Occupies the seventh Seat of Power within the Circle of Darkmares. Although powerful as any of the higher Circle members he is a bit impulsive and tends to charge into battle without preparing much ahead of time. He also tries to take everyone on at one time and that is his weakness.

6. Kirokza: Occupies the ninth Seat of Power within the Circle of Darkmares. Youngest of the Circle and yet has the power and Art mastery to have advanced already to the ninth Seat. He would have (even may have) advanced further if not for the travel and mission to the City of Dreams. Some think he holds resentment for the City's inhabitants because of this.

Darkmare Organization

Darkmares can use just about any art, these listed are their preferences, but they do vary from time to time.

Shock troops: The following Darkmares are either too young or too weak to be anything else.

Ataraxis: Scare, Para, Blind, Blast, Poison

Bulgok: Scare, Ward

Dargozax: Blast & Firestorm

Diablus: Blast, Poison, Scare, Faster Movement (will make Maren Guard very fast).

Goragar: Scare

Iravissoo:

ScareMolog: Blast, Paralyze, & Scare

Nydizaloth: Scare & Blind

Saaltak: Scare, Blind, & Deafen

Sagnath: Scare

Vashynek: Scare

Vraadurger: Scare & Curse

Maren Guard: These Darkmares, due to mastery of some arts and for their superior attacks/defenses are placed as a separate group as leaders of the Shock Troops and may be seen with one of the Shock Troops during an attack. Gobolos: Scare, Paralyze, Blast, & Faster Movement Xatoc: Blast, Curse, Deafen, Scare, & Poison Zuveri: Scare, Stagger, Paralyze, Blast, Poison, Blind, & Darkness (in the Chaos he was considered to be a veteran but now in the Dream City he must build his power reserves, which he is doing rapidly)

Shapeshifters: Occasionally, among Darkmares, a mutant is spawned. This Mare does not fit into one if their own pre-existing ranks and they are never permitted to grow too powerful. Their exact powers are unknown other than their ability to master Dream City Arts and vary them widely at each encounter. Eruzel Fraxin T'kkar

Veteran Mares: These Mares are the elite, most powerful and usually the oldest of the Darkmares. They are mostly Generals or Rulers commanding the forces of the Darkmares and answering only to the Circle of Rulers.

Erouk: Scare, Firestorm, Blind & Paralyze

Fae-Baal: (not sure about preference arts)

Foulmoth: Blind, Blend, Paralyze, Scare, Soul Evoke, & Darkness

Grudash: Firestorm, Paralyze, Scare, & Blind

Kirokza: Abjure, Blast, Curse, Poison, Paralyze, Blind, Blend, & Damage Aura

Kneash: Abjure, Shatter, Blind, Deafen, Scare, & Firestorm

Kruugaar: Abjure, Paralyze, Scare, Shatter, & Damage Aura

Memnoch: Abjure, Firestorm, Paralyze, Poison, Scare, & Damage Aura

Noginus: Darkness, Paralyze, Scare, & Blind

Tehthu: All Arts including Dreamstrike

Toleth: Scare, Abjure, Firestorm, Darkness, & Blind

Xegoth: Blend, Blind (long), Darkness, Paralyze, Scare, Stagger, & Dreamstrike (at least one time has used).

Darkmares on Whom Information Needs to be Gathered

Ataraxis: Drains Essences and is known to attack HC, PoR & OoSM.

Blaaag: Is known to attack the institution of HC.

Bron: Is known to attack the institution of GotE.

Brunox't: N/A

Ereshkigal: Is known to attack the institution of PoR.

Fraxin: Is known to talk to Dreamers and GotE.

Gobolos: Is known to attack and talk to the institution of OoSM. Is known to talk with GotE.

Hyranir: Is considered a pacifist and only attacks when necessary.

Kalgrek: N/A

Kruugaar: Is known to attack the institution of HC, UotC, PoR. GotE, & OoSM.

Landru: N/A

Manok: Is known to attack the institution of HC & UotC. Is known to talk with GotE.

Maxtra: Cared for by ex-HC member Hera, Maxtra is a young DM entering the Dream and is learning about his surroundings.

Nogimus: N/A

Saaltak: Is known to attack the institution of OoSM & GotE.

Skait: Came into being when OoSM brought Lyran Caladas (spelling?) into the Dream.

T'kkar: Is known to attack the institution of UotC, GotE, & PoR.

Tzayak: Proclaims to be the Ruler of KotES is known to attack the institution of HC & UotC. Is known to talk with GotE.

Vagga: N/A

Vron: Is known to attack the institution of GotE.

Wrotzkils: Is said to want to stop the troublesome Mares from entering the Dream.

Xatoc: Is known to attack and talk to the institution of OoSM.

Xegoth: Is known to attack the institution of OoSM.

There is rumor that the Mother Beast is disappointed with the 6 Dark Mare Rulers that she has sent into the Dream City. Therefore, it is said, that when the Threshold Caves open and when the Chaos Eclipse returns that the City will be at it is weakest. This is when the remainder of the Circle of Darkmares will enter the City to help finish what the original Mares were supposed to do. Therefore, some of the existing Mares within the City have risen up and are trying to form together to stop the DM Rulers from entering and taking over the City (is this rumor?). Will these Dark Mares from the Chaos try to imprison the Dreamers of Cloudsbreak?

Will the existing Darkmares that are trying to unite to stop the Chaos DM Rulers from entering do so for personal power, to protect the City, or for another agenda altogether? Darkmare Tzayak claims to be a Ruler of KotES, is this a sign that the Darkmares in the Dream City are getting use to the City life and are trying to live side by with its inhabitants? All of this is left unanswered and at the moment is beyond me. Maybe I will find the answers in another task or maybe they will be discovered after the coming of the Chaos Eclipse and the opening of the Caves. In any case, much is left to be uncovered.

Darkmares List

Agogthas Ataraxis Blaaagg Brunox’t Bulgok Chomper Dare Dargozax Diablus Ereshkigal Erourk Eruzel Fae-Baal Foulmoth Fraxin Fulgaroth Gikkvoth Gnurndakkisz Gobolos Gorogar Guintaz Grudash Hexx HORRON Hyranir Iravisso Kalgrek Kirokza Kneash Kriz'Pa Kruugaar Landru Manok Maxtra Memnoch Mi’Raj Molog Noginus Nydizaloth Saaltak Sagnath Shamblix Skait S'nak Tehthu Tjar'kkan T’kkar Toleth Tykoth Tzayak Tzayal Vaaga Vashnek Vraadurger Vrunox't Wrotzkils Xatoc Xegoth Zalvatore Zuveri

Being that this is a collection of every known thing on the Darkmares some of the in the chart and in the writing well be different. If you combine the abilities of the two you will know what they are capable of. It is also rumored that all Darkmares are Omni-Foci and have all of the arts to go with that. They simply do not use all they have available to them so they do not seem to be overly powerful. But I feel that if they all had shatter that they would not hang out in a room that they want out of so bad. This is something I’ll be looking in to a little more to find out but I have my doubts.

I would like to give special thanks to Silverwake, AlldaytrooperK, Those of you that have and maintain web sites with info on the Darkmares, and all those of you that put up with me asking you if you have a second to answer some questions (you know who you are [most of the dream]). Again this is a work of many dreamers as I could have never done this all by myself. Thank you all for all of your help.

Pyrotechnix of the Gathering of the Entranced