DREAM
HOLLOW
HOLLOW
By the time the caravan comes into view, there is not much left of it; the wagons lie broken across the flat stretch of pale sand, their wheels half-buried, their canvas coverings torn loose and snapping weakly in the dry wind. Crates have been smashed open and scattered between the bodies of pack animals and guards, spilling cut lengths of Dream Cacti across the ground in wet, glistening pieces. The cactus flesh should have dried quickly beneath Hak Etme’s sun, but instead it gleams strangely, soft and luminous where it has been split, its inner pulp threaded with faint colours that seem to shift whenever they are looked at directly.
Worse, something is eating it. Worse still, is what that thing is.
The creature crouched among the wreckage is large enough to dwarf the nearest wagon, all long limbs and cracked hide, with hooked claws sunk deep into the sand as it braces itself over the ruined cargo. Dark, bark-like plates rise along its spine, broken by dry root-spurs and brittle leaflike growths that scrape together whenever it moves. Too many eyes gleam along its narrow face and shoulders, blinking out of rhythm with one another as it lowers its head into another shattered crate and tears into the cactus within. Sand pours from its mouth when it lifts its head.
For a moment, the desert around the caravan seems to bend. The ruined wagons appear closer than they are, then farther; the scattered cacti seem to lie in two places at once; the creature’s shadow stretches across the sand far larger than its body.
Welcome to the Key Quest, you have 48 hours to join.
This is a KQ intended for characters between Level 5-10, the stats will scale based on those who join, and is a 'difficult' encounter. Please give priority to those who have indicated they need a "MEDIUM KQ TO LEVEL" in the levelling-needs channel.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Worse, something is eating it. Worse still, is what that thing is.
The creature crouched among the wreckage is large enough to dwarf the nearest wagon, all long limbs and cracked hide, with hooked claws sunk deep into the sand as it braces itself over the ruined cargo. Dark, bark-like plates rise along its spine, broken by dry root-spurs and brittle leaflike growths that scrape together whenever it moves. Too many eyes gleam along its narrow face and shoulders, blinking out of rhythm with one another as it lowers its head into another shattered crate and tears into the cactus within. Sand pours from its mouth when it lifts its head.
For a moment, the desert around the caravan seems to bend. The ruined wagons appear closer than they are, then farther; the scattered cacti seem to lie in two places at once; the creature’s shadow stretches across the sand far larger than its body.
Welcome to the Key Quest, you have 48 hours to join.
This is a KQ intended for characters between Level 5-10, the stats will scale based on those who join, and is a 'difficult' encounter. Please give priority to those who have indicated they need a "MEDIUM KQ TO LEVEL" in the levelling-needs channel.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
DreamhollowAreas Found: Hak Etme — Rare The Droughtmare is a large, gaunt predator resembling a cross between a jungle cat, antelope, and stag. Its body is all long limbs, hooked claws, cracked hide, and jutting ribs that glow faintly with trapped dreamlight. Too many watchful eyes are set along its narrow face, neck, and shoulders, giving it an unnerving awareness of everything around it. Dark, bark-like plates run down its spine, interrupted by dry root-spurs and brittle leaflike growths that scrape together when it moves. Sand spills from its mouth and nostrils when it breathes, and its oversized shadow snarls and stretches in ways that do not match the position of the sun. Around it, dunes, ruins, and distant figures become unreliable, seeming closer, farther, or entirely misplaced until the Droughtmare charges from an angle that should have been impossible.
Challenge Rating: Difficult | Admin approval needed 2,215 | To Hit: +78 | Dmg: 115 Hostility: Will attack onsight/to the death Movement: Walk 50 ft.; Sprint 70 ft.; Leap 30 ft.; Mirage-Step 40 ft. SPECIAL SKILLS Mirage Distortion: The area around the Droughtmare becomes unreliable, making dunes, ruins, allies, and escape routes appear closer or farther than they truly are; Dream-Hunger: The Droughtmare feeds on fear, exhaustion, panic, and disorientation, growing more aggressive around tired or frightened prey; Impossible Angle: It can seem to cross open ground without taking the path between, appearing from heat shimmer, blowing sand, or the edge of a false image; Desert-Curdled Nightmare: Its body behaves like a nightmare forced into flesh, with movement that is too sharp, too dry, and too sudden to seem natural; No Safe Horizon: Looking away from the Droughtmare for too long risks losing track of its true position, as the desert briefly shows where it was, where it might be, or where the viewer fears it has gone |
TRAITS Cracked Hide: Its dry, bark-like hide is split by heat and desert exposure, with root-spurs and brittle leaflike growths along its back; Many-Eyed Watch: Extra eyes along its face, neck, and shoulders let it track movement from unnatural angles; Sand-Breath: Sand spills from its mouth and nostrils when it exhales, leaving a dry, choking taste in the air; Wrong Shadow: Its shadow is larger and more violent than its body, snarling, stretching, or moving before the creature itself attacks; Gaunt Frame: Its long limbs, hooked claws, and exposed glowing ribs give it a starved, predatory silhouette built for sudden pursuit ACTIONS Raking Charge: The Droughtmare launches forward in a sudden, brutal rush, striking with hooked claws and slamming its full weight into anything in its path; Mirage-Step: It vanishes into heat shimmer, blowing sand, or a false horizon before reappearing nearby from an unexpected direction; Fear Bite: Its jaws snap down with crushing force, leaving wounds that feel dry, cold, and strangely dreamlike despite the desert heat; Shadow Maul: Its oversized shadow lunges a moment before the body does, confusing prey and making the real strike harder to anticipate; Sand-Choke Roar: The Droughtmare releases a harsh, rasping roar that drives sand through the air and makes nearby creatures cough, stumble, or lose sight of one another; False Oasis: It bends the desert into a brief illusion of water, shelter, or safety, drawing prey into exposed ground before attacking; Dream-Rend: When it wounds a target, flashes of dreamlike fear, lost paths, and half-remembered jungle darkness can overwhelm their senses for several moments. |
 |
