User:CCRyder95/The Waking Dream: Bestiary

A list of the various new entities one will find in The Waking Dream

=Denizens of the Emerald Dream=

Heruli
The Heruli were once a simple race of no particular standing within the Dream. The spawn of the Wild God Wodan, the Heruli are tall, lean anthropoid figures with bestial traits; long claws, wolfish teeth and piercing eyes, their heads crowned by regal antlers. They are apex predators, having hunted the wild beasts of the Dream for countless years in the beautiful struggle of life and death. They themselves are hunted by the Wild Gods, so great is their skill. Attuned to the primal energies of the Dream, the Heruli are instinctively drawn to areas of great spiritual power, and when these powers reach a crescendo, the Heruli and all nearby are swept into a Wild Hunt, a crusade of tooth and claw emboldened by natural magics that tears through the primordial landscape. Inseparable to the point of symbiosis, the Heruli instinctually coordinate their hunts to maximize releases of spiritual energies, hastening the next great Wild Hunt.

However, a spiritual affliction has gripped the hearts of these once simple folk. Within the woods of Tal'Theril, The Wake has emerged, a mysterious energy that instills "mortal-like" characteristics and desires within the afflicted. The Heruli's eyes have been opened and their wisdom increased tenfold, none more-so than their most revered hunter, Gwynn. Embittered by the eons spent in primitive stagnation and wary of the both the Nightmare and Emerald Vanguard, Gwynn has rallied forth his newly-awakened brothers and sisters in a cultural and industrial revolution. They reap the bountiful lands of the Dream of stone and lumber and turn their eons of hunting experience to war, crafting a gothic empire in the shape of what they believe a nation resembles.

Unwaking
Bound in service to N'Zoth, the Unwaking are the Nightmare's common foot soldiers. As the various races of Azeroth succumb to sleep, the Nightmare's tendrils eagerly ensnare their minds as they draw close to the Emerald Dream. Twisted and bent, they become trapped in a horrific half-reality, unable to separate the real and the unreal as they are set to complete the Nightmare's grisly work within the Dream, their bodies atrophying in the waking world. Each Unwaking you meet is an individual, perhaps a close friend or family member, whose fears and doubts are being played as the Nightmare urges them to battle, each believing that they are working toward some obscure goal while their weapons cut down their loved ones. Particularly strong Unwaking have their minds devoured further, and since they believe they are still acting of their own volition, they have access to forces the Nightmare could not touch on its own; Unwaking paladins can still call upon the Holy Light, and shamans wield elemental forces with equal prowess.

Sidhe
If the Fae are Azeroth's first breath into the Emerald Dream, the Sidhe are her first, mumbled whispers. Resembling larger, more regal versions of the familiar sprites in the waking world, the Sidhe are the ruling elite of the Fae-kind, gifted with expanded minds and long-term vision. Since their inception, they have drifted effortlessly through the dreamways alongside the Green Dragonflight, tending to imperceptible spiritual flows and eddies. Most Sidhe belong to one of the four seasonal courts, goading the cycles of growth, death, and rebirth as the years go on.

After the planting of the world tree of Vordrassil, the Sidhe experienced a subtle change. Whatever grand design they were working towards, whatever instinctual task that was imprinted on them, had disappeared. In the absence of this enigmatic purpose, the Sidhe, and by extension the rest of the Fae, became lost to their whims and flights of fancy. What effects may have come from this were unknown, but perhaps the recent changes in the Dream are a direct result of this. Maybe the Sidhe could once spy tiny imperfections in the fabric of existence, and thousands of years of neglect have spread microscopic cracks through its foundation, like roots worming through stone.

In more recent times, the Sidhe have become heavily affected by the Wake, gaining mortal-like characteristics and aspirations. The Courts of Fae were once-peaceful unions, their powers waxing and waning as the seasons changed. Now, they have become decadent monarchies and fiefdoms, engaging in both hedonistic debauchery and pointless war in equal parts, waiting out the end of the world.

Anthera
The Anthera are a race of humanoid moths native to the subterranean caverns of Urs'var Barrow. Slender of body with brightly-colored wings that trail off their backs likes cloaks when not in use, the moth-folk rarely engage in contact with other races of the Emerald Dream and only briefly emerge from underground. More bizarrely, there is evidence to suggest they once possessed their own civilization; the lonely caverns underneath are filled with relics, monuments and ruins even though the Emerald Dream is supposedly unmarred by intelligent life. It appears these days are long gone, as the Antheran population has dwindled over the years to a handful, and their cities, wrapped in luxurious, purple silk, lie mostly vacant. They appear to trust each other even less than other races of the Dream, always moving in small nomadic groups until they grow too large and split off.

Whatever their origin or culture, the Anthera are strict, if zealous, worshippers of Elune. Those sworn to the goddess' priesthood are known as Lunaseers, while another group that seems vaguely akin to paladins are known as the Vespertine; martial warriors who wield righteous moonlight to deadly effect. This religious nature seems to change depending on the size of an Antheran settlement. Once a community becomes too large, it appears to lapse into what can only be described as worship of the Old Gods. Should this occur, these Vespertine paladins appear to step in and cull the population until the worship ceases.

Drev
The Drev ("Children", in their language), are the spawn of the decaying Wild Gods of old, the primordial monsters of an Azeroth long forgotten. Legends say that four Wild Gods were struck by a terrible vision of death in the infancy of the world. They sought to change life itself, hone it into a sharp point to pierce the black. Forgoing the natural cycles of rebirth, the Drev believed nature must be shaped through bleak hardship, that life must prove its right to exist. They embody the creeping poison, the dull pang of hunger, the infection in the wound and winter's solemn chill. It is said that these Wild Gods were cast out by Freya, their ties to the Dream cut. Their children, their Drev, escaped through hidden places in the Dream into the lower planes. Now, they stalk out of tangled groves and watery pools to drag the world screaming into its next, perfect form, all for the love of their "mother", Azeroth.

Leschniki
''Cairnozog took one of his discarded roots and hurled it into the waters. “The Chaff, to be cut down in droves. The million blades of grass that rise up to meet the scythe. All who seek even the smallest place in the new world will need to fight their growth.” And from the waters came the Leschniki.''

The Leschniki were the first of the Drev to be formed, grown forth like fungus from the flesh of the forgotten Wild God Cairnozog. They resemble anthropoid figures of decaying wood and vines, their bodies glowing with green, misty light and oozing rich mud. They fester like mold in the dark places of the world, great wooden masses of writhing faces, tearing from the whole in their violent births. Their forms are varied, some often having multiple heads growing from their shoulders or chest. They cloth themselves with enchanted wooden armor, hastily painted with bright gold and red pigments. They are the common folk of the Drev, carrying out the will of their forefathers.

Related to the Leschniki are the Bauk, which resemble floating masses of fused faces, gnawing at the air. These pitiful creatures are the Leschniki's primary spellcasters, calling forth maligned, natural powers against their enemies.

Beldam
''Chuuma let one oily tear drop from her eyes and suspended it in her claws. Motes of light drifted within. She let it drop into the waters. “The Plague, to strike the prideful. To remind that the most dangerous foes are those that lurk within, in deep places unknown to us. To remind that even the smallest have a chance to live and strike down the giant.” And from the waters came the Beldam.''

The Beldam were the second of the Drev, supporting the Leschniki as cabals of dark magic. Grown from microscopic pathogens by Chuuma, the Beldam are witches in every sense of the word, resembling decrepit hags with lank hair and covered in pustules. They embody the belief that overcoming disease will make one stronger, and to that end they have weaponized plague magics that twist the bodies of their enemies against them. They have more autonomy than than some of the other Drev, but are often seen supporting the Leschniki from afar.

Seven houses rose from the muck. Typhus, of fever and the false perception. Coryza, of chill and the slowed breath. Choleris, of bile and the empty stomach. Sepsis, of blood and the rot within. Tetani, of wound and the stolen strength. Malaise, of aching and the lack to live. Poxis, of boils and the screaming skin.

Nightingale
''Solovei took one rusted feather from his wings and flung it into the the waters with disdain. “The Wind, ceaseless. The constant threat of death. The still air of one’s last breath. The sense of doom and inevitable ruin that exists at the end of every path. The patient stalking of time, the greatest predator, that waits as you weaken and age and fall apart.” And from the waters came the Nightingales.''

The Nightingales were the third of the Drev. Born of the prideful and vain Solovei, the Nightingales take the form of their father, resembling ragged humanoids with skeletal, metallic wings sprouting from their backs. Wearing iron masks of great winged creatures, they take off to blight the skies. With them they carry poisoned air, and all they cast a shadow over ages. Metal rusts, stone disintegrates, all are sped forth in inevitable decline. The Nightingales are no less prideful than their patron, and believe themselves superior to the other Drev. This often causes conflict within the host, the most recent development being the preemptive attack on Arborheight.

Beasts
Being the primordial paradise that it is, the Emerald Dream will greatly expand on the number and variety of beasts within Warcraft. Many of the older beasts will get new models, as well, including rams, chimaeras, gryphons, wyverns, horses and moths/butterflies. Many varieties of creatures will get updated looks.

Cun Anun
The hunting companions of the Heruli, the Cun Anun (also called Grimms, Fae Hounds or Blink Hounds) are ethereal wolves adept at sniffing out, flushing and hamstringing their prey. They are gifted with many supernatural abilities such as invisibility, short-range teleportation and breathing cones of freezing mist. The Heruli's newfound martial pursuits have led to breeding their favored hounds as weapons of war.

Hart
The sighting of a Hart is said to be good luck amongst druids, as these beasts aren't likely to show themselves. At first glance, they appear like tall, incredibly slender deer. There heads are crowned by fragile-looking antlers that sway like tree branches in the wind. Oftentimes, large coronas of energy can be seen spilling out from their antlers, but be warned, this energy can often be put to fatal use should one attempt harm towards them.

Paradise Bird
Among the most beautiful of all the winged creatures of Arborheight. Their wings are covered in mosaics of multicolored feathers and their tails unfurl like tapestries.

Kibex
One of the more bizarre-looking creatures of the Emerald Dream, the kibex resembles a cross between a tiger and a mountain goat. Their sleek feline bodies lie close to the ground, limbs ending in cloven hooves rather than paws to suit the craggy mountains they live on. Their angular, chiseled faces are adorned with ram's horns and wispy beards, but their maws are full of sharp teeth, eager to rip flesh from tundra beasts.

Badger
Much larger than their counterparts in the waking world, these badgers are just as vicious and cunning to match fang-for-fang with the more fantastical beasts of the Emerald Dream. Sharp teeth, wicked claws and ornery attitudes are more than enough to defend their mountain burrows in Vorlassar Sierra. They are often used as mounts by their cousins, the Wolvar, and it is said that the creatures have a unique relationship with the Furbolg druids, allowing them to use their shape in battle.

Courser
Coursers are ethereal cousins of horses, blessed with great speed and grace. Roaming in herds across the temperate grasslands of the Emerald Dream, their skin shimmers in shades of blue, green and purple. Some possess more strange features such as manes like billowing clouds of smoke, flames or even expanses of stars. They are not locked to simple earthbound travel and can race through the skies without any discernible method of flight, making them valuable mounts for the Heruli hunters. They will not give up their freedom so easily, however.

Sloth
It's a mystery how these indescribably-slow mammals have managed to survive this long within such a hostile world. The best theory now is some sort of natural magic they possess to defend themselves in subtle ways. Some say it is due to the mysterious carpet of moss that grows on their backs, a possible symbiotic relationship between the two creatures.

Axolisk
The axolisk appears to be a relative of the crocolisk, but with distinctly amphibian features. They possess brightly-colored salamander skin and a mane of external gills, but their most interesting feature is their capacity for regeneration. An axolisk is able to recover from almost any wound, regenerate any limb and reconstruct any organ. They thrive in the bogs of Ivyspine Coast.

Dire Rat
Everything is larger in the Emerald Dream, and that includes the rats. Their numbers are only increasing in the aftermath of the Wake, as the newly-constructed Heruli fortresses have many nooks and crannies for them to hide in. Some may even be Waketouched themselves, awakening a sliver of cunning in their beady eyes as they pilfer valuables from their gracious hosts.

Thunder Phoenix
The tauren hold sightings of these creatures as good omens, but none have been seen in the waking world since the Third War. Bodies forged of living lightning instead of flame, these birds spread wind and rain wherever they go, thunderclaps bursting with every beat of their wings. They are welcome sights during the dry season in Mashan'she. Their feathers are potent magical items, but only the bold would hunt them.

Bagnik
The Drev believe their purpose is to improve life through hardship, and that wicked philosophy has birthed many frightful creatures. Some say their proudest creation is the bagnik, a vaguely dog-like creature of black fur and scales with beak-like maws. From their mouths and pores drools a flammable oil, which the beasts use equally well to spit and bite.

Saemnahir
The saemnahir are a species of esteemed spirit beasts, bridging the gap between the Wild Gods and the normal animals. These quadrupedal carnivores are incredibly varied in appearance, some with faces like tigers, others like tusked boars. They were gifted with incredible regenerative capacities and would claim huge swathes of the Dream when they manifested. These intelligent beings are among the only creatures who give the Heruli pause, who would often only target them with the aid of a Wild Hunt. Since their rise to power, the Heruli have become quite cunning and have realized the potential for a beast with ever-regenerating flesh. At least one has been claimed by them in the dungeons of Wakefall Bastion, chained up and butchered alive as a continuous source of meat.

Beetles/Insects
In the fantastical wilds of Arborheight, even the insects grow to massive sizes. Jeweled stag beetles root around the labyrinths of grass as honeybees amble through the air. Shieldshells use their massive forelimbs to defend frontal assaults as sinuous assassin beetles hunt with extreme lethality, unfurling many specialized combat limbs. The largest specimens are used as beasts of burden by the Sidhe. The insects of the dream are incredibly varied and numerous. (There will be many different insect models for use in the Emerald Dream).

Oweh
Similar to the saemnihir, the oweh may span the gap between ordinary animals and true Wild Gods. They are impossible to forget; hunched, skeletal quadrupeds with skin the color and texture of slate. Their heads resemble the bleached skulls of deer, mouths pulled in a wide grimace, eyes mere pinpricks of white light. Utterly vindictive, they punish those dearly who choose to hunt them, as all who consume their flesh become cursed with eternal hunger. They may eat and eat their fill but their bodies will wither to skeletal husks. Eventually, they turn to madness, devouring friends and family but never satisfying their appetite.

And more.

Scion
Scions are elementals born of the stability of the Dream, brought to life by titanic machines hidden throughout the Dream. Their purpose appears to be maintaining homeostasis within this realm, balancing elemental energies as they travel across the primal landscapes. They are found in the familiar varieties of fire, water, air and earth, but more obscure versions exist as well. Those of nature and spirit carry living energies, while others seem to transport base materials such as salt, sulfur and mercury. The Collapse has broken this balance and the scions now overcompensate to fix this, often drawing on too much energy and becoming unstable. The scions also appear to be partially to blame for the spread of noxious influences across the Dream, as their payloads are often contaminated with nightmarish powers or even the insidious Wake.

Dream Treant
The treats of the Emerald Dream are far more diverse and numerous than their waking world counterparts. In Vorlassar Sierra, once may find coniferous ancients or ones composed of living ice. In the plains of Mashan'she dwell the stouthearted baobab and acacia ancients, and the sands of the Sleepless Edge are home to giants of prickly cactus. No matter their appearance, these herbaceous folk are dedicated to halting the spread of the Nightmare.

Since the Second Invasion of the Nightmare, dark forces have been nurturing the seeds of Vordrassil, the blighted world tree. In isolated pockets around the Dream, these corrupted pines, the Vordralli Ancients, grow to enormous size due to their link with the Nightmare's original source.

Fae
The Fae are innumerable, varied spirits that were brought to life by Azeroth's very first breath into the Emerald Dream, existing behind every leaf and rock. They range from the minuscule sprites, pixies and korreds to the towering dagda and rawheads, from the serpentine fae dragonflight to the humanoid sidhe. Many share a whimsical disposition and are known for playing tricks on the other denizens of the Dream, such as tripping them with roots or conjuring illusionary food. Others are a touch more cruel, preferring to lead their targets astray with ghost lights or singe their fingertips with feyfire. Despite their mischievous natures, the Fae are the oldest beings in the Dream, and only a few make the choice to leave it and enter the waking world. Most Fae live their lives without a care in the world, unburdened by anyone or anything, but others answer to a seasonal court, ruled by the benevolent sidhe.

In areas plagued by the Nightmare, some have witnessed the birth of new Fae creatures, ones tinged with a profound darkness. Others have seen the effects of the Wake on their simple souls, flickers of newfound cunning in their eyes.

Thriae
The thriae are an uncommon type of Fae but they are widespread, uniquely adapting to every environment of the Dream. Their upper bodies resemble Sidhe while their lower halves fan out in a plume of gossamer insect wings, hovering silently off the ground. Cloaked in veils of yet more insect wings, they act as shepherds to the tiny creatures, often materializing within clouds of butterflies or beetles. While normally quite passive as they tend to their flocks, so much as stepping on an ant will draw their ire as they direct swarms of vicious bugs towards their possible assailants. The thriae of Vorlassar often tend to the hives of bees and have fostered kinships with the indigenous furbolg, while those of Arborheight dwell within gardens of the Spring Court, festooned in shimmering beetles and dragonflies. However, their impassivity as made them easy targets of the Nightmare and even the Drev, who twist their abilities to their own ends, nurturing clouds of flesh-eating flies and blood-sucking mosquitoes.

Solstice Hawk
Solstice hawks are great winged guardians suffused with both elemental and natural magics, becoming living embodiments of the seasons themselves. In their wakes they leave freshly-fallen snow, spring rains, balmy summer breezes and biting autumn winds depending on their age. A newly-born solstice hawk will always carry the touch of spring. As they age, they reach their peak in summer, spend their evening years in autumn and succumb gracefully in the cold grip of winter. Exceedingly rare, to earn the trust of one is no small feat, particularly those in their twilight years.

The Wake
A new force has begun pervading the Dream, one as alien as the Nightmare and just as troubling. The differing races of the Dream, whether they are simple beasts or the more intelligent beings such as furbolg, harpy or heruli, all live within timeless coexistence with each other. They hunt and forage and graze, they build their dwellings as reflections of the natural world, and they move to the eternal, ethereal beat of the Dream's heart. Meaningless time passes for what could be eons, and still these naturalistic peoples have lived in utter serenity and harmony with the natural world. Peaceful. Unchanging. Stagnant.

That is the dichotomy of the Emerald Dream. The realm is infinite and impossible, ethereal and shifting, formless and fecund, but nothing upsets the status quo. It it timeless but has no history. Always changing but the whole stays the same. A perpetual existence.

Now there is finally a difference. Across the Dream, eyes are being opened, new thoughts being born in their minds. Sparks of not just intelligence but ingenuity, curiosity, desire... dissatisfaction. Their spirits are slowly plied from the Dream as they start to fall out of step with those around them. They are awakening, looking to the sky and marveling at something they have never had before; choice. There is a world off the path that they have never known. A vibrant world, nearly infinite. And it is there's to take.

Such is the power of the Wake, a mysterious energy force that has begun to pervade the Dream. It not only bolsters the intelligence of Azeroth's primeval creatures but grants them the tools of ingenuity, creativity, and choice. It instills "mortal-like" characteristics in these once ethereal beings, and with that comes urges and desires, avarice and cruelty. The races most affected are the Heruli, the hunter-folk now set upon exploiting the wonders of the Dream to forge industry and empire, and the Sidhe, who have lapsed into lackadaisical frivolity and excess, drinking and dining into oblivion as they believe the world falls apart around them.

For now, it is unknown if the Wake has an agenda of its own, or if the force has any direction at all. In areas where it has coalesced, it appears as a bluish white-silver light, constantly fracturing into countless shards of glass. Those under its influence are referred to as Waketouched, but the degree of contamination varies greatly.

Tarm
The Tarm have been a constant yet mysterious presence in the Dream since its inception, with very few having even the briefest understanding of what they are. The Sidhe and other Faekind may be the only ones who could answer that question, having been around just as long if not longer, but their cultural memory has never been very strong. The only thing that anyone can agree on is that they have always been.

The most common Tarm resemble jelly-fish creatures of blue, almost-liquid air, filled with coiling golden wires that constantly twist into runes and sigils, almost like ancient script. They appear from nowhere and disappear just as quick, never reacting much to those around them. Occasionally, some will spot ones that resemble large birds or manta-rays, drifting through the air on flapping wings. Those lucky enough to get close are gifted with images of golden sunsets and mist-edged mountains in their minds.

Recently, the Tarm have changed dramatically. Tales of ghostly female figures that watch from haunted woods, their faces circular, blank with a single white spot like the lantern of a lighthouse. From their heads sprout blue, frayed tendrils like nerve endings, soft electricity buzzing off them. No longer are they passive, and they appear to desperately wish to communicate something to those around them, floating towards their victims and overwhelming them with deafening silence and images of crumbling mountains and seas littered with bodies.

Some scholars have tentatively put forth the idea that if the planet is indeed a living entity, these may be its budding thoughts, a living language. If they are, this entity is desperately attempting to tell us something.

The Tarm and the Wake appear to have some sort of relationship, as both often appear together in the same, lonely corners of the world. Yet, they seem to ignore each other for the most part, as the Tarm never seem to utilize waking energies and appear largely immune to its touch. What this means is anyone's guess, but if the two phenomenons are not in league with each other, perhaps they are derived from the same source.

Summit Giant
As stone giants age, their bodies accumulate more and more mass until their bodies resemble walking mountains. In the timelessness of the Emerald Dream, many giants have lived to such ages, content to sleep within the earth as their outer forms are carved into lovely peaks by erosion. As nature takes it course, some larger chunks break off that still contain a portion of their spirit, giving birth to a new giant. These children often make their homes on the craggy bodies of their parents, occasionally rising up to sweep away any parasites that have made their homes on the mountainsides. The largest summit giant is Balor, whose entire body encompasses a range of mountains in northern Vorlassar Sierra.

Rook Giant
The influence of the Wake has emboldened the Heruli and honed their instincts into keen, tactical minds. The slow-witted summit giants would make excellent weapons of war, and they launched a campaign to capture as many as they could from the cliffs of Vorlassar Sierra and bring them back to the Tal'theril woodlands. Their craggy hides have been sculpted into towers and parapets to be manned by Heruli archers, becoming walking bastions. A particularly large specimen, Palisade, guards the front gates of Wakefall Bastion and is believed to be the spawn of Balor himself.

Skinless One
The skinless ones are a breed of horror crafted by the Old Gods the likes of which has never been seen. Thin, angular giants of striated muscle, taller than castles, bodies composed of billions of squirming, blood-red worms. They are headless with a mask-like face of chitin resting in their chests with horns and maws protruding from backs. From their shoulders sprout dozens of limp, vestigial arms save for two, which reach down to their knees. While many were used in the initial invasion of the Nightmare prior to the destruction of Nordrassil's spirit, the rest have become comatose since, standing perfectly still within the mountains of Vorlassar. On occasion one will suddenly awaken, moving its body with unnatural, serpentine grace, requiring all the efforts of the Emerald Vanguard to stop it. While their size may be daunting, they are a more insidious threat than one may initially believe, able to disperse into a tide of coiling worms to infiltrate spaces or perform assaults on a strategic level. This was used to deadly effect by Naziir, the Walker of Worms, who cheated his death at the hands of the summit giant, Balor to infiltrate his body by burrowing through his skin.

Bukavac
''Likho took forth from himself his own beating, blackened heart and grew a new one without delay, stronger. This heart he plunged into the waters. “The Turning Stone, to ensure the sharpening will continue. The cycle is broken, but the wheel must turn for the blade to be honed. Life will continue to grow even when it has to be forced.” And from the waters came the Bukavac.''

The Bukavac were the last of the true-born Drev, six-legged giants of churning, roiling energy born of Likho. Ceaseless engines of life and decay, all in their presence will grow and die, over and over. Life is sparked and snuffed in minutes. These giants are deployed by the Drev not only as siege weapons but production facilities, transforming passive wildlife into weapons for the host. The wolf Wild God, Goldrinn, shares the story of chasing a Bukavac into a familiar forested glen only for the very trees and grass to rise up against him in terrible new forms.

Faerie Dragonflight
While not true dragons, faerie dragons are intrinsically tied to the heart of Azeroth, birthed forth in the dawning of the world with the other creatures of fae. Endowed with natural anti-magical properties, they police the Emerald Dream of arcane energies. Energetic and playful, faerie dragons often take to exploring the waking world in their youth, returning to the Dream as they reach adulthood. Given the timeless nature of the Dream, it is possible for these creatures to live for many years, the largest rivaling the size of true dragons. Their anti-magical abilities only increase with time, stripping their prey of enchantments so they can engage with teeth and claws.

Nightmare Dragonflight
While the Green Dragonflight has suffered over the years due to the Nightmare's influence, the corruption has only been so deep, clouding their minds and thoughts. As the Nightmare increases in power, so does its abilities to subvert those most connected to the Dream. The Nightmare Dragonflight is a testament to that, corruption suffusing them so completely that their very bodies change, scales turning blood-red with edges black as night.

Zmey
The Zmey are among the Drev's most diabolical creations, born from photo-drakes that had found their way to the Emerald Dream long ago. From their Selection Chambers half-sunk in the swamps of Eldfen, the Drev broke the drakes' flesh and minds, subjecting them to untold horrors to force evolution upon them. After thousands of failed and discarded test subjects, they finally produced a viable specimen. This dragon-like creature simmered with a dark intelligence, its breath a fountain of decay. In its youth, the creature was sinuous and slender, wings unfolding from its arms like those of a bat's. As it grew, it became grotesquely huge, growing three separate heads on long stalk-like necks, catfish-tendrils hanging from each mouth. This being, Gorgrynarond, became the first of the Zmey, the dragons of the Drev, the testament to their methods. It would sire a family of sinister and depraved beasts that will continue the Drev's task of forcing change upon the world.

Specters
On occasion, there are those among the waking world who do not pursue the path of the druid but still edge closer to the Emerald Dream than others. Often times they were solitary hunters, survivalists of harsh wilds or even a reflective shaman. Their reverence of the natural world pulled them closer to this realm, so much so that in the moment of their death, they sent ripples into the Dream. While their soul may go on to whatever afterlife waited for them, the Dream's capacity to remember would form an echo of their spirit, composed of its own intrinsic energies. These specters were not vengeful or wanting, they simply would travel the paths they often did in life, usually unseen by others within the Dream. On occasion they may manifest when the Heruli formed a Wild Hunt, filling them with newfound resolve and purpose. Now, they are seen as yet another resource for the Heruli to exploit as a weapon of war, using their artificial Wild Hunts to marshall forth these solemn echoes.

Visitant
Visitants are a new phenomenon in the Emerald Dream, only appearing after the invasion of the Nightmare. Within the wondrous and frightful mirages of the Sleepless Edge, these ramshackle creatures drift in from beyond. They resemble floating piles of spiritual matter, grasping hands, eyes and other stranger bits of material poking out of their bodies. Gas-lanterns, roof-top shingles, runed stones and other artificial matter seem to be swallowed up by their forms. It is possible they are bits of broken dreams cobbled together by some deranged artist. They seem to have no true agenda, but will single-mindedly chase down all thinking beings that they find, bristling with strange and deadly magics.

Oneiran
The cruel edge of ingenuity, the Oneirans have some relationship to the Nightmare, acting as coordinators for the invasion. However, their true talent is mental vivisection; they are artists of pain and torment, sculptors of dynamic illusions. Pale-bodied and nearly featureless, their humanoid torsos move around on a carpet of roiling arms, constantly working in unison to some dark end. From their dark hovels within the Nightmare's most protected regions, they spin webs of lies, fashioning cities and settlements of familiar illusions to catch the sleeping minds of those in the waking world. There, they are entrapped, their minds teased out and tied to puppet strings to be used as the Unwaking legions. Those who are deemed too weak of mind to be useful are instead sewn together into hulks of discarded dreams, forming Figments, the blunt instruments of the Nightmare's armies. As for the bodies in the waking world, deprived of their minds, they have become tools for the Sleepwalkers; a cabal of Oneiran assassins, manipulating their bodies to assault the waking.

It is believed in some circles that the Oneirans are tied to the city of Ny'alotha, and that they may be the original inhabitants of the city.

Fetch
The Fetch is a vaguely humanoid-sized mass of worms, moving in unison. They are dopplegangers, flaying their victims alive to use their skin as camouflage to infiltrate protected areas of the Dream. In the weeks before the invasion of the Nightmare, druids would often sight solitary animals watching them from afar, unaware of what was quivering under their skin. Should a Fetch be found out, the worms are able to burst out from their flesh disguise and use their amorphous form to deadly effect in melee combat. It was initially thought these were their own unique entities prior to the discovery of the Skinless Ones, and now it is believed they are fragments of the larger creatures' bulk, tied to their communal intelligence and working on a more personal level.

Eidolon
Eidolons are the strings by which the Nightmare manipulates its puppets. They are essentially mannequins formed of dark, shadowy energies; canvases upon which the Oneirans paint their illusions. As the Nightmare constructs their elaborate traps within the Emerald Dream to create more Unwaking, they require actors in their macabre illusions. The forms of eidolons can be manipulated to suit whatever purpose they need to, often putting on the guise of a dreamer's friends and family so as to lure them in and manipulate their perceptions. They can as totems for the Nightmare, reaching into the minds of any nearby Unwaking and altering their realities as they see fit. If the illusion is ever broken, the eidolons can assume their true form and attack directly as needed.

Figment
Figments are the fate of all those whose dreaming minds are deemed unfit for use as an Unwaking. Similar to the abominations of the Scourge, they are many-become-one; a hulk of discarded dreams sewn together and given life. Their size and form can vary, with some resembling misshapen canines while others are towering masses of brute strength. Belying their appearance is their tendency to remain invisible; fading into the background like a repressed thought, simmering just beyond the back of your mind. They are sentries and peacekeepers, dwelling in half-reality within the Nightmare's Unwaking oubliettes, waiting for those who manage to glimpse past the illusion before silencing them forever. Beyond that, they are often called upon by those chosen by N'zoth to be used as blunt instruments of his will.