User:GoldenYak/Halls of Dreaming

The Halls of Dreaming are a dungeon in the Sea of Zurvan. An ancient Titan facility built at the dawn of the Emerald Dream itself, it holds cosmic truths that Xavius, the servant of N'Zoth, seeks to capture.

Background
An ancient complex of Titan construction, built by Keeper Freya at the dawning of the Dream. While other similar facilities were built to contain the knowledge of the Titans for use by their creations, the Halls of Dreaming were created to gather information that the Titans did not currently possess, storing it within the Tribunal of Divination until the Titans could return to access it. Keeper Freya created the tol'zoa to maintain the facility, which they have tirelessly done for timeless eons. At last, however, the corruption of the Nightmare has come to infect the facility, the questing tendrils of N'Zoth's will hungry for the secrets contained within the Halls of Dreaming, secrets about the nature of the cosmos that even the Titans did not know.

Storyline and Encounters
The Halls of Dreaming were built within the Sea of Zurvan, a strange and enigmatic region of the Dream that flows directly from the Rift of Aln, but has remained almost completely free of Nightmare corruption. The waters of the Sea of Zurvan bring knowledge form beyond the Dream itself that the tol'zoa use to divine cosmic truths, which they have recorded into the Tribunal of Divination, a Titan repository built within the Halls of Dreaming. For an eternity the tol'zoa have waited faithfully for Keeper Freya to announce that the Titans have returned to at last unlock the secrets of the Tribunal. However, it is the dark tendrils of the Nightmare that have come for the knowledge within the Halls of Dreaming, for N'Zoth hungers to know the secrets of the universe. To secure these secrets, N'Zoth has sent his servant Xavius, the previous Nightmare Lord, who fervently desires to regain his evil god's favor.



Lurkgox, Hammer of Xavius

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A monstrous mutated satyr overflowing with the power of the Nightmare. Lurkgox is a servant of Xavius, N'Zoth's herald, and has led the satyr lord's forces in a devastating assault against the Halls of Dreaming and its defenders. The malformed satyr must be put down before the defenders of Azeroth can enter the Halls and assess the damage the Nightmare's corruption is wreaking on the facility.

Cassiomaal the Dream Keeper

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As the constellar Algalon the Observer was charged with watching over Azeroth's material form, Cassiomaal the Dream Keeper was chosen by the cosmos to watch over Azeroth's very soul. Striding across the starry branches of Vrildrassil, the Cosmic Worlds Tree, Cassiomaal entered the Emerald Dream and took up watch within the Halls of Dreaming, sharing her findings with the tol'zoa custodians. The encroaching darkness of N'Zoth's influence has spread even to the mighty constellar, and Cassiomaal is fighting a losing battle against the power of the Nightmare to remember her true purpose.

Dream of the Black Empire | Gr'Gaxx, the Stygian Duke

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The Halls of Dreaming connects with the worldsoul of Azeroth herself, and the slumbering Titan's dreams are recorded in the sacred Titan-made halls. Azeroth's lifespan has been marked by constant war, none more desperate than the battle of the Titanforged against the vile armies of the Black Empire. The battle against the Old Gods and their twisted dominion decided the fate of Azeroth and spared the nascent Titan from corruption. Now, the Nightmare seeks to infect Azeroth's dreams, changing the outcome and causing the Titan to believe that the Titanforged failed and the Old Gods were the victors. This could have dire, even catastrophic effects on the nascent worldsoul. The heroes plunge into Azeroth's dream of the Black Empire to battle the dark memories that Xavius has given life. At the climax of the dream battle, the ancient c'thraxxi warrior Gr'Gaxx, the Stygian Duke, manifests for a final effort to plunge Azeroth into Nightmare.

Tribunal of Divination

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Cassiomaal activates the Tribunal of Divination, the ancient record of the tol'zoa and repository for all of the knowledge that the Halls of Dreaming has gathered concerning the Emerald Dream, the nascent worldsoul of Azeroth, and many more secrets. N'Zoth covets the knowledge in the Tribunal, and his Nightmare corruption seeks to infest the repository and steal the secrets within. The Tribunal must be liberated from the corruption of N'Zoth, but it will be a hard battle against the living manifestations of N'Zoth's wicked will. The incarnations of the Nightmare that emerge from the corrupted Tribunal take on the shapes of the five mortal heroes gathered to oppose the Nightmare.

Xavius, Herald of the Nightmare

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The Tribunal has been secured, but the threat has not passed. N'Zoth's fury unleashes one of his mightiest servants, the satyr lord Xavius. Formerly the Nightmare Lord, Xavius was defeated by Malfurion Stormrage and in punishment was stripped of his title. Though weaker than he once was, Xavius is still a force to be reckoned with, and commands armies of satyr and Unwaking that have broken through the defenses of the Halls of Dreaming. Xavius must be cast from the sacred halls so that the dreams of Azeroth may once again be safe.

Aftermath - the Tribunal of Divination
Once Xavius has been defeated, Cassiomaal uses the Tribunal of Divination to purge the entirety of the Halls of Dreaming, driving the Nightmare away. Cassiomaal contacts the primary Titan hub-facility at Ulduar, establishing contact with the systems there, including the Algalon signal. The Halls of Dreaming receive the gathered knowledge of all the Titan repositories on Azeroth and contacts many of the constellar still active in the universe. Upon learning that the Titans have fallen, that the Burning Legion is on a rampage across the universe, and that Azeroth has suffered prolonged exposure to the corrupting power of the Old Gods, Cassiomaal becomes gravely concerned, but is heartened by the capacity of Azeroth's mortal children to overcome the most seemingly insurmountable of challenges to protect their worlds. Cassiomaal unlocks the Tribunal of Divination, provided mortals with access to the information stored there, with the promise that further knowledge will be forthcoming once the Halls of Dreaming has finished contacting all the other Titan and constellar repositories.


 * Tribunal of Divination - The knowledge repository of the Halls of Dreaming. The tol'zoa and the constellar Cassiomaal have gathered information about the Emerald Dream and Azeroth's worldsoul, as well as secrets beyond the Dream that even the Titans did not know. All of the knowledge they have guarded faithfully, waiting for the Titans to reclaim it. Now, with the Pantheon lost and Azeroth the final hope of the cosmos, Cassiomaal has offered the knowledge to the mortal defenders of Azeroth in the hopes that it will help them keep their home safe.