L O S T
This is a collaboration between myself and [member='Gherron Vael']; all credit of the Tree of Solace should be attributed to Gherron. The link to the original submission including the Tree of Solace can be found at the bottom of the page.
Name: The Garden of Thorns
Image Source: [Link]
Classification: Maze-Like Forest (Illusion-Based)
Location: Chaos
Size: Small (but seems huge)
Population: 2: One Diathim and One Maelibus
Demographics: 50% Diathim, 50% Maelibus
Points of Interest: The Garden of Thorns is in itself a point of interest. There is also the Tree of Solace at its centre.
Description: The Garden of Thorns is not an area of Chaos that can be consciously found; instead, the tormented souls who wander aimlessly through its planes, without direction or purpose, are likely to look up from their dreary thoughts to find themselves engulfed on all sides by thorny bushes which reach higher and further than their vision will permit them to see. The more they consciously attempt to solve the labyrinth the harder it will become, with random passageways opening up only to lead to further dead-ends.
To make matters worse, there lives within this sinister place two beings; the first is Odaira, a Maelibus who will guide lost souls through the Labyrinth to the Tree of Solace. The problem is, that his appearance is so off-putting - seeming like a gruesome demon - that few souls will ever trust him. Over time, this has made Odaira bitter, so every so often he will purposely choose to mess with the souls and sometimes lead to their destruction. For the most part, however, he's genuinely trying to help.
The second being is Ibanab, a misguided Diathim who seeks to find a way out of Chaos. Believing that she was betrayed in life, as she views the Diathim as higher beings who should always be sent to the Netherworld, Ibanab is extremely bitter and will lure unsuspecting souls in and quite easily gain their trust. Appearing ethereal and angelic, her bodily light will guide the unsuspecting to their inevitable doom while always trying to complete the Labyrinth herself - believing that a portal to the Netherworld will be waiting at its centre.
As beings travel through the Garden, they will be met by shades (manifestations of the Garden) which transform into each individuals nightmares - they do not pick up on one distinct fear, but instead each shade will choose a different aspect to exploit in order to try and diminish the will of the soul in an attempt to turn it into part of the Garden itself, and in turn another shade. After all, the Garden is built upon broken dreams, fuelled by fear and misery. It corrupts every good thought, until nothing remains but despair. The only way out is to overcome and embrace your own fears through sheer willpower alone. To fight them will only make the Garden stronger.
The actual garden itself is small, but being that it has no entrance and no exit it seems paradoxically much bigger than it actually is. As for the Tree of Solace, this is the collective energy and willpower left behind by the souls who complete the Labyrinth - it always manifests itself in the same way, and its calming golden light acts as a detriment to the shades and keeps them at bay. When one actually reaches the Tree and lays their hand upon its bark the Garden will begin to disintegrate as the being is made to see more clearly through the illusions. In turn their achievement will boon the tree, so that others may also eventually find a way from the Garden.
History: The Garden of Thorns was created over millennia, as wayward souls bound to Chaos became so engulfed by their own self-loathing, their own misery and despair, that they began to manifest themselves into near-tangible illusions of the Darkside. The gathered presence of so many tormented beings allowed for a greater - albeit more condensed - illusion to take place, and so it was that the labyrinth was born.
Only accessible by those who are so lost and without purpose that their self-depreciating emotions begin to present themselves, the souls which fuel the illusion will latch on to such beings in an attempt to bolster their strength in an almost parasitic manner, trapping all but the strongest of will who in turn, over time, created the means of their own escape through sheer willpower alone. This came in the form of a brilliant golden tree, the Tree of Solace, which radiates a peaceful aura and calls to the clear of mind.
There were two notable beings who found themselves trapped in the Labyrinth, Odaira and Ibaneb; the former was sent into the Garden in order to pull those whose spirit was not destroyed back into Chaos, by leading them to the Tree of Solace its centre. Due to his knowledge of how the Garden worked, he managed to successfully avoid being trapped and is the only being to have consciously entered the Garden.
The latter was trapped, strong enough to avoid being engulfed by the garden yet too stubborn to allow herself to be guided from the Labyrinth due to an inflated sense of self-worth and the belief that she should be sent to the Netherworld and not Chaos. It is impossible to tell how many souls were corrupted and became apart of the Labyrinth, yet the more spirits it gathers the stronger the illusion will become. Likewise, those who manage to escape the Garden will unknowingly strengthen the Tree.
Due to the almost balancing influx of beings who either become consumed by the Garden or liberated by the Tree, neither aspect has ever become strong enough to undo the other which is why both illusions are able to coexist despite being the others downfall.
Links: Netherworld Location Request, Forest of Nightmares
Name: The Garden of Thorns
Image Source: [Link]
Classification: Maze-Like Forest (Illusion-Based)
Location: Chaos
Size: Small (but seems huge)
Population: 2: One Diathim and One Maelibus
Demographics: 50% Diathim, 50% Maelibus
Points of Interest: The Garden of Thorns is in itself a point of interest. There is also the Tree of Solace at its centre.
Description: The Garden of Thorns is not an area of Chaos that can be consciously found; instead, the tormented souls who wander aimlessly through its planes, without direction or purpose, are likely to look up from their dreary thoughts to find themselves engulfed on all sides by thorny bushes which reach higher and further than their vision will permit them to see. The more they consciously attempt to solve the labyrinth the harder it will become, with random passageways opening up only to lead to further dead-ends.
To make matters worse, there lives within this sinister place two beings; the first is Odaira, a Maelibus who will guide lost souls through the Labyrinth to the Tree of Solace. The problem is, that his appearance is so off-putting - seeming like a gruesome demon - that few souls will ever trust him. Over time, this has made Odaira bitter, so every so often he will purposely choose to mess with the souls and sometimes lead to their destruction. For the most part, however, he's genuinely trying to help.
The second being is Ibanab, a misguided Diathim who seeks to find a way out of Chaos. Believing that she was betrayed in life, as she views the Diathim as higher beings who should always be sent to the Netherworld, Ibanab is extremely bitter and will lure unsuspecting souls in and quite easily gain their trust. Appearing ethereal and angelic, her bodily light will guide the unsuspecting to their inevitable doom while always trying to complete the Labyrinth herself - believing that a portal to the Netherworld will be waiting at its centre.
As beings travel through the Garden, they will be met by shades (manifestations of the Garden) which transform into each individuals nightmares - they do not pick up on one distinct fear, but instead each shade will choose a different aspect to exploit in order to try and diminish the will of the soul in an attempt to turn it into part of the Garden itself, and in turn another shade. After all, the Garden is built upon broken dreams, fuelled by fear and misery. It corrupts every good thought, until nothing remains but despair. The only way out is to overcome and embrace your own fears through sheer willpower alone. To fight them will only make the Garden stronger.
The actual garden itself is small, but being that it has no entrance and no exit it seems paradoxically much bigger than it actually is. As for the Tree of Solace, this is the collective energy and willpower left behind by the souls who complete the Labyrinth - it always manifests itself in the same way, and its calming golden light acts as a detriment to the shades and keeps them at bay. When one actually reaches the Tree and lays their hand upon its bark the Garden will begin to disintegrate as the being is made to see more clearly through the illusions. In turn their achievement will boon the tree, so that others may also eventually find a way from the Garden.
History: The Garden of Thorns was created over millennia, as wayward souls bound to Chaos became so engulfed by their own self-loathing, their own misery and despair, that they began to manifest themselves into near-tangible illusions of the Darkside. The gathered presence of so many tormented beings allowed for a greater - albeit more condensed - illusion to take place, and so it was that the labyrinth was born.
Only accessible by those who are so lost and without purpose that their self-depreciating emotions begin to present themselves, the souls which fuel the illusion will latch on to such beings in an attempt to bolster their strength in an almost parasitic manner, trapping all but the strongest of will who in turn, over time, created the means of their own escape through sheer willpower alone. This came in the form of a brilliant golden tree, the Tree of Solace, which radiates a peaceful aura and calls to the clear of mind.
There were two notable beings who found themselves trapped in the Labyrinth, Odaira and Ibaneb; the former was sent into the Garden in order to pull those whose spirit was not destroyed back into Chaos, by leading them to the Tree of Solace its centre. Due to his knowledge of how the Garden worked, he managed to successfully avoid being trapped and is the only being to have consciously entered the Garden.
The latter was trapped, strong enough to avoid being engulfed by the garden yet too stubborn to allow herself to be guided from the Labyrinth due to an inflated sense of self-worth and the belief that she should be sent to the Netherworld and not Chaos. It is impossible to tell how many souls were corrupted and became apart of the Labyrinth, yet the more spirits it gathers the stronger the illusion will become. Likewise, those who manage to escape the Garden will unknowingly strengthen the Tree.
Due to the almost balancing influx of beings who either become consumed by the Garden or liberated by the Tree, neither aspect has ever become strong enough to undo the other which is why both illusions are able to coexist despite being the others downfall.
Links: Netherworld Location Request, Forest of Nightmares
