Aether Hub
The Aether Hub is located somewhere within the Ethereal Plane, more specifically at the center of the Dimension of Dreams. The Dimension of Dreams is supposedly created and maintained directly by the dreams of mortal sleepers on the Material Plane. In fact, the Aether Hub is directly responsible for that, is it distill the essence of dreams and turns them back to sleepers in the form of rest and recovery. Occasionally that process goes wrong, and the dreamers experience nightmares, or in some particular cases get shunted off into the Dreamlands. Some few unfortunate souls get to experience a glimpse into the Plateau of Leng. Most never recover from that vision.
Lay of the Land
The Aether Hub lies in the middle of the Dimension of Dreams but has some slightly different qualities than the surrounding area. Where the Dimension doesn’t carry an alignment (and the Ethereal Plane is mildly Neutral), the Aether Hub is strongly Neutral, and it has the Enhanced magic planar trait. The hub consists of a series of large factory-like buildings, constantly surrounded by roiling smoke that comes in all sorts of colors, smells and seeming shapes. The building themselves are made from burnished bronze with copper coils coming from everywhere, some at impossible angles, and some seeming to come from nowhere, and end nowhere. And nowhere is there a door in sight.
The sole inhabitant in sight is an inevitable, a Lhaksharut named simply “The Dreaming One”. He is helpful but firm: Only those dreaming are allowed to enter the Aether Hub. Should adventurers manage to enter the hub, it is unlikely that they’ll ever leave again as it fulfills their every wish, but while they’re unlikely to get past The Dreaming One, there are other dangers to being near the Aether Hub.
Dangers
The smoke that roils around the Aether Hub is an extreme hallucinogenic, made from the stuff of dreams, and preying upon the very weakest parts of anyone exposed to it. Even intelligent undead and others normally immune have succumbed to its effects. This takes the form of a Hallucinatory Terrain spell without a saving throw, and which can affect even those immune (though they’re allowed a saving throw), and a major image spell – both of which combine to give you the perfect dream (50% chance) or perfect nightmare (50% chance). Unlike those spells, the dreams/illusions created by the Aether Hub do normal damage due to their extremely convincing nature.
Of more immediate concern to anyone visiting though, is a cadre of Denizens of Leng who have taken up residence nearby. They lure in dreamers to their area, and then take them with them to the Plateau of Leng to be used as slaves, and discarded once driven completely mad. Unfortunately, the madness of these poor souls do NOT leave them incapacitated, but instead, they believe that they have become the chosen ones of a great deity known as Unwholesome Hunger. Their belief is that they are the prophets of this unforgiven god and that the world must burn for its sins.
Kim Frandsen
Latest posts by Kim Frandsen (see all)
- Finder’s Archive – Crypt of the Eternals - June 2, 2023
