Marble of Stars

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Marble of Stars [Realm] Copyright © 1999 by Leo

Character: Transcend speech, leaving only a layer of silence and a misty shore of contemplation. The kind rain washes away all guilt, the starlight is the source to all hope and the dreams make you come to insight.

Powers: The Lord of Dreams, Mbo-Ya, head of the Mbe pantheon and also their creator, inhabits the silvery moons that cover Arborea's night. He is an intermediate power of dreams, rain and stars in the greatest of them all he waits with his sleeping brothers for all Mbe to join him.

Description: This realm is reachable only by special means. Being high in the stars of Olympus doesn't help making it a place of many visitors, but some still do, using balloons, kites, ships or magic. The constellation that is the realm is composed of a cluster of three stars visible from the ground and fifteen smaller seen from the others. These stars are pure energy, yet its energy or light isn't harmful or intense. On the stars' surface it's mild and eerie, with cities dotting the landscape.

When its night in Arborea the star sends forth its dim, but constant light. When it's Arborean day, the realm glows lightly, allowing visitors to sleep and becomes invisible to those below. The Mbe petitioners here are all calm and never sleep or rest. They started to reach a stage that transcends consciousness. Their subconscious and conscious mind co-exists in harmony, making them always being in a trance-like state.

Some other inhabitants exist. Eladrin, specially ghaele and coure, come to visit and shiere occasionally fend off any threatening invaders. The odd guardinal can be seen, also.

Among the Athar, the realm has a good reputation. Thing is Mbo-Ya claims to be from an ancient race that inhabits the starts of Arborea, not a god. That semantic difference that the Mbe endorse makes the Athar much friendlier to other Mbe.

Principal Towns: The cities consist of many large holes in the ground. The energy adapts to those that touch it softly. Thus, they look like anthills from afar. The greatest of those is Waterbloom, a medium burg that is located near one of the places where steam escapes the stars to generate rain to those in Arborea. The steam makes the city look as if it was to fly away and has been a refuge to many who are persecuted by other powers or fiends.

Special Conditions: Dreams last longer and are more deep and intense, being very satisfying, even those of wicked creatures. Their conscious and subconscious touch in the night very harmoniously covering holes and problems from the day. Any violent madness is reverted to a deep sleep. When a person is completely innocent and naive, they may dream of the future.

All metals from the realm are considered meteorite. They can be highly enchanted, up to +4, however the Mbe are not warriors, so weapons aren't made. The Mbe don't interfere, but shiere punish any sod trying to mine the soil. Occasionally, the Mbe might give charms or amulets made of the metal that have protective properties.

Principal Non-Player Characters: The Shimmering Bow (Pl/male shiere/CG) feels deep love for what the Mbe stand for. He has been on the realm since he was a coure. Now, he wanted to repay all that he learned from the people and created a group of like-minded shiere that keep unwanted visitors out. The Mbe do not approve it, but they know he will come to realize that it is not needed. Fastglow (Pl/male coure/Sensate/CG) and whole host of other coure fly around pestering those below. They take the forming clouds and send them in the way of travelers to annoy them.

Bern Thoulst (Pl/male orc F14/Bleaker/CG) chose this realm as his retiring place. He fought in all major planar wars and saw much of the stark belief of people to want more. Now he just likes his fireplace, books and hot tea around. He has helped many a desperate sod, but at his age, he prefers to be more of a wise man.

Services: Food and a bed are free here. Sweet and large roots called baya-ya grow everywhere. Many eladrin use the realm as a hideout to those that angered fiends or even members of the Athar persecuted by Arborea's other whimsical powers.

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