THE DIM

 

One of the most mysterious of all the fey realms linked to the world of Mythren is called the Dim. Even before the Breaking, the Dim was considered to be merely a setting for children’s grim fairy tales until one of the fabled monsters escaped the shadow plane and crept into reality. In those days, the Dim became a place of deep interest and growing concern to the magical community as its unique powers and secrets were gradually revealed. It is a haunted realm that only a sparing few can access, and those that linger here often become hunted by what lurks within. 

 

Technically, the Dim is not a part of this world. Fey lore suggests that, once, long ago, this “pocket dimension” was created by powerful deities that sought a place of imprisonment for unwanted or dangerous foes. Amongst the denizens of this realm, perhaps the most prevalent are the jackal o’dims. Terrifying humanoid creatures with a jackal-like skull, these creatures made a home of this prison and prospered. To combat these growing numbers, guardians were placed here and a wall erected upon which the vigilant knights kept careful watch on the unsavory personalities and monstrosities. Over time, however, the number of prisoners far exceeded the number of guards. The subsequent slaughter was never recorded, though the tell-tale signs of its violent occurrence still remain in the devastated ruin of Warden’s Wall. The Dim is a place that seems locked in time—a location forever trapped just before full dark has encompassed the land. Nothing grows here, save for the black and twisted trees of the Crookwood Forest. And although there are no indigenous creatures to the Dim, the tattered howls of the frightful jackals echo in the wan light.

 

Though gateways exist that lead to this region of perpetual twilight, there are those dwelling upon Mythren that have much easier and direct access. The bandiar, humanoids magically created in service to the Wheelhouse, are equipped with an enchanted pendant in the shape of a scarab beetle. This magical item grants the bandiar immediate access to the Twilight Pool, a legendary lake within the Dim known for its regenerative properties. Although the bandiar are largely unaware, the pool drinks their wounds only to feed the creatures that dwell in the nearby woods. Once the bandiar return to their own realm of existence, abhorrent creatures “born” of their injuries crawl from the pool and onto the muddy shore. These are unnatural beings—living embodiments of the wounds, sickness, trauma, and anguish which the pool has absorbed. Here the featureless abominations are set upon by the other denizens; hungry not for flesh, but for the pain and suffering that has been given physical form.

 

Furthermore, by crossing the threshold between worlds, the bandiar awaken a type of doppelganger called a Dim Walker. Able to slip back and forth between the Dim and Mythren, the creature will hide its true hideous identity beneath the replicated veil of the bandiar’s appearance. However, whereas the bandiar represents life, the Dim Walker embodies death. They are true emissaries of the twilight world—shadows cast in the dark space between spaces.