AetherHaven - The First Dome (Campaign Lore - Work In Progress)
This lore is actively being developed for the Chronicles of Apocalyptica D&D campaign. The story of what went wrong with AetherHaven's construction has not yet been written.
The City's Appearance
Location: Materialized in barren desert (where endless sand once stood)
Timeline: Appeared "days ago" from locals' perspective
Memory Effect: No one recalls WHEN it emerged or HOW it came to be. The city exists at the edge of memory and reality.
The Curse: Those who venture into the city's depths never return.
"Nestled eerily at the edge of memory and reality lies AetherHaven, a city that materialized where once a barren desert stood. Just days prior, locals could have sworn the land was nothing but endless sand. Now, a mystical city teems with life and energy, yet its origins are shrouded in mystery. No one recalls when AetherHaven emerged or how it came to be."
The Tree (City Center)
Description:
- Large tree at the heart of AetherHaven
- Has a door
- Strange traits that draw curiosity
- Interactive element: "Try to touch it? See what happens."
The Sentinels (Perimeter)
Appearance:
- Strange glowing devices encircling the city
- Resemble metal giants with arms outstretched
- Frozen mid-motion
- Cast eerie glow over cobblestone streets and ancient towers
- Silent guardians
"Encircling the city are strange, glowing devices, resembling metal giants with arms outstretched, as if frozen mid-motion. These silent sentinels add to the enigma, casting an eerie glow over the cobblestone streets and ancient towers of AetherHaven. What secrets do these metallic behemoths guard, and what fate awaits those brave enough to seek the truth?"
Questions To Build The Lore
The Tree:
- Is Xanther inside the tree? (In magical coma?)
- What happens when players touch it?
- What are the "strange traits"? (Pulsing? Whispering? Moving roots?)
- Does the door open? What's the DC/condition?
- Is the tree organic or magical construct?
The Sentinels (Metal Giants):
- Are these the dome generators? (Order → Chaos converters?)
- What powers them?
- Can players interact with them?
- Are they the "incorrectly built" part? (The flaw?)
- Do they hum/glow/pulse with energy?
The "Never Return" Curse:
- What actually happens to people who go deep into the city?
- Do they die? Get trapped? Lose themselves? Become part of something?
- Is this the FLAW - that the dome traps people instead of just converting energy?
- Are there NPCs wandering the city in a daze?
What Was Built Incorrectly?
- The sentinels' positioning? (Wrong geometry?)
- The tree's connection to Xanther? (Can't reach him properly?)
- The energy conversion rate? (Too much/too little?)
- The memory effect? (Wasn't supposed to erase memory of the city's creation?)
Connection to Nexus Shadow Story
From the 59-page story:
- Renaldo strips Xanther's primal magic and Obsidian Heart
- Xanther's life force is failing (the stripping is killing him)
- Renaldo puts him in magical coma with a lullaby
- Renaldo promises to create AetherHaven to "sustain the tainting I caused"
- Renaldo admits "at my request" and takes responsibility
AetherHaven's Original Purpose: Keep Xanther alive by providing chaos magic to feed on (since his natural magic was stripped)
The Flaw: Something went wrong in the first construction. Renaldo learned from this mistake and built subsequent domes correctly.
Campaign Context
This is a D&D campaign - AetherHaven is not a prison by design, but a flawed prototype
Multiple Domes Exist: AetherHaven was the first attempt. Renaldo built many more correctly afterward.
Player Interaction: The city is designed as an investigatable location where players can discover what went wrong with the original construction.
Notes saved November 17, 2025 - Story to be continued...