The Vault of Nightmares

The Vault of Nightmares is a vast complex carved into The Feywilds by The Chimera. Those who enter, are assaulted by Nightmares- ethereal monstrosities that take the shape of a person's fears and anxieties. The Vault itself is essentially a massive Nightmare, shifting reality to make it as uncomfortable and hostile to those inside as possible. The Vault appears as a mundane temple complex when empty, and often retains its ordinary appearance until it is able to separate those who enter it. Once separated, it seals itself off for 8 hours while it works to terrify and destroy those inside. Those who survive for 8 hours are blessed with greatly enhanced mental and social capabilities- an iron will, sharpened senses, flawless memory, etc- and are allowed to leave.
The Vault of Nightmares protects itself from intrusion with a massive rocky shell- multiple layers of gateways and walls culminating in a massive black metallic inner shell protecting the maze inside. The outermost shell is imposing and intimidating- mountainous stone with a huge circular stone vault door. While the interior gates are smaller, they are no less firm.
Cultists reside in the empty spaces among the shells- temples and cloisters have been built by those willing to live so close to the Nightmare. The corrupting effect of the Feywild is even more pronounced for those who devote decades to living here. The Dream Clans are the most notable examples of this: Cat clans united in their religious devotion to the Vault, they are wildly corrupted and often invisible to the untrained eye. The Dream Clans firmly control the Vault Shell, policing their Holy Site and guarding the entryway.
Intrusions into the Vault are incredibly dangerous to the outside world. Keeping the Vault Doors open for too long while subjects are being tested inside will cause the vault to begin leaking Nightmares into the world. Similarly, attempts to trick the vault into manifesting valuables to remove and attempts to mine or drill through the shell walls will allow Nightmares into the world. Holes drilled into the walls will typically heal over time- the release of Nightmares seems to be a defense mechanism in case of tampering.
The Vault of Nightmares, despite its danger, makes up the heart of the Feywild's largest city: Nefka.

Purpose / Function

The Vault of Nightmares is one of the Five Great Trials of The Chimera- the others being the The Underworld of Asalay, the Sunken Palace of Halcyon in the Siren Sea, The Sages' Labyrinth in the Kingdom of Ezekos , and Sorosko Island in the Antarctic Sea.

Alterations

The Vault Shell has been a site of construction for some time. Ancient shrines, small cloister rooms stacked along the walls, and meeting halls now fill the empty stone spaces. These are often dimly lit, as smoke has no way to leave the shell and there are no windows. Most of the light comes from expensive magical lights imported from Samvara and placed in shrines- the only other lights are a few small candles near the cloisters.

Architecture

The exaggerated black-and-grey stone architecture loops and arcs, appearing impossibly smooth even after thousands of years.

History

The Vault of Nightmares was created by the Chimera in -100DE. It was quickly discovered by nearby tribes and served as a landmark and monument in the Southern feywilds and incorporated into the early village of Nefka. By 0ME, Feywilder priests of the Earth Mother Tonia and Death Father Vitoza had established cults in and around the Vault shell and pilgrims seeking magical favor began to arrive seasonally. The popularity of the cult drew larger and larger populations to Nefka, and more groups attempted to brave the trials.
The first recorded survivor of the Vault was Geven the Silvered in 58ME, who survived with his merchant group with only one casualty of six. Geven and his band would go on to found the Traders in Purple- the first Feywilds Trading Guild and ancestor to the modern Violet Company 
Famous success stories such as that of Geven have brought pilgrims and adventurers to the vault for over 2000 years. From 12ME to 1080ME, the Cults of Tonia and Vitoza ran the vault, coordinating with the Nefkan monarchs. After the 1080 sacking of Nefka, the Cults were thrown into disarray and the Dream Clans took control of the vault. The Cults of Tonia and Vitoza returned again in 1300ME, along with a united alliance of Feywild religious cults. Since the agreement of 1300, the vault has weathered political changes in the feywilds with ease, as the alliance of Temples have worked to keep the vault secure.

Type

Catacomb

Parent Location

Nefka