Mezmorrias (3.5e Vestige)
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Contents
Mezmorrias, The Luminant Breath[edit]
A luminous leader glowing in the darkness. A breath of fog.
Level: 1st
Binding DC: 15
Special Requirement: Yes
Legend[edit]
Quick Version[edit]
Mezmorrias's avatar lost a battle in another age against its hated foe, Ymmadraugge, ending the reign of its cult and the crippling hold it maintained over the land. In time, its fog cleared from the land, the stories told of it lost truths and the people eventually forgot. Even the book once used to summon the avatar whole had been lost, though not without some of its secrets escaping.
Some aspect of this entity is now summonable through binding pacts.
Long Version[edit]
Mezmorrias belongs to a group of powerful entities outside of traditional known reality. They're not mere outsiders, deities, aberrations or abominations. They have no known classification or name and the very little that scholars have gathered about them has come from broken descriptions and side-notations in the ancient works of the ooplaxii (an extinct humanoid race known for knowledge and transformation), dredged up from the ruins of their cities.
Mezmorrias is likely not even a vestige itself (or at least wholly so), despite being summonable as such. It is guided purpose when it enters into a pact. What it is before that is uncertain. How it was initially discovered is unknown and often debated among researchers lost in discussion on the topic. What is known, or at least what is known from gleaning bits from legend, goes as follows.
Many ages ago, the ooplaxii had established themselves as masters of the world, conquering their rivals (either the vox prothicans or the old heirs of Caed Colluxe, as details are shoddy on the exact chain of events) and maintaining a long-standing unrivaled dominance in the high arts of magic and secrets. What powers they unearthed from the past and built upon are unknowable due to a curse or deific intervention. However, it is known that there was a series of tomes perfected by the ooplaxii to call forth powerful servant avatars. Among these tomes were two hated rivals, Ymmadraugge and Mezmorrias. As such, their books were stored away separately in old temples whose security had been proven, even during ages of war and destruction.
However, the ooplaxii were not immortal, and their growing power brought the jealous attention of usurpers willing and eager to claim the prize of knowledge and dominance over other races. One such contender became the aroghin, who paid a price for the victory they claimed. Among their prizes was a great treasure they did not rightfully earn or understand, which got the better of them.
Weakened and fearful of losing their place in the world, the aroghin king made enemies and turned his detractors to search the depths and scour the land for hidden power. The book of Mezmorrias was discovered, and with it, a cult arose. Gaining members and followers, they brought Mezmorrias whole into the world through the flesh of a loyal servant and conquered the kingdom. For a century, the cult ruled over the broken, fearful and isolated aroghin. Its noxious breath settled as a permanent fog in the lowlands, imprisoning the remaining aroghin people. In the end, it would be the monsters oft revered by the cult that rose up in defiance and discovered the book of Ymmadraugge.
Both avatars were destroyed or displaced from our reality in the ensuing confrontation, along with the leader of the cult and much of the royal palace. Whatever remains of Mezmorrias, or perhaps just the secret of it, has escaped the guarded pages of its book and found its way into the knowledge of binders capable of summoning it and attaching its essences to their spirits.
Special Summoning[edit]
Mezmorrias requires a special willing vessel to manifest into when summoning. The vessel needs to be living or animate with a soul. The summoner can choose to use themselves as the vessel (even if lacking a soul), but always gains the influence of Mezmorrias for such a pact.
A pact-bound creature cannot bind both Mezmorrias and Ymmadraugge at the same time.
Manifestation[edit]
Upon completing his seal and speaking whispered words, the vestige of Mezmorrias enters into the willing vessel, illuminating it like a white torch. Upon completion of the pact and bargaining finished, a breath of fog enters into the summoner (or envelopes the vessel in the case of the summoner serving as the vessel).
Sign[edit]
Those with the sign of Mezmorrias have noticeably paler bodies and exhale foggy breath and shine their eyes like drops of moonlight. Those creatures that do not breathe instead have the fog cascade slowly off their bodies.
Influence[edit]
Creatures already under the influence of another binding pact gain a +2 bonus on checks to avoid the influence of Mezmorrias.
Mezmorrias longs for the night. Those under its influence are compelled to take their time of rest under the open, starry night. Additionally, the natural instinct to lead causes them to take point when traveling and avoid helping others (unless the idea to perform the action was their idea).
Creatures under the influence of Mezmorrias suffer a –2 penalty on saves against Transmutation effects. Those under its influence must be changed, even if not by its will.
Granted Abilities[edit]
Sight of the Beast[edit]
The pact-bound creature gains darkvision out to 60 feet as well as bright-light vision. Creatures already possessing darkvision have their range extend by 60 feet instead.
Body of the Moon[edit]
The pact-bound creature can command their body to glow as dimly as a candle when otherwise in darkness as a free action. As a swift action, this dim illumination can be extended to a radius of 25 feet + 5 feet per 2 HD for 1 round. This light is treated as the illumination of the full moon for various effects (such as affecting lycanthropes caught in the radius).
Vision into the Voice[edit]
As a standard action, the pact-bound creature can temporarily replace his eyes with mouths that can speak. While under this transfiguration, the creature is immune to gazes, but has his range of vision limited to the use of his darkvision only. Once activated, this transfiguration lasts as long as the pact is maintained. The extra mouths grant a double-roll on vocal-based skill and ability checks (where the die-roller rolls 2 d20s and takes the result of his choice). Additionally, he gains the Horrid Wail ability.
- Horrid Wail (Ex): A Mezmorrias-bound creature can belt out a horrid cacophony as a standard action. All creatures within a 30 foot cone take 1d6 [Sonic] damage per his effective binder level. Mezmorrias-bound creatures are naturally resistant to this attack. A Fortitude save reduces the damage by half. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 his effective binder level + his Charisma modifier.
Soul of the Monster[edit]
The pact-bound creature, if humanoid, can choose to be treated as a monstrous humanoid at his option whenever it would be advantageous for him. Additionally, he does not age and is immune to magical, supernatural and other weird aging effects.
Whenever he shares a space with a humanoid creature, he can choose to exhale his foggy breath onto it as a free action. This foggy breath provides no penalty to sight but is otherwise treated as heavy smoke.
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