| Duskmourn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| First seen | Duskmourn: House of Horror |
| Last seen | Duskmourn: House of Horror |
| Status | Overrun by the House; expanding into other planes |
- For the set, see Duskmourn: House of Horror.
Duskmourn is a plane of the Multiverse inspired by horror media from the 1980s to the 2020s.[1] It was introduced in Duskmourn: House of Horror in 2024.[2][3][4]
Description[ | ]
Duskmourn is a modern-looking world, including electronics like television sets, mechanical devices like chainsaws, and 80's style fashion like sneakers.[5] Its original name now long forgotten, the plane once had varied geography, including mountains, seas, coasts, and cities.[6] It was composed of three parts: a physical realm and two immaterial realms inhabited by spirits and demons respectively.[3] The plane had two suns, one greater and one lesser, that rose in the west and were consumed by the House.[7][8] A moon sometimes appears in the ceilings of "outside" rooms, distorted as if viewed through glass.[9] As far as anyone knows, there is nothing outside the House anymore.
Decades before the Omenpath Era, the entire plane was engulfed in an endless haunted mansion filled with horrors.[10][7] The House is no ordinary building; it's a living, plane-spanning entity that thrives on the fear of its inhabitants. The House is the world, and the world is the House.[6] Its rooms are constantly shifting, changing more significantly when not observed.[1][11] Sometimes there seem to be outside environments, but there is always a door or window leading to the next room. The moths that are the symbol of Valgavoth appear everywhere. Each moth has multiple eyespots on their wings, functioning as the eyes of the house. If you can see a moth, the house can see you.
Harrowings occur whenever Valgavoth molts out of his latest form and into a new body. The surge of malevolence that comes with this rebirth extrudes a fresh wave of cellarspawn into the House. It also sends out a psychic ripple that incites cultists, razorkin, and other monstrous entities to increased viciousness, bloodlust, and paranoia. Harrowings typically only last a few days. Harrowings are offset by Quiescences, which occur right before Valgavoth molts. With all his attention turned inwards to focus on his new growth, the House falls into a temporary lull that's as close to safety as it ever gets. Quiescences typically last a few weeks, giving survivors much-needed time to recuperate and prepare themselves for the upcoming Harrowing.[3]
History[ | ]
In its deep past, Duskmourn was a high fantasy plane in which dragons attacked cities.[12][13] Magic was scarce, and controlled by very few, leading people to learn the art of summoning. This led to the advancement of the plane, both magically and technologically, and its growing awareness of the larger Multiverse. The demon Valgavoth, who was imprisoned in a house within the physical realm, expanded the barriers of the House and swallowed the entire plane in a period of chaos known as the Ascension, folding the demon realm into the physical and pushing the spirit realm to the edges of the plane's boundaries with the Blind Eternities. The Ascension took only a handful of years, beginning with the houses on either side of the House, expanding to the nearby city, and eventually following transit paths like arteries to other cities.[8] Once the population centers were absorbed, it swallowed the greater sun, before taking the plane's last wildernesses. The Rotrue Wood was the last to fall. Sometime after the plane's surface had been incorporated, the lesser sun followed.
As the house began to expand, it started to prey on its citizens and their fears. To sustain a kind of long-term population, a twistedly symbiotic relationship between the House and its participants evolved. The House needed to provide a few safe zones for people to feel momentarily safe so that their fear could ferment. The House also restocked foodstuffs occasionally, packaging included, as bait. Foragers knew this, but they had to play the game anyway.[14]
Omenpath era[ | ]
During New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse, the Phyrexians failed to enter the House.[14] Possibly blocked by Valgavoth, there was a great shaking in the House, knocking objects off shelves and sending down dust from the rafters.
Valgavoth used to spend a great amount of energy opening doors to other planes to capture unsuspecting victims, but in the Omenpath Era, the process is much easier.[3] Because people are coming in from other planes, the unsteady truce between the House and its inhabitants is changing.[14] The House is no longer required to abide by its terms. It can now hunt rather than farm, and the safe zones are rapidly decreasing.
After Nashi went through one of these doors, Kaito Shizuki, Niko Aris, Tyvar Kell, Zimone Wola, and the Wanderer traveled to the plane to retrieve him.[7]
Locations[ | ]
The physical realm makes up the vast majority of the plane. The demon realm, formerly a separate realm within the plane, has been folded into the physical realm, while the spirit realm exists separately on the fringes of the plane's space. Before the Ascension, while the plane's humans mostly lived in cities, the elves of Duskmourn lived in various forests, one of which was the Rotrue Wood, ruled by a king. Rotrue was the last location on the plane consumed by the House.[8]
The House before Valgavoth's Ascension.
- The House, or simply House. Once an ordinary dwelling owned by the Vendrell family, it now encompasses the entire plane.[3][7] An older house with a black shingle roof, gray-brick facade, and gargoyles on its rafters, it originally rested in a middle-class suburban neighborhood on the corner of a street near the woods. The House went through at least a dozen owners, one of whom summoned Valgavoth, hoping to use him as a simple service spirit, but panicked upon learning of his power and imprisoned him in the basement, fleeing.[12][15][16] The owner before the Vendrells lived in the House for many years until she died there, stipulating that future owners of the house must update a log of their occupancy. The House lay empty for years before the Vendrells purchased it.[17] Windows function like Valgavoth's eyes to the outside world.[8] After Valgavoth's Ascension, his consciousness has imbued the House with a base level of sentience and awareness of everyone inside. Though it is infinite, eternal, and all-encompassing on the plane, it is composed of five nebulous and ever-changing zones that each contain a series of "rooms," though they often bear little resemblance to normal rooms.
- The Mistmoors or Mutemoors[18][19] (
): Rooms in this zone are typically characterized by white stone architecture, billowing drapes, drifts of windblown sand, and flat gray skies with no visible sun.[3] Vast, unsettling, and unnerving, this region is pervaded with silence. It is typically made up of Attics, Foyers, Patios, or Chapels. This zone is overseen by the Overlord of the Mistmoors.
- The Valley of Serenity, a series of pastureland rooms that stretch across the Mistmoors and the Balemurk.[3] A broad meadow too impossibly large to be contained.[15] Huts are scattered across the rolling hills, some with smoke rising from their chimneys. The sky is a permanent cloudless twilight.[9] At first glance, the valley seems peaceful and idyllic, but in truth, it contains the Cult of Valgavoth's village. The Cult's altar room is a natural cavern, the walls rough and uneven, the ceiling bristling with stalactites. Some matching stalagmites grow up from the floor, most of which have their tops chipped off and smoothed out to make flat surfaces supporting sacramental lanterns, bowls, and even a large stone slab altar made from a sheet of quartz set atop four leveled stalagmites.
- The Floodpits (
): Rooms in this zone tend to feature water in some form — liquid, solid, or gas — as well as water stains and wall-spanning banks of staticky screens.[3] The Floodpits is home to the most physics-defying environments of the House, full of surreal passages and impossible architectural juxtapositions. Glitch ghosts are common in this region due to the prevalence of reflections in its water.[19] The House Institute maintains a permanent base in a series of disused operating rooms in this region. This zone is overseen by the Overlord of the Floodpits. - The Balemurk (): This dimly lit, ominous zone is filled with jagged crevasses and rotted floorboards dominate, along with septic marshes and withered flora.[3] Rooms in this zone include basements, bedrooms, crypts, and catacombs.[19] In its depths lies the basement of the original dwelling that was the House. A tunnel in the basement composed of Valgavoth's shed bodies leads to the Below. This zone is overseen by the Overlord of the Balemurk.
- The Below: A lightless underground chamber where Valgavoth resides, and from where he extends his tendrils throughout the rest of the House.[3] Its location is the only fixed point in the plane, and it is rumored that the only true exit to the House exists within, though no one has ever ventured there and returned to confirm it.
- The Valley of Serenity (continued)
- The Boilerbilges (): This zone is characterized by the most overtly treacherous terrain in the House, full of precipitous drops, jagged architecture, and belching flames.[3] It is prone to violent, destructive events, like earthquakes and fire twisters, making it the most difficult to survive. Its rooms include kitchens, furnace rooms, and dining rooms.[19] This zone is overseen by the Overlord of the Boilerbilges.
- The razor mazes, a series of elaborate death-trap rooms and torture chambers that serve as razorkin territory.[3] In these areas, the House's geography has been modified to be even more convoluted.
- The Hauntwoods (): The zone where the line between inside and outside is most blurred, as hand-shaped trees, venomous or carnivorous plants, thorny vines and brambles, and other vegetation invade rooms and even act as support beams for ceilings.[3] The "inside" rooms of this region include gyms, greenhouses, and conservatories.[19] This zone is overseen by the Overlord of the Hauntwoods.
- The Mistmoors or Mutemoors[18][19] (
Safe zones[ | ]
The House contains several safe zones, often built on the borders between zones, although many of these have been lost since the opening of the Omenpaths.[14][20] Safe paths existed between the zones, established over years through de facto "treaties" with the House. The greatest concentration of monsters resided directly outside of each safe zone. They include:
- Benefactories - Bases of the Benefactor faction.[14]
- The carnival grounds (lost) - A fairground set in a field in the Mistmoors, surrounded by cornstalks and evil roses and protected by a bawn.[14][18] It had been a safe zone since Duskmourn was first conquered. It was lost to City's razorkin and Wickerfolk around 4564 AR.
- Multiple attic settlements - A set of rooms accessible by hatches on the floor.[18] One encampment in the Mistmoors was lost to City's razorkin around 4564.
- Somewhere in the attic is the mural, originally painted by the first two survivors to befriend a beastie and added to by the children and beasties that followed.[21] It depicts the plane before the House — with the addition of beasties.[22] It is considered neutral ground among the fractured beastie packs.
- The 'hedge maze region' as described by Dawn[14]
Inhabitants[ | ]
- Avatars ()
- Bears ()
- Beasties (), the plane's former pets that transformed during Valgavoth's ascension.
- Birds ()
- Boars ()
- Cats ()
- Cellarspawn (), horrors that are manifestations of Valgavoth's daydreams.
- Constructs ()
- Crabs ()
- Demons (), weakened and fragmented, surviving only to plot their vengeance against Valgavoth.
- Dogs ()
- Elementals ()
- Elves (), native to Duskmourn.[23]
- Elks ()
- Eyes ()
- Fish ()
- Fox ()
- Fungi ()
- Glimmers (), light manifestations of the hopes and persistence of Duskmourn's survivors.
- Goats ()
- Glitch ghosts (), the spirits of those who died outside the House before the Ascension.
- Gremlins (), chaotic beings who delight in mischief and practical pranks. They indiscriminately antagonize both survivors and other denizens of the House.
- Humans (), the original dominant inhabitants of Duskmourn. Trapped within the mansion that now encompasses their former plane, they seek to survive the evil mustered by Valgavoth.
- Insects ()
- Kor (), possibly transported from another plane.
- Leviathans[9]
- Merfolk ()
- Monkeys ()
- Mutants ()
- Nightmares (), born from the fears of survivors.
- Quickened toys (), previously inanimate objects that have gained sentience and an appetite for death.
- Rats ()
- Sharks ()
- Sheep ()
- Snakes ()
- Angler vipers, snakes with flashing lures.[8]
- Spiders ()
- Spindrells (), stripped-down psychic remnants of cellarspawn victims that retain only a base level of consciousness, steeped permanently in terror.
- Treefolk ()
- Vampires ()
- Wickerfolk (), living constructs of wood that used to be humans and other survivors.
- Wurms ()
- Zombies ()
Flora[ | ]
- Algae[11]
- Beech trees[8]
- Cannabis[26]
- Corn[11]
- Carnivorous roses that capture victims with their thorns[14]
- Lichen[12]
- Oranges[27]
- Pine trees[12]
- Water lilies[11]
Factions[ | ]
Cult of Valgavoth[ | ]
The Cult of Valgavoth is a cabal of worshippers dedicated to promoting the glory of Valgavoth.[3] According to the cult, Valgavoth's fear-eating is a blessing: by devouring your fear, he can cleanse you of that fear and grant you protection from it. True paradise will only exist when Valgavoth has devoured all fear in existence, creating a world where all are safe. They call this the Gift of the Threshold.
To achieve this paradise, cult members enter green- and brown-painted cocoons that grow from the walls of their altar room, allowing Valgavoth to feed from them directly.[3] This ritual is known as the Rite of the Threshold. Cultists who display undue fear or weakness of faith can be assigned extra time in the Rite. Some cultists have given so much of themselves to Valgavoth this way that they've drifted out of touch with human emotions, becoming little more than empty husks, hollowed out of anything but a desire to serve. They also recognize the Rite of Four, a deal in which the demon trades a boon to anyone who offers him four lives.[10]
Believing themselves to be descendants of Valgavoth's original summoner, the cult views itself as the steward of the House, responsible for maintaining it and ensuring its smooth running.[15][3] Attendants make up the bulk of the cult's members and are tasked with basic maintenance. They patch up cracks in the walls, exterminate pests, and repair architectural damage. Strictors enforce the cult's rules and schedule its rituals. Cocooniers are keepers of the cult's rites and beliefs, in charge of the actual running of all rituals. The cult is led by the seneschal Victor. He is the only person in the House who communicates directly with Valgavoth, and the only one who knows the path to Valgavoth's lair in the Below. The Imagora is the seneschal's inner circle of hand-picked advisors. They are charged with carrying out secret assignments that even the rest of the cult can't know about, sometimes occasionally even culling other cultists.
The cult prefers to avoid outright violence, but they aren't against wielding brute force if it's needed to keep a survivor from fleeing.[3] Coercion and deception are the cult's preferred methods of gaining membership out of survivors. Outwardly, the cult presents an appearance of welcome and safety. Many a survivor who stumbles upon their village is lured in by the promise of clean beds, safety, and friendly faces. It isn't until the survivor has been lulled into complacency that the cult then reveals its true face and presents the survivor with a choice: join of your own free will or be forced to.
Cultists wear long robes shaped like moth's wings.[15] They enjoy the best-kept clothing on the plane due to their comparatively relaxed lives.
Razorkin[ | ]
Razorkin are former survivors who now hunt the remaining survivors for their amusement.[3] They thrive on pain and suffering, deriving pleasure from subjecting their victims to elaborate, punishing maze traps or inventing new ways of keeping victims alive and in constant agony. When they can't find survivors to torture, they will turn on each other, or themselves, to satisfy their cravings. Though razorkin don't function as a cohesive group, most of them will listen to the directives of the Lord of Pain.
Once a razorkin has a victim in its sights, it will hunt them relentlessly.[3] The only real way to fight back is to attempt to overpower and kill them instead — though they are known to come back even from death.
When the story of the Meathook Massacre reached Duskmourn from Innistrad, the razorkin were inspired to recreate it, creating the Meathook Massacre II.[28]
Survivors[ | ]
Survivors are the last remnants of those who existed before the House swallowed up their homes.[3] Smart, tough, and resourceful, most remaining survivors survived by adopting a nomadic lifestyle. However, their numbers are constantly dwindling as the House picks them off individually. The occasional influxes of newcomers help bolster the survivors' numbers temporarily. Still, most newcomers meet with swift ends unless they're smart enough to adapt to their new surroundings in time or get lucky enough to get picked up by a group of veteran survivors.
Out of necessity, survivors have grown adept at improvising weapons, tools, and other devices from scraps around the House.[3] They often name their children after aspects from a civilization long gone, like "City", "Dawn" and "Winter".
Though survivors tend to be disorganized, a few larger, organized groups exist:
The House Institute[ | ]
The "House Institute" is dedicated to investigating, analyzing, and recording the supernatural events of the House. Their goal is to find a way to end the House by finding its ultimate weakness. They maintain a permanent base in a series of disused operating rooms in the Floodpits, where they dissect and analyze any creatures they find.
The Benefactors[ | ]
The "Benefactors" are a group of tough, resilient nomads who are the most knowledgeable about the House's geography.[3] They frequently leave caches of supplies and materials around, marked for any other survivors who might need them. They are known to operate in the Floodpits.[18]
The Doorblades[ | ]
The "Doorblades" is a small band of ruthless survivors who execute assassinations of monsters of the House.[3] They frequently collaborate with the House Institute, making use of the Institute's knowledge to guide their strikes. In exchange, they supply monster corpses and live specimens for the institute's experiments. Casualties among the Doorblades are high, but so are their kills.
Visitors[ | ]
Planeswalkers[ | ]
Non-planeswalkers[ | ]
- Loot[27]
- Nashi[7]
- Niko Aris[7]
- Norin
- The Wanderer[7]
- Tyvar Kell[7]
- Vraska[27]
- Winter[27]
- Zimone Wola[7]
Doors[ | ]
After the Ascension, Valgavoth could open doors to other planes, at great cost.[3] Following the opening of the Omenpaths, this became much easier for him, allowing him to bring in victims from across the multiverse. Known planes with doors to Duskmourn include:
Culture[ | ]
Cuisine[ | ]
Before the Omenpath Era, Valgavoth would regularly replenish lures for survivors, helping to keep their populations stable so they could be farmed.[14]
Language[ | ]
Most of the plane's inhabitants speak a shared tongue, referred to as "the language of House," spoken among survivors and occasionally muttered by razorkin and nightmares.[21] With the advent of Omenpaths, natives began to recognize more languages to communicate with new survivors.[11]
Technology[ | ]
Technology on Duskmourn was highly advanced before the Ascension. Summoned spirits provided the plane's electricity, powering lights, and refrigeration.[6] Richer inhabitants traveled in internally powered, modern-looking carriages.[3] Batteries used to power some of this technology can be recharged by magic or by proximity to glitch ghosts.
In-game references[ | ]
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Referred to:
References[ | ]
- ↑ a b Jubilee Finnegan (June 28, 2024). "First Look at Duskmourn: House of Horror". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ 30th Anniversary Panel at GenCon – A Recap of MTG's Past, Present & Future (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (August 5, 2023).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Emily Teng (August 31, 2024). "Planeswalker's Guide to Duskmourn". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ The Preview Panel - MagicCon: Amsterdam (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (June 28, 2024).
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 6, 2023). "I'm a little unsure if by modern horror you guys mean just the themes or the themes and the world itself.". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b c Mira Grant (August 19, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Welcome Home". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mira Grant (August 19, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Episode 1: Don't Go Past the Old Dark House". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Mira Grant (August 29, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Dead End". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d Mira Grant (August 31, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - It's a Beautiful Day". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (September 27, 2024).Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Decks inserts.
- ↑ a b c d e Mira Grant (August 20, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Episode 2: Don't Split the Party". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e Mira Grant (August 22, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Episode 3: Don't Look Back". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (August 22, 2024). "Don't Look Back, the DVD extras.". Seananmcguire.com.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Mira Grant (August 21, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Children of the Carnival: Part 1}". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d Mira Grant (August 28, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Episode 5: Don't Give In". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (August 28, 2024). "Don't Give In, the DVD extras.". Seananmcguire.com.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (August 19, 2024). "Don’t Go Past the Old Dark House, the DVD extras.". Seananmcguire.com.
- ↑ a b c d Mira Grant (August 23, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Children of the Carnival: Part 2}". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e Magic: The Gathering Arena tooltips
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (August 21, 2024). "Children of the Carnival, Part I, the DVD extras.". Seananmcguire.com.
- ↑ a b Mira Grant (2024-08-27). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Keep Them Alive". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (August 27, 2024). "Keep Alive, the DVD extras.". Seananmcguire.com.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (August 20, 2024). "Don’t Split the Party, the DVD extras.". Seananmcguire.com.
- ↑ Emily Teng (September 19, 2024). "The Legends of Duskmourn: House of Horror". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (August 29, 2024). "Dead End, the DVD extras.". Seananmcguire.com.
- ↑ Mira Grant (August 30, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Episode 6: Don't Die". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Mira Grant (August 26 2024). "Episode 4: Don't Give Up". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Duskmourn: House of Horror - Previews! (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (September 3, 2024).
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (August 30, 2024). "Don’t Die, the DVD extras.". Seananmcguire.com.
External links[ | ]
- Emily Teng (June 28, 2024). "Planeswalker’s Guide to Duskmourn". Magicthegathering.com.
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