Azalin Reviews: Darklord Ghost Dancer
Domain: Nightmare Lands Domain Formation: Unknown Power Level:💀💀⚫⚫⚫ Sources: Domains of Dread (2e), The Nightmare Lands (2e)
The Ghost Dancer is one of six known Darklords of the Nightmare Lands, an ever shifting land that once existed along the border of Nova Vaasa, but transformed into a pocket realm. It is said to exists between the dreaming and the waking world where entities feed upon the nightmares of mortals.
The Ghost Dancer is a ballerina with translucent skin as white as porcelain and eyes as dark as pitch and as she performs her solemn dances, wisps of mist follows in her wake.. Her tattered garments are stained with bloody hand prints and her neck is covered in bruises.
Unlike the ruler of the Nightmare Court, the Nightmare Man, who can feed on any nightmare, the Ghost Dancer feeds on those associated with guilt, remorse, and shame. She shapes dreamscapes out of dreamer’s memories, giving them a touch of hope, such as a making them believe that a love one they failed to save is now alive, then slowly she unfolds their nightmare until it is revealed how the dreamer failed. How it was their fault and no one else's. Reminds me of our tormentors favorite game, actually…
The Ghost Dancer resides in the Theater of Macabre in the City of Nod at the center of the Nightmare Lands. Standing on top of the theater are three stone statues, one crying, one laughing, and one scowling. Though despite these features the most obvious emotion upon each statue is that of eternal torment.
There she preforms for hordes of undead every evening. These are former victims of her icy touch, now forever forced to watch her dance. Mortals are welcome to attend as well, but it is a rare soul that can survive without becoming part of the literally captive audience.
The Ghost Dancer, like all members of the Nightmare Court, can change the terrain of the dreamscape with a mere thought, influence the emotions of dreamers, enter the dream plane, and teleport to anywhere within Nightmare Lands. Unique to her is her icy touch and her Dance Macabre. Those of weak mind are paralyzed when they witness her elaborate dance.
Each member of the Nightmare Court has an arcane relic that ties them to the Web of Dreams and allows them to draw dreamers into their realm and consume their nightmares. The Ghost Dancers relic is in the form of an ornate chandelier that looms above the lobby of her theater. Destroy it and perhaps you have a chance at destroying her.
The Ghost Dancer’s past is unknown, but given her preference for guilt and shame, one could theorize that her former life was riddled with such emotions. Combined with her attire, perhaps her inaction led to the death of a beloved fellow dancer. Bloody hand prints and a bruised neck indicate a violent end. Perhaps she killed this fellow dancer and their struggle to survive is forever etched upon her form.
