Mabar

To speak of Mabar is to speak not merely of a plane without light, but of the very absence of being, a hungry void that ceaselessly consumes. Our understanding, gleaned from ages of planar research and the desperate accounts of those few who have returned, paints a terrifying portrait of a realm whose very geography is anathema to life and creation. Mabar is the terminal point, the gnawing hunger at the edge of existence, and a chilling testament to the universal imperative of the end.

The All-Consuming Void: The Fundamental Geography

At its most fundamental, Mabar possesses no conventional geography. There are no suns, no moons, no celestial fixtures to mark cardinal directions. Instead, the plane is an infinite expanse of oppressive, absolute darkness – not merely an absence of light, but an active, preternatural gloom that seems to press in on the soul. This pervasive dark is imbued with the very essence of negative energy, a force antithetical to life. It is a cold so profound it burns, a silence so complete it screams, and a pervasive draining sensation that saps vital force from all living things.

Scholars postulate that this isn't merely a backdrop, but the plane's primary geographical feature: an ever-present, omnipresent consuming force. To move through Mabar is to navigate through an infinite maw.

Topographical Features of Annihilation:

While conventional mountains and valleys are alien concepts here, Mabar manifests its destructive properties through a series of dread phenomena and structures.

• The Chasms of Oblivion: The most prominent "geographical" markers are the terrifying Chasms of Oblivion, immense, seemingly bottomless rifts that yawn open into deeper layers of nothingness. These are not mere geological faults; they are believed to be the true "pits" of Mabar. They are said to lead to unique strata of non-existence, where unfortunate souls, stripped of all hope and memory, are drawn down into utter oblivion. Whispers speak of these chasms as the feeding grounds for the most ancient and ravenous entities unique to Mabar.
• Skeletal Landscapes and Curdled Ruins: Scattered amidst the infinite gloom are what can only be described as the Skeletal Landscapes. These are not natural formations but the petrified, desiccated remains of worlds, realities, or perhaps even concepts that Mabar has consumed. Imagine vast, jagged spires of what was once vibrant architecture, now rendered to a fine, brittle obsidian-like substance, drained of color and form. These are the husks, the bone-dry leavings of Mabar's hunger, leaving nothing but desolation.

  Interspersed within these are what appear to be Curdled Citadels and Strongholds. These are not built, but seem to have congealed directly from the plane's negative essence, forming vast, labyrinthine structures of black ice, shadow-infused stone, and calcified despair. . These are the lairs of the most powerful denizens—the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, beings of pure entropy and death, and the entities we colloquially refer to as "fiends" that infest this plane. They are fortresses of anti-life, designed to propagate the plane's draining effect outwards.

• Rivers of Existential Dread: While no liquid water flows, currents of raw negative energy and soul-essence crisscross Mabar. These are the Rivers of Existential Dread, palpable flows of despair that are profoundly chilling, both physically and spiritually. These currents are deadly to mortals. Exposure causes rapid aging, decay, and the horrific leaching of one's very life force and memories until nothing but an empty shell remains.
• The Shifting Voids: Beyond these more "solid" features, the overwhelming majority of Mabar is composed of the Shifting Voids. These are regions where the pervasive darkness is absolute, where there is no detectable landmark, no sound, and no sensation save the gnawing emptiness. Navigation is impossible without magical aid, and even then, one is constantly buffeted by unseen currents of dread. The Shifting Voids are the territories of the unseen things that go bump in the night—shadow manifestations, incorporeal horrors, and the hungry spirits of those consumed by the plane, ever seeking to replenish their being by preying on the living.

Conclusion: A Landscape of Consumption

Mabar is a plane defined by hunger. Its geography is not one of creation or even stagnation, but of constant, active consumption. From the pervasive chill of negative energy to the bottomless chasms that swallow existence, and from the skeletal remains of devoured realities to the curdled strongholds of its entropic denizens, every element of Mabar's "landscape" serves the same purpose: to drain, to decay, and to bring all things to their ultimate end. It is a necessary, terrifying component of the planar cosmology, ensuring that even creation finds its final resting place in the Eternal Night. To truly grasp Mabar is to stare into the abyss, and feel it stare back, hungry.

The plane of Mabar, known as the Eternal Night, is a realm of profound darkness and inherent consumption. It is the plane of entropy, of the final cessation, relentlessly seeking to drain light, life, and magic from all existence. Its influence, though often unseen, subtly shapes the very fabric of our reality, Eberron. This treatise aims to provide a clear and authoritative account of Mabar's localized phenomena and its periodic interactions with the Material Plane, allowing for greater understanding and, critically, preparedness.

Manifest Zones

Manifest zones are regions where the boundaries between Eberron and another plane thin, allowing the essence of that plane to bleed into our world. Mabar, despite its remote nature, possesses several such permanent breaches, each a site of grim study and profound warning.

• The Gloaming (Eldeen Reaches): Within the verdant expanse of the Eldeen Reaches lies The Gloaming, a section of the Towering Wood intrinsically linked to Mabar. Here, the pervasive energy of the Eternal Night has grotesquely disfigured flora and fauna, transforming trees into gnarled, skeletal effigies and animals into creatures of unsettling horror. Navigating this zone without proper precaution is to invite despair and, quite possibly, a permanent cessation of one's own light.
• The Faded Forest (Breland): In Breland, the Faded Forest hosts a remarkable, albeit perilous, magical construct: a grand mystical arch. This artifact serves as a deliberate conduit to Mabar, opening a direct portal to the plane every tenth night. Furthermore, during the entirety of the month of Sypheros, the forest itself becomes a potent manifest zone, saturating the landscape with Mabar's consuming essence. Prudent travelers avoid this region during such periods of heightened planar bleed.
• The Shanjueed Jungle (Sarlona): Far across the Thunder Sea, on the continent of Sarlona, the dense Shanjueed Jungle contains a significant and well-documented manifest zone to Mabar. Its effects are less overtly dramatic than The Gloaming but no less insidious, subtly draining vitality from the unwary and encouraging the proliferation of creatures drawn to the absence of light.
• Valin Field (Cyre): Perhaps the most harrowing and unique manifestation occurred following the Day of Mourning. Valin Field in what was once Cyre became a warped nexus, simultaneously a manifest zone to both Mabar and the plane of conflict, Shavarath. This unholy confluence creates an environment of unfathomable horror, where the essence of eternal war meets the thirst of ultimate consumption. Individuals who venture into Valin Field are seldom seen again, and those rare few who return are invariably described as irrevocably tainted, their spirit and perhaps their very form twisted by the dual energies of consuming darkness and endless conflict. This zone remains an active and dire warning against unchecked planar bleed.

Planetary Alignment & Influence

Beyond stationary manifest zones, the very proximity of Mabar to Eberron undergoes periodic shifts, dictating the plane's global influence. These predictable celestial cycles demand careful observation and appropriate preparation.

• Coterminous Periods: When Mabar becomes coterminous with Eberron, the veil between worlds thins to a gossamer thread. Nights grow unbelievably black, their shadows seeming to possess a hungry sentience. Travel to Mabar becomes terrifyingly simple – merely stepping into an area devoid of light can, for the unwary or the ill-prepared, transport one directly to the Eternal Night. More alarmingly, during these periods, the predatory inhabitants of Mabar slip from the deepest shadows, drawn to our world's light and life, seeking to sate their intrinsic hunger. These perilous alignments occur on the three nights of the new moon closest to the winter solstice, precisely once every five years. Vigilance is paramount during these critical junctures.
• Remote Periods: Conversely, when Mabar is remote, its influence recedes. The darkness on Eberron seems less profound, and the nights, while still holding their innate mysteries, feel considerably less fearsome. The oppressive weight of Mabar's consumption is lessened, almost imperceptibly, but noticeably for those sensitive to planar energies. These periods of reprieve occur every five years, specifically on the five nights surrounding the full moon closest to the summer solstice. While not a time for complacency, it offers a temporary respite from the plane's more aggressive encroachments.

Understanding Mabar is not merely an academic exercise; it is a vital prerequisite for survival in a reality where the planes are not distant theoretical constructs but active, influential forces. The Eternal Night relentlessly seeks to consume, and only through knowledge and vigilance can we hope to mitigate its insidious grasp upon Eberron.