So, NightMist's bio and Episode #12 - NightMist both state that Faye's attempt to cast the Mists of R'lyeh spell sent her to another realm or dimension filled with mist, which is how she became "cursed" with an unstable, mist-like body. We've heard a few times that the curse also enhanced her ability to perform feats of magic. Many of the spells in NightMist's deck are depicted as having "misty" visual effects, but only two spells explicitly have "mist" in the name: Mistbound and Mists of Time. I couldn't help but notice that Mistbound deals with opening a portal, and Mists of Time deals with seeing through time, which as we know is related to multiversal travel. Additionally, the quote on the Planar Banishment spell says "I cast thee through the Gates of R'lyeh!" That's two "Mist" spells and one "R'lyeh" spell dealing specifically with dimensional or "multiversal" effects. That is interesting given what later happens with the Mist Gates and the Mist Storm, not to mention the fact that the Mists of R'lyeh card in Arkham Horror is essentially a "teleportation" effect.
In Episode #111 - Magic in the Multiverse, we learned about how magic, broadly speaking, involves drawing power from an outside source such as another realm. We learned about various realms from which magical power can be drawn. We also learned that NightMist primarily uses Discordian magic and, later in her career, some Void magic. Conspicuously absent was any mention of either the realm of mist or "R'lyeh."
Episode #54 - Supernatural Settings, states that while elements of NightMist's backstory are obviously inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft, specific "mythos" beings such as Cthulhu are not part of Sentinel Comics. Therefore, I assume that "R'lyeh" is NOT a sunken city where dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.
So...what is the deal with NightMist's mist? Is "R'lyeh" the name of the realm of mists, or just the name of the spell used to get there? If R'lyeh is NOT the realm of mists, what is it? Are either of these concepts linked to the Realm of Discord in any way? Is the mist realm just a "region" within the Realm of Discord? Do the mists specifically facilitate planar travel, or are these various gates just "misty" as a side effect of being cast by someone who's mist-cursed?
This all strikes me as a rather conpicuous omission from Nightmist's lore and the lore of the Multiverse in general. So big, in fact, that I'm starting to suspect that it's being held back for a big "reveal," most likely related to Prime War. What do you all think?
The Metallian
Sadly we won't get an answer from Prime War anytime soon since that was cancelled. As to what is the mist I'm not sure beyond being related to the magic of her artifacts which are her most direct references to Cthulhu. Though I'd guess being moist annoys cultists and Gloomweaver pretty well too.
Crush your enemies, drive them before you, and laminate their women! - Guise, Prime Wardens #31
Oh, wow, I missed that announcement.
Well, then.
I hope that storyline gets picked up in some form. I don't foresee mist being a big element in the RPG timeline anytime soon...
The Metallian
My take on the Mists of R’lyeh is that Fate cast it for the magic boost, but getting shunted out of this reality and transformed was the unfortunate side effect (this is what happens when you cast spells that you don’t properly understand, Faye!). This whole thing gave her magic a particularly mist-related flavour, and apparently a pretty good ability with portals and precognition.
As far as what the realm of mists is...in Cthulhu canon, R’lyeh is just a lost city near Point Nemo - spooky, but solidly in this reality. I don’t know if it’s particularly noted for mistiness. However, in SotM, R’lyeh could easily be in another realm, or could be an entire magical realm of its own, where immense blocks of stone make up warped, unmappable labyrinths, and thick mists conceal impossible horrors.
https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaneCharlie
And maybe the RPG adventures dealing with Dead Nightmist fallout will have more details.
I came *this close* to snorting the tea I was just drinking! :D
Well, I really thought I was on to something, but Gen Con Live 2020 Jossed my assumption that there was some Big Secret here that they were being coy about.
Effectively, "R'lyeh" and the mist in general are just bits of color around Nightmist and her powers, and the mist portals and Mist Storm are misty "because Nightmist" and not "because mist," if that makes sense.
The Metallian
Sorry about the thread necro, but I just caught up with The Letters Page and didn't feel comfortable looking through the forums until then.
"Because Nightmist" is still pretty significant. Especially combined with all the stuff Christopher has said about OblivAeon's leftover power and the whole power/body/mind thing with some powerful beings. I saw a lot of parallels with the Mistborn Series by Sanderson, and how a significant part of the later plot had to do with (statute of limitations on these stories are long over) the bodies, minds, and power of god-like beings.
So Nightmist, prior to her death, was something other than human. Lot of talk from C&A about her being a being of magic more than a person. Doesn't seem like too much of a stretch that she was probably on a path similar to Gloomweaver, at least in the "godlike being in certain circumstances" way.
Combining the two of those things, it seems that the Mist Gate and all the trouble it caused in the Vertex Universe is what happens when her power is separated from her mind and body. So you have a whole mess of magical chaos, that just happened to be involved in interdimensional shenanigans.
Because Nightmist. Because she was doing interdimensional shenanigans at the time the power overwhelmed her body and mind's ability to control it. Or perhaps you have the birth of what should have been a god's power, without the mind or body able to house it.