The BackHalls

X Worldbuilders:

GM James R

This page is about the demiplane, for the campaign named after the Demiplane, see The BackHalls (Campaign)

The BackHalls (Real name unknown) were a mysterious and seemingly unending labyrinth of hallways and office spaces, where the only companions you'll find are the comfort of the damp carpet under your feet, and the buzz of the florescent lights above. Creatures from all manner of time and space found themselves in the BackHalls fighting for survival.

About

Creatures enter the BackHalls when they are subjected to imprisonment magic, but the spell was not done in the correct way -- either on purpose or due to a lack of skill. As a result, the creature's soul and existence is imprisoned not to a typical imprisonment target, but to this nullified demiplane that exists tangential to reality.

Spawning

The BackHalls has specific rooms that are "spawn rooms" where creatures will appear to be summoned out of nowhere. Typically once a spawn room has summoned a party of creatures, it will have a cooldown period before it summons more creatures. Every time a creature spawns, they will be carrying whatever they had on their person when they were originally subjected to the imprisonment, including their clothes, weapons, and any satchels/inventory they had on their person.

When someone is killed in the BackHalls, they do not die, but rather respawn in the halls in a new spawn room. However, they will not retain any memories, items, or powers from their prior life cycle. As a result, every time someone spawns into the BackHalls, they will feel like it is the first time they've ever spawned in the BackHalls.

Life in the Halls

The souls banished to the BackHalls never needed to eat, sleep, or drink. They don't get physically sleepy, but may find themselves wearing thin on abilities and power (such as magic) as they exhaust their power, requiring them to still rest for a time to regain natural strength.

Architecture

The walls of the BackHalls were said to be covered in an offensive wallpaper of beige and yellow colors, featuring vertical columns of repeating fleur-de-lis. There were no doors in the hallways, only open passages, though whether or not there were historically any doors is an open question, considering that wooden debris could be found in various places.

Encounters

This is an incomplete list of things encountered in The Backhalls (so far).

• SWAT Marines
• Dire Wolves
• A wall mounted font which liquified (soupified?) anything placed into it.
• An altar, written in gnomish: "The Altar of the GlassBreakers"
• Trapped chambers which shut and fill with sand if triggered.
• Goblins
• Oil Barrels filled with assorted items.
• Blackouts
• Wall mounted Conversational Security Cameras with mic and speaker.
• The Kreaker
• Portals that let you enter the walls.
• Death Dogs
• Half Giants
• Hill Giants
• Locked Chests of Good Loot
• Spells that appear out of nowhere
• Puzzles written into the floor
• A Stuckey's
• Random bursts of fire
• Trapped chambers which lock you in.
• Chambers that make you lose all you senses.
• Teleporting bugs
• A sleepy Yagnoloth
• Vampires and vampire kobolds
• Sundry demons
• Various altars
• Secret doors
• Portals to other parts of the halls

The Vestiges

Sometimes called the Bosses or the Masters, the Vestiges are the most powerful creatures in the halls.

• The Allip
• The Eviscerator
• The Ogre Warlord / War Hulk
• The Dire Troll
• Crab
• Wyvern
• Frog
• Minotaur
• Dragon Ashardalon.
• Demon goristro
• Ipos

Factions

• GlassBreakers
• Asmodeus Reject's
• MapGabbers
• The Bank, also known as The Mint and The Vault
• Sisters of the Mystic Eye
• Pelorians
• The City (including the Pistol Arrows)
• The Watchers
• Circus of the Lost
• Glumpfens
• Camera Barbarians / Polaroid Ragers
• The Royal Court / The Kingdom