The Nocturne Codex
Everything you need to know.
Almost everything.
The world below Vienna is older than the city above it. These are its inhabitants, its places, its tools, and its rules. Some entries are from the field notes of Kornelius Flinn. Others come from the Shilwani Field Guide of Curious Contraptions. A few are simply things Helena wishes someone had told her earlier.
Fauna
Dusk Fawn
Capreolus Umbravorus — "Shadow-Eating Little Deer"
Cat-faced, goat-bodied, vanta-black. Devours shadows and leaves whimsical bite marks in the dark.
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Fauna
Emberling & Emberwing
Igniptera Luminaris — "Luminous Fire Wing"
Tiny glowing mammals that form a hive mind in numbers — and merge into a larger, radiant life form whose shape depends on where they gather.
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Fauna
Phaseling
Lepus Spectralis — "Spectral Rabbit"
Rabbit-like, ram-eared, with colour-shifting eyes. Moves so fast it seems to phase from one location to another.
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Fauna
Goliath Pebbler / Panx
Magnus Lapidarius — "Great Stone Creature"
Elephant-sized, pangolin-like herbivores that disguise themselves as boulders when resting.
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Fauna — Hostile
Nightmare Leech
Nocturnalis Hirudo — "Shadow Splitter"
Shadow-creatures that spread nightmares to feed on the Nocturnal Energy they generate, and divide as they grow. They do not stop.
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Fauna
Wordwing Simian
Simiavis Verborum Collector — "Word-Collecting Monkey-Bird"
Winged, monkey-like creatures that collect fragments of human speech and release them in eerie, rhythmic chains through the dark.
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Classified
Nightwere
Lycanthropus Nocturnalis
Not a creature by birth. A condition. The bureau has flagged it. The full file is restricted. More will be known in time.
Classified
Prismglider
Aërocrystallus Volucris
Field file pending classification.
Classified
Nightstrider Stag
Noctivagus Cornutus — "Night-Wandering Horned One"
Access to field notes requires senior bureau clearance.
Classified
Shardclaw
Crypteraptor Crystallum — "Hidden Thief of Crystal"
Do not approach.
Flora
Trispire Prismbloom
Luminodendron Triformis — "Three-Formed Luminous Tree"
An ancient crystalline tree that sustains three biomes at once. No one has ever seen a sapling. If it dies, civilizations fall.
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Flora
Wandering Willow
Vagans Salix — "Wandering Willow"
A majestic, slow-moving tree that drifts through the underground caverns and forests. Revered as an ancient guardian of balance and memory.
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Flora
Skydrift Bloom
Aeroluma Flos — "Airborne Light Flower"
Drifts above the Violet Expanse on slow jellyfish-like breaths, shifting from violet to rose to deep indigo. Creates aerial meadows that span miles. Its pollen is used in dreams of flight and transcendence.
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Flora
Tapberry
Pulsum Bacca — "Pulsed Berry"
Bark-growing berries that ripen when tapped rhythmically. Juicy, salty, glowing purple. Brewed into a tea enjoyed by goblins and the Nightmare Squad alike — one of those rare things that makes an underground city feel like home.
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Location — Goblin City
The goblin city beneath Vienna. One of the oldest dream factories in the world. Older than the city above it.
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Vinaborg — Central District
Fountainheart Plaza
The Vinaborg Atrium
The grand central square of Vinaborg, built around a continuous steam-and-water fountain. The civic heart of the city — where major thoroughfares meet, the goblin tube station begins, and no one is ever quite in a hurry to leave.
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Vinaborg
Vinaborg Dreamcraft Manufactory
Where dreams are made
The dream factory at the heart of Vinaborg. Loud, warm, and running continuously since before Vienna existed. Every dream delivered to the city above originates here — on the floor, at the mixing stations, under Keenaacs Bustlespirit's watch.
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Location — Nocturnal Wilderness
Three utterly different biomes existing side by side, sustained by a single ancient tree. Geography has no explanation for them.
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Location — Triome Biome
A lush nocturnal rainforest teeming with bioluminescent flora and elusive fauna. Beautiful and treacherous in equal measure.
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Location — Triome Biome
Vast rolling plains of purple grasses and glowing orange rivers. Panxes roam here. The locals report unusual inhabitants. Tranquil until it isn't.
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Location — Triome Biome
A crystal desert of haunting beauty and serious danger. Razor-sharp formations, hidden crevices, and territorial predators.
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Location — Human World
The Institute
Institute for Juvenile Sleeping Disorders — Vienna
Vienna's sleep therapy clinic for children. Where Helena finds the Nightmare Squad — and where everything begins.
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Classified
Lúmorae-Vaen'Tri'vael
"The Sanctuary of Unified Light"
Location restricted. The bureau is still assessing.
Shop — Shadowlight Promenade
Sprocket & Spindle
Engineering Emporium
The definitive tinkering supply shop. If you need a part, a tool, or a blueprint, Sprocket & Spindle has it.
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Shop — Shadowlight Promenade
The Nixie Vault
Specialist Gadget Shop
A curated gadget shop with a great selection. Known for its shop window, which always has something worth stopping for.
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Shop — Shadowlight Promenade
Twilight Threads
Clothing & Attire
Clothing for every occasion, from field missions to formal events. The best-dressed goblins in Vinaborg shop here.
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Shop — Shadowlight Promenade
Flickerflask Alchemy
Alchemist & Apothecary
Vinaborg's alchemist. Dream compounds, nocturnal serums, and preparations you won't find anywhere else.
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Shop — Shadowlight Promenade
A warm, dim café on the Promenade. The Nocturnug Nog alone is worth the visit. Important conversations happen here.
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Technology — Shilwani Field Guide
True Night Navigator
Nocturnal Chrono-Positioner (NCP)
Compass, timepiece, and planetary model in one. Tracks True Night, illuminates the dark, and interfaces with goblin machinery.
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Technology — Shilwani Field Guide
Goblin Specs
Multifunctional Goblin Goggles
Sunglasses, night vision, zoom scope, and NE detector in one. Without them, humans see nothing. Standard field issue.
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Technology — Shilwani Field Guide
Dream Deck
Dream Resonance Valve Board
The goblin engineer's central workstation. Mixes dream routines with personal variables to produce a unique nightly dream.
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Technology — Shilwani Field Guide
Nightspark Gauge
Nocturnal Radiance Indicator (NRI)
A pocket-watch device that measures Nocturnal Energy levels. Emits a soft glow. Two members of the Nightmare Squad have modified theirs to do something more.
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Technology — Shilwani Field Guide
Nightpetal
Nocturnal Agile Biomechanical Airship
A silent goblin airship powered by biofuel and umbral crystals. Glides unseen through night skies for stealthy operations.
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Technology — Shilwani Field Guide
Glink
Goblin Uplink Device
A compact uplink device that connects to the goblin network. Reliable. Widely carried. Plugs in, logs on, gets to work.
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Technology — Shilwani Field Guide
Dreamcatcher Cube
Vaporatrix Oneirum
A bronzed cube that filters stray dream particles from the air. Glows in response to the emotions of absorbed dreams.
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Technology — Shilwani Field Guide
Rift Wristlet
Quantum Destabilizer Bracelet (QDB)
A wrist device that destabilizes surfaces and creates temporary portals. Lasts thirty seconds. Read the instructions first.
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Classified
Prismant Compass
Directional Emotional Resonance Analyzer
Listed as a beginner construct. Field applications suggest otherwise.
Rules & Lore
Nocturnal Energy
Energia Nocturna (NE)
The force that powers the hidden world. Dreams generate it. Goblins engineer it. A rare few humans can sense and direct it. Helena is one of them.
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Rules & Lore
The darkest moment of the night — when the sun is on the exact opposite side of the Earth. NE flows at peak intensity.
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Rules & Lore
The ability to connect to another human's NE signature and enter their dream — observing from above, hovering over the dreamer. A rare gift. Helena is one of the strongest.
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Rules & Lore — Goblin Sport
Dreamchase
Vinaborg Dreamchase Circuit
Goblin aerial sport: steampunk wings, dream blasters, obstacle courses. Part sport, part spectacle. Vinaborg's favourite event.
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Rules & Lore — Goblin Card Game
The goblin strategy card game. Two dreamshaper players build and disrupt each other's dreams. Coherence wins. Collapse loses.
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Lore
Kragg'thak
The Goblin Tongue
The native language of goblin civilization. Harsh, guttural, and built for precision — its sounds recall clanking metal and hissing steam. Rune-based, grammar-efficient, and surprisingly expressive once you know what "Grik-thakk!" means.
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Classified
Nocturnal Energy — Secondary Forms
Energia Nocturna (NE) — Addendum 3
This addendum is restricted pending ongoing field incidents.
Classified
Persistent Oneiric Domain
POD — Bureau Classification TBD
Classification ongoing. Entry is not granted — it is permitted.
Classified
Oneiric Phase Synchronization
OPS — Advanced Oneiric Technique
File sealed by order of bureau senior council.
Classified
Lúmoraeth
"The Shape the Soul Remembers While Dreaming"
What uses it is not yet confirmed.
Essence
Moonshade Dust
Base Solution — Calm · Serenity · Peace
The foundational tranquilizer of dream engineering. Extracted from the Moonshade Fern. Fine silver-luminescent powder. Every dreamsmith learns this one first.
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Essence
Dreamspore Dust
Logic Function — Choice · Branch · OR
The only essence capable of introducing a conditional branch into a dream template. The dreamer's own NE selects the path. Extraordinarily fine blue shimmer — store with care.
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Essence
Bellshade Powder
Emotional Modifier — Unpredictability · Surprise
Introduces the element of surprise into a template. Dark purple powder from the Bellshade plant, pulsating between hues. Highly moisture-reactive. Use sparingly.
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Essence
Lumenroot Serum
Base Solution — Clarity · Insight · Familiarity
Warm golden serum from the Lumenroot plant. Grounds a dream in the familiar — everyday settings, recognizable environments. The baseline before complexity is added.
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Essence
Nightbloom Serum
Base Solution — Beauty · Calm · Serenity
Translucent blue serum from Nightbloom Lilies. Adds beauty and deep calm to any template. Often used to give a difficult dream sequence a gentle, peaceful resolution.
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Essence
Clusterleaf Extract
Emotional Modifier — Unity · Harmony · Connection
Clear green extract from colony-bonded Clusterleaf ferns. Makes everything in a dream feel connected — people, places, situations. Essential for group templates.
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Essence
Nightlight Dew
Base Solution — Familiarity · Safety · Grounding
Collected from Nightlight Moss at pre-dawn. Instills the feeling of familiar, known environments — not specific places, but the emotional texture of them.
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Essence
Murmurcap Essence
Emotional Modifier — Revealing · Discovering
Faint blue humming liquid from the Whispering Shroom fungus. Introduces moments of uncovering and discovery. Harvest in silence — vibration disrupts the process.
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Essence
Blowpuff Powder
Emotional Modifier — Confrontation · Resolve
Soft green powder from the Blowpuff Shroom. Introduces confrontation and the willingness to face difficult things. A cornerstone of counseling and mastery dream templates.
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Essence
Moonpod Serum
Compound — Friendly · Pleasant · Welcoming
Lumipod Gel with Moonbloom Essence. Glowing soft silver serum that creates warmth and friendliness in dream interactions. One of the most used compounds in standard dream templates.
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Essence
Phantasm Fungus Extract
Compound — Haunting · Creepy · Unsettling
Shadowcap Powder with Murmurcap Essence. Dark shimmering powder with a haunting glow. Introduces spectral atmosphere — the feeling that something lingers just outside the frame.
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Essence
Darkvine Oil
Compound — Surprise · Suspense · Tension
Abyssal Ivy Oil with Nightvein Vine Essence. Dark viscous oil with an ominous shimmer. Introduces the sense that something is coming — suspense before the turn.
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Essence
Shadowbind Extract
Compound — Discomfort · Unease
Venomvine Extract with Gloomspore Dust. Introduces discomfort — not fear, but the feeling that something is slightly wrong. Key ingredient in counseling dream templates.
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Essence
Starblossom Nectar
Base Solution — Wonder · Awe · Amazement
Sparkling clear liquid from night-blooming Starblossoms. The essential ingredient for wonder and awe. One of the oldest essences in Vinaborg's continuous production. Stable. Reliable. Necessary.
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