This is all dandy, but also boring as all hell. I prefer to refer back to her origins as the Queen Mab referenced in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. By Mercutio (i.e. the biggest badass in that entire work) nonetheless.
... And in this state she gallops night by nightSo even before she was corrupted, Mab's powers were always strongest in the darkness. Moreover, illusions were her bread & butter. These are the Queen's memories from life, which have now twisted to suit her new desires. The Queen of Air & Darkness is, surely, above inflicting mere oral herpes in her wrath. Rather, she tortures and controls beings with darkness and turns friends, allies and lovers against one another with her illusions. She seeks to expose anyone whole to the corruption which robbed her of her inheritance and happiness. This is just small scale entertainment, however. The real goal is to destroy Titania, Oberon and the Seelie Court. The Unseelie Court does not possess the power to do this, so a new queendom needs be established. One where the Fey deities of the Seelie Court will be severely weakened should they attempt to intervene.
Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love;
O’er courtiers’ knees, that dream on court'sies straight,
O’er lawyers’ fingers, who straight dream on fees,
O’er ladies' lips, who straight on kisses dream,
Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues,
Because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are:
Sometime she gallops o’er a courtier's nose,
And then dreams he of smelling out a suit;
And sometime comes she with a tithe-pig's tail
Tickling a parson's nose as a’ lies asleep,
Then dreams, he of another benefice
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| On the left is supposedly a daelkyr, but one can take any form it chooses, though all are somehow grotesque |
The Queen of Air and Darkness must manifest herself in a Fey body belonging to the realm of Eberron in order to further her ambitions. The Idol of Air and Darkness (denoted by its black diamond eyes) is the necessary artifact to link Mab to a physical vessel. Sentient in its own regard, the Idol seeks out a healthy Fey body to bestow upon its master, but will also have an effect on any creature that comes into contact with it. Anyone carrying the artifact will gain knowledge of the Elven language, +3 to all Intelligence checks, darkvision and the ability to freely manipulate (basic manipulation; no shadow puppets) and move between shadows (movement in a 1-mile radius of the original shadow). If the host body is of Fey origin and cannot already read and speak Elvish (as is the case with the Drow in Eberron, as former slaves of giants), they will retain permanent knowledge of the language even after they separate from the idol. Any Fey with at least semi-intelligence must make a DC 17 Will save (Wisdom save in 4e, because this is active resistance) to resist being controlled by the idol. Creatures of non-Fey descent have a weaker resistance (DC 19 Will save) to the idol's influence, but this is not always to the Queen's advantage; lesser non-Fey beings may lose their minds to the overwhelming hatred, becoming some of the toughest serial killers that the authorities have had to deal with. Should the bearer both make their Will save and decide to hold onto the idol, they will have to make a Will save every 3 hours to continue resisting the influence of the artifact. Non-Fey barbarians have a natural immunity to the idol's mind control, but are similarly unable to wield the power of the idol; it might work well for bashing in skulls, though.
Throughout history, there have been those of particularly strong will that were able to permanently stay independent of the idol's mind control. However, prolonged contact with the Idol of Air and Darkness dissolves the mind of the host, regardless of whether they have control over their senses. The host will find it increasingly difficult to contain his or her anger at even the smallest of infractions as time passes. Once benevolent and wise rulers have been known to become the cruellest of dictators. It is surprisingly the orcs of the Shadow Marches that remember this best. Many doppelgangers are still doing their utmost to forget, which often involves taking the lives of anyone who could serve as a reminder.
Moreover, any Fey body which the Queen manages to possess cannot sustain the her corrupting effect. As such, the body will gradually dissolve away over the course of a year, though some vessels may be able to last as long as three years. After the vessel has completely dissolved, the Queen of Air and Darkness can still remain on the natural plane as an incorporeal and invisible entity as she does in her own court. This form will last for one month, sustained by surrounding magical energy from the environment, until she is able to find another vessel. If a new vessel cannot be procured, this form will dissipate, severing the Queen's physical link with the natural plane.
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Rumours say that a servant of the Queen, seeing the potential for the artifact to fall into the wrong hands during the Last War(for many ways exist to wield power), sealed it away inside an altar on the continent of Khorvaire. It is likely hidden somewhere in either Aundair or the city of Sharn in Breland, where the presence of strong magic would not be strange.
