In the lonesome and lost bowers and forests of the once-beautiful Grabenfeld countryside, there are no lack of twisted, warped and decrepit trees. Years of warfare, coupled with sour soil and a dark past, have resulted in Grabenfeld's many forests taking on a dark and menacing nature that few other places in the world can match. Despite the small, even quaint hamlets found dotted throughout these black forests, there's little chance that anyone will ever feel "welcome" wandering the bleak woodlands. That is, anyone living...

Of the many native Pokémon to Grabenfeld, the region's Ghost-types are possibly some of the most infamous, if mysterious. One of the largest and most unusual of them all is the eerie Mareister. Never found in the company of its own kind, but always in the company of Phantumps and Trevenants, Mareister is sometimes considered a distant cousin of these smaller, lesser apparitions. "Groves" of ghostly trees can be found scattered throughout Grabenfeld's forests, lost in dense fog and rarely intruded upon by other wild Pokémon. At the heart of these groves one will oft times find the the eight-foot tall, eerily glowing Mareister, the soft pulsation of the floating, heart-like fruits at the end of its branches a steady drumbeat of unspoken menace.

Mareister acts somewhat like a "mastermind" for lesser Ghost-types, seemingly summoning them to itself for some unspoken purpose. What researchers can confirm is that, given time, it seems that the other Ghost-types fade away, while new fruits come to fullness amidst the gnarled branches of the dark tree. When there are no other ghosts to attract, and no Phantumps or Trevenants to tend its fruits, Mareister will raise root and begin to wander, "singing" in melodic, mournful tones, looking for a new place to haunt. It will usually drop the ripest fruits, which can be collected and used for medicine, repellants and even in some exotic, if questionable, cuisine, but if left unattended the fruits will sink into the soil, and a new Mareister may grow there in years to come.

When fought by a Trainer and their Pokémon, Mareister isn't shy about expelling haunting gouts of ghostly fire from its eyes and mouth, chilling foes to the bone and freezing them in their tracks with gut-wrenching fear. It's said that the gaze of the Ghost/Grass-type is enough to place a curse on those foolish enough to challenge it, but if a Trainer is skilled enough to overtake it, they may actually find Mareister to be loyal, affectionate, and very powerful as far as combat goes.

So if you go looking for trouble, or a challenge, in the wilds of Grabenfeld, just listen for a mournful song, and keep an eye out for foggy, quiet stretches of land full of gnarled, stunted trees. The glow of their eyes, and the beating of their "hearts", will catch your attention well before anything else. At least, you should hope so, otherwise you may find yourself lost in the fog...

Mareister, The Nightmare Forest Pokémon, No. 022 in the Grabenfeld Regional Pokédex.

Art by  GoatMystic for my Homebrew project.