Beliefs

To Cotd , the primary difference between the Darklit and Abyssian cultures is their attitudes towards materialism. Abyssians tend to place far more importance on physical objects in a way that Darklit Cotd rarely do so. There are several, mostly related, reasons for this. First is the environments themselves. The Abyssian Chasm is incredibly stable, while the Pitch Black Forest naturally expands over time. As a result, any sort of large-scale solid structure in the Darklit Cities will typically break apart within a century or two. Therefore, the Chasm lends itself towards long-lasting buildings. This is especially important considering the indefinite Cotd lifespan- something falling apart after a century in a Cotd culture would be like if it fell apart within half a decade to most people. On top of instability, the Pitch Black Forest has few ore deposits. What little there is consists mostly of silver, copper, and lead; all very soft metals.
The Abyssian Chasm's natural resources was the main reason it was settled in the first place. Iron ore is practically everywhere, along with more esoteric metals such as vanadium, palladium, hemite, and abyssium. Post-Shattering, archtrees also provided a source of slade. These rich resources further reinforced the culture of the original settlers.
A result of this is the cultures' differing approaches to magic. The primary form of magic in the Darklit Cities is sorcery- built around the individual casting; implements nice but not strictly necessary. On the other hand, the Chasm is known for artifice, a magic entirely built around using similar concepts to sorcery in the creation of physical objects.