The Abyss
The Space Between The Planes
Primordial and Everlasting
From all accounts the Abyss was the original state of existence before The creator made Aphara, and before The Gods made the other planes. In this endless expanse of nothing and everything the first beings lived and continue to do so. The Abyss isn't really a plane itself, more so the absence of a plane. It is a coalition of magical slag and raw energy that is free flowing and constantly expanding. Interplanar travel requires passage through the Abyss, a dangerous endeavor as before a safe gateway is established, one must wade through the Raw Abyss, which is swarming with demons and aberrations. This state of being defies all logic, a location where mere mortals were never intended to walk. One needs to only gaze upon the inhabitants of the Abyss to see this. Demons and unspeakable nightmares stalk the Raw Abyss, just as they always have and just as they always will. From this place the first sparks of life came to be, the Old Gods in their mindless slumber creating new forms of terror on a whim. It was not until The Creator rose from the black ichor of the Abyss that history truly began. From the Abyss, Aphara and The Gods were created, before The Creator returned to their eternal slumber.Magical Filter
When magic is pulled from Arcanium to be used in other planes, it must first pass through the Abyss. As raw arcana is dangerous when handled by mortals, it must first be refined when casting spells. This refining process leaves behind a kind of arcane slag that makes up the Abyss. This slag is absorbed into the Abyss, expanding it. As the Abyss is forever growing, so is the capability of the slag left behind. Raw Abyss as it's called, can be used to make anything one can think of. This filtering process weakens Chimalli, making travel into the Abyss possible. This property of the Abyss was not known to mortalkind for many centuries, and is seen as one of the driving factors for magic being as ostracized as it is in Evenia. The expansion of the Abyss is something that is seen with much trepidation, as the direct result of it has yet to be seen.Malleable and Discordant
The arcane slag that forms the Abyss is harmless to come in contact with, and can be used to materialize anything you can think of. These Abyssal items are as real as you imagine them to be as the raw abyss forms to the will of those who shape it. Be it mortals, demons, aberrations and the Old Gods. Without direct intervention the Abyss slowly changes depending on what planes are nearby, as well as depending on the thoughts and emotions of the beings on those planes. Given enough time and effort form the planes inhabitants the Raw Abyss eventually fuses with the nearby plane, therefore making it bigger. This has been done intentionally many times throughout history, as the rulers of the many planes require more space for their machinations. In fact a skilled or particularly powerful individual can learn to shape the Raw Abyss in such a way to create a new plane entirely, or a smaller demiplane, such is the case for the Old Gods.Demons
Demons are a result of mortals who die within the Abyss. At the time of their death their soul is absorbed by the Raw Abyss around them and twisted into a creation of their own thoughts and emotions. This is an incredibly painful process where the being is fully conscious, fully aware that they are in the process of turning into something otherworldly. Upon their creation a demon remembers nothing of their former life, only being consumed by whatever fear breathed them into existence. Because of this demons are incredibly dangerous and hostile to all life, even other demons. What is worse is that when a demon dies, they don't die truly, they are turned back into the Abyss they are made of and reformed. As such a demon is immortal in a way.Archdemons
Particularly powerful individuals are able to maintain some semblance of their mind when they transform. These more intelligent demons learn to harness the Abyss to shape it in whatever way they need. The stronger they become the more they can do. Eventually they can gain control over other demons, forming armies with which to conquer more of the Abyss, and even forming their own demiplane within the Abyss. These demons become Archdemons, the most dangerous of all demons. There are 4 known Archdemons, each with a different dogma and agenda. Varvoth is the Archdemon of punishment. Varvoth believes that becoming a demon was a result of her sins, and she will be freed from it when she has suffered enough. To this end she seeks to punish mortals for their sins, hoping to allow them to live better lives as a result of it. At her side is Penance, a crazed mortal who seeks to exert Varvoth's will. Zalvath is the Archdemon of monsters. Zalvath is a crazed gibbering demon who sees other demons and monstrosities as her children, all beautiful and perfect. She spends her eternal life creating new monsters to unleash onto the many planes. Drakoth is the Archdemon of tyranny. Drakoth believes that demonkind is the next evolutionary step from all mortalkind. Any who are not demons are less than demons and need to be killed in the Abyss to ascend to their next true form. Xulven is the Archdemon of rebellion. Xulven blames The Gods for his transformation into a demon. He intends to use his power to raise an army to usurp The Gods themselves.Aberrations
Aberrations materialize in a multitude of ways, corruption, chance, or thought. When some beings not native to The Abyss come in contact with it there is a chance they could be corrupted by it, as the Abyss seeps into them it changes them into something else, something wrong. On occasion an aberration will spring forth out of nothing but Abyss. These beings typically form from arrant spellcasting on another plane. As the magic is being filtered thoughts the Abyss it spontaneously creates an aberration. When beings think or feel, the Abyss responds. Particularly strong thoughts or emotions are capable of bending the Abyss into living things. While this can result in an innocuous thing, such as a bird or flower, this can spiral into an aberration. Aberrations have little purpose, simply behaving like animals most of the time, hunting and breeding and living until they die. Unlike demons, when an aberration dies they do not return, thankfully staying dead for good.The Old Gods
The Old Gods are the primordial beings who existed in the Abyss long before anything else. They predate The Gods, Aphara, even The Creator. Where they came from is unknowable, as the very nature of these beings is incomprehensible to mortal minds. Such dangerous lines of thinking drive mortals to insanity. These Old Gods and their inscrutable nature dwell in the deepest sections of the Abyss, in their own demiplanes where they dwell, awaiting for their rise to power once more. These beings are so difficult to comprehend that mortals typically give them simple names that line up to their personalities. These are derived from basic emotions such as Wrath, Envy or Desire. These names are a meek attempt to categorize these beings, as their true nature would shatter any mortal mind. But they help in describing what they may be interested in accomplishing
Type
Dimensional plane
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