Plane of Darkness

The Unfathomable Depths

It is very difficult to discern the nature of a place directly linked to obscurity and the unknown. Reason seems to erode, and many who dare to tread in such a place get lost in the darkness in not only body, but mind and soul as well. Those who do return with their sense intact describe a world of colorless 'roads' or spires stretching and spiraling in a tangle.

Traits

• Gravity: 'Down' is always towards the nearest surface; the 'roads' (some call them 'threads') are typically predominantly cylindrical, and running across all sides of them is possible. The difficulty of jumping from one thread to the gravity of another varies with distance.
• Darkness: The plane is, in effect, under an endless Darkzone, increasing the difficulty of all perception checks, including supernatural ones, by two degrees. Even when light is brought or nightvision is employed, the way ahead is unclear.
• Magic: Spells of the Path of Darkness (including subpaths or free access spells a caster uses with it) take effect at one level higher than they are cast at, while spells on the Path of Light suffer the opposite effect.
• Psionics: Psychic powers from the Discipline of Sentience gain a +20 to Potential when used in regard to negative emotion, and -20 to Potential in regard to positive emotion. Powers from the Discipline of Light suffer a -40 to Potential.

Geography

Again, it is hard to get any view of the totality of the Plane of Darkness by its very nature. The tangled threads leading seemingly nowhere are a common fixture, with some of them wrapping into balls or flat spirals (which thankfully maintain intuitive gravity). These bundled areas tend to be where most of the 'natural life' of the plane resides, as well as any residences exist. Some of them are large enough to be considered continents or islands, and hold similar diversity. On the other hand, the tightest tangles have strange gravitational properties that effectively allow flight to the initiated, and these are also commonly inhabited by beasts.
The threads, of course, are solid elemental Darkness, though they often lack the sheer durability of that which is created by the Dark Material Objects spell. Some actively crumble, forming clouds of black dust that are toxic to most mortal races (though they pose little threat to those with ties to Darkness) when touched. Others are soft enough to leave footprints, though this is a cold comfort - many occultists know that these regions are common hunting grounds thanks to this same trait. Some regions are even stranger, with spirals holding the element in liquid form in their centers and grooves, allowing for all matter of elemental beings to thrive.

Fauna & Flora

While the elemental Darkness dulls all senses, sight tends to be especially useless within the Unfathomable Depths. As such, the majority of its denizens are blind, using other means of detection such as acute hearing or even sensing vibrations across the threads. A smaller but still notable majority are mindless beasts, seeking only to hunt and feed. One common example is the Palls, batlike beings that hunt in packs and use the strange geometry of the threads to glide in continuous spirals, only stopping when they detect life and latching on to devour it. Another is Glooms, hovering serpentine beings longer than a man that some denizens use as mounts.
Apart from these and other beasts, some beings are born with close connections to specific negative emotions, embodying fear or rage. Other life includes what are essentially plants or fungi, covering softer and moister threads with fields of thorns and spines or large stalks that sway in the gentle winds. Not all of these are threats, of course; a select few are edible to mortals, and others grow between threads like sturdy rope, allowing easier passage between them. One thing that most forms of weaker life, both plant and animal, in the plane hold in common is a weakness to the Daystar; if exposed to the light of day in The Eye, they burn and corrode, its power antithetical and overwhelming to their own.
Stronger beings are rarely seen in their totality, and spoken about only in whispers. Many-clawed beasts that grab the meter-wide threads as footholds as they roam in search of food, slender and gangly humanoid shadows, and stalking beasts neither feline nor canine haunt the nightmares of those who stay too long. Few even say some remnants of the Icemen, consumed with their own rage to this day, still skulk through the endless paths of the depths. How much is rumor and how much holds truth is known to few, and often only those who dare to summon such unknown beasts and live to tell the tale could say.

Natural Resources

The most interesting natural resources of the plane are undoubtedly the magical ingredients found there, almost ubiquitously linked to its element or negative emotion. While many such components will corrode in the light of day, some can be concentrated or alloyed to great effect. Common effects of such items include defense against detection, the induction of unnatural fear or rage, or strong magical poisons. As the availability of materials can vary heavily across the infinite plane and can be especially difficult to track down in this case, specifics are largely left to GM discretion.

Type

Dimensional plane

Owner/Ruler

The Shadow Over Truth