dreaming enthusiast
Sleepy in perpetuity
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The Abyss is a colossal pit discovered some 2 000 years ago on a remote island. 1 000 meters wide and over 20 000 meters deep, it remains the only unconquered, or maybe in fact unconquerable part of the world, seeing as its end is yet to be definitively reached. Clues to the origin of this strange geological phenomenon lie deep within its very bowels, occasionally making it to the surface in the form of priceless relics with curious powers beyond one's wildest dreams. These artifacts of olden times are thought to be the vestiges of an ancient civilization, which once called the Abyss its home. The people from those distant times appeared to have possessed a culture developed past the scope of even present society, yet have over the course of history been reduced to no more than skeletons locked in prayer. It is still unknown why all of them are found in that particular position. Regardless of their demise, their legacy lives on. For centuries brave souls have ventured into the hidden corners of the Abyss, seeking treasure, fame, secrets or answers to the meaning of life itself. This mysterious pit is the last frontier, which humankind fervently wishes to overcome, no matter what lies at the bottom of the Nether - immortality or eternal hell. Like moths to a scorching light, all are helplessly drawn to the Unknown.
The world has come to be so dependent on and enticed by the Abyss that its artifacts are one of, if not the most prized valuable an individual can possess. Whole organizations have sprung up for the sole purpose of studying and/or replicating these items. So, in their extensive research, scholars have come up with a Classification System of Relics.
- Fourth Grade Relics (Common) - these items are often found on the 1st Layer of the Abyss and while, like all relics, they are extraordinary in their craftsmanship, the powers they carry pale in the face of anything of a higher status within the set hierarchy. As a matter of fact, the effects they produce are usually mundane and miscellaneous, rarely useful for anything practical. Many Artificers dabble with such artifacts in the beginner years of their studies.
- Third Grade Relics (Uncommon) - these items don't seem to appear in any single Layer, instead being strewn all over the Abyss. They are a preferred prize for anyone, owing their relative utility and accessibility.
- Second Grade Relics (Rare) - your average Joe as well as anyone bellow a blue whistle can only dream of coming into the ownership of such a treasure. These objects are rarely sold or bought - they have to be earned, which would imply retrieving them through one's own efforts from the 3rd and 4th Layers of the Abyss.
- First Grade Relics (Very Rare) - currently only white whistles are allowed to keep this class of relics for themselves, and only because they are usually the ones to unearth these objects on the 4th Layer of the Abyss or lower. Some individuals of this social rank possess multiple items of this sort, yet it is otherwise impossible to get one's hands on these treasures, seeing as they are one of Orth's most valuable assets in regards to foreign trade.
- Special Grade Relics (Legendary) - this is the most valuable grade of artifacts that can be uncovered. Such items possess near maddeningly divine abilities, able to change the course of history and turn the tides of time. A special relic being discovered and successfully transported to the surface means securing Orth's future for at least another century, as well as allowing its guilds of Delvers and Sages to continue exploring the Abyss. In essence, these magical in their properties objects are the life-force of Orth. Their worth is so immense that even white whistles are forbidden from keeping them.
- Aubade - an Aubade is a sentient creation of the Abyss, or at least that's the general consensus. Only one such entity has been documented since the initial discovery of the giant pit. That creature was none other than the robot Reg from 100 years ago. Many theories have been thrown around in regards to his origins - that he was the reincarnated soul of a Delver, that he was created by a civilization residing and flourishing at the bottom of the Nether, that he was a human that got experimented on and as a result was fused with various relics, that he was the spirit of the Abyss, and so on and so forth. Fact is that that boy, who one day crawled out from the darkness, was immune to the curse of the Abyss, had special powers that were meant for survival and combat, yet at the end of the day acted like a child. No other being of his kind has ever been observed since his departure.
- 1st Layer - "Edge of the Abyss" (0 - 1 350 meters) - this is the uppermost section of the Abyss, located right bellow the town of Orth. As a matter of fact, over the last century the top part of the Edge has slowly but surely been urbanized, now housing not remnants of the slums, from where illegal descents were carried out previously, but actual functioning neighborhoods, primarily made up of guildhalls and Delver orphanages, the proprietors of which wait in hope that maybe some day one of the children born among their litter will be blessed by the Abyss and become a Sorcerer. What gives the option to populate this part of the pit in the first place is the fact that the effects of the curse upon ascending are not at all that bad, combined with the fact that the 1st Layer is inhibited primarily by harmless wildlife, with predators from the 2nd Layer only rarely coming up to feed. The downside is that valuable relics can never be uncovered this near the surface, though praying skeletons are a common occurrence.
- 2nd Layer - "Forest of Temptation" (1 350 - 2 600 meters) - this is the first truly dangerous part of the Abyss. As one treads further and further down, the vegetation turns from green fields and ancient petrified trees into a dark dense jungle. Some locations within it are so heavily forested that the light carried by the force field cannot even reach them. It is here that nocturnal beings lay dormant, ready to strike if awakened. Just as the creatures inhibiting this section become more hostile, so does the curse of the Abyss worsen. This is a place for experienced Delvers and if a red whistle were to venture down here, all search parties after them would be called off and their actions would be deemed a suicide. Deep within the 2nd Layer there is a special location, know as the "Inverted Forest". Here the wind currents from bellow are so strong that the environment has effectively flipped upside-down, the crowns of gigantic trees becoming platforms that explorers have to jump across if they hope to push on. However, within this bizarre forest is located a sole glimmer of hope - an Observation Camp, built far away from the center of the Abyss. It is within this building - the domain of the white whistle "Ozen the Immovable" - that tired travelers can find repose and sanctuary.
- 3rd Layer - "Great Fault" (2 600 - 7 000 meters) - this is the longest stretching section of the Abyss, as well as the most difficult to traverse. The 3rd Layer consists of a vertical cliff going down some 4 km, its large open expanse home to huge and terrifying aerial beasts. Due to these two obstacles, the safest way to overcome the challenge they present is to take to the many caves that run along the walls of the steep rock. Of course, even they hold hazards - claustrophobia, dead ends, stumbling upon a predator's nest and more have deterred countless Delvers from descending further. Yet, no danger is as bad as the strain one experiences whilst ascending, the Abyss's curse being ever more potent here.
- 4th Layer - "Goblet of Giants" (7 000 - 12 000 meters) - this section of the Abyss presents explorers with both a stunning sight, and a treacherous terrain. Here great vines sprout, intertwining with each other and reaching towards the heavens, in the process weaving great mushroom-like formations, which become concave at the top. It is in these "cups" that water from the air gets collected, and the pools at the top of fully grown vegetation are filled with hot water. On the other hand, unripe "cups" are overflown with acid. Unfortunately, no definitive map has ever been made of this place, seeing as the above-mentioned vines develop at such a fast rate that every descent to the 4th Layer presents one with a completely different environment. With such constant change in the layout, the territories of the local dangerous fauna are also constantly evolving. The sole things that remain a constant this far down into the Nether are the humidity of the area and the severity of the curse upon ascending. There is one spectacular natural formation, however, which many regard as a divine wonder - the famous Garden of Eternal Fortunes, a plane sporting a beautiful array of the trademark flowers of the Abyss.
- 5th Layer - "Sea of Corpses" (12 000 - 13 000 meters) - while being the most shallow, this section of the Abyss is at the same time the widest of them all. At first glance a desolate body of water, this endless sea is home to many aquatic carnivores. With only certain parts of the water's surface being crystallized, this makes travelling on foot a challenge, and diving is not recommended - on one hand, because of the hostile wildlife, but, on the other hand, because of the horrible consequences that swimming back up brings with itself. Unfortunately, the only way to make it down to the 6th Layer is precisely through holding your breath and taking a leap. Or at least, so it used to be. Years ago a fort was established by the white whistle "Bondrewd the Novel" at the deepest point of the 5th Layer. Previously, that sight had been some type of ritual grounds for the ancient people, yet it was renovated into what is now known as the Idofront. This facility possesses an elevator to the next part of the Nether, and in the past only white whistles could use it in order to embark on their "Last Dive". Nowadays, no one is authorized to employ that contraption, seeing as war is currently being waged against Bondrewd, who was revealed to have stolen and illegally kept a Special Grade Relic.
- 6th Layer - "Capital of the Unreturned" (13 000 - 15 500 meters) -
- 7th Layer - "Final Maelstrom" (15 500 - ??? meters) -
- The Deepest Point (20 000+ meters) -
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