Stygian Abyss

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The Stygian Abyss is the setting of Underworld Ascendant, and a vast world unto itself…

Stygian-abyss.jpg

The Stygian Abyss contains many mysteries, and changes often.

  • Plunder ancient temples, navigate subterranean rivers, gaze in wonder at the masterwork of jade dwarven halls, scale plunging ice caverns, trek through enchanted forests of giant mushrooms, dare shadowy tombs of the undead, and much more.
  • Alive with bustling underground societies: enclaves of human renegades scavenging for survival, villages of the mysterious shambler 'mushroom people' performing arcane rituals, dwarven factories producing the finest arms and armor.
  • Face monstrous creatures like the ripper, a vicious, ambulatory plant whose bark is prized by The Stygian Abyss' intelligent races; stay clear of mass migrations of ravenous rotworms; dodge the giant spider's sticky webs it casts through the air.
  • Alter the environment to your advantage. Flood an arid plain to help the damp-loving shamblers expand their territory, gaining their favor. Changes you make can ripple across the game's reactive, ever-changing ecology, producing startlingly unpredictable results.

Lore[edit]

"Beasts, brigands, and walking bones are far from the Underworld's only dangers. The forces of geology--eruptions, landslides, flash floods, erosion—have claimed as many lives. These are the foes of The Expedition, that society of Dwarven engineers who dare lift the literal weight of the world. Such things pose little danger to The Hivemind, timeless and patient, but for a short-lived species they are fatal. And yet the Dwarves persevere."
- from A Good Word, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"Pir-Tama's texts have always spoke of the heat in the core of the Abyss. But not as something to fear… it was something that had given the elves light and sustained us through the years after our arrival. “Either we exist in perpetual conflict,” Pir-Tama said, “or we learn to live alongside our neighbors, and the elements as well – everything has its place, and in nature, the life of one is worth no more than another.”"
- from Abyssal Embrace, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"After Zeus slew his forebears, the devouring Titans,

the earth begat its greatest monster,

nightmare of the primordial universe:

TYPHON.

Zeus fought this horror for hundreds of years,

before imprisoning it below a volcano.

Here, on the borders of the underworld,

beneath which you stand.

Do you hear? Can you feel that?

Typhon stirs…

Such is the depth of your challenge.

To face down the adversary of mighty Zeus…

Save life from death… Through cleverness, rise.

Join the ranks of heroes of legend.

Will you ascend?"
- from Begining Of The End, recorded by Cabirus
"Again, our borders clash with the dwarves… the matter did not come to swords, but their arrival… the arrival of this “Expedition” of theirs has shifted the borders of the Abyss and it is difficult to know what boundaries belong to The Saurians, The Shamblers… and us. The elves retreated to the Abyss long ago, but we will not retreat again, not from the people above, and not these creatures below, whether lizard, fungus, or dwarf."
- from Border Disputes, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"The Disenthralled fled the sunlit realms. The Shamblers dwelt eternally in darkness. And yet are we such disparate societies? In the Abyss we find dark reflections of the surface's beasts and verdure, which we subdue for our survival. The Hivemind cull and curate life for similar ends. The Lower Dark is their laboratory. It is our cathedral. To us both it is sacred."
- from Common Ground, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"Pir-Tama's had places of reverence in the Abyss, often near lava flows and vents that carried waves of heat from below. It is the Abyss breathing, carrying life with its heat and light… if the Abyss ceased its breathing, if whatever sustained that fire in its heart was extinguished, then we would be extinguished as well. “Do not fear the flame,” Pir-Tama said. “Take heed of what its light reveals.”"
- from Cradle Of The Deep, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"The first of the Abyss, The Hivemind, are the ones who taught our people to speak… and to listen. To meditate, to hear the thoughts of The Hivemind as they flickered through the stone and heat of the underworld. The first of The Saurian mediators served as envoys speaking the thoughts of The Hivemind, and with their help, peace between Saurian and The Shamblers was made."
- from Deep Roots, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"Light! Heat! Lakes of fire! The Abyss is a crucible for civilization if you embrace its rawness, and yet those shambling mushrooms would rather rot in the dark and damp until the mountains crumble. Sometimes I ponder whether The Hivemind has a brain at all. So it falls to The Expedition to plug the trickles, divert the streams, unleash the lava. The Great Work demands it! If The Hivemind balks, so be it. It always serves to beg forgiveness later than ask permission now, although I plan neither task."
- from Dwarves At Work, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"In the past, The Stygian Abyss has faced terrible threats.

Monsters, madmen,

The Slasher of Veils.

All are dwarfed by Typhon.

His rise will snuff out all life.

First, here.

Then, everywhere."
- from Father Of Monsters, recorded by Cabirus
"Cabirus thinks our People lived unaware of the beast in the depths. The slumbering one, Typhon. But The Hivemind always knew. Typhon had given life to The Hivemind with his fall, the fire and heat of his eternal slumber providing much needed light and heat to the gardens of The Hivemind… without Typhon's pulse, the heart of the Abyss would die… spores would lie dormant, cold, and the Abyss would be a tomb."
- from Fertile Soil, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"Again, the importance of The Expedition's Great Work falls on deaf ears. Dwarves remain at the ready, eager to man the forges, yet Cabirus does not seem to hear this… he makes one demand after another, guiding us to hew rock and carve chambers from the Abyss for his plans, yet of progress of the Great Work he ignores us, telling us to bide our time… we have waited long enough, and we will be heard!"
- from Ghost In The Machinery, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"Before? I was indolent, prone to innumerable vices and defects of character.

But in The Stygian Abyss, I found purpose.

I was honed to perfection.

This damnable place the hammer, and I, the anvil.

I left my initial refuge naked, armed only with reason.

In days, I wore the skin of a savage Grue.

In months, I united warring factions

and set them constructing my utopia.

I ignored the admonitions of the gods at great folly.

None saw the blade that killed me.

For my actions, I now pay what is due…"
- from Hammer To Anvil, recorded by Cabirus
"Again, pointless debate at the Circle of Portals… again, the lizards and the elves and their prattling words! What use is endless talk when there is labor to be done? If they will not help us, then perhaps Cabirus is right… if they deny us their Abyssal Keys, then we may wish to let them have a taste of the threat that rises, and then see their words fail them. And if that does not show them, then Cabirus is right – we should take it from them!"
- from Hot Air, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"This place had many names...

Avernus, Aornum, Xibalba, Ganzer.

The Stygian Abyss…

Gateway to The Underworld.

Here,

On the borders of death,

a scant, few brave and able have made their home.

A place,

where life should not exist.

Without your help,

it won't much longer."
- from Into The Underworld, recorded by Cabirus
"Executor Rubric and the dwarves ignore our entreaties, our warnings of the new chambers being carved from the rising lava. The stubborn dwarf still harbors anger when I refused to relinquish the Abyssal Keys and allow The Expedition access to the heart of the Abyss. Perhaps they found a way already? Perhaps that is why the lava stirs? One thing is for sure… their stubbornness has made the decision for us. Relinquish our key to their greed and short-sightedness? I think not."
- from Key Issue, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"We were not born, we elves. We were shaped, by the magic of the Obsidian sorcerers in a world beyond. A slave race, to do their bidding. It took Pir-Tama to free us from our chains, to carve out a new home in the underworld, and ensure that we would be beholden to no one ever again. Here, we thrive. Here - is our home."
- from Land Of The Free, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"We passed through the portal that took us from the outside world to the Abyss, every elf at the ready, and Pir-Tama held it for us… then sacrificed herself, sealing it behind us. Here, in the sanctuary of the underworld, we could create a new land, under the yoke of no creature, beast, or false dreams of would-be kings and spectral prophets."
- from Paradise Found, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"Earth, air, water, fire--all make up the Abyss, in balance, as Pir-Tama preached. And yet The Shamblers act as if putting flint to tinder is an abomination. They would have us douse our fires and huddle in the dark. Yet do they rage when the Dwarves forge? They took no issue with the Tinkers of the last age. Those artisan warriors wielded fire and steel to defend the Abyss, and yet they failed. We will not."
- from Passing The Torch, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"The Hivemind regarded the arrival of Pir-Tama with interest. Although her flame in the Abyss burned briefly--just long enough to blaze the trail for her people--it burned fiercely, white hot. She preached diplomacy with the factions of the Underworld, to welcome their aid, to unite them. These are admirable qualities in any creature of The Lower Dark. The garden of The Hivemind is emptier for her loss."
- from Pir Tama's Eulogy, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"Cabirus was not one to endure silence. But when he demanded we act… we had no answer for him. Our silence he took for defiance, not uncertainty. He then demanded our Abyssal key, and when we did not surrender it, he cursed us both, Saurian and Hivemind, and said both would burn for our foolishness. When he left, carrying his rage with him, The Hivemind whispered to The Saurians that the specter was a danger to us all, perhaps the equal of Typhon."
- from Restless Spirit, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"While reading ancient writings in the ruins of the Seers' library, I found a curious passage… one that spoke of Cabirus as a person, a man of flesh and bone. He once lived in the Abyss, and judging by the records, he was as… ‘demanding…' as he is now.
Whatever his aims, they were laid low… It seems, by their accounts, the Seers witnessed his death, but by whose hands, they do not know - only that they did not mourn his passing and saw him an equal threat to the slumbering terrors in The Abyss."
- from Sordid Past, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"The Hivemind, using The Saurian mediators as vessels, showed us the cycle of the Abyss… how death gave birth to new life, both to The Hivemind and the vegetation spanning the halls… from death, came growth. The great lava and heat that welled up within the mountain, the slumbering of Typhon, was part of this cycle, providing warmth and currents upon which the spores could travel. It was a cycle of rebirth. It was… balance, equilibrium."
- from Sow & Reap, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"Rubric's arrogance, mule stubborn like all dwarves… came to us and demanded that, I, Xefreyani, surrender the Abyssal Keys of the elves, claiming that The Expedition was the true inheritors of the Abyss. I reminded Executor of the pilgrimage of Pir-Tama at Cabirus's hand, the sealing of the portal from those who sought to enslave us, and reminded the Executor that the key was divided because it symbolized equal claim… but he would have none of it, he all but spat on the floor of the Circle of Portals and said that the Abyss belonged to those who could tame it, not worship it."
- from Stubborn Dwarf, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"Over time, The Sun Key became a symbol, not of unity, but of division. The dwarves wished it to open the depths to add fuel to their furnaces… the elves wished it so they could ensure the borders of the Abyss remained closed to outsiders… and The Hivemind feared both factions. This fear grew that in time, the others would seek to seize their part of the key."
- from Tale Of Woe, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"It's a common jest among the Disenthralled that investigating the Undead is the quickest way to joining them. The ancient texts claim the reanimated deceased are a consequence of the unique arcane nature of our Abyssal environment. I disagree. The Abyss itself harbors an ill will. The walking dead are extensions of Typhon, his malice made flesh and bone. Or bone...just bone."
- from Tales Of The Undead, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"The engineers guided me to the lower chambers today, so that I might observe the channels lava had carved in the rock. The heat would fuel the forges, my engineers said, and as long as the channels were kept and the lava flow steady and undisturbed, then the Great Work could continue. If the heat were to die in the Abyss, the Great Work would be ended as well… and The Expedition would be no more.
Cabirus speaks of it as a hated thing, to be quenched and doused, but the engineers say that is careless talk – without such heat, there would be no life in the Abyss, and our hardships would be many."
- from The Abyssal Hearth, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition
"I, Khosnak, was there when The Sun Key was given to the people of the Abyss. The key was a symbol of hope, a symbol that the outside world would once again be open to us… all of us. We were there when it was given, and were there when the Key was divided, a piece given to the elves, the dwarves, and The Hivemind, with the hope that together, all of the Abyss would be open to them provided they worked together."
- from The Key To Everything, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"No warlord, no tactician would survive for long who underestimated The Hivemind. No holdfast might withstand the erosive force of a timeless society. The Hivemind's arsenal is vast, encompassing the whole of the underworld. Arrows and blades are fleeting, serving only for a blink. The garden of The Hivemind casts a long shadow of death. It can kill today with an avalanche or simply await the inevitability of the tectonic shift."
- from Timeless Attacks, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"We Disenthralled and the Goblinfolk of the last age share a kindred history. Cabirus's own memoirs confirm this. His text claims, “The Goblins originated from forbidden arcane experiments performed on prisoners and other victims by demented, power-seeking mages.” Goblin society thrived in the Abyss until Typhon last stirred. We share a beginning. Let us not share their end."
- from Two Of A Kind, recorded by Xefreyani of the Deep Elves
"The creature that assails the gardens of The Hivemind, Typhon, wields flame and lava as its weapons, cutting scythes through The Hivemind, burning away countless memories. Vestiges of us remain in the dark corners, beyond the Abyss… The Saurians we coexist with shall be safe beyond their wards and walls of Marcaul… but even that may be a fragile hope. The Hivemind thought they would outlast even nature's wrath, until the fires of nature one day rose to claim them."
- from Typhon's Scythe, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"The Stygian Abyss is a liminal region…

An in-between space, where the barriers to other dimensions fade.

A gateway elsewhere, connecting all worlds to The Underworld.

If fortunate events occur here, they may ripple throughout reality.

If the opposite happens? It can topple creation..."
- from Warren Of Worlds, recorded by Cabirus
"Cabirus came to us, demanding to speak to The Hivemind. He said he bore news of a threat against us all. The Hivemind knew of what he spoke, but they did not know Cabirus's place in such events… thus, when he made his demands, The Hivemind did not know how to answer. He came many times after, seeking an answer – then finally, demanding our Abyssal key."
- from Weeding Out The Truth, recorded by Khosnak, Mediator to the Shamblers
"We Dwarves grow restless in exile. Calloused hands that once swung hammers now swig mead. We have become wide around the middle, soft in the head. I hope only we return to the Abyss before we become too bloated to build. At least those feckless Deep Elves can't see the how we fatten and flounder!"
- from Work Stoppage, recorded by Executor Rubric of the Expedition


Gallery[edit]

  • Lava Falls

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