The Abyss

The Abyss is a plane that underlies Creation. It formed when Anratha formed, its shadow and opposite. Just as Anratha lies beneath Heaven, the Abyss lies above the roiling Sea of Chaos, the Void. The Abyss is formed from the fragments of the Void, given shadowy shape. Many spirits emerged into the Abyss, just as gods emerged from Heaven into Anratha. These spirits lacked real identity and were but flickering potential, constantly changing. They were confused as they looked on the expanding Sea of Creation, never having seen fixed matter before. They were drawn to the fragments of divinity embedded in the pieces of Yesod, and they sought to claim them and thus finally give themselves shape and purpose.
The Abyss is a cosmos within itself, consisting of many realms, some great and some small. At the center of the Abyss is the Warring Plains, also called the Deadlands. This is unclaimed, raw anima, and demons and deities battle over it constantly. The Deadlands are surrounded by the Stygian Sea, also called the Sea of Blood. This is where Neradu, Scion of Murder dwells. The Stygian Sea is formed from the spilled anima of millions, demons and mortals reborn in the Deadlands. The Sea can lead to practically any realm, and each realm is enclosed by a misty barrier that essentially separates it from the greater Abyss. 
At a certain point, never seemingly fixed, the Sea of Blood mixes with the waters of Oceanus, the realm of Myrmex. Here, on an island of stability, is the city of Limbo. It is said to be a refuge for all those who have no place in Abyss, no god to serve, no demon to enslave them. No god has ultimate authority in Limbo, for all gods find it a useful, neutral meeting place. The mysterious Knights of the Roses have a citadel here, and protect the city from those who would conquer it. 
Almost all the Scions have realms within the Abyss, tethered to Vala. The Outsiders have their homes here too, as do Veres and Mortus, for unlike the other Old Ones, Veres and Mortus are not bound up with the physical landscape or celestial bodies. They are forces that pervade all being, and so observe Vala from a distance. 
Category:Cosmology
Category:Planes