The Underworld

**The Underworld** is the ancient realm of the Shadow, one of the five realms of reality. While well known for being the resting place of the dead, it is the binding source of all creation, connected to the Nexus by the presence of Tenebrous Gateways. Within its deepest depths is a font of magic known as the Source, perhaps the greatest of all such fonts, and believed to be the center of reality. It is here that all matter is eventually drawn to. As energy changes and slowly spreads thin, it inevitably coalesces here, where it may be made anew into pure mana. Within the darkness, this mana often takes the shape of new worlds, new people, with the other realms playing a part in its formation.

It is henceforth often called a place of creation, due to the primordial shadow magic that pervades it and its role as a cosmic "recycling bin". The ruler of the Underworld is Erebus.

Each living world of the Nexus has its own "underworld", which may follow differing rules. They are all, however, each a part of the same whole. *The* Underworld is a collective of all of them, including its lower levels: the Tangled Depths.

## History

The darkness was once all there was in the universe. A vast endless void, made up of nothing. No sparks of illumination to pierce the shadows. You could say there wasn’t much to make from then, with little more than nonexistence. Long ago, however, one spark did come to be in the dark. It was only that, a spark, but one that came alive. Young and curious, it would move throughout the emptiness, searching for ours like itself. It would find itself alone for a long time.

That is, until other sparks like itself were lit in the abyss. It would soon be joined by many wayward sparks of light, all curious, but all divided. That is, until they wanted to make something from the dark themselves. They would find that their existence was gifted with much in the way of creation by the shadows. From that single instant, they brought forth a realm, sculpted to be a primordial world of their own. They would come to call it home. The sparks themselves even took shape as ancient beings. With their powers, they made it a creative paradise.

In their boundless excitement though, by accident, a spark was made so great that it became an all-encompassing explosion. Their home, to their comfort, was spared. The universe itself, however, would find itself being made from the chaos. The shadows would give the sparks a vision of the future. They would look on in awe. Newly born stars glittered in the dark sky. Galaxies coalesced from gentle light. As they stared back at their home however, a hole was made where endless mana began to trickle outwards. It had become a font of magic, known forever as the Source. And it would be so until the end of time.

### The Major Gods

From here, what are known as the Major Gods would soon rise from the darkness. Especially powerful and renowned architects for the old Underworld were referred to by an unknown moniker, but were the progenitors of the gods known in the modern day. These individuals, the Major Gods of then, would go on to play a part in orchestrating the early universe's formation. Many of them held dominion over early forms of mana. They would not write its cosmic rules, however. Such rules were already inscribed from the chaos.

### The Elder Gods

It isn't known why or how the Elder Gods came to be. Some say they came out of nowhere, or that they were creations gone awry. Desires for higher power, or frustrations and dissatisfactions. It's even thought that a sudden "decay" led to their making. No matter how, or from who, it is from the void that they were brought forth.

And they would not stop until they consumed all the sparks held dear and made it anew. Their attempts to make what they called an "unstable" reality into a "stable" one would lead to a war that took hundreds of thousands of years.

## Inhabitants

### Cryptids

While a font of magic, the Underworld is still indeed where the deceased of the Nexus go, reborn as creatures colloquially known as cryptids. Cryptids are characterized by possession of a fabric-like husk, one that offers protection to their fragile essence. You become what amounts to a strange, monstrous creature, of which you have no species you belong to. You’re unique, in every sense of the word, with an appearance made from what your spirit manifests. While your husk is thin and just easier than skin to tear, it can be regenerated or stitched back together.

The essence becomes a transparent ghost once the husk is lost, enabling the cryptid travel through solid objects and the capacity to turn invisible to the naked eye, though they still emit a cold signature. Light, especially when formed from magic, is hazardous to a cryptid due to the vulnerability it places on their essence. As the essence depends on darkness, the husk is vital to its protection, as otherwise all that’s left is ectoplasm to keep it safe. Often, just a flashlight is often enough to make them involuntarily freeze in place.

Thus, they live in the dark. It’s not a bad home, when you get used to it. In the end, by dying, you become a shadow of who you were in life.

### Shadow Monsters

There are not only cryptids that inhabit this place, but curious creatures known as shadow monsters. These monsters are not always bad, though they can often seem that way by their appearances, just like cryptids can. They are born of pure shadow and are either artificially “woven”, or form naturally from the remains of other shadow monsters. It is uncertain to this day as to where shadow monsters originate from.

There are many types of shadow monsters. Some of them are known as the “beastwoven”, a special type of woven made from a secretive sect of shadow monsters. The members of this sect are called “beastweavers” and take up the task of creating life in the Underworld. While shadow monsters have always existed, beastwoven have not, being an essential part to many complex ecosystems in this dark world.