The Ethereal

## Zones

### The Beyond

A hellscape of ruin and torment. The land is blackened and charred from an eternity of hellish blaze. It is here that the Plasma Legion dwells and at times attempts to spread their dominion.

Nothing grows here and nothing survives here save for the mightiest. It is by pure luck and happenstance that this terrible evil incarnate has not spread beyond its small pocket within the Ethereal. Small creatures are the only exception which dart to and fro and eternally seek shelter from the raining lightning and fire storms that plague this sector. There are no Towers here and there is little hope of finding anything intact save for desolation and chaos itself.

All those who tread here do so with caution and inevitably come out twisted and evil if they stray for too long. Stray shades of those who were consumed in these lands wander about; gibbering madness to themselves in hushed whispers. All the while they are making runes that look arcane on whatever surface they can find that will keep them with permanence... often times in their own flesh.

### The Cataclysm

The Cataclysm is where She Who Consumes originated from and where the Veil was ripped in twain for eons. Shadows of the past are permanently etched here and at times play out scenes that happened while they were still whole and still not yet consumed. Thousands upon thousands of souls are trapped in a space between time and space; both everywhere and nowhere at once. The citizens of The City consider those to be the lucky ones not accepted by Oblivion itself. There are fates far worse, it seems, than being trapped in a moment for eternity.

Here, the world is constantly shifting and changing to the will of whoever passes by. The only constant is a stone path that seems to lead both nowhere and everywhere at the same time; generally either towards whatever the individual desires most or towards certain doom. Fallen Psions are heavily populated in this area and bend the will of the Cataclysm. It is here that these Fallen are most powerful and most unpredictable.

Wayward Travelers in this zone tend to move in groups not for mutual protection but so that should a Fallen or Catalyst attack they can split into groups to flee while one group is inevitably caught and meets their fate.

### The Forbidden Lands

In this section of the Ethereal monstrous Titans ward off even the strongest of the Fallen. It is said that great riches beyond measure lie in this area though any whom have ventured in have either been consumed or never returned; likely falling to madness in the case of the latter. Leviathans and Titans, however, avoid the Dreadnoughts who dread nothing at all. Venturing forth without an incredibly skilled or, though perhaps and, a sufficiently insane party is almost certain to end in destruction.

Here, life blooms in the Ethereal though it is sickly and dying in the wake of the Cataclysm. Wildlife of the Ethereal darts to and fro; living lives of relative normalcy as best they can. Like in most areas of the cosmos, they too are hunted by those larger than themselves. Nevertheless, most of them appear docile... and some even friendly. Certain animals in the presense of a powerful enough Psion will even attempt to guide them away from danger for a price.

She Who Consumes hunts these lands, stalking her Leviathans and Titans and Dreadnoughts and consuming them to fuel her power. It is said that even the mighty Dreadnoughts cannot harm her.

### The Infestation

A mass of ruined cities, crashed and derelict starships and graves, the Infestation is riddled with the hellspawn of the lost souls gathered here. They roam in search of new victims unable to understand their torment and unable to understand their new lot in what passes for life. When they find a victim they rush them heedless of danger and cling to them as they drain their energy; eventually reducing them to husks as they are. Those who fall to them join them in their never ending hunger for more and more energy only to inevitably find that void impossible to fill.

Here the dilapidated ruins of ships from far and wide congregate. It is not known even to the few inhabitants of the realm why these ships are drawn to this area nor why they seem to choose to gather in this sector. All that is known about them is that they are starships from the material world that have suffered a malfunction... and that their crews are swiftly devoured by the hordes of lost souls.

It is easy to get lost in this area as well with many sections of this place repeating themselves and the cities stretching beyond comprehension. Many that come here lose their way and inevitably run out of resources before they join the horde.

### The Veil

Thin is the Veil between the material world and the Ethereal in this sector. Once before the inhabitants of this place believed with enough understanding and willpower that they could pass to the material in order to secure a safer home than they were granted. Attempts were made though it seems any who were created in this realm are doomed to fail this passage either by being forcefully repulsed back to the Ethereal or to become Wraiths upon passing to the other side.

She Who Consumes patrols this area constantly searching for lost Travelers to add to her gnawing hunger. In her wake is left the Darkness; a threat that looms over all in this zone. When the Darkness so much as touches an individual, they are immediately swept away... never to be seen again.

The Veil seemingly has no end in any direction save for when a Traveler wishes to return to the City. Mapping the area has proven fruitless as the landscape seems to shift as soon as it is revisited by anyone. Some areas have old, small Towers that serve as bastions against the ever-encroaching Darkness for Travelers.