The Sideways

The Sideways, also known as The Timeless Black, The Void, and The Eternal Nightmare is a highly unknown realm of extradimensional space that exists between universes; this area is not subject to the standard laws of physics such as time. It is thought to be home to the horrific eldritch entities known as the Ghk.

Some magic users may be able to tap into it's power and some neohumans may naturally draw their abilities from this dimension.

### History

Knowledge of The Sideways may have been apparent as far back as the Bronze Age, with the Dragons of Aeos building Vestibules as habitations that unknowingly protruded into the Sideways, but it wasn't until the 19th century when rebel magi from the House of Seasons known as The Dawnshadow Coven began to probe the mysteries of what exactly lay in the space between worlds.

Their research was forbidden, as the House knew that the area known as The Sideways was nearly unfathomable to human comprehension, so much so that they believed that nothing could possibly exist within, like an "*elephant living inside a wall; impossible*". Dawnshadow disagreed and continued their research in secret, casting spells and rituals on small sections of the House, cupboards; closets and wardrobes in an effort to create a gateway to nowhere; to the Sideways.

Only one manuscript exists from a Dawnshadow grimoire of the event in the 1860's that led to the discovery of the secret coven and their banishment from the House of Seasons:

***"October 23rd 1863***

*After yet more attempts to prize the veil around the building with the ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ ritual without the Seasons' knowledge, ◼◼◼◼◼◼ ◼◼◼◼◼ and I found a means to circumvent their horrific visceral instruments using our own*. *A well-used cupboard in the corner of nothing but a storage room was our gate location, carefully taking apart the door-frame and embedding our magik components within the brickwork, carefully each nite thru' out the year.*

***December 28th 1863***

*◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ was not successful and ◼◼◼◼◼ and ◼◼◼◼◼◼ threatened to leave the project, forcing me to recite our motto "In Aurora Revelatur Ex Umbra Veritable*" *while ◼◼◼◼◼ professed that he believed the twins were not showing enough motivation, and could be the reason why ◼◼◼◼◼◼ ◼◼◼◼◼ never worked when we cast the spell as a group.*

***December 29th 1863***

*◼◼◼◼◼ and ◼◼◼◼◼◼ apologised, but now ◼◼◼◼◼ was acting strangely paranoid, suggesting the House already knows what we are doing; If so could someone have betrayed me? was ◼◼◼◼◼ actually confessing that he told Master ◼◼◼? We should '(unintelligible).'*

Amend. 14:34; *Now i'm acting paranoid.*

***January 19th 1864***

*We had checked to ensure only an hour a day was spent working on the gate, with ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ and ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ using our cleaning duties to the top floor to our advantage. I doubt very much after all this the House know our intentions. Dawnshadow will rise.*

***July 13th 1864***

*◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ joined our coven, though ◼◼◼◼◼◼ is suspicious of her intentions and that a female in our coven is bad luck.*

***July 19th 1864***

*It's too '(unintelligible*) *hot today. Nothing good was accomplished. No one could get off-domain to make anything.*

***July 27th 1864***

*There was a storm, its energies allowed us to preform a mass-charm to most finished components, we had to leave the domain but it worked! We are on the verge of greatness! Dawnshadow rises!*

***July 28th 1864***

Our components are halfway there, young *◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ suggested a way to use ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ via an insulated copper wire array through the floor into her own room; it would utterly cut out the House Veilometers detecting any cast.*

Amend. *◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ Actually got hold of 20M of copper wire and insulated it herself! ◼◼◼◼◼ Claims that no woman should be this good at DIY. This amused me. She is starting to be an asset.*

***August 10th 1864***

*◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ almost got us caught with his rambling, i'm starting to lose my patience with him. I can't diminish our coven however, especially with what he knows about us and this project. I should bite my tongue; everything requires sacrifice and equivalence.*

Amend. I punched *◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ . Equivalence managed.*

***August 14th 1864***

*◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ Hasn't said a word in days. Good, he's more efficient when he's quiet.*

***August 19th 1864***

I apologised to *◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ and we spent all day reminiscing of our time in school in ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼, his words brought me great comfort, together we will ensure Dawnshadow will rise!*

Amend. *Together. As friends.*

**September *1st 1864***

*Master ◼◼◼ was asking probing and unusual questions. I might ask ◼◼◼◼ to look into it, they trust him, he's on Winter's personal council.*

*Amend. ◼◼◼◼ found no evidence they know what we're doing, but we all feel paranoid. We're delaying for a few weeks while we ascertain a few things.*

**September *4th 1864***

*◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ went missing yesterday. This is a problem, he's part of our coven, had skill in making talismans which we are using to keep the outer door frame stable.*

*Amend. We found ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ dead. Suicide. Apparently. God rest him.*

*Amend. I'm going to extend the delay in our plans for another two weeks.*

**September *6th 1864***

*I should never have trusted ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼, he was too quiet. God rest his soul, they say he was low because of what happened to his son, after Spring took him in we took great care to help him. Did he betray us? No, my paranoia is making others feel uncomfortable. We've lost a friend, we need none of this.*

Amend: We *never (unintelligible).*

**September *10th 1864***

◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼'s funeral in ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼. Apparently the House had a Vestibule entrance in town. Who knew. Nice service. He's with his wife and son now. '

*Amend. Did i drive ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ to suicide? Everyone keeps saying how he chose to be part of our group himself, but what if he could no longer bear the burden and lies? Are we sure this is what we want?*

*Amend. 2. This is what we all want, for ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼! the House are overbearingly critical and obscenely arrogant, already they're becoming less like a school and more like a policing force in the American west. Great advances in magic are coming and Dawnshadow will RISE!*

**September *18th 1864***

*We resumed work after a well-earned break, we all seem quietly optimistic and focused. ◼◼◼◼ Even smiled a little today. That's strange in itself.*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------***September 18th 1864***

*We're all* (unintelligible*) we're almost done. Mid-October seems a good estimate, gives us plenty of* (unintelligible*).*

***September 19th 1864***

*Curious news today when- (mostly* unintelligible) *- in service to Irish border disputes in (unintelligible)*

*Amend. He never went.*

Amend. *◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ had a friend in ◼◼◼ ◼◼◼ who was not with the House but willing to join our cause; this is the first time this has happened. I do not know if this is a good or bad thing, but I trust ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼, she has proven herself unimaginably loyal so far.*

***September 28th 1864***

*We are ahead of schedule but we should not be letting our guard down, not for a second. I am also just not as good as* *◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ at making talismans.*

*We all miss him.*

***October 4th 1864***

*The time draws near.*

*We held two successful Veilometer disruption tests.*

***We are ready*** *but we need to find opportune moment to do this, it may not yet be for a few days.*

***October 7th 1864***

*The ritual is set for tonight at 11:45! No masters in the House,* with a few more successful *Veilometer disruption tests the plan goes ahead. We are using one white rabbit on a dog chain.*

*11:40. We are all here. Everything is in place. We have ◼◼◼◼ monitoring all VV-devices. D*

*11:47. We start with◼◼◼◼◼◼ and place two wards between ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼'s room and the storage room. We begun the main incantation of ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ as we switched on our own devices.*

*11:49. The doorframe of the storage room's cupboard creaks a little, but nothing seems to happen.*

*11:52. We are concerned by this point and most of us deem the test was a failure and we start to get up from the floor. ◼◼◼◼◼ notice the rabbit flee from the doorframe's vicinity. There is a chill breeze.*

*11:52. We call out and ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ casts a worried protection ward. The space between the doorframe becomes pitch black. It gets colder still. An ill feeling becomes us all and ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼ suggests this may be a mistake. I wish to agree, but my curiosity pulls me through.*

*11:52. The rabbit will not go to the door even when coaxed with food. I had to know. My unbounded curious nature unsullied by the dense negative emotion flowing thick from the doorframe but luckily staying within the frame itself and (unintelligible) pushed the rabbit into the void before me. The chain became taught.*

*11:53. An attempt at pulling the rabbit back was met with absolute solid force as if the chain was attached to a brick wall. I had never before seen darkness become so utterly pitch. Against the dark of the surrounding room the darkness stood out somehow in ways i cannot describe with words.*

*11:54. (unintelligible) -screeching like that! I just (unintelligible)*

11:55 - 12:00. (*unintelligible) FINALLY GOT THE THING BACK! AN- (unintelligible)*

12:01. (*unintelligible) absolutely horrific (unintelligible) of us feeling sick. Yet, still I (unintelligible)*

After this event the Dawnshadow coven was reviled when one of the members supposedly confessed all after witnessing what happened to the rabbit, although to this day the exact details of what occurred in that room are still a mystery.