The Deeps

“If you fall long enough, you stop fearing the bottom and start hoping for it.”
—Last words of Explorer Kalis Dren

Quick Reference

Overview

The Deeps is the region “below”—though direction is questionable in the Aether. It is where things fall. Where expeditions go and don’t return. Where the Aether grows thick, dark, and wrong.

No human settlements exist in The Deeps. No reliable maps. No confirmed survivors of deep expeditions. Only legends, rumors, and terror.

It may be infinite. It may have a bottom. No one knows, because everyone who’s tried to find out has disappeared.

Geography (Theoretical)

Depth Layers

Based on fragmentary reports from short-range expeditions:

Upper Deeps (0-10km below Bright Reaches): - Aether begins darkening noticeably - Islands still occasionally visible - Some explorers return from here - Last region where rescue is possible

Middle Deeps (10-50km below): - Near-total darkness - Aether becomes “thick” (hard to describe—like moving through syrup) - Gravity feels strange (pulling “downward”) - Few return from here

Lower Deeps (50km+): - Total darkness (even Aether’s glow is absent) - No confirmed observations - Theorized based on failed expeditions

The Bottom (Hypothetical): - Possibly exists at extreme depth - No evidence - May be myth

Deep-Currents

Downward-pulling flows: - Strongest in The Murk’s southern edge - Gradually pull islands/objects downward - Once caught in Deep-Current, escape is difficult - Possibly responsible for “consuming” lost islands

Aether Characteristics

Darkness

Progressive darkening: - Upper Deeps: Twilight (visibility 50m) - Middle Deeps: Near-black (visibility <10m) - Lower Deeps: Absolute (no visibility reported)

Light Sources: - Normal light (torches, lanterns) works initially - Deeper you go, light seems “absorbed” - At depth, even bright flames cast minimal illumination - Glow-crystals fade completely

Thickness

Aether density increases: - Movement becomes difficult (swimming through water sensation) - Ships slow dramatically - Breathing still possible but feels labored - Sounds muffled

Pressure: - Psychological more than physical - Sensation of weight pressing down - Panic attacks common - Feels like drowning despite breathing

The Pull

Downward gravity-like force: - Not true gravity (no mass below) - Feels like being slowly pulled downward - Constant, gentle, inexorable - Resisting it is exhausting

Expeditions and Attempts

Known Expeditions

Year 43 S.: First recorded deep expedition - 3 ships, 45 crew - Descended 15km - 2 ships returned, 1 crew survived - Report: “There is something below. It’s waiting.”

Year 89 S.: Guild-funded scientific expedition - 1 reinforced ship, 12 crew - Descended 30km (record depth with survivor) - Ship returned empty - Only note found: “We heard singing. Beautiful. We had to go to it.”

Year 134 S.: Clergy exorcism expedition - 2 ships, 20 priests - Goal: Purify the Deeps - Descended 20km - All returned safely but refusing to speak - Afterwards, all 20 took vows of silence - One wrote: “Prayer doesn’t reach down there.”

Year 189 S.: The Deepest Descent - Solo pilot (Kalis Dren) in minimal ship - Claimed he’d reach the bottom or die trying - Descended beyond 50km (measured by tether, which eventually snapped) - Never returned - Last transmission: “I see lights. Thousands of them. Cities. They’re—” (cut off)

Year 267 S.: Archivist expedition - 1 ship, 8 scholars - Descended 25km - Returned with artifact (strange metal) - Artifact later confiscated by Clergy - All 8 scholars developed progressive madness over 3 years - All dead by 270 S.

Recent Years: No major expeditions - Too many losses - Knowledge gained negligible - Guild no longer funds them - Only desperate or suicidal attempt now

Return Rate

• Upper Deeps (0-10km): ~70%
• Middle Deeps (10-30km): ~20%
• Lower Deeps (30km+): 0%

Theories on What’s Below

The Bottom Theory

Claim: There is a physical bottom

Evidence: - Some falling objects eventually stop (detected by tracking devices) - Kalis Dren’s mention of “lights” suggests structures - Pre-Shattering legends reference “the foundation”

Counter: No one has confirmed and returned

The Infinite Deeps Theory

Claim: The Deeps have no bottom—they extend forever

Evidence: - Increasing Aether thickness suggests gradual transition, not end - Falling objects disappear completely (no impact detected) - Mathematical models of Aether suggest non-Euclidean geometry

Implication: Those who fall are falling eternally (horrifying)

The Voice’s Origin Theory

Claim: The Voice Beneath originates from The Deeps

Evidence: - Name: “Beneath” implies below - Voice is loudest in southern Murk (closest to Deeps) - Rot spreads from “below” (undersides of islands) - Corrupted individuals feel “pulled downward”

Implication: Something vast and conscious exists in the Deeps

The Sealed Prison Theory

Claim: Something ancient was imprisoned below the world

Evidence: - Pre-Shattering texts reference “The Sealed Prison” - The Shattering may have broken the seal - The Pull is the entity trying to drag everything down to it

Implication: Humanity should never, ever go deeper

The Other World Theory

Claim: The Deeps are a gateway to another reality

Evidence: - Kalis Dren’s mention of “cities” - Time/space distortions reported - Aether properties change (suggesting dimensional transition)

Implication: There may be other worlds accessible through descent

Reported Phenomena

The Singing

Multiple expeditions report hearing: - Beautiful harmonic tones - Source unknown - Draws listeners toward it (hypnotic) - Those who follow never return

Nature: Unknown - Auditory hallucination? - Real sound produced by Aether vibrations? - Lure from something below?

The Lights

Kalis Dren and others reported lights at depth: - Described as “cities” or “constellations” - Below, not above - Warm-colored (gold, orange, amber) - Flickering or pulsing

Theories: - Hallucinations from pressure/darkness - Bioluminescent Deep-creatures - Actual structures (impossible to verify)

Time Distortion

Crews descending report time anomalies: - Clocks stop working - Subjective time differs from measured time - One crew descended for “hours”—returned to find weeks passed - Another descended for “days”—only minutes passed topside

The Pressure Dreams

Those who descend have vivid dreams afterward: - Falling through darkness forever - Reaching a bottom made of faces - Being swallowed by something vast - Dreams continue for months, sometimes years

Dangers

The Pull

• Constant downward force
• Exhausting to resist
• Psychologically wearing
• Eventually, many stop fighting and let themselves fall

Darkness

• Practical: Can’t navigate
• Psychological: Primal fear
• Isolation: Can’t see rescue even if it approaches

Madness

• Descent causes psychological breakdown
• Even brief exposure has lasting effects
• Deep-madness symptoms:
  • Obsession with descending again
  • Hearing voices calling from below
  • Depression, suicidal ideation
  • Belief that “the truth” is below

Unknown Creatures

No confirmed creature sightings, but reports include: - Shapes moving in darkness (large, slow) - Bioluminescent entities - Something that “brushed past the ship”

One-Way Currents

Deep-Currents pull downward: - Hard to fight - Fuel consumption enormous when ascending - Many ships run out of fuel trying to return

Cultural Impact

Fear

The Deeps represents ultimate terror: - The Fall (stepping off island) means descending here - Parents threaten children: “Fall into The Deeps” = worst fate - Nightmares of falling common

Forbidden

Clergy officially forbids descent: - “The Deeps are cursed” - “To descend is to abandon the constellations” - “Those who seek the below forsake the above”

Fascination

Despite fear, The Deeps fascinates: - What’s down there? - Is there a bottom? - Can you reach it and return? - Some view descent as ultimate test

The Constellation of the Abyss

The forbidden constellation associated with The Deeps:

Characteristics: - Appears as absence of light (black void in constellation field) - Visible only from depths (or Murk) - Associated with endings, oblivion, entropy

Prayers to the Abyss: - Grant peaceful death - Erase pain - Provide oblivion

Price: Everything

Clergy Position: Not truly a constellation—evidence of cosmic void trying to consume reality

Mysteries

Are There Islands at Depth?

Reports suggest yes, but unconfirmed: - Expedition detected “solid mass” at 40km - Kalis Dren mentioned “cities” - No one has landed and returned

Does Anything Live There?

Unknown: - Creatures possibly adapted to depth - Human survivors from failed expeditions? - Something else entirely?

Is There a Connection to the Rot?

Evidence suggests link: - Rot spreads from below - Voice Beneath implies below - Deep-Currents and Rot-spread correlate

What Did the Returned Priests See?

Year 134 S. expedition: - 20 priests descended - All returned silent - Refuse to speak about it - What was so terrible they took vows of silence?

Relationship with Other Regions

Bright Reaches

• Opposite of Veiled Heights (conceptually)
• Avoided completely
• Fallen objects from Bright Reaches eventually reach Deeps

The Murk

• Southern Murk borders Deeps
• Islands occasionally drift into Deep-Currents
• The Hollow’s southern edge approaches Deeps

Veiled Heights

• Cosmological opposites
• Some mystics believe they’re connected (mirror realms)

Advice for the Foolish

If you absolutely must descend:

1. Don’t (seriously, don’t)
2. Tether to surface (so you can be pulled back)
3. Time limit (set alarm, return immediately when it sounds)
4. Strong-willed crew (weak minds break)
5. Ignore the singing
6. Don’t look too long at darkness (staring into void invites void into you)
7. If you see lights, run
8. Write a will before descending

Related Topics

• The Fall - What happens when you fall
• The Constellation of the Abyss
• The Murk - Closest inhabited region
• The Voice Beneath - Possibly originates here

In-World Document

Final Log Entry of Explorer Kalis Dren (189 S.)

Depth: Beyond 50km (tether snapped, no measurement)

Aether is thick as oil. My ship moves slowly. Every meter is effort.

Darkness is total. My lantern—brightest I could find—barely illuminates my hand.

The Pull is stronger. Not resisting anymore. Letting it take me.

I can hear the singing now. Not hallucination. Real. Coming from below. Beautiful. Sad. Like a lullaby for the dying.

And lights. Gods, the lights. Thousands. Arranged in patterns. Cities? Constellations? Both?

They’re below me. Or I’m above them? Direction is meaningless now.

I’m going to reach them. I have to. I’ve come this far.

The singing is words now. I understand them. They’re saying—

[RECORDING ENDS]

Note Found in Kalis Dren’s Ship (Never Sent)

If you’re reading this, I’m dead. Probably.

Don’t descend. Not because it’s dangerous. Because it’s not.

It’s welcoming.

That’s worse.

“The Deeps call. The Deeps promise. The Deeps lie.”
—Clergy warning

“The Deeps call. The Deeps promise. The Deeps tell truth.”
—Rot-Touched counter-sermon