The Murk

“Here, morality rots faster than flesh.”
—Black Sky Cartel saying

Quick Reference

Overview

The Murk is where hope goes to die. The Aether here is darker, almost gray. Islands are twisted by corruption. The law is whatever you can enforce with a blade or coin. It’s home to criminals, exiles, Rot-Touched cults, and those with nowhere else to go.

Yet it’s not entirely abandoned. The Murk has its own economy, culture, and strange honor. Anything forbidden in the Bright Reaches can be bought here—for the right price.

Geography

Physical Boundaries

The Corruption Gradient: The Murk begins where Aether darkens noticeably (~250km south of Skyport Eos)

Core Murk (Heart of corruption): - Contains The Hollow, most corrupted location known - Rot-Clouds constantly present - Island visibility poor (30-50m) - Nearly impassable

Outer Murk (Transition zone): - Mix of corrupted and clean islands - Murky Chasm main settlement - Where most “business” occurs

The Deep Murk (Southern edge): - Borders The Deeps - Few islands, mostly shards - No reliable maps - Expeditions rarely return

Aether Characteristics

Luminosity: 40-60% darker than Bright Reaches - Perpetual twilight/dusk - Constellations barely visible (except The Serpent, which glows bright) - Psychologically oppressive

Temperature: Cold (8-12°C), damp - Constant chill - Moisture in air (source unknown—no rain) - Breath visible

Visibility: Poor - Aether has slight fog-like quality - Islands appear suddenly - Collisions more common

Currents: Chaotic, unpredictable - Shift daily - Maps outdated within weeks - Navigation by instinct only

Major Settlements

Murky Chasm

Population: ~600
Description: Vertical settlement built between two separating islands
Role: De facto capital, black market hub
Control: Vex Shadowhand (black market kingpin)

Key Features: - The Abyss Bar (hanging over void) - Black Market Plaza (anything for sale) - Rot-Touched Enclave (openly corrupted gather here) - Underground Chapel (Serpent worship)

The Underbelly

Population: ~200 (fluctuates)
Description: Settlement built on underside of large corrupted island (inverted gravity field)
Role: Smuggler base, hiding spot
Control: The Captain (Black Sky Cartel leader, identity unknown)

Notable Details: - Accessible only via airship (no surface access) - Warehouses full of illegal goods (Rot-Shards, weapons, stolen artifacts) - No law except Cartel rules - Betrayal punished by throwing into Aether

The Weeping Halls

Population: ~150 (mostly Rot-Touched)
Description: Former monastery, now Rot-cult compound
Role: Rot-Touched sanctuary, conversion center
Control: Sister Morrigan (corrupted priestess)

Activities: - “Welcoming” newly corrupted individuals - Rituals to accelerate transformation - Worship of The Voice Beneath - Claims to offer “transcendence”

Scavenger’s Roost

Population: ~80 (constant turnover)
Description: Airship dock on partially corrupted island
Role: Last supply stop before Deep Murk
Control: Whoever’s toughest (changes often)

Politics and Power

The Black Sky Cartel

Dominance: Controls ~50% of Murk economy through: - Smuggling operations - “Protection” rackets - Information brokering - Slave trade (prisoners from raids)

Structure: - The Captain (mysterious leader, never seen in person) - Regional Lieutenants (enforce Cartel law) - Freelance pirates (pay tribute to Cartel)

Code: Surprisingly strict - Betrayal = death - Honor debts = sacred - Children are off-limits (even here) - Pay what you owe

Rot-Touched Factions

Multiple cults with competing philosophies:

The Evangelists (Sister Morrigan’s group): - Believe Rot is salvation - Actively try to “save” others by spreading corruption - See themselves as messengers of truth

The Isolationists (The Silent Grove): - Want to transform in peace - Defensive, not aggressive - Most sympathetic of corrupted groups

The Dominionists (The Hollow Knights): - Believe Rot-Touched should rule humanity - Militaristic, organized - Raid Bright Reaches for captives

Independent Actors

• Exiles: Those banished from lawful settlements (thieves, murderers, heretics)
• Treasure Hunters: Seeking pre-Shattering artifacts in corrupted ruins
• Researchers: Alchemists studying Rot (ethically questionable experiments)
• The Desperate: Dying of disease, seeking Rot as “cure” (transformation = survival)

Economy

Black Market Goods

Rot-Shards (50-500 Aether-Coins per gram): - Crystallized corruption - Used in dark alchemy, forbidden rituals - Highly illegal in Bright Reaches - Murk’s primary export

Forbidden Texts (100-10,000 Aether-Coins): - Pre-Shattering grimoires - Apogee Working fragments - Serpent-worship manuals - Clergy would burn these (and the sellers)

Stolen Goods (variable): - Cargo “liberated” from Guild ships - Sky-Guild doesn’t patrol Murk (too dangerous)

Slaves (500-5,000 Aether-Coins): - Captured from raids or sold by desperate - Illegal everywhere, but enforcement is weak - Mostly used as labor or sold to worse fates

Pre-Shattering Artifacts (variable, often priceless): - Looted from corrupted ruins - Dangerous (may be cursed, corrupted, or unstable) - Collectors pay fortunes

Legal(ish) Trade

• Rot-Beast Parts: Hides, bones, organs (used in alchemy)
• Aether-Fish: From less-corrupted areas
• Scavenged Materials: Ship parts, metal, wood

Threats and Dangers

The Rot (Omnipresent)

Corruption Saturation: 60%+ of islands show some Rot - Clean islands rare and valuable - Rot-Clouds drift constantly - Infection risk extremely high - Long-term survival requires tolerance or transformation

The Hollow (Epicenter): - Most corrupted place known - Radiates Rot-Clouds - Expanding slowly - Some want to destroy it; others think that’s impossible

Rot-Beasts (Abundant)

Common Encounters: - Rot-Hounds: Hunt in packs of 10-20 - Amalgam-Beasts: Every island has unique horrors - Hollow-Walkers: Fully transformed humans - Gloom-Wraiths: Phase through barriers

Survival Strategy: Avoid, run, or fight with blessed/alchemical weapons

Lawlessness

• Murder common
• Theft expected
• Trust rare
• Survival of the strongest/smartest/most ruthless

Ironically: Certain codes of honor exist - Cartel law provides structure - Betraying partners is worse than murder - Even criminals need some rules

Environmental Hazards

• Unstable Islands: Corruption weakens structure, islands crumble without warning
• Toxic Air: Some corrupted islands emit poisonous fumes
• Gravity Anomalies: Rot destabilizes gravity wells (sudden zero-g zones)
• Echo Zones: Many contain disturbing screams, mad laughter, Rot-Speech

Culture

The Murk Mindset

“Take what you can, give nothing back”: Pirate philosophy
“We’re all damned; might as well profit”: Nihilistic pragmatism
“Better to rot on your terms than starve on theirs”: Defiant independence

Honor Among Thieves

Despite brutality, certain rules hold: - Pay your debts (or die) - Don’t betray partners mid-job (settle scores after) - Children are sacred (rare moral line) - Keep your word (reputation is survival)

Social Hierarchy

1. The Captain (Black Sky Cartel leader)
2. Cartel Lieutenants
3. Successful Pirates / Merchants
4. Skilled Workers (pilots, alchemists, fighters)
5. Everyone Else (expendable)
6. Slaves (property, not people)

Recreation

The Abyss Bar: Gambling, drinking, storytelling Pit Fights: Arena combat (sometimes to death) Rot Races: Airship races through corrupted zones (high mortality) Fortune-Telling: Serpent-worshipers read “omens” in corruption patterns

Notable Locations

The Throne of Hollows

• Center of The Hollow
• Pulsing mass of corruption
• Voice Beneath loudest here
• Pilgrimage site for Rot-Touched
• Possibly a gateway (to what?)

The Silent Grove

• Island with Isolationist Rot-Touched
• Peaceful (by Murk standards)
• Beautiful in twisted way (corrupted gardens)
• Visitors tolerated if respectful

The Chained Market

• Floating airship bazaar (moves constantly)
• Neutral ground (no violence allowed)
• Best place to buy/sell illegal goods
• Guarded by Cartel enforcers

The Lost Archive

• Ruined library on crumbling island
• Contains pre-Shattering texts
• Partially corrupted (reading is dangerous)
• Archivists secretly fund expeditions here

Mysteries

What Lies in Deep Murk?

Expeditions to southern edge rarely return. Those who do report: - Islands made of impossible materials (stone that breathes) - Creatures that don’t match any known species - The Aether itself seems “alive” - Whispers urging them to go deeper

The Captain’s Identity

No one knows who leads the Black Sky Cartel: - Never appears in person (communicates via intermediaries) - Voice disguised (magic or technology) - Gender unknown, age unknown, species unknown (some joke they’re not human) - Theories: Pre-Shattering immortal, Rot-Touched ascended, collective consciousness

Why Does The Hollow Not Consume Everything?

The Hollow expands but slowly. Why? - Is something containing it? - Is it waiting for something? - Is its slow spread deliberate strategy?

The Forgotten City

Rumors of a pre-Shattering city intact and uncorrupted deep in the Murk: - Supposedly protected by ancient wards - Contains Luminar Council treasures - Guarded by constructs or traps - May be myth, but treasure hunters keep searching (and dying)

Traveling to the Murk

Who Goes There?

Criminals: Fleeing justice
Exiles: Banished from lawful lands
Researchers: Studying Rot (insane or brilliant)
Treasure Hunters: Seeking fortune in ruins
The Desperate: No other options
Rot-Touched: Seeking community

How to Survive

1. Hire a guide (worth the cost)
2. Carry Aether-Mask (filters Rot-tainted air)
3. Never show weakness
4. Pay what you owe
5. Don’t trust anyone (but honor deals)
6. Know when to run

Entry Points

• Northern Edge: Transition from Bright Reaches (gradual Aether darkening)
• Murky Chasm: Main “port of entry”
• The Chained Market: If you can find it

Relationship with Other Regions

Bright Reaches

• Official: Condemned, avoided
• Reality: Black market goods flow north constantly
• Unofficial Deals: Guild factors buy Rot-Shards secretly

The Howling Expanse

• Occasional trade (storm-sailors are fearless)
• Mutual respect (both regions harsh)

The Deeps

• Murk borders The Deeps to south
• Islands occasionally drift into Deeps (never return)
• Deep Murk explorers sometimes fall into Deeps

Future Outlook

Expansion

The Murk is growing: - Bright Reaches islands drifting south become Murk - Rot accelerates, converting more islands - In 50 years, Murk may consume Bright Reaches

Potential Developments

Optimistic: Rot-research in Murk yields cure Realistic: Status quo—lawless region continues Pessimistic: The Hollow consumes entire Murk, becomes uninhabitable Horror: The Voice Beneath emerges from The Throne of Hollows

Related Topics

• The Hollow - Epicenter of corruption
• Murky Chasm - Main settlement
• The Rot-Touched Faction
• The Black Sky Cartel
• The Voice Beneath

In-World Document

“A Smuggler’s Guide to the Murk” by Anonymous

Rule 1: The Murk will kill you. Accept this. Now you can begin.

Rule 2: Don’t breathe deep. Aether-Mask at all times. Take it off, Rot gets in. Rot gets in, you’re done.

Rule 3: The Cartel runs everything. Pay tribute. Don’t ask questions. They’ll let you operate.

Rule 4: Rot-Touched aren’t monsters. Treat them like people. They remember kindness. Also cruelty.

Rule 5: If you hear The Voice, leave immediately. It lies. It’s also telling the truth. That’s why it’s dangerous.

Rule 6: Never go to The Hollow unless you’re ready to stop being human.

Rule 7: Profit is possible here. So is damnation. Often the same thing.

Final Rule: If you came here by choice, you’re already damned. Might as well make coin while you’re at it.

“The Murk doesn’t judge. It just consumes.”
—Black Sky Cartel motto