Echoes
An echo is a reflection of another reality – particularly of the Material Reality. There are two such echoes; the Surreal and the Wretched. Echoes are warped versions of the Material Reality; a barren mountain in the Material Reality could be a large crystalline out-shoot with its own ecosystem in the Surreal. That same mountain could be reflected as a raging volcano or a ravine as deep as the mountain stretches high in the Wretched.
Drastic changes in the Material Reality are also reflected in echoes. If a mountain on the Material Reality was leveled by an army of industrious gnomes looking to create a grand palace of stone, both the Surreal and the Wretched would change accordingly. The corresponding crystalline out-shoot could be corroded by decades of rain, destroyed by a battle between Archfey, or simply leveled itself for its natural treasures on the Surreal. The same volcano in the Wretched could have a ruinous eruption, destroying the volcano in the process. An earthquake of unparalleled proportions could strike, filling the bottomless ravine with rubble and debris.
Time doesn't necessarily flow the same way in an echo, meaning a year spent on the Material Reality could be anywhere from a day to several centuries in the Surreal or Wretched. This means that, despite being influenced by the Material Reality, echoes develop separately. This also means echoes don't always exactly mirror their material counterparts; a drained ocean in the Material Reality may still be a lake of acid in the Wretched for decades to come.
There are a few rare exceptions in which echoes can deviate from the reality they're based on. Divine interference can alter an echo, creating a permanent difference between a reality and its echo. Alternatively, an area of an echo can be completely shut off from its base reality. Doing this is exceptionally difficult and generally has drastic repercussions on a cosmic scale.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
