Phantasmic Sea

The Phantasmic Sea is a chaotic and ever-shifting liminal biome that makes up the common fabric in which exist countless realms. A vast expanse of shifting hallways, doors, and labyrinthine corridors, creating an ever-changing maze of ethereal beauty and danger. Travel through the Phantasmic Sea is dangerous; it is a treacherous nougat of time and space.

Nature and Geography

A continually evolving expanse, the Phantasmic Sea presents an ever-changing patchwork of labyrinthine corridors, doors, and towers that, while appearing elegantly constructed, arise naturally. It stretches infinitely in all directions, containing cylindrical and rectangular towers, often manifesting in strange angles or configurations. These structures consist of multi-story labyrinths, interconnected by various paths, hedgemazes, tunnels, and skybridges, forming a perplexing yet navigable network.

Metaphysical Errosion

Metaphysical errosion is a property particular to the Phantasmic Sea, that causes universal metaphysical laws to break down. As a result, space and time within the Phantasmic Sea aren't reliably continuous. When adjacent territories are not remembered by a sufficient number of beings, the Phantasmic Sea spreads like kudzu into that territory, most often at the moment where it is completely unobserved. A sprawling archway or path usually extends into the territory as a runner. Over time, it flowers into a palantir, statue, or fountain surrounded by a circle of columns. This serves as the foundation for a new extension of the biome.

Relation to Realms

The Phantasmic Sea flows between, separates, and yet also connects various realms:

• Ephemera - via portals: whirlpools, reflective pools, toilets, and mirrors
• Lugubria - via portals: wardrobes and chimneys
• Falderal - via portals: wrought stone and sung wood
• Halcyon - via physical access

Portals sporadically appear, inviting adventurers and explorers from one realm to another. The settlement of Halcyon has a significant connection to the Phantasmic Sea, with some settlements integrated with its edges, or even leaning on its outer layers.

Inhabitants and Ecosystem

Unique creatures dwell within this expanse. Among them are:

• Gargoyles - fiercely territorial
• tiny gnomes - by legend, when they sleep, they collectively dream new realms into being
• Egress - a hulking monster that roams the doors, feeding on gnomes
• Digress - is a hybrid of Ogress and Tigress.
• Progress - ambushes you in rooms you are about to enter.
• Regress (Retrogress?) - waits in rooms you've been through, ready to attack from behind.
• Transgress - able to drift through walls and floors.
• Congress - a two-headed creature that squabbles with itself.
• Minotaurans - a sentient species with an exceptional memory for labyrinth tunnels. They can selectively forget passages, a trait they employ both offensively and defensively. The Labyrinth of HoA is a settlement within the Phantasmic Sea, inhabited by Minotaurans and protected by traps. Some Minotaurans can be found on the outskirts or have homesteads deeper within the Phantasmic Sea.

Unique Characteristics

The Phantasmic Sea's behavior is intriguing. While it evolves naturally, it also has a tendency to spread, particularly into forgotten realms, much like kudzu.

Alternative Name(s)

Sea of Doors

Type

Dimensional plane

Inhabiting Species

• Gargoyle
• Minotauran

The Phantasmic Sea is reminiscent of metaphorical between-worlds, in the tradition of C. S. Lewis' Narnia and Robert Jordan's Ways (Wheel of Time).