Realm of Ystikal

A realm void of warmth

"There is no light, little to no breathable air and a coldness that causes your very soul to shiver as if you were bathing naked in a frozen lake. And yet there are still creatures out there that appear to thrive. Maddening creatures that have more in common with the Sea of Soronath than Vael'Eteria...

— Ion Freeheart, member of the Anvilites' Guild.
A scholar who has been captivated by the Void Caverns and all that concerns them.

Ancient and Dangerous

The Realm of Ystikal is one of the oldest realms in all of Vael'Eteria. It is believed to be only thwarted by the White Sanctum and the Sea of Soronath. Likewise, it is considered to be among the most dangerous realms one can visit, no matter one's nature. Even Dhavians are said to think thrice before visiting Ystikal.

— Excerpt from Into the Voids of Ystikal.

Caverns of Voids

The Realm of Ystikal is also known as the Caverns of Void and its a term that is most often used colloquially. It is also a relativly good descriptor for the realm as a whole. In essence, one could say that Ystikal consists of an uncountable amount of intricetly connected extra dimensional void pockets that are vaguely similar to caverns; wheter this is coincidental or done consciously by Architect is unknown.
Some of these caverns consists of endless plains of obsidian or steel, with a miniscule amount of downward gravity, while a majority are more akin endless vast spaces where gravity is but a mere alien concept.
Void Caverns are connected with each other through so-called Void Tubes that are believed to be formed by interconnecting void energies. These dwindle and are formed anew at irregular interwalls, creating an everchanging network that makes maps useless. They can be maintained but that requires ample energy and infrastructure.

— Excerpt from Into the Voids of Ystikal.

The formation of Ystikal

"One good descriptor is to see them as pockets of air in cheese.

— Ion Freeheart, member of the Anvilites' Guild.
A scholar who has been captivated by the Void Caverns and all that concerns them.

The formation of Ystikal is one that has been heavily debated by realmologists and speculated on among the oldest of Dhavians and Anishans. According to The Urh Themselves, the Realm of Ystikal came to be when Architect awoke from His slumber within the White Sanctum. That the Void Caverns are the product of when Existence Itself became deadlocked upon the moment when Architect's consciousness grabbed hold of his subconsciousnes.
The deadlock of the Void Caverns are said to be capable of being unlocked through direct means by either one of The Urh, the Predecences or Dhavians.
Popular theory states that seeral notable realms, such as the Halls of Misyn, Varldstan Niarem and Avikhre, were formed within these Void Caverns.

— Excerpt from Into the Voids of Ystikal.

Distorted reality

The Realm of Ystikal is not devoid of matter but what exists within its confines have become twisted and distorted by the frequencies of both Vael'Eteria and Soronath pressing together. Elements of both realities have melded and manifested into aberrations.
That is but one theory however. Another gives the proposal that what exists within the Voids are manifestations of Architect's dark subconscious.

— Excerpt from Into the Voids of Ystikal.

Ystikal Landmarks

The Broken Mountains

The most common landmarks in Ystikal one can discover, are the Broken Mountains. No two examples are exactly the same since there always exist some differences in characteristics between them. Some might be rough as granite, black as obsidian, and hot as the surface of the sun. Others may appear to be smooth as metal, grey as ash, and cold as the dark depths of space.

— Excerpt from Into the Voids of Ystikal.

Broken mountaintops

What they all have in common, however, is that their mountain tops have been broken apart, with debris floating around it. Nobody knows what caused of it all is. Some suggest it is due to the energies of Soronath or that it occurred at the moment of the Great Sorrow.

— Excerpt from Into the Voids of Ystikal.

Vanishing mountains

Another interesting tidbit is that they appear to vibrate in and out of Existence at random intervals, and it only happens in one's peripheral vision. One moment it is there and in the next is has vanished, as it is had never existed in the first place. And then it might very well reappear once you have turned your back on it.

— Excerpt from Into the Voids of Ystikal.

Geographic Phenomena

Void Lights

Void Lights might be seen in the far distance. Having the shade of sickly pale lemon green, they are vertical and about two meters in height. At random, they will get a more ember-red glow and disappear from sight, only to reappear at an indeterminable amount of time.

— From The Caverns of Void.
Where Existence Paused.

Void Winds

Void winds are the vibrations that the Broken Mountains radiate at random intervals. They give off a sense of wrongness and split apart the building blocks of reality. Not as powerful as those given off by the Twilight Mountain, they can still disrupt one's physical form if one is not properly shielded by either Divine or Powerful Magical means. There are also rumors that certain technologies are capable of shielding against them as well, but most just take this as nonsense.

— From The Caverns of Void.
Where Existence Paused.

The Aberrations Within

There are said to exist strange creatures within the Caverns of Void. Most are one of a kind; unique in their creation that might very well never be seen again after their deaths. If they are believed to die at all, that is.
Certain species have come to be within the Voids, however, and one of the most common ones — if there now is such a thing — are the Void Angler Denizens. Known to attack those who they come across they are incredibly dangerous to those who traverse the Voids.

— From The Caverns of Void.
Where Existence Paused.

Alternative names

The Void.
The Void Caverns.
The Ystikal Caverns.

Type

Dimensional plane

Included Locations

• The Twilight Mountain

Characters in Location

• The Gentle Shadow

Inhabitants

Void Angler Denizens