Xhousong Fissure
Brief
The Xhousong Fissure is one of the very rare anomalies of Vyril - an ever-present sinkhole and open gateway to other realms. At first glance, it appears to be a rend or crack in the desert expanse of Xhousong and, in truth, one could fall for ages without ever really going anywhere. The magic of the void is fickle and dangerous - generally an entrance to Vyril from beyond - and a long fall if attempted from the Vyril-side of the void-fissure. Only a small handful have ever managed to use it, however brief, throughout the fissure's existence and it resulted in their death. It should be noted that even the Fey haven't bothered with the Fissure. It is too recent for any of them to have noticed it, even though it has existed on Xhousong for several centuries.
Type
Void, Fissure, CanyonRelated Organizations
Xhousong Research UniversityRed Wizards
"Red Wizards ruin everything..."- common expression
Geography
The Xhousong Fissure is a deep, dark rend is the earth. A seemingly bottomless pit of deeper darkness that has cracked open the desert. It is utterly unnatural in its placement and creation, making it difficult to see when looking along the horizon line. It is only up close, peering into the cracked earth, that the supernatural quality of the Fissure really becomes apparent. The Fissure does not allow light to penetrate far below the surface of the pit. Torches, lanterns, and any other light source tossed into the dark becomes muted and swallowed up by the oppressive, magical darkness. Any attempt at delving into the depths with piton and rope has been futile. No bottom has ever been reached or recorded. Rather, many have been lost trying to find the bottom. Rope snaps mysteriously, frays, and screams are lost to the oppressive weight of the dark so not even sound can be used to measure just how far someone really falls before the sound goes away
History
In the grand scope of Vyril's long history, the Fissure is incredibly young. Having existed for only a century or so, the Fissure is partially responsible for the current state of Xhousong as a whole. It was created from a magical backlash from a soul bond between Vroghwold and a lady whose family had been toppled. Having lost everything, she joined with the spirit to extract vengeance.
"A friend. I could be a very good friend."- Vroghwold
Creation of a Monster
A note about portals
There are not many ways to both leave, or arrive, on Vyril. Many are controlled portals or gates, monitored by major factions such as The Archive, Fey, or the Midnight Watch. Ensuring that monsters from elsewhere don't happen to wander on the plane and cause undue chaos, destruction, or death. The Xhousong Fissure is both remote, and relatively young, in the grand scheme of Vyril's long history. It is also the only major portal onto Vyril that is not owned, monitored, or subject to any rule. It is this unmonitored happenstance that allows the various outside influences to crawl, sometimes quite literally, onto the plane and alter the course of Xhousong's development and reshape its landscape. While there are certainly, at any given time, a handful of minor gates that open to other worlds, these are usually extremely complicated to complete and maintain, managed only by the most adept at tapping into Vyril's magic. More over, the Fey view such things as rude gestures or practices that they are very vehnement in closing and destroying.
The only exception
Are the gates connecting Vyril to Torresind and Namkural. There is a heated debate amongst the Fey whether or not these two other realms are apart of Vyril as a whole, or if they are their own plane entirely separate. Regardless, gates to and from these planes are not only easy to create, but easy to maintain and are not nearly as opposed. There are even some Fey who make frequent visits to the other planes.
Entry for Worldbuilding Summer Camp 2021
Answering: "an inhospitable region or geographical landmark"
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