View source for Storybook - Guide to the Abyss

The Abyss was once regarded as a cursed place, fit only for monsters and ghosts. Today it provides a wealth of precious resources and a staging ground for our war against Asmodae and the Balaur.


It is my hope that this study will provide a concise guide to the Abyss, particularly intended for freshly-ascended Daevas dealing with the strangeness of this broken land.


Although the first discovery of the Abyss Gates in Elysea was famously in Verteron, there are accounts from the preceding year of people disappearing and strange lights in the sky.


For a time, Abyss Gates would open and close at random along the fringes of Elysea. This was accompanied by fragments of the Tower of Eternity rising into the air, often becoming Abyss Gates themselves. As more large and permanent Abyss Gates appeared, these phenomena almost completely stabilized.


The tragic tale of the Storm Legion's first expedition through the Abyss is well-known and I shall not repeat it here. From the survivors' reports, it was clear to Sanctum that the Abyss would prove a threat. Several Legions were stationed on watch around the Verteron Gate while a larger expeditionary force was formed to scout the new realm.


The earliest forces proceeded with great caution, wary of Deltras' fate. Once they determined that there was no danger so great in the Abyss it could not be conquered by strong fighting Daevas, they set to work building a fortress in the Abyss--Teminon's Landing.


With a strong foothold in the Abyss, further expeditions took a bolder stance, exploring the further reaches of this hostile wasteland. Strange anomalies littered the sky, Aetheric auroras, miniature suns, and twisting flows of pure Aether.


While these expeditions often found themselves in brief skirmishes with their Asmodian counterparts, rarely did these battles amount to more than a simmering tension. The Balaur proved to be much more of a threat, having had nearly three centuries to fortify their position.


Inevitably, the Shugos were granted entry to the Abyss, and with them came the allure of profit. Shugo prospectors discovered entire islands made out of valuable new metals and other prized materials in abundance. Sanctum sent in Legions with renewed fervor, looking for resources to support an extended campaign against the Balaur.


It was only then that the Elyos and Asmodians came into direct conflict in the Abyss. The first true battle between the two sides was fought over an island pierced through with gold veins. Though the slaughter of the Storm Legion is usually held as the beginning of the Abyss War, it was the Battle of Gold Island that was the true beginning.


The Abyss War was, of course, further complicated by the aggression of the Balaur. The Asmodians themselves were fearsome enough opponents, but the Balaur forces, in large numbers, were terrifying beyond measure.


Both Elyos and Asmodians came to fear the Balaur's Dredgion battleships, seemingly impervious to assault and capable of annihilating entire Legions. With three sides warring, the Abyss War was locked in a violent stalemate.


Vaizel, Empyrean Lord of Freedom, travelled in disguise through the Abyss in this time, searching for an end to the stalemate. On a remote island, he met a woman who claimed to have been an Artefact Protector, called upon by Aion to serve as an oracle. She warned him that the fractured Tower of Eternity was leaking Aether into the Abyss, leaching the life energy from Atreia.


The news startled the Empyrean Lords. They decided to keep it secret to avoid a panic amongst the common people of Elysea. But soon Asmodian spies came in possession of the knowledge, forcing Lady Ariel to make a pronouncement. The Abyss War had new stakes. No longer was it merely a matter of ideological division--the very life of all Atreia was at stake.


Today, many young Daevas seek glory in the Abyss, whether fighting Balaur or Asmodians. But there are other threats that must be borne in mind.


Traveling so far out of range of Obelisks, there is a constant danger of Vanishment--permanent death even for Daevas. Some poor souls are not quite Vanished, but trapped in the Abyss' ambient Aetheric currents, stuck as pitiful spirits for all eternity. Wise Daevas will travel in Legions through the Abyss, bearing Kisks with them for safety.


The Balaur are the greatest danger in the Abyss, and also its greatest mystery. Like the Elyos and the Asmodians, they do not make their home in the Abyss but in some other world. Yet no-one has ever seen a Gate to that world. Perhaps they are rare, or perhaps the Balaur can open Gates at will, and are preparing for some full-out offensive in the future.


Should you ever find yourself in the Abyss, perhaps you shall discover the answers to these mysteries.