The Gorging Hole
It is known that there are layers in the Abyss that even the tanar’ri are afraid of. But these layers are usually well-hidden, few travellers ever find their way there. Even fewer find their way back. Recently though, an area of the Abyss’ very first layer is giving the fiends nightmares: The Gorging Hole, which appeared only recently, has turned into a popular lurid tale the tanar’ri like to chill each other’s bones with.
Basically, the hole is nothing else but, well, a rip in the fabric of Pazunia. It appeared when Jujakrojh, ruler of the former Citadel of Burning Ice in Pazunia, not far from the Angorogo Crevasse, attempted to open a gate to another layer of the Abyss. He assumed this undiscovered layer to be ripe for taking, and his intention was to set himself up as new Abyssal Lord.
Unfortunately, his presumptions were wrong: The layer did have a ruler already. Hidden in the layer’s own essence lured Brudahchk the Eternal Devourer, an ancient power that was assumed to be long dead. When Jujakrojh opened the gate and attempted to merge his essence with that of the layer, he fed his own energy to Brudahchk. In an attempt to save his own life, he spiritually “sank his teeth” into the Pazunia’s ground, attaching himself to keep himself from being sucked into Brudahchk’s devouring maw.
But the ancient power already had its teeth in Jujakrojh’s soul. The would-be Lord is now captured in-between layers, strong enough not to slip away entirely, but not strong enough to get himself out of the power’s grip. Not enough that he is trapped, Jujakrojh’s energy is being slowly drained away by the deity, feeding the ancient creature and strengthening it, while Jujakrojh is getting weaker and weaker.
To prevent his own death, Jujakrojh did the only thing that could save his life for the moment: He gave Brudahchk something else to feed on. And the only thing available was – Pazunia.
So, now there is a gaping hole where the Citadel of Burning Ice one stood, as slowly, Brudahchk devours ever more of the Plain of Infinite Portals, with Jujakrojh being his channel for the Abyssal energy. Within a short time, the Gorging Hole has become more than a mile wide, with nothing but darkness and the hollow screams of Jujakrojh inside, and the hungry tentacles of Brudahchk grasping and pulling ever more of Pazunia into the beast’s maw. The sound so dreadful that even the toughest of bloods are going deaf — but even then they can still hear that dreadful wailing.
Oh, and the mariliths and glabrezu that used to lurk around the citadel? They got too close got turned into mindless zombies, wandering off into the Badlands or into the Hole like they’d lost their last marble. Now, every berk and his balor are talking about it at the Council of Despair, fearing Brudahchk might just continue to grow and gobble up the whole of the Badlands or worse, the whole of Pazunia. And then you’ve got the optimists, thinking this might just be their chance to unify the tanar’ri on the layer, sort out the problem, and then go and stomp the baatezu once and for all.
Between you and me, this has got the markings of a disaster unfolding before our very eyes, with the barmy screaming growing more desperate day by day. There’s even dark whispers sayin’ it’s only a matter of time before the Abyssal bigwigs themselves turn up to sort out the chaos. The trouble is, the wise ones are playing a game of Abyssal chicken, reluctant to be reluctant to be the first on the scene, because historical texts tell that Brudahchk destroyed dozens of Abyssal Lords when he appeared the last time millennia ago.
So, cutter, that’s the chant, straight from the Abyssal gossip mill. It’s a right mess, ain’t it? But between us, it’s also a bit exciting, seeing how it all turns out, wouldn’t you say? Just keep a cautious peeper on it, ’cause this screed’s writing itself with each passing day.
Source: Joyblood and Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
