The Whispergaps
Location: Abyss / Layer 6 – Eyenabella
Ah, the Whispergaps, right. Well, let me tell you, cutter, these ain’t no places for a jaunt. Imagine strollin’ into an area where the ground itself is more of a suggestion than a reality. Now, I know the Abyss ain’t known for its firm footing, but these spots are somethin’ else entirely.
Whispergaps are where the material of the Abyss has been worn down to almost nothin’, like parchment rubbed too thin. Why? Well, it’s no small question, cutter, given the nature of those eye tyrants and their tendency to chew up the landscape with those disintegration rays of theirs. But, see, in the Abyss, there’s always a bit more chaos to come bubbling up from the depths, a bit more madness to fill in the gaps left behind. It’s a place that’s less about substance, and more about the wicked imaginings of every twisted mind that ever was.
Over millennia as the Eye Tyrants keep chipping away at the fabric of reality with a disintegration here, another one there, things can start to get… shaky, to put it mildly. Thin spots in the weave of the Abyss, places where the rules (few that they are!) start to get a bit wobbly, where time might slip and slide, and where the ground under yer feet ain’t quite as solid as ye might like. Trust me, cutter, ye haven’t known fear till ye’ve tried to walk on a floor that might decide at any moment it’d rather be a ceiling, or a wall, or a pit of endless despair.
If things go too far, and reality becomes too threadbare, well, then you might start seeing glimpses of what lies beyond the multiverse, the chaotic maelstrom of the raw stuff of creation, or maybe the endless void of uncreation. An endless sea of possibilities and impossibilities swirling together in a dance of chaos. Some call it the Far Realm, that madness-inducing plane outside of reality, where nameless horrors slither. Even for a hardened traveller like meself, the thought sends shivers down the spine, it does. It’s no place for any being with a mind capable of fear, let me tell ya. Not unless ye’ve got a death wish, or a madness wish, more like.
Now you’d think that the beholders, being as paranoid and self-centred as they are, would see the error of their ways, right? Wrong, cutter. Because in the twisted logic of the eye tyrants, disintegrating everything in sight might just be the ultimate form of self-preservation. A way to ensure that no other being can challenge their supremacy, by simply erasing everything else from existence.
Mind you, it ain’t just physical space that’s all barmy, it’s the sounds. Whispers float around in these places, untethered to any lips to speak ’em. It ain’t your common or garden variety whispers neither—we’re talkin’ secrets spilled, dark desires given voice, knowledge that nobody has any right in knowing. It’s the kind of chatter that could drive a body mad if they pay heed to it.
Now picture this, you walk through this place and every step you take, the whispers get louder, more insistent, crowding into your mind like a swarm of stinging bugs. You might hear someone spoutin’ your darkest secret out loud, even though you never told anyone. Or maybe it’s the dark desires of your companion, told in their own voice. Or a message from beyond the grave from the last berk you killed. But don’t be fooled, cutter, these ain’t random echoes of the past—the Whispergaps have got a mind of their own. It’s like the very fabric of reality is whispering in yer ear.
And that’s not all. The Whispergaps are thought to be sorta… alive. You might walk into one and find that the terrain’s changed since the last time someone ventured in. Paths that were there yesterday are gone today, replaced by deep chasms that open into a roiling void. One wrong step and you might find yourself tumbling into the maw of some unspeakable entity that’s made its home in the gaps.
Now, you might be thinkin’, “Well, who’d be barmy enough to go there?” But ye see, some folks reckon there’s knowledge to be gained in the Whispergaps, secrets that can give you power, or at least a leg up on your rivals. And let me tell you, in the Abyss, knowledge is worth more than gold. Just remember, it’s a dangerous game playin’ with secrets in a place where reality’s worn so thin. You might just find out more than you wanted to know.
Source: Jon Winter-Holt. Canonwatch: This location is a homebrew addition to Abyssal lore.
