Tartarus

The Dwarf guide said it had been a few weeks since they left the surface, but it was too deep for even him to be too certain. No one ventures this deep into the core of the world. Ania had tried to keep her Myst-vision active as much as she could, and she could see the Ripples in reality grow stronger the deeper they went.

It might be some time before they find a precipice to step forth into Tartarus. She wasn't sure how she would read the signs. But to get to her destination beyond the veils of the material realm, she had to pass into the planar echo first. Then she had to seek the battlements of the Seven Suns beyond, to request passage through one of the planar gates.

Tartarus lies parallel in reality to the material world. It echoes and spills into reality similar to the Ripple of the Myst Aether, but deep underground where the earth is anchored to its axis. Its features mimic that of the deep, cavernous underground, opening up into massive caves, lava pools and black stone.

Throughout Tartarus, gateways open to the Inner Circle planes, naturally forming and anchored in space. This enables denizens of both Aegis and Nox to freely venture into Tartarus. It has caused this plane to be a continuous battleground between the forces of cosmic Law and Chaos. The land itself takes on some properties of the realms it connects to, the essences of all seeping into the fabric of Tartarus. And so the eternal clash of Order and Entropy is echoed onto the Material Plane as well.

The Shallows

The places that overlap into the deep underground of Myrth is known as the Shallows, or the Shallow Nether Realm. It mostly resembles the natural underground of the Material Plane, with only the occasional anomaly revealing the true nature of the area. Outsiders may roam these caves, though their numbers are little. Magic flourishes and Ripples are plentiful, but especially where the presence of Chaos is strongest it becomes unpredictable and volatile.

The Caverns

As one ventures deeper into Tartarus there is no doubt as to the nature of the location. Myst seeps into the planar echo, and seems to glow visibly in some places, whipping tendrils of prismatic ribbons or black sludge around the rocks and other features. Massive caverns opens up to a starless ceiling, the walls seemingly carved smooth by an unknown sentience into unnatural patterns. Stones are scarred black from non-existent fires and strange, shadows seem to jump and shift, gurgling and bubbling as they pass through the solid stone.

Citadels

Areas where the two opposing planes of Aegis or Nox meld into Tartarus take on some of the features of the interlinked dimension. The presence of the seeping realities become strongholds of the occupying forces, commonly referred to as Citadels.

These Citadels may become structures resembling the cities of their origin, and are named and mapped by the two warring factions. Between them lies destruction and carnage as the armies of cosmic Law and Chaos clash in everlasting battles.

Gateways