+- Omni Archive (https://omni.zulenka.com)
+-- Forum: The Omniverse (https://omni.zulenka.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: The Underverse (https://omni.zulenka.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=11)
+--- Thread: The Underverse Information (/showthread.php?tid=24)
The Underverse Information - Omni - 08-02-2013
The Underverse could be called the Hell of the Omniverse. Created in the Omniverse's third year by Diablo, the Lord of Terror, it grew to become the single largest physical Verse. Closed off two years prior to the influx of new Primes at the Scramble, it remains a place that people avoid speaking of. The single worst punishment that can be inflicted on anyone is to be banished to the Underverse, as there is as of yet no known way back. Few have seen it, but those who have speak of a red sky; giant chunks of land floating in a void. Lakes of acid and lava where monstrosities dwell. Giant factories and birthing pools for horrors beyond imagination even to those who witnessed Diablo's invasion first-hand. It is what the rest of the Omniverse could become should Diablo ever escape his prison.
Subzones
The Central Hellscape
A nickname given to the central region of the Underverse. A plateau the size of county that looks out over the rest of the Underverse, the ‘central hellpscape’ is Diablo’s personal domain. This region contains his grand gladiatorial arena, the black palace (from which one can see the ‘Eye of Diablo’ -- a burning red eye atop the tallest tower that can see for hundreds of miles), and the Pandemonium Fortress. Horrible factories that devour flesh and spew out terrifying amalgamations of flesh and machinery can also be found here, as well as terrifying spawning pools host to the foulest lifeforms imaginable.
Hell in the most ‘traditional’ sense of the word, this is a place of fire and blood and agony. ‘Cities’ dot the hellscape, and it is often (but not always) in this region that most freshly banished individuals find themselves. They are often captured amid their initial confusion, from which they are either sold to arenas, tortured, eaten, or any fate worse than those.
The following NPCs are centered in the Central Hellscape: Diablo
The Necropolita of Dis
The Lesser Evils (Andarial, Durial, Azmodan, Belial) are the name of four powerful secondaries created by Diablo. They claim to have been ‘the first’ created by the Lord of Terror. Despite such apparent prestige, they are rarely treated well by their Lord. They seem to be a source of amusement and ridicule for Diablo, which is rumored to originate in their old world.
Even so, the four jointly rule over the City of Dis, a hellish metropolis of demons and undead and cursed souls located just a few days west of the central hellscape. While many smaller cities can be found in the Central Hellscape, Dis is often called the capital of the Underverse due to its size and scale. Multiple 'cultures' can be found in the city -- hellish mockeries of various worlds both futuristic and fantastical. The Lesser Evils dominate areas that often start to take on their own personality quirks, whether those be related to sadism, treachery, or other foul sins. The four demon lords are rarely in concert with one another, despite the fact that Durial and Andarial are fraternal twins. They are constantly bickering and arguing and using proxies to debase and undermine the others’ designs, making this massive city of damned souls feel like no more than the Machiavellian playground of the quartet of demons.
The following NPCs are found in the City of Dis: The Lesser Evils
The Despoiled Dreamscape
To the east of the central hellscape is a broken land of misery and chaos. Solid ground rarely remains solid, with gravity being something that comes and goes. The kingdom of Tevinter, a land of warlocks and witches exercising great power, used to be centered in this area. When the magic-wielders' egos became too strong, they started to exert too much autonomy and many say they even began to scheme against Diablo. To showcase his iron rule, he shattered their kingdom into a thousand pieces. Because of the floating chunks of land and the erratic gravity, this land has become known as the ‘dreamscape.’ Remains of civilization can be found every so often, although most are uninhabited ruins of a once ‘exquisite’ demonic capital. Some of the demon tribes from this area still linger, although they never linger in one place for fear of the beasts that sprung up from the devastation of the magic-infused kingdom. These twisted, hellish beasts are said to devour prime and secondary alike--driving them to madness before consuming them.
The demon lord in this region is the Mari Lwyd, a prime that was said to have been an advisor in the old demon kingdom in the region. Now the Mari Lwyd dresses in simple robes and wears a mare’s skeleton to conceal his features. Diablo’s only confident in the region, the Mari Lwyd is responsible for ensuring that the region remains as it has been since its sundering. Despite rumor links to the tribes, the Mari Lwyd does its job with a surgical grace, slaying upstarts and anyone who would try to consolidate power in the region.
Chaos shall always reign supreme in the land of broken dreams.
The following NPCs are centered in the Despoiled Dreamscape: The Mari Lwyd
The Acid Baths
‘Bath’ is the wrong term, for the ‘Acid Baths’ is an ocean of putrid, boiling acid. The shores of the Acid Baths can be reached by going a few days southwest of the central hellscape. From there, the acid baths extend hundreds of miles due southwest before widening into an ocean of unknown dimensions.
If one can construct a vessel that is resistant to the corrosive nature of the oceans here, they can do an equally moronic thing and delve into the unknown. The Acid Baths are host to a variety of hellish monsters that lurk in the translucent darkness underneath the frothy, bubbling surfaces. The further one travels, the thicker the air becomes, until it is like a thick, oppressive soup that is said to become just as corrosive as the liquid below. Despite all of this, sentient creatures can still be found out there or along the shores of the Acid Baths. It is said that this is a popular spot for primes attempting to elude capture.
The closest thing to an authority figure in this region of the Underverse is Davy Jones, a privateer that has become more cephalopod than human. He hunts wayward souls out in the Acid Baths--dragging some back to Diablo and torturing others for his own pleasantries. Long has this pirate plundered this region that even his ship, influenced by his own corruption, has become like a living monster forged from wood, coral, and underwater plantlife. The ship is said to submerge itself under the filth of the Acid Baths and emerge miles away moments later, such is the legend of the Flying Dutchman. The crew of the Flying Dutchman, some conscripted and others willing volunteers, rapidly lose their outward humanity as they give into their darker natures, becoming monstrous much like their captain. Because of his dark duties, the insidious Davy Jones has close ties with Diablo, but are you willing to risk your very soul to gain his respect?
The following NPCs are centered in the Acid Baths: Captain Davy Jones
The Black Morass
Southeast of the central hellscape is a landscape of marshes and bogs that stretches as far as the eyes can see. If one goes a few weeks into the morass, they will find the Black Gate--the very passageway that Diablo used to enter the Pale Moors. That also means that this was the place where the Kingdom’s primes entered the Underverse to battle Diablo before Tyrael’s sacrifice to sever the connection between the Underverse and the Omniverse.
This Black Gate, like its counterpart in the Omniverse, stands dead, but its existence stands as a testament to Diablo’s power. Many banished primes and secondaries have tried (and failed) to use the Black Gate as a means to get back into the Omniverse. The skeletons and corpses that litter the area tell of their fates.
The Black Morass is relatively devoid of life. Stories state that much of what was once here funnelled into the Pale Moors following the opening of the Black Gate. As much as we are told that the Moors were poisoned, it is ironic that such action caused this region of the Underverse to shrivel and decay. Despite the wretched nature of the Pale Moors, the Black Morass is strangely enough, one of the least despicable places in the Underverse. If not for the roving patrols and the occasional releasing of ‘seeker beasts’ to catch runaways, the Morass could almost feel like a ‘normal’ place.
The following NPCs are centered in the Black Morass: Scylla
The Salt Flats
Northwest of the central hellscape is an arid expanse that rumors say was once another ocean of some sorts. It is unknown is there is any credibility to this story, but regardless of its validity (or lack there of), the Salt Flats stretch on for aons--a drab, endless nothing that sparkles with the minerals that comprise its surface. There is no wildlife to be found, and the sparkling white landscape often hides many dangers to ‘travelers.’ Thick, inescapable quagmires of mud hide beneath the salt and mineral surface, and there are rumors that giant monsters lurk beneath the surface. A demon once spoke off ‘a giant mouth with rows of teeth’ opening up from beneath the salt flats and devouring everything that could not escape falling down into the blackness below.
Aside from these subterranean dangers, the salt flats are host to a terrifying mobile force of hellions. Led by a powerful warlock, this ‘tribe’ scours the salt flats for individuals trying to escape perdition. It is said that this tribe is based in a fortress deep in the shimmering wastes.
The following NPCs are based in the Salt Flats: Immortan Joe
The Emerald Nightmare
To the northeast of the central hellscape is what a passerby might call ‘a jungle.’ Those who venture into this ‘jungle’ rarely return.
There is no sunlight in the Emerald Nightmare. There is only blackness and almost blackness. The things that lurk in the shadows hunger for your blood. The only law in this region is to be the predator. You are either the predator, or your are the prey. Never let your senses dull. Never let your guard down. Never sleep. Sleep and you will wake up to the sound of some eldritch abomination tearing into your soft parts.
It is said that, long ago, a civilization existed out there in the Emerald Nightmare. A group of hardy demons and rugged souls that wanted to defy the odds. If one goes far enough, they may find the ruins of Kurast, whose inhabitants are believed to have succumbed to the jungle.
Worse perhaps than the monsters that roam the Emerald Nightmare are the individuals that go there to kill themselves. Secondaries, whether they’re cursed to the Underverse or on the run, will often chose this jungle as a place to end their lives. Primes, often those at the end of their rope, will often come here to kill themselves, hoping that murdering themselves in this forlorn place will allow them absolution from the horrors of the Underverse and Omniverse alike. Because of this ‘recreational use’ of the Emerald Nightmare, it is not uncommon for the ‘remains’ of the dead to haunt the living.
The Magma Chamber
To the north of the central hellscape is a single volcano that towers over everything in the Underverse. Known as the ‘Magma Chamber,’ this country-sized mountain seeps and spews magma from various cracks and fissures in its surface. Rumors say that, if Diablo willed it, he could cause the Magma Chamber to erupt, resulting in the entire Underverse being buried beneath miles of lava and fallout.
If one is ‘brave’ (ie - stupid) enough to ascend the Magma Chamber, they must be aware that the atmosphere is thick with ash and the temperature is enough to deliver third-degree burns to even the most resilient of demons. There’s also the matter of the helldrakes that have begun to populate the super mountain. The arrival of a creature known Volvagia has caused the Magma Chamber to become gradually infested with her spawn. It is said that the banished dragon was imbued with a great power by Diablo, twisting her form into something hellish and nightmarish.
The following NPCs are centered in the Magma Chamber: Volvagia
The Frozen Wastes
To the south of the central hellscape, the temperatures drop down cold enough to freeze most living things solid within a matter of hours. Mountains of frozen rock dominate the landscape, but even at ‘base’ elevation, the oxygen is thin and breaths are hard to find. The Frozen Wastes is littered with the frozen corpses of demons and damned souls alike--fools too stupid to prepare themselves for ‘the adventure’ (or, more aptly, their attempt to escape perdition or domination by other demonic entities). There are many frozen ruins amid this landscape, including a large city that some say Diablo froze solid after their leaders attempted to exert too much independent thought.
Like many of the sparsely populated regions of the Underverse, the Frozen Wastes is home to a handful of wayward individuals.
Escaping the Underverse (Quest) - Omni - 06-03-2015
Blood and Fire
Location: The Central Hellscape
Requirements: None
Difficulty: Extreme (20,000 to 40,000 words, dependent on writing quality)
Reward: Escape from the Underverse and Entry into Diablo's Army
The Central Hellscape is where Diablo makes his central Kingdom. It could be called a civilization of sorts, but ruled over by rich and corpulent demons who obey only their own rules, and the orders of the Prime Evil. Freshly banished primes and secondaries are often captured and sold into a system of slavery that has them risk their lives in bloody arenas for the entertainment of the Underverse's denizens. Lesser demons buy and sell these individuals like cattle, and they are treated as little more than tools.
The creatures that call themselves champions here likely will be FAR stronger than any Primes you have faced, even being non-Primes. You will have to use wits, wile and cunning to become a champion. Your prime may have to fight in many 'backwaters' arenas before they are able to be sold or transferred to a respectable venue. You may have to ingratiate yourself to one of the many lesser lords of the Central Hellscape in order to be able to stand a chance against these impossible odds and emerge victorious. The arena does not play fair. Knowing this may be your only chance.
If you can prove your worth to the Prime Evil, Diablo, he may see fit to send you to the world above; an agent of his unfathomable schemes.
Quest Stipulations -- Prime arrives in Central Hellscape. Prime will either join or be enslaved into gladiatorial network. Prime must fight their way up the ranks until they are able to prove themselves to Diablo. Prime will receive a personal audience with Diablo. Repeating this quest halves the word count.
Demonic Patronage
Location: Underverse (Various)
Requirements: None
Difficulty: Extreme (20,000 to 40,000 words, dependent on writing quality)
Reward: Escape from the Underverse, Have to make 'a deal' with one's Patron
The Underverse is a nightmare realm of nearly endless scope. Myriad realms make up the Underverse, and while many say that Diablo is all-seeing, that hasn’t prevented him from having various ‘Lieutenants.’ These individuals, who seem to be primes and secondaries, are referred to as the ‘Demon Lords.’ Each rules over a giant chunk of territory with varying degrees of autonomy. While some of the Demon Lords are as vicious and vile as their overlord, others aren’t as ruthless or violent. Some rely on means other than intimidation to rule their slice of the Underverse.
A character that is interested in escaping from the Underverse may attempt to curry the ‘favor’ of one of these Demon Lords. How the prime goes about gaining favor is up to them. They can become the favored soldier of a demon. They can become a ruthless court assassin. They can become a trusted personal confidant. They could threaten to lead a revolt or use other, blacker means to have their demands met. It’s recommended that you provide a staffer with your ‘end game’ so they can let you know ahead of time if that will work out for you.
Once a prime has done enough to gain the ‘patronage’ of a Demon Lord, they will be presented with ‘the Offer.’ The Demon Lord will procure them an escape from the Underverse. Nothing comes at a cost, even if you strong-armed the Demon Lord, your prime must do one last favor for them. This might be something as simple as obtaining an item from ‘the surface.’ It might also be something more unsettling like banishing X number of secondaries or banishing one of a rival Lord’s 'surface primes.'
Quest Stipulations - Prime must escape the Central Hellscape. Prime must meet with one of the Demon Lords. Prime must earn the favor of the Demon Lord. Demon Lord will secure them an exit from the Underverse but under special terms ('the offer') that will vary based on the Demon Lord. Repeating this quest will require half the word count.
Demon Lords -- The 4 Lesser Evils, the Mari Lwyd, Davy Jones, & Placeholder
Escape from Chaos
Location: Underverse (Various)
Requirements: None
Difficulty: Extreme (25,000 to 50,000 words, dependent on writing quality)
Reward: Escape from the Underverse
It's not uncommon for primes to arrive in the Underverse and cause a ruckus by fighting back against the establishment. Many a 'do gooder' has been banished by a rival and gone on a crusade. Sometimes they become the equivalent of a 'most wanted criminal,' and other times they burn out and are broken and sold into slavery in the gladiatorial arenas of the Central Hellscape. Sometimes Diablo reserves even worse fates for individuals who would threaten his rule.
The exception to this is Tyrael. The prime that severed the link between the Underverse and the Omniverse, Tyrael remains at large in the Underverse, where he is 'Public Enemy Number One.' If you would believe the rumors, Tyrael remains in the Underverse because he chooses to do so. It is said that he doesn’t want to leave, because he wants to make sure he’s ready for when Diablo makes a move against the Omniverse. The ‘fallen angel’ is not easy to find. After all, the Underverse is possibly larger than all of the other verses combined. Even so, he is something of a boogeyman for lesser demons, and if one is pure of heart, it is possible they will eventually find Tyrael.
From there, they must be willing to prove themselves to this mythical figure. Only then will he share with them his secrets. Among those is a way to create a ‘reverse Banishment Circle.’ (a small, temporary gate to the Void) Like the normal circles, there is a process that goes into the summoning of the reverse circle, but if a prime can obtain what is needed, they can escape back into the Omniverse.
Quest Stipulations - Prime must be banished. Prime must escape from the Central Hellscape. Prime must track down Tyrael in one of the remote subzones of the Underverse, braving horrible dangers. Prime must prove themselves (and that they're good of heart) to Tyrael before he will help them devise a means to escape. Repeating this quest requires half the word count.
An Offer You Can't Refuse
Requirements: Must have escaped the Underverse at least once.
Difficulty: Easy (2500-5000 words + 1000 OM)
Reward: Escape from the Underverse
Word of your insane badassery and recklessness has gotten around. I mean, who comes to the Underverse twice? You've impressed someone with some power: one of the 'lesser' lords of hell, Azmodan. As a secondary, Azmodan is always looking for ways to make Omnilium, and with his connections, he might just be able to secure you passage out of the Underverse ... at a price.
Quest Stipulations – Get in touch with Azmodan at his opulent Palace of Sin (think Jabba's Palace but with more BDSM, harder drugs and actual demons). He'll offer to send you back to the Void, at a price.
Unique Quests
Jenny and the Sarlacc
Location: The Salt Flats
Requirements: None
Difficulty: Moderate (5000-10,000 words dependent on writing quality)
Reward: 150 OM ; Counts toward Blood and Fire Quest
Overview -- Jenny wasn’t a nice girl. A secondary in Camelot, she found one day that she liked the feeling she got when she cut people’s throats and let their blood pour over her in waves. Her crimes ended with her managing to kill three of Sam Vimes’ best boys before she was subdued. Rather than the hangman’s noose, she was banished to the Underverse.
Able to slip out of the central hellscape without being enslaved or tortured, Jenny cut a trail of blood on her way out. More than one individual wants her brought back -- dead or alive. Stories say that she may have made her way to the Salt Flats.
Go and find Jenny and bring her back to the Central Hellscape.
Evil is as evil does.
Quest Stipulations - Individual must learn of Jenny’s path of butchery and her flight into the Salt Flats. Individual must track her down there and free her from a sarlacc. Individual must bring her back dead or alive.
Do You Fear Death?
Location: The Acid Baths
Requirements: Must be Level 2
Difficulty: Moderate (5000-10,000 words dependent on writing quality)
Reward: Join the Crew of the Flying Dutchman ; Counts toward Demonic Patronage Quest
Overview - There are many unfortunate souls who are ‘reaped’ by the Flying Dutchman. Foolhardy sailors and fleeing slaves trying to escape the perdition of the Omniverse. These individuals are either forcibly conscripted to serve on the Dutchman, or they are ‘sent to the depths.’ Occasionally, individuals are heard to seek out the Dutchman and its bestial captain.
Whatever their reasons, most have little success. Rumors speak that only those close to the brink of death will see the Dutchman. Even murkier are the tales about what one must be willing to sacrifice to earn the favor of Davy Jones.
Quest Stipulations - Prime must go to the Acid Baths. Prime must create or join a vessel heading into the Baths. A tragedy must occur to draw the Dutchman. The prime must then prove their willingness to serve aboard the Dutchman. Be wary that great sacrifice is involved in binding oneself to Davy Jones. How much of your ‘humanity’ are you willing to sacrifice? This quest can count toward a Demonic Patronage Quest. ‘
The Reaper's Work
Location: The Despoiled Dreamscape
Requirements:
Difficulty: Moderate (5000-10,000 words dependent on writing quality)
Reward: +300 OM, Shepherd's Crook (Flavor Item, can be fashioned as a Move) ; Counts toward Demonic Patronage Quest
Overview - The demonic inhabitants of the Underverse have no love for fine architecture or civility of a human scale. The city of Tevinter was a sparkling gem in a hellish warscape, and while it was held together by the same ties of malice, lies, and violence that serve as law in much of the Underverse, it nevertheless thrived… It thrived until the avarice and greed of man became too much.
After Diablo shattered the kingdom into the region now known as the Despoiled Dreamscape, the remaining vestiges of Tevinter lingered in darkness. Most have become maniacs stalking the dreamscape much like feral beasts.
The Mari Lwyd exists to destroy these wayward souls and any others who try to seek solace or scheme against Diablo in this tormented hell. By some means, you stumble across this revenant. You know of it’s power and of its role as the personal reaper of the Lord of Terror.
Quest Stipulations - Character must travel to the Despoiled Dreamscape and encounter the Mari Lwyd. They must do as it asks. Counts toward Demonic Patronage Quest.
The Archdemon
Location: The Black Morass
Requirements: None
Difficulty: Moderate (5,000 - 10,000 words, dependent on writing quality)
Reward: Counts toward Demonic Patronage Quest
Overview - Telekinetic, telepathic, and supposedly capable of influencing the thoughts of others, Scylla is a creature of terrifying power in the body of a small woman. Ever since earned her freedom from slavery on the Central Hellscape, she has dedicated her efforts to wholly understanding the nature of the Underverse. As such, she’s focused herself on the Black Gate, and while she is well-aware that many have tried and failed to understand theses things.
Scylla isn’t some simpleton. Her hordes ravaged the Omniverse for nearly two years and were almost successful in destroying two verses. Adjusted to the hell she must now call home, she is always in the market for people to do her ‘dirty work,’ which often entails traveling to horrible, deadly places and procuring various ‘bits and baubles’ for her. She always pays well for the trouble, although it isn’t uncommon for her to send foolish souls to their doom in the Frozen Wastes or in the catacombs beneath the Magma Chamber. Scylla is even willing to part with goods that can be used to bribe Demonic Lords, especially 'those fools' in Dis.
Quest Stipulations - Individual must track down Scylla in the Dark Morass, near the Black Gate. Individual must venture to a dangerous locale to procure something for her studies/experiments/research and return to her for payment.
Maleficus
Location: The Emerald Nightmare
Requirements:
Difficulty: Challenging (10,000 to 20,000 words, dependent on quality)
Reward: Counts toward Demonic Patronage Quest
Overview - A wraith said to be an amalgamation of dozens of black hearted souls, this entity has no equal among the Nightmare. It feasts upon the loathsome, predatory monsters that prowl in the dark trees. The haunted souls that infest this area steer clear of it.
None are quite certain of its name. Some speak that it is an amalgamation of hundreds of souls that were sacrificed to the Nightmare. Others will tell you that it is a prime -- flesh and blood like any other -- that lost itself into the madness. All that is known is that nothing has stood against the entity. None have confronted Maleficus and lived to tell the story. They know it prowls the ruins of Zakarum, perhaps betraying a distant connection to that dead settlement.
Do you have it in you to slay Maleficus?
Quest Stipulations - Character must brave the Emerald Nightmare. In the ruins of Zakarum, they will find the creature. Live or die. Good luck.