Dark Dimension Overview

"A place of terrors and dangers beyond the mortal conception that nevertheless exists. They exist. Each splinter of the Dark Dimension is its own unique moral and magical ecosystem warped by beings so powerful they may be second only to the Gods themselves. The Dark bends not only to their whim and will, but to their mere presence. The more souls they acquire, the more that combined influence spreads. If you are not afraid of this place or what its denizens can do, then you are a fool."

— Woodwhistle, a kenku Chronicler of Veleda

The Basics

The vast majority of what there is to know about the Dark Dimension would NOT be available to or even learnable by Evarans. Even the knowledge of specialized scholars or planar explorers is incomplete and can be inaccurate.

• The Dark Dimension lies just beyond mortal reach. Magic like plane shift or arcane gates can enable travel across planes. Manifest zones beneath Evara's surface can also serve as doors: creatures may enter or exit from either side where these natural portals occur. It is far more common (though still not easy) to summon beings of the Dark Dimension to Evara than to send an Evaran to the Dark Dimension.
• Evarans may feel like the center of the universe, but they are not. The Dark Dimension is a world unto itself. Its denizens - even its most powerful ones - have plenty to do within that world. Mortals and Evara are only of interest to the beings of the Dark Dimension as tools or food. Devils, in particular, are infamous for their dealings with mortals. By staking claims on souls that would otherwise go to the gods or be cast adrift, devils proudly warp the natural order.
• In the following articles, many passages reference specific individuals and the how mortals may bargain with them. This is not a suggestion that such interactions are commonplace or that knowing what to offer archdevils is a matter of intuition. It is provided for context about when beings of the Dark Dimension might take notice of a mortal or how the interactions with such beings might be turned toward a mortal’s benefit (and at what cost).

Physical Structure of the Dark Dimension

“Comb-like” (not honeycomb - a comb like the thing used to detangle hair) is the best way to understand the physical structure of the Dark Dimension.

• Like the spine of the comb, the territories dominated by devils will always connect to the former layer and the subsequent layer in an orderly manner. To pass to a deeper layer in devil-controlled territory, a traveler must descend through each level sequentially. Traveling through a devil’s territory will always lead a traveler to other territories ruled by devils.
• Like the teeth of a comb, territories dominated by demons do not connect to other layers in any logical manner. Planar portals to demons’ territory form spontaneously, chaotically, and randomly. Given enough time, demonic portals will theoretically form anywhere and everywhere. However, demonic portals rarely (like 0.001% of all portals) spawn to territories under an Archdevil’s influence. Using a demonic portal with the intent to reach a devil's territory is possible but extremely risky, as it means traversing a demon's territory.

“Splinter” is the term used to describe the layers of the Dark Dimension. Each splinter is a microcosm linked to the macrocosm of the Dark Dimension and may have its own distinct natural laws (i.e., its own gravity, suns, gravitational orientation, time dilation, atmosphere) and make-up (i.e., air-dominant, no air, earth-dominant, made of flesh, etc.). There are potentially infinite splinters to the Dark Dimension but 10 primary splinters.

Dark Contents

Inhabitants of the Dark

Broad overview about creatures of the Dark Dimension. Covers where are certain types creature are commonly found. Describes how tiefling lineages are connected to splinters of the Dark Dimension.

Beyond the Familiar

The Dark Denizens described here are known to reside outside the 10 primary splinters.

A Splintered Reality

The key features, locations, and powerful NPCs of the 10 primary divisions of the Dark Dimension are described here.