Tenth Splinter: Acroamatica

The misguided souls who blaspheme reality by calling out to Elder Evils often speak of a realm from which these entities hail. In truth, there is no one place or space from which they come. There is the multiverse of things that are, and there is the multiverse of things that shouldn't be.

Since before the world was made, the yawning unknown has spread over existence. Time, space, and reality lose all meaning in these in the incomprehensible multitudes. The nonspace of Acroamatica consumes everything drawn into it: abandoned dreams take shape as maddening whispers, and the detritus of worlds breaks down into atoms and is remade. Not even the lords of the Dark Dimension are immune to its alien geometry.

Visual Interest Board

Properties & Geographical Features

Mortals unfortunate enough to glimpse this splinter often have little to no memory from their time here because their senses are simply incapable of processing the input. No physical movement is possible. There is simultaneously no atmosphere and air that is as viscous as syrup. Gravity and time do not exist. Where memory fails, madness remains.

Acromatica is composed of an infinite number of transparent layers ranging in thickness from millimeters to kilometers. A traveler can glimpse through twenty or so dimensions a time, with each appearing increasingly blurred. What lurks within and beyond is unknowable.

On the whim of the alien entities that drift through them, the layers continually evaporate, divide, spawn, and breathe. These perturbations transmit ripples across Acroamatica's layers, producing its equivalent of storms. Passage between layers and through the space of non-being requires only a thought. The multi-dimensional beings drifting at the very edge of awareness do not notice the lesser beings that occupy only a single layer, such as mortal travelers lost in Acroamatica.

Acroamatica persists across all points of real and imagined existence. A traveler to Acroamatica could theoretically access the past, future, or present of other planes, alternate realities of Evara, and even alternate worlds – assuming the traveler could find a way to intentionally access Acroamatica at all. Scholars who are aware of Acroamatica’s existence and general properties argue whether it should be classified as part of the Dark Dimension, the Ethereal Plane, the Astral Plane, or none of them. It has infected entities of all three planes, but there is no clear means to access it from any of them.

Notable Inhabitants

Acroamatica is touched by unknowable beings composed of pure thought and beings whose physical forms defy logic. Few creatures in the omniverse have any awareness of these beings, and no one can claim to know them all.

These beings are called by many names: aberrations, fiends, great old ones, primordials - even gods. Yet some scholars versed in esoteric mysteries insist that they are none of these, but in fact are beings set apart from what mortals consider reality. Some Elder Evils are alleged to be creatures dwelling in Acroamatica, while others are thought to be trapped in particular planes or worlds, and still others are held in check by wandering stars and imprisoned in the vastness of the night sky. Only the entities whose presences dwell in Acroamatica are described here.

The extent to which these beings have power beyond their native environments varies, as do notions of their relative strength. But they are all forces of fear and corruption. Nothing good can come of their influence. No bargain made with them ends in anything other than madness, plague, death, or worse.

Ghaunadaur

Epithets

Its actual form is unknown, but it is most often represented as an ooze-like creature with many tentacles, or as a purple pupil surrounded by black sclera. Ghaundaur’s liquidity symbolizes its unpredictable nature, which makes attracting its attention risky. It occasionally rewards its followers with supernatural powers or wealth, but it is equally likely to curse its faithful with hideous torments and afflictions. A subterranean hunter who whispers Ghaunder’s name might stumble into a forgotten treasure trove, while a devoted priestess who offers long prayers and valuable sacrifices may be consumed by a gelatinous cube.

Pandorym

Epithets

Once upon a time, a cabal of mages sought to protect their ancient civilization from the vengeance of deities. They summoned Pandorym from a space “between” the planes that should never have been breached, drawing in a creature of pure thought that they believed had the potential to challenge the Evaran pantheon. They intended to use the creature as a deterrent against the gods, but knowing that the creature was likely beyond their ability to control, they settled for a show of force. The mages created a physical vessel into which to call this being from between dimensions, but its awesome psyche remained behind.

The cabal believed this exhibition would protect them, but doubt rippled through the nation and the gods. What would stop a single member of this cabal from slipping into madness and reuniting Pandorym’s severed halves? Thus, before the cabal could consolidate its position, they were eliminated, and every reference to them blotted from history. Pandorym’s mind roves, seeking unification with the potent body prepared for it. From time to time, it touches the mind of a sentient creature, but to its eternal disappointment, the crushing power of its mind breaks its servants long before they can perform any helpful action.

..."Name?" Names are for things that can be called. I have no name. If I have need of you, I will call you.

Epithets

This vast but chaotic intellect is fascinated by cycles and patterns. The Unnamed Queen of Chaos normally appears as a congeries of iridescent globes like giant soap bubbles. When it takes shape, it becomes a partially material and partly ethereal mass of feelers, legs and stalked organs. Regardless of its corporeality, it manifests an inexorable, rhythmic pulsing like the ticking of a clock or beating of a heart. The pulse causes synchronization in living things. Where its rhythmic beat cascades, entire populations begin to move and breathe in perfect synchrony - then begin to lose selfhood and become extensions of the Pulse.

Places of Interest

Though travelers can never recall specific locations, all landmarks and entities are multidimensional (existing on multiple layers at once).

Imagine, if you will, a mark upon a translucent sheet of paper. Taken individually, such marks might have no meaning, but when viewed together in the stack, they coalesce into a meaningful object.