Odosha's Abyss
The Dark Side, The Eternal Screams, The Lights of Nyarla, The Buried
Conspectus
Mothers eating their children, parasites destroying a life to preserve their own, hunters pursuing their prey. Every living being has a Dark Side, buried within themselves. They all look into the Abyss every day, following a habit imposed on our creation billions of years ago. An Eternal Cry for survival.
However, the Abyss looks back at us. It watches us. It learns. It calculates how much strength would be needed to consume us completely. Its insatiable hunger keeps it alert, awake, like a twisted staring contest. And it waits, it has waited for a long time.
Illustration
A photograph taken by the Jailors during their time in Hoiohiña. It is believed to be the creature reacting to thaumaturgical rituals.
Knowledge
Traits: Imprisoned in the depths of the Earth, near the Guiana Shield, no one knows whether it is one or many. Its form is equally debatable due to the inaccessibility of its location - the oldest depictions of the Rodents show it as a formless darkness or a rainbow jumble.3 The latter probably originates from the lights it uses to communicate near to the surface, next to the people of Hoiohiña.
However, Odosha's power extends over all continents, like a spiderweb where it traps its prey to immobilize them, to drag them towards itself. It is believed it has dissolved into the core of the planet, thus being one with the life above it. It can therefore corrode the mind,, as well as the body, of that with which it interacts. The Lights of Nyarla45 serve as an extension of its being. They hypnotize the weak-minded - they turn them into its followers, its self-proclaimed "prophets" who, consumed by madness, act with the purpose of witnessing their master's awakening. They also acquire occult abilities, designed to be able to move underground without any problem, in order to assist their king.
As Odosha becomes stronger, it becomes capable of altering the matter surrounding its cage, sometimes turning it into imitations of temples, shrines, places of religious significance, or simply fading it out of existence.6 While the Jailors do not yet understand this effect, ancient magicians of the Hand have compared it to the transformations that occurred during the Beginning of Time, Life, the Universe and Everything.78
Nature: Unknown. It is relentless when turning beings into its lambs, but has never exhibited signs of direct malice. The messages conveyed so far only show the innate desire for freedom possessed by all life, even when this desire gets in the way of others.9 Should the Abyss be considered Hostile, it would only be because of the consequences it would bring upon all living beings when released from its confinement. Thousands of deaths before the Jailors, the Bookburners, or the Hand itself could control the situation, should they be able to do so.
Abyssal prophets are not usually sinister in their actions, only expressing the wishes of their god, as well as helping entities whose goals align with those of The Dark Side. They are generally peaceful, and usually keep their minds sane enough to coexist with their old friends in a normal way. But one should not be confused by them - in their ears there are Eternal Screams they're trying to hide behind a smile of distant joy.10
History & Associated Parties: Little is known about its origin, although evidence suggests that it came from the stars, in another time, when the Earth was dead.11 The Rodents treat it as a god in multiple ways - legends tell how the collision weakened it until it found itself howling for help for millennia, until it was able to grasp a mind with enough intelligence to be its servant. They also tell the story of how its prophets helped the Rodents escape the Occult Cataclysm themselves, saving the entire species in the process.
However, the current inhabitants of Hoiohiña are aware of the danger represented by the Abyss, and have therefore accepted help from the Jailors and some members of the Hand to study, but above all, to contain the creature.1213 Its rise is imminent, or so they believe. The prophets continue to maintain a neutral stand, although they have begun to talk more about the great materialization of the cosmos over human minds, no doubt a sign of something to come.
Approach: Those with common sense will walk away from the Buried without looking back. For those who are unfortunate, on the other hand, there are certain purification rituals, which have kept the Rodents safe for centuries - they must be mastered by the User before approaching the Abyss or one of its prophets as a precaution.141516
In the current days, the Jailors maintain surveillance of Hoiohiña by operating a guard post,,17 thus, it is not advisable to travel there to any supernatural being that may be in conflict with them.18 There are also rumors of a surveillance imposed by the Bookburners due to the Abyss' recent activity. Be warned.
Observations & Stories
— - —
Notes on Hoiohiña, by H.L.
I first arrived to Hoiohiña in 1998, a few months before the Foundation's first contact. The locals greeted me with some trepidation, perhaps because of the increasing abnormal activity denoted by the dreaded Abyss. Perhaps they saw in me a chosen prophet, destined to unleash immeasurable horror. But, in spite of the eyes on me, they gave me shelter, something for which I thanked them by teaching some thaumaturgical rites uncommon in the area, and helping with the daily chores.
My main purpose, of course, was to study the buried creature in detail. Once I explained my intention, they calmed down, and then helped me to get close to it, despite the difficulties presented by my size in comparison with the reduced caves of that time. During the descent, the Lights tried to communicate with us on several occasions - however, the natives flatly refused to let them approach, using magic to scare them away each time.
The Rodents already knew the habits of the Abyss. They knew of the demon that dwelt therein - generally speaking, they were resolute about it. When I was within a few meters of the nearest wall to the creature, at that time a rough mural of paintings of stars, oceans, and something resembling the Great Green God, my escort began to prepare a cautionary restraint ritual. Today I dare to affirm the decisiveness of this ritual, without which, I think, I would find myself dead. Like an idiot, I summoned a strengthening spell to draw the Lights to me in order to talk to them. But it was too strong. The Abyss embraced my mind. It drew me to itself.
I had many visions at that time. The thing was trying to corrupt me. Suddenly I saw myself in front of a gigantic silver palace. I had come out of the caves, I was facing an absolutely clear day. At the top, there was a small sphere of light serving as the sun, with no other celestial bodies in sight. In the distance, I distinguished a lush forest from which a gigantic oak tree stood out; at its base ran a river of crystalline waters. Upon looking at it, I was immediately intoxicated by a sense of peacefulness and fulfillment.1920
An unforeseen event took me by surprise: Behind me a door without a dwelling opened. It was a Way - I could admire the magnificence of the Library beyond the threshold. Then blurry-faced warriors began to emerge, with a black sphere guiding them ahead. The sphere approached me, then ascended to meet the Sun. Both stars spun around each other in a dance that finished shaping the Universe.
I would have lost my sanity with such beauty had I not been rescued by the Rodents, who at the last moment repelled the darkness and prevented my fall into the Abyss. I lost consciousness - when I awoke, the Rodents had carried me to my quarters, leaving food beside me. As soon as I regained my strength, I went to consult my visions with some members of the Hand, who told me that it was only a malicious mirage, a series of feelings associated with triumph, but devised to tempt you to assist the one who shows them to you, to bring upon the Earth the last judgment.
Regarding my research, the Rodents reprimanded me for my carelessness, thus denying me access for several months. It was a tense time, but ultimately, their urgency made them accept as much assistance as possible, regardless of past conflicts. I have continued with the means at my disposal, despite the actions of the Foundation and the secret eyes of the Coalition. I hope I can be of assistance in understanding the thing that dwells beneath Hoiohiña.
— - —
Fragments of a Hoiohiña legend, compiled by H.L.
When all things came into existence, so did Wannadi, and he created everything good, for he was made of goodness.2122 Then, from his ethereal dreams came his mother, to give birth to him in the mortal world. But from the placenta, forgotten in infinity, Odosha was born, a creature composed of putrefaction, destined to flood the minds of living beings with nightmares, leading them to war and betrayal.
Odosha had been born from evil, but from a necessary evil. That which made humans, human. Born of the death meant to preserve life. But Wannadi did not see it that way. He believed that his brother's evil would eventually drive him mad,, and he would try to rule all creation. So, thinking to do the right thing, Wannadi fought his brother. He was victorious, for the goodness of living beings was more powerful.
Wannadi banished Odosha from the World of the Gods and confined him to the core of a wandering star,2324 adrift, where he could not harm anyone. Wannadi promised that one day he would return to finish off his brother completely, but until that day, Odosha takes it upon himself to infect everything around him, just to infuriate Wannadi, while having fun waiting for the Woodpecker.
From its prison, the Abyss extends its arms through flashes of madness and murderous, selfish thoughts. He tears down civilizations from the shadows just by casting a vision. He causes mass extinctions through his Odoshankomos - unstable, cruel creatures born of hatred, who are charged with spreading horror, carrying the legacy of the Abyss from which they sprang.
Above all, Odosha tries to escape. In his mind a wrathful vengeance towards his brother and the goodness within him. Once he gets control of the Life within the star where he was imprisoned, he will be able to travel free through the Primordial Sea, he will be able to see the Stars and corrupt that of the Beyond. The Eighth World would be engulfed by rivers of blood, and after it, all the other Worlds..2526 He will only stop once he has proven the need for darkness, but without light, he will never succeed in doing so.
Doubt
As stated above, many aspects of the Abyss, such as its form, origin, and intentions, are subject to discussion. Likewise, the visions described by its prophets can be interpreted from different points of view. Moreover, if the legends of Hoiohiña can be taken as true, they only answer a handful of questions while asking hundreds more.
On this point, other religions such as the Cult of the Great Green God, or the Nälkän, have referred to the beast as a demon, an impostor who uses the sacred symbols to lure the unwary into its presence, as a mockery of the Occult Cataclysm of which it is the culprit. This rejection by the major religions behind the Veil has caused many to question the supposed divine origin of this being.
There are, on the other hand, ways to confirm or deny these aspects. The Jailors, along with the Hand, are analyzing the creature. The possible discoveries of these two parties, as well as future revelations given to the prophets by their god, could alter the current Knowledge about the Buried.
I must add my doubts regarding the connection between the visions of the Lights and the possible existence of Ezis' River. It may seem like a small thing to some of you, but that river may contain the answers I seek. The ultimate purpose of my life.
—E.M.
In my opinion, Odosha's Abyss could be sentenced to uncertainty. The only concise thing about it is a variety of mystical references, which we have not even been able to understand. We have examined the discoveries day after day, without finding anything new. It seems to hide even more inside its own secrets, far from minds willing to confront it. It keeps us alert for something. Perhaps, we have spent too much time staring into the abyss.
—H.L.2728