Diwn Dal

Diwn Dal is a massive coastal city located on the edge of the Esparian Ocean, the largest body of water on the world of Mystifea. Known equally for its booming trade and its pervasive criminal underworld, Diwn Dal is a city of extremes—where industrial ambition meets metaphysical dread.

Geography and Environment

Diwn Dal is perpetually cloaked in a thin, saline fog known locally as the Salt Veil. This fog grows denser the deeper one ventures into the city:

• The Upper Districts are lightly misted, dominated by factories, merchant halls, and taverns that serve foreign and local traders alike.
• The Mid-Districts are clogged with refinery smoke and shadowed alleyways, where legal and illicit business transactions blend seamlessly.
• The Lower Depths are submerged in thick, unnatural fog—near-permanent, with light-distorting properties and strange acoustic phenomena.

Much of the Lower Depths have been partially or entirely flooded, transformed into twisting swamplands and waterlogged ruins. This is due in part to the influence of beings from the deep, who have made these flooded quarters their home.

Economy

The economy of Diwn Dal thrives on three central pillars:

• Maritime Trade—The city serves as a hub for global exchange, with vast harbors that facilitate the movement of industrial goods, raw resources, and smuggled contraband.
• Kerc Whaling—The Kerc Whale is a colossal sea creature hunted for its oil, bone, and rare glandular extracts. The whaling industry dominates the waterfront and employs thousands.
• Black Markets—Void relics, outlawed manuscripts, banned alchemical substances, and unsanctioned weapons are all traded through Diwn Dal’s thriving underground economy.

Abyssal Influence

Over the centuries, numerous creatures of unknown origin have emerged from the Esparian Ocean and claimed sections of the city for themselves. These beings:

• Have flooded entire districts and reshaped them into briny wetlands and shadowed grottoes.
• Communicate through proxies or dreams, rarely appearing in person.
• Possess uncanny charisma, manipulating mortals into worship and servitude.

Cults of the Deep

The Abyssal Beings have spawned a number of dangerous and zealous cults throughout the Lower Depths. The most notable include:

• The Glimmering Maw – Worshippers offer sacrifices in song and coin wrapped in seaweed. Their rituals are accompanied by deep-harmony chant.
• The Brine-Sworn – Known for drowning themselves in sacred cisterns, they are rumored to return as Efeyrin, half-living guides of the flooded districts.
• The Deep Choir – A cult of musicians and philosophers who claim to compose under the influence of unseen marine intelligences.

These cults have become entrenched in the fabric of the city. Some function as shadow governments within their respective flooded quarters, exacting tribute and blood offerings to maintain “balance” with the sea-born entities.

Dangers of the Lower Depths

Venturing into the lower reaches of Diwn Dal is considered suicidal by most. Rumors persist of:

• Spiral staircases that descend into endless flooded vaults.
• Eyes beneath the water that follow intruders without ever surfacing.
• Rooms that shift when unobserved, trapping trespassers in maze-like corridors.

Those who return from such depths often bear visible trauma:

• Missing limbs or distorted features.
• Amnesia or psychic fragmentation.
• Gills, scales, or black, wet eyes—markings many claim as "blessings of the Deep."

The Void and the Amorphas King

While Diwn Dal grapples with aquatic abominations and fog-bound horror, the true metaphysical threat lies beyond: the Void. The Void is an adjacent and forbidden plane of existence—a realm of unreality and madness. Within it dwell the eldritch entities that defy all natural law.

Among these entities is the feared and largely unknowable Amorphous King. Though not located in Diwn Dal, whispers of the Void bleed into the city through cult rituals, contraband relics, and maddening dreams. The Amorphous King:

• Dwells deep within the Void, beyond mortal space.
• Is worshipped by radical Void cults who believe him to be a god of transformation.
• Can induce madness simply by being perceived, even partially.

Absence of the Secular Order

While the Secular Order dominates much of Mystifea, its presence in Diwn Dal is minimal. This is due to:

• High inquisitor casualty rates in the city’s lower zones.
• Resistance from the city’s criminal and industrial elite.
• Spiritual and metaphysical corruption stemming from prolonged Void exposure.

Reputation

Diwn Dal is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous and enigmatic cities in the world. It is referred to by various epithets:

• “The Iron Siren” – A city that promises wealth but devours the weak.
• “The Cursed Gate” – A place where Void, industry, and worship intertwine in blasphemous harmony.
• “The Fog-God’s Garden” – A name given by seafarers who claim to see faces in the mist.

See Also

• Kerc Whale
• Salt Veil
• Amorphous King
• Void (Mystifea)
• Abyssal Beings (Mystifea)
• The Glimmering Maw
• The Brine-Sworn
• The Deep Choir
• Secular Order (Mystifea)