Abyss (Dimension)

The Abyss, also known as the World between Worlds^[1], is the plane that sits between and around every other plane of existence, holding them together like a "glue". Its relationship to other planes is sometimes compared to that of a tesseract or hypercube.^[2] It contains the leftover pieces of the universe's previous revisions. Surrounded by it is a thin membrane, encompassed by the Void. The laws of space and time operate differently in the abyss, allowing it to function as the primary medium for teleportation and inter-planar travel.

It is unknown what the empty space of the abyss truly looks like; only smaller subsections of the plane have been seen. The Shattered Worlds activity features an excursion into a section of the Abyss corrupted by the energies released from teleportation, and the player may gain quick access to the Runecrafting temples by being teleported to another section via a mage.

Areas

There are several areas of the Abyss that the player can currently access.

Runic rifts

This part of the Abyss is where the Zamorak Magical Institute accesses to teleport directly to the rune temples housing the runecrafting altars. The outer ring is accessed via the Mage of Zamorak, though aggressive abyssal creatures will attack players upon arrival.

The inner ring contains the rifts that access the runecrafting altars, and the dark mage maintaining the connection that allows teleportation into this area of the Abyss is found here as well.

Abyssal Area

A part of the Abyss that can only be accessed by using the code ALR in the fairy ring network. Uniquely, abyssal demons can be found in this section of the Abyss alongside other abyssal creatures.

Shattered Worlds

Shattered Worlds is a solo minigame hosted by the Abyssal Knights in the south-west of the Lumbridge Swamp, who aim to protect Gielinor from potential invasions from the Abyss. These shattered worlds are inhabited by abyssal creatures, in which players fight through mobs of various monsters while progressing through worlds of increasing difficulty.

Properties and use in teleportation

Space and time work differently in the Abyss than they do on Gielinor. Someone can enter and leave it at a nigh-identical spot yet find themselves many miles from their original location, and time passes at a slower rate. This allows the plane to be used as the primary medium through which teleportation is possible.^[2] Human wizards had great difficulty solving the problem of teleportation because spells require a line of effect from the caster^[3] but teleportation necessitates bypassing obstacles. This was circumvented by angling the spell through another plane: the Abyss.^[4]

Teleporting this way works by first boring a hole, known as a teleportation matrix, through the abyss and then looping back around to our plane. Travel to other planes can also utilise the Abyss as a medium, but this takes considerably more power. Each teleportation spell has been carefully calculated for speed and distance so that the traveller arrives at a predetermined point on Gielinor.^[2] Time spent in the Abyss only amounts to a split second. Creating a new teleportation point can take years of research.^[5]

Rarely, the teleportation spell might fail and a mage can find themselves in the abyss without having exited. This was how the ZMI gained access to the plane, by deliberately teleporting over and over until the spell failed and then establishing a direct portal.^[2]It was also the basis of the discontinued Lost and Found random event.

Over time, teleportation has weakened the barriers between the Abyss and Gielinor's plane, allowing creatures from the Abyss to slip over.^[2] Teleportation through the Abyss is also responsible for the creation of the Shattered Worlds. The Shattered Worlds is a region of the Abyss where anima from different worlds has leaked through from the holes teleportation creates and coalesced into strange amalgamations of worlds. They are inhabited by creatures that feed on the anima, taking on other creatures' forms in the process.^[6]

References

^ The Account of Aesa Fellsdottir (Part 1), written by Aesa Fellsdottir, "Barbarian Assault", RuneScape. "The stranger took this mighty army, and with a power bestowed by a god with many heads, tore a great gateway into the world between worlds, leading them to a land unlike anything they had imagined."
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Abyssal Book, written by Mage of Zamorak, "Enter the Abyss", RuneScape. "The Abyssal Space’s existence at the ‘fringe’ of reality means that it does not conform to the same guidelines of space and time as Gielinor does; you may enter it and then leave it from an identical spot, yet reappear many hundreds of miles at your target destination (the ‘teleportation’ phenomenon that we use daily). What is actually happening is that the spell caster is entering Abyssal Space, and then immediately leaving again with certain values as to speed and direction being taken care of in our spellcasting to allow some degree of precision in these teleports. More worryingly, it seems apparent that the barriers between our dimensional space and abyssal space have become somewhat weakened through excessive use. There have been isolated reports within Z.M.I. that creatures not native to our dimension have entered Gielinor through abyssal space. (...) When we have accepted Abyssal Space is somewhat of a tesseract or hypercube with a direct relation to our dimension, then the benefits of exploiting this resource become more obvious. (...) We took a large number of initiates, and gave them each supplies to cast a portal spell. We then had them repeatedly teleport to various locations, seeking to replicate the original error that caused the first entry into Abyssal Space. Once one of our initiates had managed to ‘fail’ his teleport and appear in Abyssal Space, he was then charged with remaining there and holding a portal spell open, so that the more senior members of the Z.M.I. could gain entry via his portal. (...) the slow passage of time within Abyssal Space means we don’t need to worry about feeding him or anything."
^ Mei the Grey, "Rune Memories", RuneScape. "Ozzikan proved you've got to have line of effect."
^ Ariane, "Rune Memories", RuneScape. "For a teleport spell to be useful it has to bypass obstacles, and that's what the wizards of the old tower had so much trouble working out to do. That was the teleportation problem. Kelavan's breakthrough, the one you saw him make in the first memory, provided a means to travel around an obstacle by briefly entering a different plane of existence. A different universe, if you like."
^ Ariane, "Rune Mysteries", RuneScape. "Each teleport spell goes to one specific location. Creating a new one can take years of research."
^ Kenton Decarte, "Shattered Worlds", RuneScape. "Shattered worlds are a disease of our own making. Teleportation magic momentary pierces the abyss, allowing anima from different worlds to leak in. Over time, this anima has coalesced into twisted amalgams of worlds travelers have visited. These 'shattered worlds' are inhabited by abyssal creatures, transformed and sustained by consuming otherworldly anima."

[1] The Account of Aesa Fellsdottir (Part 1), written by Aesa Fellsdottir, "Barbarian Assault", RuneScape. "The stranger took this mighty army, and with a power bestowed by a god with many heads, tore a great gateway into the world between worlds, leading them to a land unlike anything they had imagined."

[abyssbook-2] Abyssal Book, written by Mage of Zamorak, "Enter the Abyss", RuneScape. "The Abyssal Space’s existence at the ‘fringe’ of reality means that it does not conform to the same guidelines of space and time as Gielinor does; you may enter it and then leave it from an identical spot, yet reappear many hundreds of miles at your target destination (the ‘teleportation’ phenomenon that we use daily). What is actually happening is that the spell caster is entering Abyssal Space, and then immediately leaving again with certain values as to speed and direction being taken care of in our spellcasting to allow some degree of precision in these teleports. More worryingly, it seems apparent that the barriers between our dimensional space and abyssal space have become somewhat weakened through excessive use. There have been isolated reports within Z.M.I. that creatures not native to our dimension have entered Gielinor through abyssal space. (...) When we have accepted Abyssal Space is somewhat of a tesseract or hypercube with a direct relation to our dimension, then the benefits of exploiting this resource become more obvious. (...) We took a large number of initiates, and gave them each supplies to cast a portal spell. We then had them repeatedly teleport to various locations, seeking to replicate the original error that caused the first entry into Abyssal Space. Once one of our initiates had managed to ‘fail’ his teleport and appear in Abyssal Space, he was then charged with remaining there and holding a portal spell open, so that the more senior members of the Z.M.I. could gain entry via his portal. (...) the slow passage of time within Abyssal Space means we don’t need to worry about feeding him or anything."

[3] Mei the Grey, "Rune Memories", RuneScape. "Ozzikan proved you've got to have line of effect."

[4] Ariane, "Rune Memories", RuneScape. "For a teleport spell to be useful it has to bypass obstacles, and that's what the wizards of the old tower had so much trouble working out to do. That was the teleportation problem. Kelavan's breakthrough, the one you saw him make in the first memory, provided a means to travel around an obstacle by briefly entering a different plane of existence. A different universe, if you like."

[5] Ariane, "Rune Mysteries", RuneScape. "Each teleport spell goes to one specific location. Creating a new one can take years of research."

[6] Kenton Decarte, "Shattered Worlds", RuneScape. "Shattered worlds are a disease of our own making. Teleportation magic momentary pierces the abyss, allowing anima from different worlds to leak in. Over time, this anima has coalesced into twisted amalgams of worlds travelers have visited. These 'shattered worlds' are inhabited by abyssal creatures, transformed and sustained by consuming otherworldly anima."

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