Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here
Deep is a place where the sun does not shine, the wind does not blow, and the light of The Divine does not reach. It is a rank pit of despair where joy is absent, virtue cannot take root, and common decency is little more than a myth. The Chasm is the inhospitable home of the Foul, a place that the living should avoid at all costs. Nothing thrives in The Chasm; it only festers, rots, and decays into a foul-smelling mass of twisted corruption. Despite these dangers, some fools venture into The Chasm. People can find themselves in this maelstrom of hatred for various reasons—whether seeking adventure, revenge, or simply by accident. These explorers are among the bravest individuals, but they seldom return home to Gevadun. Unfortunately, The Chasm has also become home to some who were once from the rest of Gevadun. May the divine have mercy on the souls of these dammned pioneers.
The Rot
Spending time in The Chasm has heinous and disastrous effects on the living. Every second a creature spends in The Chasm drains its life force, slowly twisting its soul into a malformed shape. This phenomenon is known as "The Rot," and it has claimed the lives of thousands who have ventured there. However, not all hope is lost; the cities and towns of people who have risen above the filth of The Chasm have discovered ways to combat this insidious affliction.
Every day a character spends inside The Chasm, they must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. If they fail, they lose one rolled hit die worth of health from their maximum health. If a character has any points of exhaustion and fails this roll, they lose the maximum amount of health. This effect can be avoided if the character drinks a pint of holy water during the day, if they were affected by the Bless spell at any point during the day, or if they were under the effects of the Armor of Agathys spell during the day.
After each week spent in The Chasm, a creature loses one hit die worth of maximum health. After one month, the creature will heal only half as much from all sources of healing. After one year in The Chasm, a creature permanently becomes weak to radiant damage and gains resistance to necrotic damage.
Except for this last effect, all negative impacts of The Chasm can be removed and reset using a Greater Restoration spell. Dregs, Iron Hearts, Shades and all the people of Praetoria are immune to the adverse effects of The Chasm.
Shades
Even if someone successfully lives in The Chasm for an extended period and diligently resists the effects of The Rot, they will forever be twisted by the hellish landscape. Except for those immune to The Chasm's effects, anyone who spends multiple years there becomes a Shade. A Shade is a person whose soul has been darkened by exposure to Foul energy, and as a result, they are shunned by the Divine. Shades appear physically indistinguishable from ordinary people; a Dwarf or Human who is a Shade looks no different from a typical Dwarf or Human, and so on. The main difference is that Shades cannot connect to The Pantheon of the Nine in any form, as the Nine reject those who have forsaken the lands they once nurtured. Clerics and priests who live in The Chasm in the long term must turn to other deities for healing power. This protection from The Rot is vital for the long-term survival of any community, as priests are often the key figures in a city or town who can stop The Rot. Those who can see into a person's soul or possess the gift of True Sight can perceive the true form of Shades. The dark soul of a Shade makes them appear wispy and shifting; they lack the weight and certainty associated with an unmarked soul. The soul of a Shade is anxious and worried, and it will never again know lasting comfort or peace.
Shades
Lifespan: 50-200 years, reaching maturity at 18 for natural born Shades. Shades converted due to exposure to The Chasm retain their races lifespan and maturation age.
The physical dimensions of a Shade depends on the race they originate from.
Lost souls, anxious and uncertain.