The Gibbering Dome - Adepticon '19

gibberingdome

VoidSkein was once an incredible creation, pinnacle of the promise of the Age of Myth. Anchored between Agshy and Chamon by Realmgate tethers and constructed within a domed building of colossal size, it was immune to the magical flux of the realms. It quickly gained fame as the center of knowledge and culture. Brilliant scholars from every race sought its halls, binding their memories into the AetherWeb, a mysterious substance unique to the dome, rather than return to the barren ignorance of the realms. Thus, no knowledge that entered the city was forgotten. This abundance was safeguarded by the collection known as the Dertereth: Stone creations imbued with ancient souls that had never touched the realms. Immune to magic and spinners of the AetherWeb, they were a dread wonder. Their protection guaranteed peace and prosperity for the City of No Realm. For all their intellectual power, though, the Dertereth could not run a city, and so arose the Aex Libris. Members were drawn from each realm and escorted travelers into VoidSkein, cared for them, and then delivered their souls back to their realm upon death, for a soul that died in the City of No Realm could not find their afterlife alone. The Aex Libris were worshipped as gods, and none in that city could have more power.

This power affronted the Great Alliance, and Teclis was given the task of unbinding the city’s greatness. He took one thing: the purpose of the Dertereth. No longer bound to the city, the creations wandered through the Realm Gates, dispersing into the Eight Realms. Unbeknownst to even Teclis, the Dertereth had also controlled the Realmgate tethers and so, with their departure, the Dome itself came free and was lost. Throughout the Age of Chaos, it survived only in legend — the city within a building where all things were known.

The Age of Sigmar has brought civilization once more to the realms, and with it rumours of what was once called VoidSkein. The few reliable sources talk of preserved Aex Libris cultists with stone spikes piercing the eyes. They speak of unfettered souls, stalking the ceiling and shrieking in madness. They say that wherever the Dertereth roam in the Eight Realms, a realmgate home opens. It is not fit to call this place VoidSkein, for VoidSkein is no more. But the knowledge has not vanished, if one can remain sane long enough to hear it. Those who have now seen it call it by another name: The Gibbering Dome.

Paul