Precious to any experienced sailor of the Gossamer Void is an impossibly thin and sturdy marlinspike made of void serpent tooth. The purpose isn’t to undue knots, but instead to stab the void itself should they fall overboard. It is always difficult, but your chances of being rescued by the other crew are greater if you can still yourself in one place.
Codex - Gossamer Miscellany
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Have you heard of the Void Angeler Fish? The story goes that any ship that crosses it’s path sees a glowing, beautiful light (like an angel!) in a cover of fog, and experience a compulsion to find it’s source. Nobody even knows if it’s actually a fish because anyone who goes after it are never seen again.
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The Golden Needle is a unique vessel and resembles a gilded spear that pierces through the Gossamer Void at fantastic speeds as its name suggests. Merchants who can afford (and very few can) to rent this vessel and its equally-gilded manikin crew do so when their exports need to arrive safely and as quickly as possible.
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The horrifying inspiration for Ajino’s Song of the Void. It is something so awe-inspiring and dreadful that the mind cannot fully conceive of it in its entirety. There are gnashing teeth nestled in bloody gums, there are too many arms each concluded with too many hands with too many digits, there are milky eyes that seem to see nothing and everything at once, there is a song that is so loud and blasphemous you can feel it reverberate in your bones. No one sees all of these at once, for it would kill them, so the mind divides it into its many awful parts. Each treasure hunter that views the monstrous singer must make a Risk Roll. If they fail, they pick one of the following conditions and explain what they see in their dreams until the condition is removed: Swallowed by the Ravenous Gullet, Seen by the Gossamer Eyes, Touched by the Too Many Hands, Humming the Profane Tune.
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The Gossamer Void is no stranger to perilous weather, but its most violent storm isn’t a storm at all. The Fulgurant Titan is a towering monstrosity of primordial chaos whose hunger for destruction is indiscriminate. Fortunately, such an immense beast requires equally immense rests between its ruinous binges – though it’s also said to be something of a light sleeper.
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Hard-shelled weavers grumbling as they carry out repairs on a constellation.
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“The Snatchlings are Tentacles made up of yellow slime, slithering through randomly opening portals in the Gossamer Void. They’re drawn to all living things, to liberate their bones from their flesh and take them back through the portals. Those foolish enough to follow them through are never heard of again.”
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There are few sights in the Gossamer more dreaded than the Glowing Emerald sail of the Unspeaking Debtors. Upon overrunning a vessel, they choose the three sailors of most mellifluous voice and bestow upon them the Silent Kiss, stealing their words to gift to three of their own number, freeing them of indenture, and dragooning the now-mute captives into servitude.
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Few sites in the Void are more welcome than the jauntily waving plumed hat of Stowaway Stephan, the Void’s favorite itinerant fabulist. Stephan is an affable and charismatic individual of medium height, slender build, and utterly indeterminate gender clad in fashionable travelling garb. They are always encountered in some exceedingly improbable location, waving their trademark plumed hat to get the attention of a passing vessel. When taken aboard, the story of how they found themselves there is invariably a tale of fantastical absurdity and dubious heroism, but always with a nugget of truth for those who listen carefully.
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“Listen to the squirt! But, bosun, he cried, howfor may I row if I row against naught but Void? Do you see the thread wound round those oars, numbskull? Aye, yes, I see the light slowly dawning, yes, it’s the very same that make up our sails! So that the oars may catch the currents of the Void as you work them! Now stultify your wonderment and put your back into it, lad!”
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There once was a sailor named Flagon,
Who captained a ship called the Dragon,
East they declared! For Glimmering Sirius they’d dare!
Unaware that none would be spared, no hide nor hair
Would be safe from the dreams of dead Zathon
- Vers. 1:1, The Last Flight of the Dragon , old Voidsea shanty
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Wise sailors know the trade lanes are the safest path, but those who wish to save time and resupply take to the Farmer’s Way, a collection of shards that grow the cheapest and sweetest produce. All they ask for is a bit of bone and a bit of blood to help their crops grow, and stowaways are always welcome for dinner.
Fools seek treasure among the stars; the wise seek wisdom; but the one who live the longest in the Gossamer Void seek the light of the quasar weeds, plants upon small chunks of rock which only grow in paths where no predators or ships have traveled within the last day.
What I love most about this supplement is the depth of detail provided. Each setting feels rich and fully realized, with intricate lore, compelling characters, and intriguing story hooks. It’s clear that a lot of thought and care went into crafting these settings, and it really shines through in the writing.