Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-10209824-20130530153039/@comment-16047389-20130912194533

The Abyss in Oolacile is incomplete. Whereas the Abyss in New Londo was a bottomless pit to anyone who was not under some form of protection, the Chasm of the Abyss very much had solid landscape inside of it. Remnants of the cave from which it had begun to spread. Artorias was likely corrupted by the things in the Abyss (most likely Manus) and not just from coming into contact with the Abyss, as he had a history of entering the Abyss to hunt Darkwraiths before going to Oolacile. Even Dusk can survive inside the Chasm of the Abyss without protection.