The Void: Extradimensional Corruption
The Void is the extradimensional nothingness that bleeds into reality through the breach at the North Pole. It is not evil...it simply is. It warps physics, corrupts biology, and enables soul-binding. Without the Void, Caskets wouldn't function. Without the Void, humanity might have survived the Sundering. The Void is humanity's curse and salvation, intertwined inseparably.
What Is the Void?
Scientific Understanding (Ossuarium Research)
The Void is the dimensional substrate that exists "between" parallel realities. Pre-Sundering physicists theorized its existence but never accessed it. The Theslar Engine, designed to extract energy from quantum fluctuations, instead punched through the barrier separating our reality from the Void.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Nature | Extradimensional space (exists "outside" normal reality) |
| Appearance | Visual: Pitch black with swirling colors (red, violet, impossible hues). Auditory: Low hum, whispers, static |
| Physics | Violates normal laws (gravity optional, time non-linear, matter unstable) |
| Energy Output | Infinite (but lethal to extract directly) |
| Consciousness | Unclear (appears non-sentient but reacts to living souls) |
Mystical Understanding (Church Doctrine)
The Church of Absolution teaches that the Void is divine punishment...humanity's hubris tore open the gates of Hell, releasing corruption as penance for sins. Souls trapped in Caskets are serving penance, paying for humanity's transgression through eternal service.
Fae Understanding (Wyrd Conclave)
The Wyrd believe the Void is "un-reality"...the raw potential from which all realities are born. They embrace it, shape it, dance with it. To them, the Void isn't corruption...it's liberation from physics' tyranny.
The Breach at Ground Zero
The Primary Void Rift
The North Pole breach is the largest and most dangerous Void rift. Created when the Theslar Engine failed, it has never closed in 437 years. The rift is expanding slowly...approximately 1 meter per year.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | North Pole (89.5°N, 142°W), center of 23-mile crater |
| Size | 437 meters diameter (started at 0 meters on Day 0, growing steadily) |
| Appearance | Tear in reality, edges shimmer with Crimson Aurora, interior absolute darkness |
| Radiation | Lethal within 50 miles, protective equipment fails within 5 miles |
| Abomination Spawns | 1-3 creatures emerge daily (lesser), 1 major spawn per month |
| Explorability | Forbidden Zone (no successful returns from within 10 miles) |
Critical Question: Can the rift be closed? No one knows. Destroying the Engine remnants might seal it...or trigger catastrophic expansion. Every faction debates the risk. None dare attempt it.
Secondary Void Rifts
How They Form
Void energy from the primary breach doesn't disperse evenly. It follows ley lines, geological faults, and areas of concentrated death. Where enough Void energy accumulates, reality tears open, creating smaller rifts.
| Rift Category | Size | Count (Global) | Threat Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major Rifts | 10-50 meters | 12 known | Extreme (Abominations, Stage 3-4 corruption) |
| Minor Rifts | 1-10 meters | ~200 known | High (localized corruption, occasional spawns) |
| Micro-Tears | <1 meter | Thousands (unstable, appear/close randomly) | Moderate (mutations, hallucinations) |
Notable Secondary Rifts
- Sibarian Wastes Rift: 40 meters, home to The Engine (campaign threat), Stage 3 corruption
- Ashveil Caldera Rift: 15 meters, volcanic wasteland, goblinoid mutations
- The Drowned Cities: Multiple 5-10 meter rifts, submerged, aquatic Abominations
- Titan's Grave: 25 meters, industrial ruins, mechanical Abominations
Void Corruption Stages
How Void Energy Affects Living Things
| Exposure Level | Duration | Effects on Humans | Reversibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 0: Clean | None | Normal human physiology | N/A |
| Stage 1: Tainted | 1-7 days | Nightmares, nausea, mild hallucinations, headaches | Yes (leave area, rest for 1 week) |
| Stage 2: Warped | 1-4 weeks | Memory loss, paranoia, minor mutations (glowing eyes, skin discoloration) | Partial (mental effects linger, mutations permanent) |
| Stage 3: Twisted | 1-6 months | Major mutations (extra limbs, bone growths), personality changes, violent urges | No (irreversible, becomes "Corrupted") |
| Stage 4: Consumed | 6+ months | No longer human...full Abomination transformation, consciousness erased | No (mercy kill recommended) |
Special Case: Undead Resistance
Undead beings (such as those maintained by the Ossuarium's necromancy) exhibit significant resistance to Void corruption. Since they lack living bioelectric patterns and active metabolism, the Void's warping effects cannot easily take hold. However, prolonged exposure (6+ months in high-Void zones) can destabilize their necromantic animation, causing them to "unravel" rather than mutate. This is why Bonelord Karath and other undead show "Taint: N/A" status...they are immune via technicality, not invulnerability.
Corruption Symptoms (Early Warning Signs)
- Visual: Eyes glow faintly (red, violet, black), pupils dilate unnaturally
- Auditory: Hear whispers in silence ("the Void calls")
- Physical: Skin temperature drops, wounds heal wrong (scar tissue glows)
- Mental: Obsessive thoughts, time disorientation, lost hours
- Behavioral: Drawn toward rifts, speaks in languages they don't know
Abominations
What Are Abominations?
Abominations are creatures spawned directly from Void rifts OR created when living beings undergo Stage 4 corruption. They are nightmares made flesh...biology twisted by extradimensional energy into forms that defy comprehension.
| Type | Origin | Threat Level |
|---|---|---|
| Lesser Abominations | Minor rifts, corrupted animals | Low-Moderate (killable by trained soldiers) |
| Standard Abominations | Major rifts, corrupted humans | High (Caskets required) |
| Greater Abominations | The Scar, mass corruption events | Extreme (multiple Caskets, artillery, prayer) |
| Apex Abominations | Unknown (possibly living since Year 0) | Civilization-Ending (faction-level threat) |
Common Abomination Traits
- Impossible Anatomy: Too many limbs, eyes where they shouldn't be, organs outside body
- Void Glow: Faint luminescence (red, violet, black auras)
- Reality Warping: Presence distorts gravity, light, sound
- Regeneration: Wounds close rapidly unless soul core destroyed
- Corruption Aura: Living beings near Abominations suffer Stage 1 symptoms within minutes
How the Void Enables Soul-Binding
The Connection
Pre-Sundering, souls dissipated within minutes of death. Void energy changed this. The Void stabilizes bioelectric patterns, allowing souls to persist indefinitely if captured. Without the Void, soul-binding would be impossible.
| Mechanism | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Soul Stabilization | Void energy "freezes" electromagnetic patterns, preventing dissipation |
| Energy Amplification | Void-stabilized souls output 10x more energy than living brains |
| Resonance Tuning | Void energy allows souls to bond with mechanical systems |
| Degradation Risk | Prolonged Void exposure erodes soul integrity (20-50 year lifespan) |
The Horrible Irony: The same force that destroyed civilization makes survival possible. Close the Void breach, and soul-binding fails. Caskets stop. Humanity loses its greatest weapon. The apocalypse that killed 90% of humanity is now the only thing keeping the survivors alive.
Void Artifacts
Objects Corrupted by Void Energy
Items exposed to Void rifts sometimes absorb corruption, gaining impossible properties. Factions hunt these artifacts for their power...despite the risks.
| Artifact Type | Properties | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Soulstone Shards | Crystallized Void energy, currency, power source, soul container | Low (stable if handled properly) |
| Void-Touched Weapons | Blades that phase through armor, bullets that home toward targets | Moderate (wielder suffers Stage 1 corruption) |
| Reality Anchors | Objects that stabilize reality in Void zones (Wyrd Conclave specialty) | High (failure = instant Stage 3 corruption) |
| Engine Fragments | Pieces of the original Theslar Engine (infinite energy, catastrophic instability) | Extreme (possession illegal, factions kill for them) |
Faction Perspectives on the Void
| Faction | Viewpoint | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Church of Absolution | Divine Punishment | Endure with faith, cleanse corruption through ritual |
| The Ossuarium | Necessary Resource | Harvest Void energy for soul-binding, study scientifically |
| Elven Verdant Covenant | Ecological Poison | Contain rifts with bio-barriers, cleanse tainted land |
| Wyrd Conclave | Liberating Force | Embrace corruption, shape reality through Void manipulation |
| Dwarven Forge-Guilds | Engineering Problem | Build containment structures, seal rifts with runic barriers |
| Draconid Remembrance | Cyclical Inevitability | "We've seen this before. We'll see it again. Witness and record." |
Can the Void Be Stopped?
Theoretical Solutions
| Proposal | Method | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Destroy the Engine | Demolish Theslar Engine remnants at Ground Zero | Unknown (might close rift OR trigger catastrophic expansion) |
| Runic Containment | Dwarven mega-runes to seal the primary breach | High (requires entering Forbidden Zone, likely suicide mission) |
| Bio-Organic Seal | Elven symbiotic growth to "heal" the tear | Extreme (nothing survives near The Scar long enough to grow) |
| Embrace the Void | Wyrd proposal: merge with Void, transcend physical reality | Civilization-Ending (humanity ceases to exist as known) |
The Stalemate: Every faction debates closing the Void. None agree on how. And all fear the same question: If we close it, do we lose Caskets? Do we lose our only defense? So we do nothing. And the rift expands. One meter per year. Forever.
Explore Further
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Ground Zero | The Scar and the primary Void breach |
| Soul-Binding Mechanics | How the Void enables soul-binding technology |
| Climate & Geography | How Void corruption reshapes the environment |
| The Theslar Event | How the Void breach was created |