== Overview ==

The <b>Void</b> is the region outside the Multiverse, a point beyond which nothing existent can pass. Creatures and beings of "negative material" can manage a quasi-existence inside the Void, but nothing truly alive can survive within without protection of some kind. Those that attempt to do so are immediately destroyed, the mysterious anti-Creation energies of the Void utterly breaking them apart beyond hope of recovery. This same process, on a cosmic scale, happens whenever part of the Multiverse is exposed to the Void. The constant creation and consumption of reality at the border of the Void is colloquially referred to as the "Frothing Edge" of the Multiverse; this area is properly known as the [[Far Realms]].

There are many theories regarding the creation of the Void, its plans and intentions, if any; and its true purpose, if there is one beyond simple destruction. All that most within the Multiverse know for certain is that the Void attempts constantly to consume all reality, while [[Cosmology|iterations]] of universes that make up the Multiverse are unceasingly sent to the edge to be obliterated in order to stop its progress. Countless realities are consumed every moment to sustain a comparative few, but the guardians of the Multiverse know of no better way to restrain the Void.

While the Void can [[#The_Void_Wars|wage war directly]], it typically attempts to devour a universe outright. When a reality touches the "Frothing Edge," it is exposed to a <i>maelstrom</i>, a sort of portal of Void energy that serves as a conduit between that reality and the Void itself. All matter and energy is pulled into the maelstrom and destroyed, an incredibly small fraction of its Essence being retained for some unknown cause. Gods and beings of similar power can attempt to hold back the maelstrom; if this happens, the Void will attack through it, and attempt to destroy those guardians directly. Due to the Void's numbers and the inability for Creation energy to affect them, this assault nearly always succeeds unless other entities attempt to help the beleaguered world.

== History ==

The Void was originally benign, simply the space beyond the first [[Cosmology|Core universe]]. Then, billions of years ago, a group of mystics who worshipped the Void and sought perfection in oblivion performed a ritual, merging their Essence into the Void's anti-Creation energies. This fusion yielded the first [[#Creatures_of_the_Void|Void-beast]], a monster referred to in legends and believed to no longer exist: the Leviathan of the Void. The mystics' wish to be united with nothingness became the Leviathan's desire, and it directed the Void to attack the first universe and consume it. The Void was weak then, but it rapidly began to consume all existence in that universe. 

[[The Creator]] used her powers to divert the Essence of that reality into fragments, creating "iterative universes" of much weaker energy, but that took the Void just as long to consume. With the Void thus stalled, the Creator and the other [["old gods"|The_Old_Gods]] who supported her each created a new universe, and these likewise began to iterate new copies to hold back the Void. 

This process has been proceeding unabated for nearly sixteen billion years; the entire known history of the Multiverse. The Void has expanded just as the Multiverse has grown, and as the Core universes of the Multiverse create new realities for the Void to consume, it continues to grow in power. Eventually the Void's expansion will overtake the bounds of the Multiverse, no longer being held at bay, and this equilibrium will be forever lost. 

== The Void Wars ==

At certain points in the Multiverse's history the Void, under the direction of unknown forces, has focused its attention on certain weak spots in the Multiverse... Core universes that have lingered near the Far Realms for too long and have been contaminated; or those where an operative of the Void, such as a [[Shapeshifter]], have weakened its existential fabric to gain the greater Void entrance. Regardless, on these occasions the Void attacks in force, with the presumed intent of gaining a foothold in the Multiverse from which to accelerate its destruction.

It is unknown when and how the Void first attacked, but legends speak of the Leviathan itself, leading an army of thousands of monsters, suddenly appearing on one world and destroying it, the inhabitants that were slain rising again as monsters themselves. The exponential destruction of that universe was halted by an alliance of extraplanar beings, largely demons and avatars of gods; coming to its rescue. Their losses were shockingly heavy, and although victory was eventually won those beings were wary of ever facing the Void so unprepared again. Teams of celestials, mages, and others capable of crossing between realities began to patrol for any signs of another Void incursion, but when the Void was silent for millions of years these alliances dissolved.

After other battles with the Void, the Creator eventually stepped in after an unexpected attack on the race known as An'ven, led by one of the original mystics of the Void, who had possessed a man on that world. The Creator bestowed [[Daisetsu Kagami]] and his allies with the charge of protecting the Multiverse against the Void, the first mortals she had raised to that end (other "old gods" had already done so, realizing the Void's threat). Daisetsu's sister, Anko, became the first of the [[The Eternals]], the organization the Creator chose to safeguard the Multiverse against the Void; she has remained with the Eternals even though the others have since parted ways. 

There have been six "Void Wars" since the inception of the Eternals, and each time the Void has been defeated. 

== Creatures of the Void ==

Despite being essentially a realm of anti-existence, the Void is hardly uninhabited. Void-tainted creatures of various strengths, sizes, and appearance "live" inside that desolate place, ever waiting to wage war against the Multiverse again.

These monsters are formed when another Void beast slays a living creature, twisting its Essence-- its own life energy-- into anti-Creation energy, or Void energy; a process that completely destroys the slain creature and reanimates it as a Void-beast. Weaker creatures of the Void are unable to corrupt the victim's actual soul, and as a result the slain being can still be revived; and the Void creature his body produces is nearly mindless, capable of only the most basic tasks. True Void-beasts can destroy even the soul fragment of a creature's Essence, thus forming a more powerful spawn. Fortunately, it seems that True Void-beasts themselves only arise when a particularly powerful creature is slain, so the vast majority of the Void's forces are comprised of weaker monsters.

Void creatures are categorized by the intensity of Void power infused into them, and they are further separated by the means of their creation. The different known types of Void creatures are as follows, from least to greatest. There is no fixed nomenclature for these monsters, so they might be identified by different terms.

==== Voidwraiths ====

"Wraiths" are spirits of negative energy that result when a creature whose Essence has been twisted into Void energy then has its body destroyed (typically eaten by the Void-beast that spawned it). They vaguely resemble the creatures they once were, but always appear more terrifying than when  they were alive, with hazy, insubstantial "bodies" of black, dark grey, or dark violet. When Voidwraiths emerge in the Multiverse, they exist in the Negative Material Plane parallel to the universe they are attacking, as well as in that world itself. This dual-existence means that most attacks do not harm them, but merely bring them into phase in one reality; it takes a second attack to damage them then. Voidwraiths possess comparatively weak offensive power for a creature of the Void, and can be destroyed by armed and skilled humans. Early Void armies were largely made up of Voidwraiths; but other leaders direct their armies to not spawn any at all.

==== The Tainted ====

Living creatures can have their Essence perverted to become Void energy while still alive, and thus become "Void-tainted" instead of actual Void-beasts. The Tainted are much more powerful and vicious than they were while "living," but they are more susceptible to dying from wounds they do suffer, as their Essence is greatly weakened by the Void's corrupting presence. The Tainted are in fact still alive, so they cannot survive within the Void itself, and are typically slain to form Void-beasts whenever the battle in which they are formed is over. As such, they are seldom used.

==== Least Void-Beasts ====

These creatures are the weakest beings that result from a living creature being slain by a Void-beast and then rising again, thoroughly corrupted by Void-energy. Least Void-beasts almost always appear as black, chitinous insectile or reptilian monsters, typically with anatomies that defy conventional biology... bladed legs and wings still capable of movement, spined tongues, multiple-jointed limbs, and so on. Least Void-beasts range in size from a small dog to an ogre; creatures smaller typically do not have enough Essence to be transformed, and those larger lose mass in the transformation. The appearance of a Least Void-beast is monstrous, even if the slain creature was a normal human or animal. These creatures spawn other Least Void-beasts.

==== Lesser Void-Beasts ====

Somewhat stronger than Least Void-beasts, these monsters are infused with roughly the same amount of Void energy, but possess more natural strength and a small amount of power. As an example, a magician spawned into a Lesser Void-beast, while still transformed into a monstrous arachnid, could use a few of his spells. Lesser Void-beasts have roughly the same range of size as their Least cousins, except that they can be substantially larger, up to the size of a small dinosaur or elephant. Still, Lesser Void-beasts are primarily physical attackers, and a large Least Void-beast is a more dangerous threat than a small Lesser one, unless its possible powers give it an advantage. These creatures also spawn Least Void-beasts.

==== The Forsaken ====

The Forsaken are elemental spirits and "outsiders," beings whose bodies consist of energy and direct spiritual essence shaped into corporeality, instead of normal matter. The Forsaken closely resemble the creatures they once were; a Forsaken Horned Devil appears as a large gargoyle of utter darkness. Forsaken possess few of the powers they once did-- a Void-corrupted djinn, for example, could not grant wishes, though it might still travel as a whirlwind. These creatures spawn other Forsaken only if they slay a creature of equal or greater status than their own, such as a Forsaken hound archon destroying a giant elemental; as lesser creatures are consumed to increase that Forsaken's powers. They can also spawn Voidwraiths, but not Void-beasts.

==== Greater Void-Beasts ====

The weaker of the two known types of "True" Void-beasts, these monsters are nearly always large in stature and powers; frequently appearing as dragons, giant carnivores, and the like. Greater Void-beasts have unnatural strength, endurance, and speed; highly resistant to mundane weapons, and capable of easily destroying most forces unharmed. Greater Void-beasts possess few of the powers that the creature that spawned them had, but tend to use them to their fullest advantage-- a dragon might breathe a cone of unholy darkness, and a Greater Void-beast once summoned by a Shapeshifter could separate itself into many lesser creatures, and then reform into a much stronger amalgam. There are relatively few Greater Void-beasts in any army-- they make up perhaps 20% of a typical force-- but their presence is always significant, requiring a great deal of effort to destroy. These monsters spawn Lesser Void-beasts. A creature slain by a Greater Void-beast has its Essence completely annihilated, and cannot be brought back to life by any means.

==== Abominations ==== 

The strongest of the "True" Void-beasts and in fact all the Void, excepting its leaders, such as [[Vire|King_Vire_Agraumar]]; the Abominations are nearly unmatched in power across the entire Multiverse. Abominations may appear in any guise, and few resemble the corrupted, misshapen Least and Lesser Void-beasts. Abominations possess all the powers that they had in life; an elder druid turned into an Abomination can still change his form, call down lightning, and so on, as well as new powers associated with their mastery over the Void. Abominations all exude an "aura" of some kind. Most directly weaken the life force of existent beings near them, but others can weaken and soften minerals, befoul water, inhibit the use of chi, and so on. They never possess true Void auras, such as Vire's <i>Suppressio</i>, or the Leviathan's Antilife Field, however. Each army of the Void fields only a few Abominations, as they can only be made by the corruption of an extremely powerful creature's Essence; yet each one can turn the tide of battle, using its tremendous powers and unbelievable stamina. Unlike most other Void-beasts, abominations are fully sentient, and possess some concept of self; many have names, styles, and so on. These creatures spawn Greater Void-beasts, and like them, so completely distort a slain victim's Essence that he or she can never be resurrected.

== Other Notes ==

For millions of years the Eternals assumed the Void to be leaderless, directed only by some sort of quasi-sentience; but the presence of Abominations in the fields of the Void Wars, as well as the emergence of Vire, have destroyed that theory. Exactly who or what leads the Void is unknown, especially since Vire vanished at the end of his failed assault on the Eternals; but those in the Multiverse must contend with the knowledge that an intelligence is directing the Void toward an, at this point, inevitable victory. 

Many theorize that the leaders of the Void are in fact "old gods" who once merged into the Void millions of years ago, and the attacks by the [[Void Mage]], a being who used his powers to assassinate several of the old pantheon; lends credence to that idea. 

Others, such as the renowned scholar M'Tai, believe that the "Leviathan" is still leading the Void to battle, just as it did in the beginning, and that its powers have only increased over the billions of years. There is no evidence to support such a notion, however.

The Eternals used to teach, and many still believe; that the ultimate "power" of the Void is philosophical, rather than material (or anti-material), and is merely attempting to "correct" the mistake of existence, which it does by manifesting itself in the form of "avatars." As Vire himself does not know his own origins, and neither did the Shapeshifter; it is a credible theory, though no more than that.

Finally, many scientists believe that the Void as well as the creatures spawned from it are merely aberrations; negative energy and matter given mild sentience, and which merely wish to consume existential matter for their own survival. 

Creatures through the Multiverse will at times choose to accept absolute oblivion at the hands of the Void rather than struggle with life, and attempt to join the Void. Typically they simply die, bolstering the Void's forces by one; but powerful creatures can get the Void's attention, and at times even its support, if it would result in the consumption of a Core universe, taking them one step closer to ultimate victory.

Perhaps the Void's greatest advantage is that creatures of Void are utterly unaffected by divine power, or effects that Alter Reality. In fact, any use of "Creation energy" is simply canceled out by the Void energy-- anti-Creation power-- suffusing a Void-being. Indirect uses of Creation energy, such as an angel using the Words of Creation to invoke magic against them, or a wizard altering the environment around them; still works, but such last-ditch efforts are rarely enough to defeat the armies of the Void.