The Void: The Sea of Stars
The Void (often called the Dark Void or the Starry Expanse) is the vast, silent oblivion that surrounds the world of Trudvang. While Trudvang is a realm of earth, blood, and tangled roots, the Void is a place of cold perfection, eternal starlight, and silence. It is the “Above” in the cosmological axis, standing in stark contrast to the chaotic depths of the underworld, Dimhall.
The Origin of the Starborn
The Void is most significant as the ancestral home of the Illmalaini (High Elves). Ancient elven lore recounts that they did not originate on Trudvang but “walked upon the rays of stars” to reach this world.
- The Great Migration: The Illmalaini fled the Void to escape a now-forgotten cataclysm in the heavens.
- Loss of Form: In the Void, the elves were beings of pure light and thought, capable of shifting form at will. Upon entering the heavy atmosphere of Trudvang, they were “caged” in flesh, becoming static and mortal. This fall from grace is the root of the “Sorrow of Time” that plagues the elven race.
The Nature of the Void
Unlike the Othiwhaalio (Chaos Essence), which represents potential and change, the Void represents Stasis and Eternity.
- Star Vitner: spellcasters who draw power from the Void (Star Vitner) practice a magic that is precise, geometric, and chilling. It deals with light, gravity, and the cold of space rather than the elemental forces of nature.
- The Celestial Eyes: Many cultures in Trudvang believe the stars are not mere lights, but the eyes of ancient entities watching the struggle below. The Gerbanis faith interprets the night sky differently, often seeing it as the cloak of the gods, but to the elves, it is a reminder of their lost home.
Connection to the World
The Void touches Trudvang primarily on the archipelago of Soj, the first landing place of the Elves. Here, the barrier between the earth and the heavens is perceived to be thinner, and the elven cities are built to mirror the constellations they once wandered.
I wonder…
- If the Illmalaini fled the Void, what were they running from? Is there a “predator” in the stars that has yet to notice Trudvang?
- Can a powerful Vitner Weaver open a Dimgate not to Dimhall, but to the Void, venting hard vacuum and radiation into a battlefield?
- Do the Wild Folk or Trolls have any concept of the Void, or is their cosmology entirely earth-bound?
- Is the “cold iron” weakness of the Fae/Elves related to the Void? Perhaps metal is the ultimate symbol of the “heavy earth” that trapped them.
References
- RiotMinds. (2017). Trudvang Chronicles: Game Master’s Guide (Elven History).
- RiotMinds. (2017). Trudvang Chronicles: Players Handbook (Tenets of the Illmalaini).