Vel'akar (Cataclysm Variety)

Without a doubt, demons and their various manifestations are well documented and known in the Southern Continent as the hordes unleashed by the great cataclysm that destroyed the Southern half of the continent and the and the various monstrosities that have mutated out of the miasma are the things of nightmare. Yet despite there being many examples of demonic entities, none have shown high intelligence.

Most citizens who survived the cataclysm and were mutated as a result were quickly killed by the tenochirath and their own horrors they unleashed to keep any civilization from taking root. Thus only one place remains that is beyond the culling monstrosities of the cataclysm: the void sinkhole.

Usually the only beings that emerge from this stinking mess of mud and refuge are gargantuas, however, from time to time, small, more intelligent beings will emerge. These minute beings have been called Vel'Akar or "voidlings" and are a unique kind of Vel'akar to the Southern Continent and to the Cataclysm.

## Appearance

Voidlings are relative short, ranging in height from two to three feet tall with a black coloration to the entire body. Their body appears to be made of the same muck as gargantuas. They have long tentacles for their arms with no hands and rather small, stubby legs. They all have a single tall eyestalk that is often what is seen poking out of the ground as they look around for danger.

Voidlings are fast, but use this speed to run and hide. They can modify their bodies to squirm through small cracks and into small spaces to hide. They are also exceptional diggers and will burrow like moles to avoid danger. They do their burrowing by eating the dirty and incorporating it into their bodies, then spitting it all out when they emerge.

## Physiology

Much like the gargantuas, not much is really known how they eat or how their organs work, but what is known is that they seem to be content to thrive on a diet of rock, dirt, plants, and insects. None have been documented eating meat, even carrion when it is left out. They do not feed on mana, showing they are a merged sort of aura to their beings, whatever those beings are.

They have keen eyesight and seem able to see through the dense fog that covers the cataclysm.

They produce "waste" but it is more or less the gunk their bodies are already made from and merely excess soil or the like. Their "droppings" make excellent fertilizer. Also like Gargantuas, they have the unusual ability to produce mana rich mist from their body, although it is not understood how.

They don't seem to be able to reproduce with each other and just more of them will emerge in small swarms from the Void Sinkhole and scatter out into the land where they will meet others of their kind.

## Psychology

As far as demonic creatures go, the voidling is extremely benign and there are no records of these little things attacking people. If anything, they seem to actively avoid anything that is bigger than them and clump together in groups of their own kind. They will almost always flee from enemies, and if they can't get away, will simply curl into a ball and sob until death takes them.

They are incredibly anxious and nervous beings, but given everything in the cataclysm is most likely trying to eat them, this anxiety is more or less warranted. They are the only creature though that gets excited at hearing gargantuas and will often cluster closer to to these behemoths for a time as a form of safety as it seems the gargantua cannot eat them given they are made of the same material as the garangtuas.

When first born, they are far more curious and not so skittish, although given how fast they get gobbled up when first emerging, they quickly learn to fear the world and to take shelter with their own kind, learning to burrow and keep away from "tall things".

## Culture

The voidlings, despite their primitive behaviors, do have something of a culture. They form larger groups and seem to follow the oldest voidling around. They form somewhat permanent burrows called warrens in places that are safe and have plentiful food where they can make vast networks of tunnels to live in. These voidling cities are crude, but do seem to have some form of collecting and trading between them.

Although skittish, they do remember faces of people who were kind to them and have been known to help from a distance. The kotorc tribe in the cataclysm often leaves out small gifts for voidlings and in return, the voidlings use their limited mana arts to help the goblins with things here and there and even will live underneath homes and keep them free insect pests. They also have been known to lead search parties to wounded or trapped individuals, showing that despite having a fear of the world, they are very friendly and do honestly like to help others...even if most others want to kill them in turn.

Voidlings don't seem to be able to speak the common languages well, gurgling and patomining their needs, but they can mimic a few words or phrases they hear. They communicate well though via sign language to others.

They are capable of using primitive mana arts, although have not shown an ability to use any affinity beyond earth affinity. Most they use their mana arts for is making flashing lights, small shields, and reshaping earth to make it easier to move through. They also have a habit sealing mana into gems showing they have picked up sealing art at some point.