Conquerors of the Void

The **Conquerors of the Void** are an antagonistic faction of Riders and Hunters fought in *Monster Hunter Stories Ultimate*.

## Description

The Conquerors of the Void are a sizable death cult composed of a wide variety of humanoid races, such as humans, Wyverians, Troverians, and Sea People. Members of both sexes primarily wield weapons that utilize the Void Element and don armour derived from Void-Elemental monsters, but members using equipment and Monsties that utilize Fire and/or Blastblight is not unheard of, either. Their leader, Nilgorai, sets herself apart from her subordinates by donning a unique armour set derived from a wide variety of Void-Elemental monsters, such as Barren Goss Harag and Skollfús.

## Personality

Like their employer, the Conquerors of the Void are exceptionally cruel and sadistic, taking twisted delight in the misery and death they create and utilizing various torture devices to draw out their victims' suffering before their untimely deaths, with examples including pears of anguish, breaking wheels, scourges, racks, knee splitters, and saws. Hedonistic and sociopathic by nature, their only real concern is their own amusement and pleasure, viewing other people and monsters alike as tools for them to use for their own benefit and finding enjoyment in physically and psychologically tormenting others, and are loyal only to themselves, being unable to be bargained or reasoned with and sneering at anyone who attempts to appeal to their better nature. Merciless in their trade, they partake in a wide range of crimes to bolster their own profits and give themselves the thrills they seek, though they also exhibit a pragmatic side in regards to the trade of human trafficking, prioritizing lower-class and migrant populations over upper-class ones to avoid drawing the full wrath of all sides and keeping their slaves well-fed and cleaned to make them more appealing to bidders. In addition, although they share her ideals, they all despise their boss due to her being willing to torture and murder them over minor inconveniences or just for kicks, to the point where they care more about her ideals than the woman herself and only obey her out of fear, as she is their most formidable combatant.

Obsessed with the idea of nothingness after finding inspiration in the Void Element and seeing the world and everything in it as worthless and insignificant, their mission in life is to wipe out all life on Earth and render it uninhabitable to any form of life, including themselves, believing that "uniting" everyone with the entity Nilgorai calls "The Void" is the only course of action that is worth taking.

## Background

Founded by an exceptionally vile Wyverian woman who went by the name of Lila Gaunch and was obsessed with obtaining ultimate power and the concept of annihilation, the Conquerors of the Void were a wide assortment of like-minded criminals who were gathered together to a secret location, ranging from poachers and bandits to slavers and murderers. Knowing that, like herself, these sorts of people were hedonistic and sociopathic to the point of committing grievous crimes for fun and profit and being very devoted to anyone who would allow them to do whatever they wanted without consequence and gave them whatever they wanted, she promised to let them indulge in their violent desires so long as they vowed their unwavering allegiance to her and helped spread the concept of "The Void" to anyone that would dare oppose them, and as word of the shadow organization spread among the Guild's enemies, the group grew in size, with this group soon obtaining their signature moniker. At first, the organization's crimes started out relatively small-scale so as to avoid getting taken down early, with them gradually building up profits through crimes like poaching, mugging, vigilantism, forgery, smuggling, illegal gambling, black market trades, bribing corrupt authority figures into helping them out, and extorting shopkeepers into doing business with them, but as they made a foundation for themselves and built up their power and connections within the criminal underworld, they let their true nature slip out, engaging in crimes like kidnapping, cannibalism, torture, assassination, terrorism, contract killing, bombings, pillaging, arms trafficking, slavery, human trafficking, selling macabre items like "armour" made of human flesh and bone, and marking their territories with the bones and impaled bodies of their victims, showcasing themselves to be far more menacing than anyone anticipated, and Lila would maintain the group with her own dash of cruelty and sadism, tormenting, assaulting, torturing, trafficking, and killing her own employees with sharpened stakes to showcase her ultimate authority over them and prove that she's the biggest monster among them, causing them to resent and fear her; in addition, she gave herself the title of Nilgorai to showcase her ultimate authority over them and her goal of "uniting" life itself with "The Void". Over time, the Conquerors became the most feared criminal organization across the world, with them building chapters worldwide and being a consistent obstacle for the Guild. However, this would only be the beginning of their uprising.

Reading up on the Obscure Abyss located near the World's End and how it was a haven for Void Monsters, Nilgorai decided that the region would be the perfect headquarters for her and her organization, and went off with some of her enforcers, who specialized in Monster Riding, to the Fonron region to enlist themselves as mercenaries, as the Guild of the main Old World had not shared anything with the Mezeporta Guild about the Conquerors, who had yet to establish any territory related to Fonron at that point. Claiming that they wanted to help the researchers in the Nietmos outpost with their research on the flora and fauna and make the caverns more accessible to researchers and soldiers alike, Nilgorai and her Riders utilized special pheromones to placate the monsters so they wouldn't fall victim to attacks from them, and taking special interest in the pelts of Skollfús and Barren Goss Harag due to their texture and power appealing to her, Nilgorai went on a particularly brutal campaign against them as they were placated to secure new equipment for herself, nearly culminating in their complete eradication within the region. With her new gear crafted, Nilgorai was ready to venture down further into the region, with them encountering two very nasty items that would be the key to colonizing the caverns: stinging nettles whose effects were said to make victims feel like they were being burned alive, electrocuted, and doused in acid all at once, and a bizarre venom extracted from a rare, dangerous, and very strange Temnoceran that induced vivid, often deadly hallucinations, both of which were tested on the monsters and hapless researchers to determine their effects. Merging the two to create her own potent toxin, Nilgorai finally had the tool needed to enact her conquest.

Nilgorai and her Riders slowly, but surely made their way through the caverns, placating the monsters into submission with the pheromones and bringing down unplacated ones by injecting them with the new toxin, and only faced resistance from an Elder Dragon known as Dodaneralus, which was immune to both the pheromones and the toxins. Facing off against these creatures was a very dangerous task that could have ended in failure, but with the aide of her Riders, many of whom died facing the Elder Dragon, Nilgorai brought it down and cut out one of the Dodaneralus's eyes as a prize. With the cavern finally cleared out, Nilgorai and her remaining Riders went to work building a temple for her to conduct her business in secret, and over the course of months, she had her own temple and altar for her own personal use, as well as separate areas for a prison/torture chamber and hidden riches, and she enslaved the entire Vulkarius race, putting them to use as her personal bloodhounds and threatening to torture and kill them if they didn't comply with her. Taking notice of this betrayal, the Nietmos soldiers turned against the Conquerors and enacted their own campaign against them, but were pushed back due to them not having access to the Conquerors' pheromones along with them sabotaging their efforts at every turn, like snuffing out their torches so they would fall victim to ambushes. With the unlucky soldiers and researchers out of the way, the Obscure Abyss was largely converted into Nilgorai's own personal base, with her turning a number of monsters into her battle thralls by using the toxin on them if they didn't obey her and sending them after trespassers for her own amusement and building up her success even further. With the main base complete, she and the Conquerors were able to slip out of the Guild's grasp with ease, allowing them to build up enough strength to contend with groups like Draconis Automata and Ethereal Knights and become a consistent threat for the Guild. Soon, the entire world would know who the Conquerors were as they carried out their boss's will and continued their goals of omnicide, and they would become the most feared and reviled organization in the world, with many being powerless to stop them and those who did have power struggling to put an end to their campaign of terror, allowing them to continue enslaving, trafficking, and murdering people as they pleased. But few would anticipate that a wandering Rider could be the key to their ultimate success or their complete downfall.

## Abilities

True to their name, the Conquerors of the Void specialize in the Void Element, utilizing it through their weapons and Monsties, but are also skilled in wielding the Fire Element and Blastblight in battle, and will make great use of bombs and explosive attacks in battle, using the Bombardier skill to increase their damage potential. Experts of subterfuge and working the criminal underworld to their advantage, they are experienced in a wide range of illegal trades, ranging from poaching and forgery to assassination and human trafficking, and manufacture a wide range of tools to give themselves the advantage in battle, such as traps designed to impale monsters and inject them with corrosive fluids.

## Tropes that Apply to Them

* Always Chaotic Evil: The Conquerors of the Void are feared and despised by everyone outside of their circles due to their wanton, indiscriminate cruelty, backstabbing tendencies, omnicidal goals, affinity for human trafficking and torture, complete lack of empathy, inability to be reasoned or bargained with, and having little motivation for their evil acts beyond simple amusement and sadism. Even those who are willing to do business with them, such as the Dengeki Triad, abhor them as a whole and only work with them out of convenience. As a result, if the player chooses to wipe them out, they will gain approval and fame from all factions, both good and evil, and they are among the few characters whose deaths result in Good Karma for the player.
* Ax-Crazy: They're violent and unhinged by nature, enjoy engaging in wanton, indiscriminate cruelty and have little motivation beyond sadism and amusement for it, and express an unwavering desire to scorch the Earth and leave it uninhabitable to anyone, including themselves. They even leave their gates unlocked at all times so they can capture and murder people as soon as possible, as the player can find out early-on in the story.
* Card-Carrying Villain: They're well-aware that what they're doing is evil and take pride in it, seeing their repulsive actions and the hatred they receive from them as signs of their greatness.
* Combat Pragmatist: They have no qualms with directly attacking the player or using tactics like taking children as hostages or suicide bombing to get the advantage.
* Dissonant Serenity: They're quite composed despite the range of the crimes they commit and wear smiles nearly all the time, reflecting what kind of people they are underneath their mask of faux politeness.
* Enemy Civil War: They clash with Draconis Automata and the Ethereal Knights due to them being a persistent obstacle standing in the way of their goals of omnicide.
* Eviler Than Thou: The range of their crimes and aspirations are so cruel and vicious that even groups like Draconis Automata and the Ethereal Knights are disgusted by them and want to see them all put to death.
* Evil Poacher: They illegally hunt for fun and profit and kidnap and kill Guild Knights and individual rangers who attempt to stop them from doing so. In addition, they manufacture illegal traps and are willing to sell them to other unscrupulous hunters to make extra zenny.
* Faux Affably Evil: Many of the Conquerors of the Void will attempt to act polite towards their would-be victims in order to lure them into deadly traps and their human trafficking rings, and they're almost never seen without a smile on their faces, but the minute things don't go according to plan, they'll snap into a psychotic rage and resort to threats and violence, and they revel in the pain and misery they inflict on others.
* Flaying Alive: One of their most frequent threats involves this kind of torture, and as a reflection of it, bloody, freshly-carved skins of still-living people and monsters alike can be seen draped around their territories.
* Forced to Watch: Many of their threats involve claims that they're going to torture and kill the recipients' friends, families, and lovers while they watch, with these becoming more prominent when things don't go according to plan.
* From Nobody to Nightmare: They started out as a simple band of thieves and poachers before making their way up into the criminal underworld and becoming the widely feared and reviled death cult they are today.
* Genuine Human Hide: Some of the items they sell are made of human flesh and the flesh of humanoid races, the most notorious of which is an unsettling skin suit the player can potentially purchase from them.
* Hate Sink: They are not designed to be likable at all, which is shown through their faux politeness, unsettling love of physical and psychological and torture along with murder, overbearing pride and condescension, lack of empathy or loyalty towards anyone, and being entirely sane as they committed all the atrocities to their name.
* Hated by All: They are widely despised for their unrelenting cruelty and sadism to everyone around them along with their goal to end all life on Earth, to the point where all sides will give the player praise for wiping them out.
* Human Traffickers: One of their primary trades is the illegal transportation of humans and humanoid races, with them kidnapping and enslaving innocent people before selling them off to the highest bidder, and they keep them under their control via blackmail and threats of violence. Like most real-life human traffickers, they predominantly target lower-class populations and migrants as opposed to middle and upper-class ones due to their disappearances attracting less attention, and it's the reason why they got away with it for so long.
* I'm a Humanitarian: Cannibalism is an accepted practice among the Conquerors of the Void, with members doing it out of personal enjoyment and as a means of instilling fear into onlookers; this is one reason why their lands are sometimes littered with bones from humans and humanoid races. This is also one of the primary reasons why the Hunter's Guild and the Ethereal Knights hold them all in contempt, seeing it as unethical and disgusting.
* Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: One of their torture methods involves impaling victims on sharpened poles and leaving them out to slowly bleed out and die, and while they aren't seen directly doing this due to the T-rated nature of *Stories Ultimate*, dozens of bloodied poles with skeletal remains on them can be seen within their territories.
* Insult Backfire: Like their boss, they'll often be delighted if the player uses "hostile" dialogue options against them, taking pride in their misdeeds.
* I Shall Taunt You: They aren't above resorting to taunts in battle, attempting to aggravate the player and their allies for their own amusement.
* It Amused Me: One of the main reasons they engage in a wide variety of atrocities is that they think it's amusing and pleasurable, reflecting the mindsets of many sociopaths like themselves.
* Jerkass: When they're not trying to get something out of anyone, they can be mean-spirited, taking delight in murder along with physical and psychological torture alike, making frequent threats towards people and their loved ones, talking to people in a dismissive tone, and taking the time to brag about the atrocities they committed.
* Knight of Cerebus: They're one of the most monstrous and vile antagonists in *Stories Ultimate*, and when they appear, the story events take a more serious tone, with characters both good and evil working towards taking them down.
* Mad Bomber: In addition to the Void Element, many of its members also make great use of Blastblight and Large/Mega Barrel Bombs, with them utilizing armour or talismans that provide the Bombardier skill, which increases the power of explosions.
* Omnicidal Maniac: Befitting their status as a death cult, they hold absolutely no value on life, gladly indulging in murder and human trafficking in the hopes of creating oblivion, and are the only faction that aids the player if they take up the Oblivion Route.
* Pragmatic Villainy: Despite their love of wanton, indiscriminate cruelty and sadism, they predominantly target the lower-class and small villages as opposed to large cities and the upper-caste, as they know that they can weaken powerful enemies by killing off their workforce and that directly attacking important figures like Guildmasters could lead to them getting ganged up on by all sides, whereas the disappearances of people with less prestige and recognition, such as vagrants, are more likely to be overlooked. In addition, they keep their slaves surprisingly well-fed and are willing to treat any injuries caused by the kidnapping process, though this is only to keep them desirable among buyers, with clean, healthy slaves being worth more money. This mindset allowed them to get away with their human trafficking business for years on end, giving them enough profits and power to contend with organizations like the Guild and allowing them to engage in more devastating crimes.
* Power of the Void: True to their name, they primarily utilize the Void Element, doing so through the use of their weapons and Monsties.
* Purple is Powerful: Members are primarily seen in deep purple outfits as a reflection of their allegiance to Nilgorai.
* Pyro Maniac: Although they're associated with the Void Element, a number of their members will make use of the Fire Element, using it to slash and burn all who stand in their way and taking delight in the destruction the flames cause, with it giving them a strong sensation of power.
* Straw Nihilist: The Conquerors of the Void offer no real future to anyone (bar the true source of the Elder Anomaly, though they don't know that it exists) through their goals of omnicide due to primarily operating on simple amusement and sadism, encourage and partake in acts of hedonism and sociopathy due to finding all life (including their own) meaningless, see everyone and everything else as "things" to play with and destroy, and cannot be reasoned or bargained with. In addition, if they die, their only complaint is that they didn't get to create more death and destruction. Predictably, this aspect of them makes them very unpopular with those outside their circles for both moral and pragmatic reasons, but has also contributed to their effectiveness as a group: although they're not the most successful faction, they're the most feared due to their complete lack of moral restraints and unwavering dedication to their philosophy.
* Torture Technician: They've made use of multiple torture devices, with tools like scourges, pears of anguish, racks, and breaking wheels being found within their territories, and will threaten to torture the player to death if they capture them.
* Ungrateful Bastard: Attempting to spare them will simply result in them going right back to killing and trafficking, sneering at the player for thinking it would make them change as they do so.
* Visionary Villain: Subverted. Some members claim they're working towards a higher purpose, but pressing them on the matter will have them admit that their motivations are purely about profit and personal enjoyment.
* Would Hurt a Child: Children are among the many victims of their human trafficking rackets, and they'll gladly take them hostage and threaten them to try and leverage situations in their favour.

## Notes and Trivia

* The Conquerors of the Void are one of the few characters in *Monster Hunter Stories Ultimate* whose deaths actually raise the Karma Meter instead of lowering it or leaving it the same as it was. This is due to their ultimate goal pertaining to omnicide along with their very cruel and sadistic practices causing the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people.