Void Walker

A Void Walker

> *"I'm not that easy to kill." - K.S. Ghaston*
>
>

**Void Walkers** are any sentient beings who have set foot into the Void and have been claimed by it. They are rumored to be cursed from death and are given twisted versions of standard magical techniques. They are extremely rare to come across due to the immense difficulty behind finding a two-way rift into the Void.

## The Purpose of a Void Walker

The Void claims beings who enter the void so that it may utilize said beings in a manner that is not possible with the Grimm, generally in discrete manners. There are restrictions on how the Void may utilize creatures born from its realm, and any deployment of its creatures must be justified. This was a pact agreed upon between The Void and Deus so that they may keep a balance between their shared realities, and lower the risk for dangerous anomalies. For example, the Grimm on Earth-1 was justified as keeping the populace of supers down, as many popular figures began to rise to the point of becoming a threat to the Void and Deus. However, the deployment of Grimm and Vasto Lorde came with many restrictions. They could only be transported in through one area, a location north of Roethsburg, which quickly became regarded as one of the most active Grimm hunting grounds. The Grimm and Vasto Lorde were also not built for complex tasks, which The Void felt would come to hurt it later on. As a result, it figured out a way to cheat the restrictions while also keeping the pact with Deus. Every being that entered its realm directly would receive what it called a blessing, and a specific task to meet it's own needs, with enough time added onto that beings life so that it may accomplish what it has been asked. Though it could not directly control these beings, as that would violate the pact, it could advise and pester the unfortunate travelers to do as it commands, which surprisingly worked in most cases. The Void Walkers became The Void's private enforcers, and their presence would later become felt across all realities.

## The Curse of a Void Walker

**Immortality -** Void Walkers are cursed from death and are only allowed to die when their specified task is complete. This results in a certain limit to a Void Walker's physical age. A prime example would be Ceillius Gremory, who has lived on for thousands of years but has retained the physical aging of a thirty year old. If a Void Walker is injured, their wound will heal given enough time. In fact, Void Walkers can completely regenerate lost limbs. K.S. Ghaston has noted that he has literally regenerated from nothing after a suicide attempt, but stated that the recovery time took as long as a year. This does not make Void Walkers unbeatable, however, as Void Walkers will automatically enter a comatose state upon being hit with an attack that would normally kill them so that they may regenerate.

**Voidic Abilities** - Void Walkers are given abilities from its own trees of magic, which are twisted versions of those that already exist to beings untouched from the Void. Many of its abilities rely heavily on forms of Dark magic. Instead of the use of ones Life Force or stamina, Void Walkers use energy that is directly fueled to them by the Void.

**Bad Luck** - Though unconfirmed, it is rumored by many Void Walkers that the majority of those claimed by the Void tend to have very bad luck.

## History of The Modern Void Walker (Earth-1)

### Birth of the Alliance (2001-2019)

Though records of Void Walkers date as far back as the middle ages, reports of Void Walkers increased exponentially during the twenty first century. Initially, agents of this time period were given tasks in relation to various weapons crafted by The End, such as hunting for or guarding a specific weapon. Other objectives vary greatly, as many tasks given by the Void were influenced by an agents history. However, as the Alliance grew in power and began clearing large populations of Grimm on Earth-1, The Void began to send agents on missions against The Alliance. This theme in missions carried on until the Spellplague event occurred.

### Pre Spellplague Event (2054-2056)

Many of the Void Walkers present before the Spellplague were either working against Ray Mygerion, or simply refused to help and did as they pleased. With the Void's influence rapidly decreasing, and it's power dwindling far from its prime, The Void was unable to restructure many of it's agent's curses to benefit itself, and could not support the agents that were working as intended. Many Void Walkers were taken captive and used in experiments due to their immortal nature and helped The Alliance formulate a plan to open a two way rift into the Void. In a terrible kind of irony, the very agents The Void sent to protect it would be the cause for its eventual death and rebirth.

### Post Spellplague Event (2056-2060)

The Spellplague, or **The Dark Renaissance** as it is referred to by the few remaining Void Walkers, is the most catastrophic event in history for their kind. The Spellplague resulted in the deaths of over 96% of Void Walker populations across all realities, rendering their numbers on Earth-1 from around twenty thousand to below four hundred. Those that have survived have are now in a strange situation. The Void's death and rebirth resulted in a "glitch" within the spiritual coding The Void implemented onto it's agents, which has resulted in bizarre side effects. Some, such as Ghaston, are left immortal and fueled by the void but without access to it's trees of magic or a psychic link to the void. Some have been left in a constant state of degeneration and regeneration, and are never allowed to die. There are even those, such as Bomani Mandlenkosi, who have unintentionally gained full knowledge of all portions of The Void's Magic Trees, and reached the maximum potential for a Void Walker. Regardless of the effect, the fact stands that Void Walkers are now few, and their future remains unclear.

## Relationship With Mages Then and Now

> *"...I dared to open my eyes to the light, and stood stiff as I witnessed the horrors of war unchained. A wild beast of fiery red rained down from the sky, onto the men of the void in a wild frenzy; untamed! With that, I wept as I would be one of few who witnessed Mont'namor set aflame..." - Bard's excerpt on the Battle of Mont'namor*
>
>

Void Walkers and practitioners of the trees of magic have always been at odds with one another. In fact, so much so, that there have been wars between the two when Void Walkers and Mages were in abundance. The greatest of these conflicts, The War of Mages, involved the first generation of Void Walkers, who fought to establish their superiority over those who studied the trees of magic and gain equal rights within the council of mages. The war carried on for five years, with both sides refusing to surrender. In an effort to end the war, both sides met at Mont'namor in the sixth year, both hoping finish it in one massive battle. Once the battle started the mages under the council became overwhelmed by the introduction of familiars by the Void Walkers, and were immediately outnumbered and overpowered. It seemed as if doom awaited the mages, and all hope was lost. It was at this point when an unknown wizard aligned with the council of mages used a never before seen spell from an unknown tree of magic. The following is a description of the event from a Visarian Void Walker who wrote accounts on the event.

## The War of Mages

Mont'namor Set Aflame, the 28th of December, 1271

> *"The ridge above stood the followers of the council, their brethren wavering as agents of the void and their vrath'mi [tr: comrades] crushed the bones of their people. Then, with a cry, I would be blinded by a light from the heavens, as the roar of a god rattled my bones and made all men of the void bend the knee. Our klom'ari [ro. tr: divine connection] did not feel the same, and the twisted trees of power which we relied on had all but disappeared from our touch. I then risked a gander towards the sky, and with great haste I fled the area, for the flames of a vengeful god fell from the sky and made flesh turn to water, and cursed the rain black. I ran, praying all too much that the void would bless me with swift feet, as for every time I looked back, I would witness more and more of the horrors that await only dead men."*
>
>

The event resulted in thousands of deaths for the standard mages, and hundreds of thousands for the Void Walkers. This effectively ended the war, but also made relations between the two worse. So much so that their distaste for one another carries on today. This has not stopped the council from providing assistance, however. Today, the council of Mages has made sure to provide relief aid to the remaining Void Walkers who are suffering as a result of the events of the Spellplague, and are allowing a select few to attend their schools.

## Trivia

* Frausk has a theory that the tree of magic used at Mont'namor doesn't actually exist, and was a combination of trees to make similar effects to mass radiation, though this has yet to be confirmed.
* The mage at Mont'namor was never identified.
* There are communities of Void Walkers in select areas of the world. Hell's Kitchen in Neo New York is a prime example.
* While K.S. Ghaston was stripped of his Voidic abilities, he can access a variation of the standard and Voidic trees of magic that is unique to him. This is due to the error caused by the Spellplague in most Void Walkers.
* Void Walkers are completely unable to utilize Aura.
* It is extremely difficult to reproduce if both parents are Void Walkers, however, there is no issue if only one parent is a Void Walker.
* Void Walkers are not immune to disease, they will still carry it and have its symptoms until the disease eventually passes.
* Void Walkers can easily detect higher beings such as Gods, Vasto Lorde, and Demons.
* Adam was intended to be the first Void Walker, but saw through the Void's trickery and sought to conquer its power for his own - without the Void's interference.