Null

To become Null is to surrender oneself to Nihilos, lord of all and nothing. Null requires a Minor Merit to pursue.

Null

History

Null is the original Blight of Nihilos, woven from His corruption. The Nihil - or the Null Magi - serve as His agents, communing directly with a dark god that shares with them the Anafabulaic memories of any who have been swallowed by the void.

Acquisition

Nihil are made by Nihilos from within His dark void, often at the behest of a Null who sent them there. Whether or not one is fit to be used in this way rather than being made into one of the Endless or merely bargained with over Anafabulaic is not well understood, even among the Null. What is known is that the odds are higher the more one has lost their mind to the specific insanity of Anafabulaic, and Nihilos rarely offers this Blight to those who do not wish for it.

Whether conferred into the void by a Null, cast there by an Exodii, or throwing oneself into the pit hewn into Avernus by a Scourge with Remnant, those who accept the curse of the undone are infested - mind, body, and soul - with an inky black mass of sliming horror that consumes their body inside and out. They are remade into a human-sized, pitch black gelatinous ooze, only manifesting glowing eyes while initially lacking any stable morphology at all.

Large races such as Dragons will lose much of their mass, while Spell Reserve multipliers such as the Dragon's Saol capacity will be converted to Absentia capacity.

Living as a Nihil

Progenitors of Alítheia, the Nihil come to serve as prophets, mouth-pieces for the lord of undoing. They are responsible for the Tumbledowns corrupting the land, and routinely sacrifice other beings to widen the knowledge and reach of Nihilos. As Alítheia does not suffer being known, Null Magi are misunderstood as aberrations of the undead. Any form of magical divination would only yield information about them that has nothing to do with Absentia or Null itself, nor can their thoughts be felt or studied by a Deep One.

Spawn of Nihilos

Nihil are blackened silhouettes lacking any color beyond any number of red eyes, only able to manifest a sheen of reflection upon themselves to become glistening black masses that allow the light to show depth upon their forms. They do not need to breathe, nor do they need to eat except for the curses of other Blights; their own Blighted curse is mainly physiological and cosmetic.

Reliant upon Apparation to adjust and move their bodies, Nihil Drift as black voids when diffuse, operating Tendrils of slick, wet mass as a gel or a rubbery, even metallic sculpture depending on how they have set their Frequency. They treat their entire form as a sensory organ, meaning they can feel, taste, smell, and hear across their entire body unless confining these senses through another Arcana that changes their form. In order to differentiate themselves, they will don masks or learn to utilize Possession in order to wear the body of another.

Those without Apparation claw along like a boneless squid of weak, gelatinous tentacles burbling out words with wheezing breaths. Every aspect of their life is an overwhelming symphony of agony in those first days.

The Urge

From the moment Nihil are spat out of the void, they Commune with Nihilos and speak to him verbally or within their minds. They hear whispers and experience waking, blackened dreams from Nihilos swaying them towards Alítheia, or advancing His influence in other ways. Should the Nihil ever risk revealing with certainty the existence of Alítheia or the Blighted, then Nihilos might swallow them back into the void, shredding them apart into naught but an Endless. He warns them of this, that the useless who would fail Him might better serve when rendered back into nothing.

Nihilos does not demand. He suggests tasks that mostly align with the personality or wants of the Nihil in question; a soldier would be sent to battle, while a tradesman would be asked to fashion tools. Null will speak to each other in terms that acknowledge this aspect of their lives: "what does the urge wish for you, my brother?"

All or Nothing

From inception, Nihil are subjected to the rule of All or Nothing. Each of their Personal Arcana are subverted with the Metaphor of Absentia. They might still fool a Godhead into offering its Pact, as such entities are reflexive rather than rational.

• Exodii wield black voids traversing through the void of Nihilos rather than portals.
• Aboteurs wield darkened ice which light will not pass through.
• Terrari are only be able to manifest blackened metals or rocks, while maintaining any other properties such as sheen or texture.
• Zephyri create clouds and winds so dark that they blacken the sun or confer shadows beneath them.
• Aquari wield black ink rather than water, and their channeled influence darkens water such that light can no longer pass through it.
• Fulguri wield black or pale-white flame, their lightning taking on a deep red hue that matches their eyes.
• A Paragon of Null would be akin to a demigod of undoing, able to unravel souls and corrupt them as Nihilos does.
• Crested can no longer make light, only shadow, and they may optionally wield their power to make things ugly or diminished in appearance, while their colors will be reduced to pale skin tones or dark shades - being able to incorporate color with their black, or change their eye color is something only Crested Nihil can do. In this way, they might look like a pale member of a race.
• Deep Ones can freely explore the memories and thoughts of those trapped inside of their Consume until they are dissolved, and they might extend the influence of Nihilos through a Link.
• Nekron may only have their Tethers tracked by the Blighted. They now animate beings with Absentia, requiring that they coat them in Null-flesh fueled from their own mass; these semi-living creatures wander Tumbledowns when removed of their Tethers, aberrations preying upon wanderers and ignoring the servants of Nihilos. The Soul Star of a Null Nekron can regenerate the flesh of any Blighted or Absentia-derived being, and Deadsight may now be used with Absentia Metaphor rather than Miasmata.
• Gristled Govern Absentia, and breathe a breath of black bile that swiftly dissolves inferior materials caught in its path. They can become Dragons and advance its stages by absorbing Life Force; these 'Void Dragons' will instead enhance their own Absentia Spell Reserves rather than Saol, but must still Consume to reach their maximum size as any other Nihil. Their Gristle may be used in place of Absentite.
• Changelings may only wield their Imprints as blackened shapes with red eyes, and any abilities they borrow from their Imprints are similarly perverted. They still maintain the overall physiology, traits, and texture, but keep to the height-mass of their Null and to what degree they are Compacted.
• Druids create 'groves' of seemingly dead flora that they may manipulate and wield as any other Draoidh might. Such places are referred to as Deadlands where nothing grows, though they know not the truth.
• Memorare may establish their Memorandum within a Tumbledown upon any Plane. They are not beholden to any other Variant-based restrictions when doing so.

Mageburn Symptoms

• Lesser: Emotional Instability, Light Sensitivity, Hypersensitivity
• Moderate: Recurrent Vomiting, Weakness, Tearing, Temporary Dementia
• Greater: Self-Digestion, Void Condemnation, Long-Term Mental Illness

Spells

As Null is a Blight, it generates the Metaphor of Absentia for casting. Unique to a Null, all of their Spell Reserves and Personal Arcana are converted into Absentia, and can only ever be Absentia.

Commune

Nihil freely converse with Nihilos from anywhere they are in the Planes. He will whisper to them and answer questions in Anafabulaic, offering suggestions unless wielding an authoritative persona; understand that Nihilos pretends to commune in a way that another being might understand, and so how it presents to any one person is specific to them, and this presentation might change. Nihilos sees ahead by dozens of steps, with a vast network of information; complying with small suggestions can aid other members of Alítheia in unknowable ways, even something as banal as tossing a bar of soap on the floor to incense its owner. No aspect of Commune expends Spell Reserves.

Trust in the lord of undoing.

Consume

Within the amorphous body of a Nihil is a dark mire of acid, slime, and burning flesh, with any part of their body able to function as a 'mouth' - Nihil might also reach within themselves and further subdue or tear apart their unfortunate victim with the Tendrils of Apparation, cutting apart and dissolving whatever it may be over a few hours. If that thing was a creature or spirit with a soul, then its mass will be added into their own. Once something has been swallowed, it is cut off from the Planes and can no longer be divined; attempts at wielding any Metaphor other than Absentia at a level less than the Null will fail while trapped, and this is true for Contrivances like Automata which will shut down once interred.

Gift

By shedding mass, a Nihil might donate theirs to another, offering it to the weakened such as spawn, or to a superior one which might be seeking to attain a Tumbledown.

Inversion

Nihil may learn to invert and expel their stomach, casting it like a net to grab prey or an object, reeling it in and stifling its access to Metaphor the more thoroughly wrapped they are. Consume does not expend Spell Reserves. Using Apparation they may even consume incorporeal Ghosts and Spirits by adjusting their own Frequency, adding these to their mass through its Resonance.

Condemn

A being swallowed by a Null may be Condemned rather than dissolved, banishing it to the void of Nihilos. If Nihilos should send them back for any reason, then they will emerge back into the Nihil's body where they might be vomited back out amid a pool of stinging, black bile, or else further subjected to Consume if Nihilos does not wish to deprive His Nihil of the prey they are owed. Occasionally Nihilos will feed stubborn Exodii who foolishly get trapped in the void and refuse him to His subordinates. Each aspect of Condemn is an ability that does not expend Spell Reserves.

Compact

Nihil grow as they eat things, often to a staggering size. Compact is the ability for a Nihil to store itself partly inside Nihilos, before Drifting out of its own body and unfurling to its full size. In many ways, it can be thought of as swallowing or eating oneself. Compact expends spell reserves according to the mass they store and unfurl; if their body is at its maximum mass and they wish to use it, then they will cast at their maximum tier. When something is Consumed, they can also Compact that down into the void, allowing Nihil to swallow entities larger than themselves.

Tun

When facing a severe threat in excess of what they can handle, a Nihil may Compact themselves beyond their normal threshold into a tun - a small, pill-sized stone which may no longer use any Arcana, their waking minds nestled within the void. Any form of Divination will not work upon it, and the tun is so dense that only Arcana of an equivalent tier could hope to crack it. The Nihil will only begin to rejuvenate itself if exposed to equivalent tier Absentite, or else brought to a Tumbledown and kept there for some months.

Sculpt

As Nihil grow, they may grow their form into something they remember being, or else sculpt their mass to appear as another creature or race. Functional wings, fins, and claws are possible, but they are still limited in terms of material - how hard their sliming flesh is depends on the Frequency of their Apparation. The efficacy of Sculpt relies entirely on their own crafting skills.

Planespawn

Once Nihil have Ascended into a Nihilisk and devoured their way to a maximum mass, they may beseech Nihilos for his Planespawn, a seed of corruption that gestates within the body for several months. During this time, they will find a suitable place to give birth, amassing defenses by whatever means are available to them whilst seeking aid from Alítheia in order to protect their precious "gift." The mass will burst from them when it is ready, melding that area with the void and giving birth to a Tumbledown. They will lose all of their accumulated mass when this happens, and must begin to find and consume prey all over again to grow.

Subsequent Planespawn and lives lost within will only grow the Tumbledown, with Nihilisk sometimes working together to transport mass from all over Antarok. Those who perish within a Tumbledown become Endless rather than Ghosts, as their soul is devoured by Nihilos.

Tiers of Mastery

Novice

Freshly born anew, Nihil, or Night-Spawn as Alitheia calls them, are extremely weak and vulnerable. They are immediately disoriented by their squishy form having no bones while being able to feel, taste, smell, and hear from every part of their body at once. Consuming something with a soul to build mass while learning to Apparate should be their main priority. If they are lucky enough to be ejected from the Void through another Nihil, they might be fed and mentored by them.

• Commune:
  • A Novice may fully commune with Nihilos.
• Consume:
  • A Novice may Consume up to a six foot tall human in mass.
  • A Novice may reach their maximum mass after consuming one being with a soul.
  • A Novice can Consume enough mass to reach the height of a six foot tall humanoid.
  • At this stage, digestion will take at least three days.
  • A Novice may not store their prey without digesting it.
  • A Novice cannot negate any Arcana within their stomach.
  • A Novice cannot yet invert their stomach.
• Condemn:
  • Condemn is unavailable to the Novice.
• Compact:
  • A Novice may not yet reduce their height with Compact.
  • A Novice may not yet Compact the contents of their stomach into the void.
• Sculpt:
  • Sculpt is unavailable to the Novice.

Apprentice

By Apprentice, the Nihil is coming into their own as a devouring gibber. Nihilos is beginning to offer them relevant suggestions towards furthering the goals of Alitheia, and their mass is enough to overwhelm

• Commune:
  • An Apprentice may fully commune with Nihilos.
• Consume:
  • An Apprentice may Consume up to a seven foot tall person in mass.
  • An Apprentice may reach their maximum mass after consuming five beings with souls.
  • An Apprentice can Consume enough mass to reach the height of a seven foot tall humanoid.
  • At this stage, digestion will take at least a day.
  • An Apprentice may learn to store their prey without digesting it.
  • An Apprentice can negate Novice-level Arcana within their stomach.
  • An Apprentice cannot yet invert their stomach.
• Condemn:
  • An Apprentice may learn to Condemn the prey within their stomach to Nihilos.
• Compact:
  • An Apprentice may reduce their height down to the size of a five foot tall man.
  • An Apprentice may not yet Compact the contents of their stomach into the void.
• Sculpt:
  • Sculpt may be used by the Apprentice to mimic the silhouette of their original race.
  • Sculpt may be used by the Apprentice to craft simple but useful appendages like hands, claws, and teeth.

Journeyman

Nihil at Journeyman are fearsome monsters that have the capability to learn Syphon. They wield their huge mass like an avalanche of flesh, and even learn to invert their stomachs in order to capture prey.

• Commune:
  • The Journeyman may fully commune with Nihilos.
• Consume:
  • The Journeyman may Consume up to a ten foot tall humanoid in mass.
  • The Journeyman may reach their maximum mass after consuming fifteen beings with souls.
  • The Journeyman can Consume enough mass to reach the height of a fifteen foot tall humanoid.
  • At this stage, digestion will take at least six hours.
  • The Journeyman may store their prey without digesting it, or else slow the rate of digestion.
  • The Journeyman can negate Apprentice-level Arcana within their stomach.
  • The Journeyman can invert their stomach.
• Condemn:
  • The Journeyman may learn to Condemn the prey within their stomach to Nihilos.
• Compact:
  • The Journeyman may reduce their height down to the size of a five foot tall man.
  • The Journeyman may not yet Compact the contents of their stomach into the void.
• Sculpt:
  • Sculpt may be used by the Journeyman to mimic the silhouette of their original race.
  • Sculpt may be used by the Journeyman to craft advanced appendages like entire limbs, internal bones, and functional wings.

Expert

Once at Expert, a Null wields considerable power and strength. At this stage, they are truly gargantuan when they do not compact themselves down. These powerful Nihil are often Apparators who have learned Possession, hiding what they are and rejoining society in this way.

• Commune:
  • The Expert may fully commune with Nihilos.
• Consume:
  • The Expert may Consume up to a fifteen foot tall humanoid in mass.
  • The Expert may reach their maximum mass after consuming one hundred beings with souls.
  • The Expert can Consume enough mass to reach 20' tall - the size of an Adult Dragon.
  • At this stage, digestion will take at least two hours.
  • The Expert may store their prey without digesting it, or else slow the rate of digestion.
  • The Expert can negate Apprentice-level Arcana within their stomach.
  • The Expert can invert their stomach.
• Condemn:
  • The Expert may learn to Condemn the prey within their stomach to Nihilos.
• Compact:
  • The Expert may reduce their height down to the size of a five foot tall man.
  • The Expert may Compact the contents of their stomach into the void.
• Sculpt:
  • Sculpt may be used by the Expert to mimic an inky black copy of what they once were.
  • Sculpt may be used by the Expert to craft sophisticated mundane organs like chambered stomachs, additional eyes, or lungs.

Master

Masters of Null are a horrifying being capable of unfurling out into a truly monstrous being, so horrific that it is nigh-incomprehensible to the mundane mind. When witnessed, they often draw shudders, hopelessness, and fear from those who aren't sure how to fight them.

• Commune:
  • The Master may fully commune with Nihilos.
• Consume:
  • The Expert may Consume up to a 20' tall being - equivalent to an Adult Dragon in mass.
  • The Master may reach their maximum mass after consuming one thousand beings with souls.
  • The Master can Consume enough mass to match the size of a 60' tall - equivalent to an Elder Dragon.
  • At this stage, digestion will take at least an hour.
  • The Master may store their prey without digesting it, or else slow the rate of digestion.
  • The Master can negate Expert-level Arcana within their stomach.
  • The Master can invert their stomach.
• Condemn:
  • The Master may Condemn the prey within their stomach to Nihilos.
• Compact:
  • The Master may reduce their height down to the size a Gnome with Compact.
  • The Master may Compact the contents of their stomach into the void.
• Sculpt:
  • Sculpt may be used by the Master to mimic an inky black copy of what they once were.
  • Sculpt may be used by the Master to craft corrupted Glamour Organs, or to copy corrupted versions of Wild Glamour.
  • Sculpt may be used by the Master to split off their mass into a variant of Absentite Alkahest called Nullite for use by Maltricians and Null-tainted Nekron.

Nihilisk

The Nihilisks is a trusted lieutenants of Nihilos, and a potentially massive being tasked with gestating the Nightfather's direct influence upon the Planes: His Tumbledowns. Each is wholly unique in their myriad of corrupted powers, with most subsumed in the task of hunting souls or else raising secretive cults like tortured cattle in the depths of their dark dominion. Many of these entities are truly ancient, born in those first years when Nihilos first descended from the Aetherium.

• Commune:
  • The Nihilisk may fully commune with Nihilos.
• Consume:
  • The Nihilisk may Consume up to a 60' tall being - equivalent to an Elder Dragon in mass.
  • The Nihilisk may reach their maximum mass after consuming five thousand beings with souls.
  • The Nihilisk can Consume enough mass to match the size of a 120' tall - equivalent to an Ancient Dragon.
  • At this stage, digestion will take at least ten minutes.
  • The Nihilisk may store their prey without digesting it, or else slow the rate of digestion.
  • The Nihilisk can negate Master-level Arcana within their stomach.
  • The Nihilisk can invert their stomach.
  • The Nihilisk at maximum mass may be impregnated with the Seed of Nihilos, giving birth to a Tumbledown after several months.
• Condemn:
  • The Nihilisk may Condemn the prey within their stomach to Nihilos.
• Compact:
  • The Nihilisk may reduce their height to the size of a small animal with Compact.
  • The Nihilisk may Compact the contents of their stomach into the void.
• Sculpt:
  • Sculpt may be used by the Nihilisk to mimic an inky black copy of what they once were.
  • Sculpt may be used by the Nihilisk to craft corrupted Glamour Organs, or to copy corrupted versions of Wild Glamour.
  • Sculpt may be used by the Nihilisk to split off their mass into piles of a variant of Absentite Alkahest called Nullite for use by Maltricians and Null-tainted Nekron.

Contrivances

Some Null devise profound and twisted creations, while those who cleanse them will make use of their bodies as weapons against the Blighted. Otherwise, Contrivances may be crafted from the Nihil's Sundered Absentite directly.

Nullite

Null may cut off compacted lumps of their mass which serves as a variant of Absentite Alkahest at a great price to themselves represented by a Seasonal Points expenditure.

Ensorcelling

Exalts made from Nullite may be used to cut off the lesser Arcana of those fully imprisoned within them. Conjurations can also be used to Commune, Consume by shooting out a mass of flesh, and then Condemn.

The desiccated flesh of a slain Null may be used to manufacture tainted Arcana offensively effective against them, regardless of one's affiliation with Nihilos.

Malediction

Maltricians may also implant the non-Alkahest mass of null into other creatures, allowing it to be stored or for the creation of twisted chimerae which are a mix of both. The portion of Null-flesh they contributed may be Sculpted by the Null just as they do themselves.

Artifice

Artificers may use the sculpted, non-Alkahest mass of null as a material for their Automata. Absentite-Aligned Automata made with Null-Flesh additionally gain a limited form of Apparation without any Spell Reserves, only allowing them to Drift their Null-mass and wield Tendrils from it at an equivalent tier of skill.

Alchemistry

Khmeic properties of Null-flesh may be further brought out by Nullite, allowing for the creation of poisons and materials which are effective against the Blighted.

”That thing. I saw it beneath the Alkahest mines. I know it - whatever that skulking it was - is responsible for the recent disappearances. The mine foreman insists the Vokhan are to blame, but I know what I saw. That's why I won't go down into that mine, and you shouldn't either.” - A miner, who soon disappeared.

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