“Are you willing to serve the Conclave? Remember… we do not reward failure.”
-- Guildmaster Calirin of Earendam, High Priest of the Aklaju
This master of negative energies makes pacts with demons, causing death, disease, poison and plague, even raising the dead. The energies manipulated by this sphere resonate with red, precluding all characters of gold resonance.
Introduction
Born of the shuddeni and their master, Tzet-Askhari, the magics of Void became the binding thread that held their fragile, volatile society together. In the centuries before contact with other lineages, it was this power which determined who and what directed shuddeni lives. Human scholars, following the lead of such infamous pioneers as the Lilunite Archmage Kaagn, descended into the dark underworld in search of greater power. As the War of Night shrouded the world, the lineages of the Prime learned to fear the might of the Dragon and its dread minions; in turn, the aelin would take to the study of demonkind, following the direction of their god, Serachel. Even the srryn, by way of Sitheus, found themselves taken by blood pacts and control of the dead. In time, these various threads would be woven together into the modern studies of the Void scholar.
Those who minor in the study of Void typically skirt the primary focus of the sphere, honing instead their simpler maledictions and general magical empowerment. The path of the major sphere squarely focuses on the Void scholar’s primary tools: symbols of power. They are used to empower spells, bind spirits, and most importantly, conjure demons from specific locations beyond the Silver Veil. Greater scholars of Void make use of these symbols in a variety of ways– distinct from one another in how or where they inscribe such diabolic signs.
As a planar sphere, Void magic is not strictly granted by any individual god; yet, it is undeniable that all of its power inevitably derives from the will of Ashur. Other deities that are commonly venerated are Serachel and Lilune, with a less prominent dedication to Sitheus. It is also possible, even likely, that a Void scholar will become enmeshed in the machinations of one of the Thirteen ancient demon lords, and in turn, be called into their service. Regardless, the energies manipulated by this sphere resonate with red, precluding all characters of gold resonance. While shuddeni are the most notorious students of the Void, humans, aelin, nefortu, and even caladaran and ethron, have all found themselves linked to its study.
Greater Paths
A scholar who takes void as both major and minor sphere becomes a greater void scholar (see greater spells), and later follows one of these paths:
Riven Veil
The Riven Veil masters the art of creating pacts with demonkind, these summoners are able to conjure the mightiest of dark lords to the Prime Material and ravage any who oppose them.
Necromancer
Instead of summoning demons, necromancers bring forth fiends from corpses, using symbols of power to heighten the strength and attributes of their abominations. By becoming revenants, they gain nigh-everlasting unlife.
Necromancer loses these Major Void spells: Lesser Demon Summon, Demon Summon, Banish, Demonic Control.
Nightfall
The malefactor learns to cut symbols of power into themself, and swears their undying soul to demonic patrons who, in turn, grant the scholar vast power to dominate foes.
Only characters of red resonance may choose the Path of Nightfall. Nightfall loses these Major Void spells: Lesser Demon Summon, Demon Summon, Banish, Demonic Control.
Demonic Patrons
In addition to gaining the power to bind symbols to themselves, malefactors choose three demonic patrons when they choose the Path of Nightfall. The choice of demonic patrons is permanent, as it represents your character’s special relationship to these demons. Each patron grants a specific skill or spell.
Mixed Spheres
A void scholar who minors in another sphere gains some abilities that mix the two (see minor spells):
Void/Fire
Calling upon the servants of Xth'jich, these devotees become his soldiers, shrouding themselves in smoke and breathing fire.
Void/Water
By adopting the mantle of Bahhaoth of the Dead Sea, these magi leech health from ally and enemy to replenish their own.
Bonds
The bonds command allows a scholar of the Nightfall arts to view which symbolic effects they are currently empowering.
Being derived from symbols carved onto the caster's flesh, bonds only directly affect the user. Sustaining these bonds will drain mana from the caster every tick so long as they are in effect. Naturally, the initial inscription bears a hit point cost.
Nightfall magi can maintain a maximum of four bonds at once, spread over a set of 'slots'. Some symbolic effects will require more than one slot to maintain, and the total number of slots available will increase over the course of the scholar's career, starting at two.
The user may break their own bonds via the SEVER BOND spell; a spirit mage may use the UNSHACKLE spell to disrupt a single bond, or a templar might use EXORCISM to break all at once. Otherwise, these bonds remain until the user's mana is depleted, or the user quits out of the game.
Command Control Spiritvision
- Syntax
command
command show
command <action>
control
control show
control <target pc>
spiritvision
Void scholars can command a victim possessed by an unclean spirit to perform certain actions, should the target's will prove weaker than their demonic infiltration. The target is manipulated through the commands 'command', 'control', and 'spiritvision'.
Command: 'command show' or 'command' by itself will inform the Void Scholar who the current focus of their orders is. When given an argument ('command <action>'), this command attempts to force the victim to perform the desired action. If the target does not save, he or she will carry out the will of the void scholar. Note that each order hastens the eventual escape of the victim.
Examples:
>command show
You are currently controlling Raestral.
>command grin
Raestral does as you bid.
Raestral grins broadly.
Control: 'control show' or 'control' by itself will display to the Void Scholar a list of people they have managed to possess with unclean spirits, as well as which one they are currently commanding. When given an argument ('control <Target PC>'), this command will switch the focus of the Void Scholar's orders.
Examples:
You are currently controlling Raestral.
Your will has been forced upon the following:
Raestral
Jolinn
Iandir
>control Jolinn
You shift your control to Jolinn.
>command
You are currently controlling Jolinn.
Spiritvision: A Void Scholar who has managed to possess another person with an unclean spirit can manipulate that spirit's senses through the 'spiritvision' command. This will grant the scholar a brief glance at the world around the spirit. Since the sense comes from the spirit, rather than the victim, the victim need not be able to see or even awake for the command to work. However, because the spirit must extend a good portion of its being back to the scholar to transmit the glimpse, use of this command will greatly hasten the eventual escape of the victim.
Note that while the victim must be present for the initial possession, he or she may be controlled through the use of these three commands from anywhere in the Prime Material.
Note also that while there is much freedom to one's commands, OOC abuse of this power will not be tolerated. Attempts to make the victim change their password or prompt, modify their description or background, or other such abuses are against the rules.
Debone
- Syntax
debone <corpse>
The debone command allows a void scholar to systematically remove the bones from a creature's corpse.
Poison Adaptation
- Syntax
inscribe 'spiral of bahhaoth' self
This bond increases the user's resistances to all manner of poisons, to a degree that escalates with the user's gradation of red aura. Furthermore, the user will regularly make an additional, poisonous bite attack in combat.
Relinquish
- Syntax
relinquish
Void scholars use the RELINQUISH command to undo
the affects of the POSSESSION spell, returning them to
their own body.
Summoning Rituals
The void scholar class relies heavily on the binding of demons through mystical contracts. Unlike the void templar and their binding rituals, a void scholar must honor the ancient pacts through which each type of demon is bound to enlist their unwilling aid.
Step 1: Inscribe the Symbol
The first step in the summoning process is to inscribe a Void symbol. The scholar must know the symbol in question to do so. A symbol can be inscribed in various materials, called reagents. Some common ones are charcoal, salt, powdered bone, and silver dust. When a symbol has been inscribed, it will be visible in the room using the look command.
Step 2: Cast the Summoning Spell
After a symbol is in place, a void scholar casts the appropriate summoning spell. This spell will be either lesser demon summon, demon summon, or greater demon summon. If the symbol has been inscribed without error with the proper reagent, a demon should appear in the room and await payment for their services. One should be mindful of how long they make a demon wait before being paid, however, as if it is too long, they will attack or otherwise retaliate.
Step 3: Honor the Pact
Some demons will ask for their payment specifically while others will be ambiguous. Either way, they all extract their due one way or another. Provided you know what the demon you have summoned wants, this is where you give them their price, typically but not always some sort of object. If the demon does accept it, in most cases the demon is now nominally under your control and will join your group. When using the look command, the demon in question should have their long description preceded by (Bound). Some demons, however, will act independently of their summoner, and will instead proceed to perform whatever service they are called to give.
Step 4: Maintain Control
A demon who is bound to a void scholar always wishes to be free, and will struggle against their magical bonds. The spell demonic control will help a scholar keep his unruly helper in line. Be aware that each time the scholar uses demonic control to reinforce his bond, the next casting will cost significantly more mana. Eventually, the scholar will be unable to maintain control of the demon.
Step 5: Banish the Demon
Before the demon breaks free of his bond and attacks the scholar he had served, it is possible to use the banish spell to return the extraplanar creature to the Void. Only demons under the scholar's control can be banished by the caster this spell. If the demon manages to break free before it can be banished, it will also return to the Void if it is killed. A demon that is neither banished nor slain will typically attempt to hunt down and eventually murder the scholar who summoned it, and will not stop until it kills the scholar or is killed itself.
Notes and Caveats:
Demons are highly intelligent creatures, and will resist being given orders (via the order command). In general, they will respect orders to speak or otherwise engage in roleplay (though they may not respect socials) or to move from place to place. Demons summoned at an increased caster level will not appear beyond level 58, though they will gain other benefits from such increases.
Abilities by level
Generated from the game's skill table. Names without a link have no help entry yet.
A scholar studies one major sphere and may take minor spheres. Spells that mix the major sphere with another element are listed under that minor sphere. A scholar who takes void as both major and minor sphere may follow one of its greater paths, each listed on its own.
Greater void: Necromancer