The Hollow

Not all dark and terrible deeds are done in His name. Not every atrocity or sickening, wicked act can be laid at the base of His throne. Sometimes people do bad things because of reasons mundane. Jealously, anger, hatred, spite or a brief but catastrophic moment of madness.

But the Hollow is at the root of much evil. He whispers to his faithful, guiding them, urging them ever onward the path of damnation. Across Otherverse His cults perform profane acts and vile sacraments in His Name. And from His Throne in the Fallen World, He plots to bring about the End of All Things, marshalling armies of monsters and horrors in preparation.

And soon, very, very soon, He will be ready.

Beginnings

The Hollow has a great many origin stories. He is a Fallen God, the unholy Twin of Creation, the evil of Humanity manifest in flesh. None are true. Or all are. Perhaps each contains a sliver of truth surrounded by lies? None but the Hollow know His true origins, and to have Him whisper such knowledge into one's ear is likely to end badly.

He is the Devil. The antichrist, the Ender of Worlds all rolled into one. Who and what He is... perhaps that is unimportant. At least for now.

The Fallen World

Separate from Otherverse, the Fallen World is a realm of nightmare and evil where the Hollow reigns supreme. Here His power is paramount and He is free to rule as He desires. Untold numbers of demons and creatures reside across the Fallen World, killing and offering prayers to their blood soaked God. Here can be found remnants of lost races who choose damnation and servitude to a mad God in exchange for immortality.

The faithful of the Hollow, members of the numerous cults dedicates to Him, pray to be deemed worthy to come to the Fallen World and behold his glory with their own eyes and be transformed into new forms the better to serve their God. Few are deemed worth. Fewer survive the attentions of the Hollow and those that do are amongst His greatest servants.

The Fallen World is a vast perhaps endless landscape of blasted ruins, wastelands and deserts where the strong prey upon the weak and the faithful fill the air with dirges of worship and suffering. And at the centre rises a castle that defies description, constantly changing, always monstrous and terrible. And always within the highest tower the Hollow sits upon his throne, His mind ever on bringing about the end of existence.

That the Fallen World is separate from Otherverse is a blessing, for the denizens of the latter at least. Some force works to keep the two apart, a power that the Hollow has long sought to weaken and eventually overcome entirely. His cults work toward that goal for every time the Hollow is able to work through them directly, the barrier is weakened. The day the barrier thins enough or is destroyed utterly for the Legions of the Hollow to pour through is the day that all creation will fall.

The Faithful

Across Otherverse are innumerable cults devoted in one form or another to the worship of the Hollow. They provide ample fodder for His plans, attracting the wicked and the cruel as well as the lost and damned, the forgotten members of society with nowhere else to turn and long ignored. They indulge in acts of debasement and evil, offering themselves up to their God in the hope of attracting His attention and receiving His blessing.

Rarely does the Hollow work directly. He speaks to his chose and guides them, urging them to further his plans. He gifts them with powers and occasionally minions from the Fallen World, who coincidentally are there to drag them back to their master should they fail.

Sometimes though, the Hollow sees in one of his worshippers potential. A sliver of destiny and purpose that the Hollow will nurture and exploit. Such individuals may receive gifts and servants and become the foundation of new cults, or one use living weapons unleashed to create chaos and weaken the boundary between the Fallen World and Otherverse further.

Avatars

Whilst the Hollow cannot physically enter Otherverse, His Avatars can. These personifications of His will visit cultists and the loyal, reminding them whom they serve and driving them onward in His service. They take many forms, yet all are horrific or alien in some way. Whilst they wield only a sliver of the Hollow's true power, they are incredibly dangerous entities.

The Child

The Child is one of the most common Avatars; a young boy of pale skin and black eyes whose innocence is a lie. This is the form the Hollow most often takes. Despite its youthful appearance there is no hiding the malevolence of the Hollow behind the facade.

The Avatars are terrible foes, yet they can be slain. Killing them hurts the Hollow and incurs His endless wrath, marking the slayers as foes He turns His full attention upon.

Purpose

For the Hollow, life, existence is pain. He cannot experience pleasure. But He can experience pain. It is all He knows. He cannot die and wishes to do so with every fibre of His being. He has tried. He has allowed great champions to kill him. Always He comes back, the pain of living worse each time. That is why He wants to end Creation. Perhaps then, and only then, will the sweet oblivion He so craves finally take him and end his suffering. Then, and only then, will the pain end.