the Boogeymen of the Void
The Boogeymen of the Void are supposedly Void Demons that come out of the shadows that desire to consume the souls of children who break curfew and sneak out of their homes at night without their parents' permission.
Summary
The Boogeymen of the Void meld out of shadows and and pull children back into the shadows with them grasping them with their elongated limbs and fingers.
Due to the blessings of the Nine they cannot enter or exit shadows that are indoors, so if a child stays inside at night, they cannot be stolen into the shadows.
Historical Basis
"Is there a historical basis to the Boogey Man of the Void? No, but also yes.Void Demons do not particularly care whether the souls of the children they consumed were naughty or nice and they never have. Their goal is to wipe out all mortal life, morality has nothing to do with it."-Akeem of Magicland, professor Emeritus of Historyby Eron12 with Hero ForgeThere were variants of Void Demons that could travel through shadows though this was a rare power demonstrated by only a few demons. Void Demons do not discriminate, they hunger for the souls of mighty dragons and lowly goblins equally. They will seek to obliterate of souls of men and woman, and yes, children.
Spread
Pretty much every human on Scarterra has a variant of this basic story, though they don't all use the term "Boogeymen."
Variations & Mutation
-Grandpa Valdix, elderly gnome farmer.by Me with Hero Forge"Humans like to tell stories of scary monsters to scare children in line. We gnomes taught them this and it's a good technique. The humans just do it wrong. The boogeyman of the Void is based on the gnomish legend of the Shadow Creeper. It is dangerous for anyone to go out alone at night. It's especially dangerous for children to do so.Most little kids don't properly understand the word "dangerous" but if you tell a story about a long clawed monster made of the shadows of trees that snatches at children who wander too close, children understand this. When our children become adolescents, we parents (or older siblings) explain that the "claws" of the Shadow Creeper is just the natural shadows of twig covered tree branches swaying in the wind. A young one survives childhood knowing not to go out alone at night, no long term harm is done. The Shadow Creeper is not real, Void Demons are real. I am concerned that if a human grows up hearing false tales of a Void Demon out to get them, they won't take it seriously when and if they meet a real Void Demon."Gnome parents have been scaring their children with tales of the Shadow Creeper for centuries. Eventually someone asked "Who or what created the Shadow Creeper?" and parents individually or collectively decided to answer "Greymoria made the Shadow Creeper. This invocation of a Name resulted in Greymoria creating an actual spirit named the Shadow Creeper that abducts gnome children at night. Oops. The fact that gnomes accidentally created the Shadow Creeper does not concern me in and of itself. There are millions gnomes living in every corner of Scarterra and there is one Shadow Creeper stalking the entire world and it doesn't go out hunting every night. The odds of it running across any particular gnome child being abducted by the Shadow Creeper are very low (and more often than not the child survives the Shadow Creeper's attentions), but this example still serves as an object lessons of the dangers of Naming something that doesn't exist. I'm concerned that the since the humans adapted the gnomish legend of the Shadow Creeper to cover Void Demons, they have accidentally given the minions of the Void new powers and abilities. The humans don't speak of the Boogeyman of the Boogeymen of the Void."Carcelli the Arcane Priestessby Eron12 with Hero Forge"Anyone who has studied metaphysics even a little bit knows about how True Names and Shadows are powerful things. It is said that the Nine limit use power the power of True Names to limit mortals and beasts, forcing them to follow specific rules, but a name is not just a source of a limits, it's a source of power.
In Art
Daana, Defender of the Hearth, Paladinby Eron12 with Hero Forge"Void Demons are popular in plays and reenactments. I noticed a lot of demon costumes use flowing shadowy robes with very long fingers. Real Void Demons don't look like this but I suppose if ordinary mummers and minstrels had an accurate idea of what the minions of the Void actually do look like, that means their defenders aren't doing a very good job."
Comments