Void Howler
Massive, unseen creatures that emit deep, mournful calls from the Maw’s depths. Some say they are spirits of the frozen dead, others claim they are guardians of something imprisoned below.
Theories abound regarding the true nature of Void Howlers:
- Frozen Spirits – Some believe they are the lost souls of those who perished in the Maw, transformed into something beyond death. Their howls, in this view, are cries of longing, seeking to reclaim what was lost.
- Ancient Guardians – Others claim they are wardens, ensuring that something buried deep within the ice never escapes. This theory is supported by the fact that the Howlers seem most concentrated around the oldest, deepest caverns of the Maw.
- Echoes of a Forgotten Time – Some arcane scholars argue that Void Howlers are not creatures at all, but rather echoes of something that once existed, flickering remnants of a forgotten age, forever replaying a sorrowful song.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Void Howlers are massive, enigmatic creatures that exist on the border of perception, rarely seen but always felt. Their forms are amorphous and shifting, appearing as vague, shadowy outlines against the ice, only briefly glimpsed when the blizzards part or when the moonlight strikes the frozen chasms at just the right angle. Some who have claimed to see them describe hulking, quadrupedal forms with elongated limbs, while others report serpentine shapes that coil through the frost-laden winds.
Their most defining feature, however, is their howl—a deep, mournful wail that resonates through the Frozen Maw, carrying for miles in the icy wasteland. These sounds are not simply noise; they vibrate through bone, ripple through ice, and stir unnatural visions in those who hear them.
Behaviour
Void Howlers are found exclusively in the Frozen Maw, particularly within the deepest crevasses and ice tunnels where Black Ice Crystals form most densely. They seem drawn to these crystals, possibly feeding off the strange energies they emit or using them as anchors to remain in this plane of existence.
Despite their terrifying presence, Void Howlers do not actively attack living beings. Instead, they drift through the Maw, their movements slow, deliberate, and otherworldly. Those who have dared to follow them report that the creatures seem to guard something deep below, their eerie calls acting as both a warning and a lament.
Civilization and Culture
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Exposure to a Void Howler’s presence can have strange effects on the mind:
- Hallucinations – Many travelers report seeing phantoms of the past, as if glimpsing events that happened long ago—or have yet to occur.
- Lost Time – Some claim to have walked only minutes in the Howlers’ domain, only to emerge days later, with no memory of what transpired.
- Dream Influence – Even those far from the Maw sometimes hear the distant howls in their sleep, leading to vivid, prophetic dreams or whispers of something calling to them.
The tribes that dwell near the Frozen Maw fear and revere the Void Howlers. They believe that to witness one directly is an omen—either of great change or impending doom. Some claim that those who follow the howls too closely are taken by the creatures, vanishing into the ice, never to be seen again.
While some scholars have tried to capture or study the Void Howlers, none have succeeded. Any attempt to strike one has resulted in weapons phasing through them as if striking mist, or worse—backfiring with terrible consequences, as if the Howlers themselves are woven into the very fabric of the Maw’s reality.
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