Void Magic

The dangerous, reality-bending magic from the Great Void

Author's Note: Rather than exploring specific Void spells, this article will act as a brief summary of the art of Void Magic as a whole. Specific Void spells will be linked to this article as they come.
Of all the forms of magic that exist on Itaxia, Void Magic is without question the rarest and the most dangerous. A comparatively recent magical discovery, only found after the fall of the Eldar, Void Magic is magic that originates from the Great Void; the vast, incomprehensible blackness that surrounds the planescape of Itaxia. As a result, Void Magic doesn't follow the rules of most other forms of magic; in fact it seems to actively run against what is known about conventional magic.

Effect

Void Magic spells are as varied as any other school or type of magic, but some consistent themes have been found in Void Magic: Void Magic tends to affect the minds and bodies of those it is cast at in devastating and potentially lethal ways, rendering them insensate or entirely insane, or mutating their body into something unrecognisable. Spells such as Destructive Resonance or Shadows of the Void, for example, draw on the inherent energy of the Void to break the target's mind, causing them to see things from beyond the Void that damage their brain.
Other Void Magic spells deal with the manipulation of gravity, one of the fundamental forces of the universe, in devastating ways; spells such as Gravity Fissure and Gravity Sinkhole manipulate gravity in a small area; of the most powerful Void Magic spells of this kind, Ravenous Void creates what is effectively a localised black hole, and Dark Star transforms the landscape into a facsimile of the Great Void, rending the bodies of those within it.

Side/Secondary Effects

Void Magic, especially when it comes to manipulating the mind, has an inherently corrupting influence on the mind and body of those who cast it. A person who continuously casts Void Magic will find that they are able to hear whispers in a language that they do not understand, but will come to learn in time. A caster may also find that their body begins to change in strange ways; slick skin, enhanced sight, and the growth of extra digits or eyes are not uncommon.
Repeated castings of Void Magic will cause these effects to worsen, with especially powerful Void Magic spells increasing the changes rapidly. With time, one who casts Void Magic consistently will find themselves both physically and mentally unrecognisable, as they gradually change from their former life into a Voidborn.

Manifestation

When one casts a Void Magic spell, the immediate area around the caster and the affected targets seems to briefly change; colours become more intense and vibrant, elements mix together in ways that do not make sense, and one can hear strange, unnatural whispers and murmurs in a language that few can understand.

Source

Void Magic is fundamentally different to any kind of magic on Itaxia; where other forms of Magic draw on the Forming Light that dwells within the entire world and beyond, Void Magic draws on the incomprehensible, eldritch energies of the Great Void beyond the Planes of Itaxia. This is the primary reason why Void Magic is so dangerous, as the Great Void's laws of reality are completely averse to Itaxia's own.

Discovery

Void Magic was first discovered after the Fall of the Starlight Ascendancy, where several mages were found to be casting spells that seemed to defy conventional magical restrictions at the time. It was revealed that these mages had fallen under the thrall of idborn, creatures who emerged from the Great Void after the death of Null.
Some believe that Void Magic may have been utilised by the Starlight Ascendancy themselves, though much of this documentation has been lost to time.

Related Deity/Higher Power

Null, the Watcher of the Void

Related Organizations

• The Starlight Ascendancy

Applied Restriction

Due to its inherently dangerous nature, Void Magic is outlawed by any state that practices magic. Any practitioner that is caught using Void Magic will be captured, and have the knowledge entirely erased from their mind.

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