The Hollow
"Wouldn't it be nice if you could lay the blame for every bad thing that happens on one single being? A real actual Devil? Well tough, because you can't. Bad things happen because that's the way the universe works. All those little problems that make everyday life a miserable slog, they're the result of things outside your control or your own stupidity. But here's the thing... there's a real monster out there in a place you never ever want to see. He doesn't want to control everything. He wants to destroy everything because to him existence is pain. Never ending soul crushing pain. So if there's no existence there's no pain anymore. And as much as you think life is shit now if he has his way it'll get a whole lot worse. You can prayer to him if you like and he may well answer. He'll make you powerful and immortal... and so mad and twisted with pain you'll beg for death and find the only thing that gives you pleasure is hurting others. He's got an army of monsters and magic and the sort of power you only get if you're a God and people believe in you. He's the King of Pain, the Emperor of Suffering... he's the Hollow; the Favoured Servant of the Shai Nari. And He's Coming."
Somewhere in the depths of Otherworld is a region avoided by the wise and the sane. Its a place of nightmare and terror where monsters thrive and every living thing fights to survive by being more vicious and cruel than the rest.
At the centre of this damned region is the nightmare city of Bel'Zanar; home of the Hollow.
The origins of the Hollow are a mystery. If anyone knows the truth it is likely the Elnorians who were most probably the ones who sealed it away in the first place. But the few Elnorians left and not insane are rather reluctant to speak on the matter. They call the Hollow the Great Foe and say only it is best for everyone to ignore it.
What is known is that the Hollow is very powerful, Godlike and has influence well beyond the confines of its prison. Cults devoted to it exist across Otherworld on many different worlds and realms and have even begun to surface on Earth. Through bloody rituals of painful sacrifice the devotees of the Hollow commune with their horrific master and beg for deliverance from the misery that is life. The Hollow is more than happy to do this but prefers its cultists to spread as much pain, misery and suffering as they possibly can. It rewards the faithful with occult arts and sends it minions to aid them in their grisly tasks; the greater the sacrifice the more powerful the servant.
Cults of the Hollow are growing in number on Earth, drawing new members who have grown weary of the miserable lives they lead and enticed by the promise of power and change. The Conclave is working on putting down these cults wherever they pop up and so far have managed to keep them under control. Unfortunately with the attacks from Otherworld and the various magical entities appearing across Earth their efforts are being spread thin.
The Magisters are aware of the Hollow. Those in the know even think that the Hollow is one of the main driving forces behind the Conclave; they want to protect the world and humankind from its malign influence. Of course, this is hardly selfless; its their universe too and if the Hollow did destroy it then the Magisters would be gone as well.
Origins
Who or what the Hollow was before His ascension is unknown. The Elnorians believe He came long after the Great War and the imprisonment of the Shai Nari. The few Otherworld scholars who have studied the Hollow believe Him to be a God betrayed by His fellows and cast into a Hell realm for uncertain crimes. But His pain and suffering and misery empowered Him enough to claim that realm for His. Other scholars say that's all bollocks and its best not to delve too deeply into a sadomasochistic God with an army of devoted fanatics and a legion of horrors at its beck and call. The Hollow exists and is a menace to everyone and everything and that's all there is to it.
The Favoured Champion of the Shai Nari
The Hollow is perhaps the preeminent servant of the Shai Nari and He serves those eldritch horrors by furthering their schemes and providing support to their cults across Earth and Otherworld. He stands on equal footing with the Shai Narath, the offspring of the Shai Nari and has even killed some of their number as proof of his power. For the faithful of the Shai Nari the Hollow is the one who will lead them on a great holy war; a crusade to shatter the prison of their Gods and end this wretched existence once and for all in an orgy of blood and pain. Some cults worship the Hollow and have no knowledge that He supposedly serves the Shai Nari.Bel'Zanar
The city which serves as both prison and power base for the the Hollow Bel'Zanar is a vast hellish sprawl populated by demons and the faithful, all of whom exist only to serve their King and end His suffering. The Hollow never leaves Bel'Zanar physically but He can project his mind and spirit beyond its confines to haunt the dreams of his victims and to speak with his most devoted acolytes. From Bel'Zanar raiding parties issue forth to abduct inhabitants of Otherworld and take them back to be tortured and corrupted or to toil in nightmarish factories creating weapons for the ever growing army of the Hollow in preparation for the End Time.
Many of the horrors that inhabit Bel'Zanar were created by the Hollow. He is a master of flesh crafting and torture and can transform the weakest most craven beings into terrifying monsters utterly devoted to Him and eager to inflict suffering upon an unjust world.
To astral project one's mind into Bel'Zanar is tantamount to suicide and psychics and magic users have long given up any such attempts. Even if the sights do not sicken you to your soul your spirit runs the risk of capture by the minions of the Hollow, or that blood stained tyrant himself, leading to endless torture and atrocity with no escape. And even if your spirit does manage to evade capture the eyes of the Hollow are now upon you and He or his agents will find you and take you to Bel'Zanar.
The Citadel is the heart of Bel'Zanar and where the Black Throne resides. There upon that barbed throne the Hollow sits and broods. He only leaves throne to torment a new captive or induct a new member into his Chosen; his personal Guard and Champions made up of the worst of the worst who exist only to protect their Master and commit the worst atrocities in his Name.
To date no army has ever attempted to attack Bel'Zanar. Within its borders the Hollow is a God and at His most powerful. He would be most vulnerable should He physically leave the city but as He is bound there that cannot happen. At least, not until someone releases Him. And of course if He is released He will be marching at the head of a vast army of monsters and fanatics eager to bring about the Apocalypse.
Fallen Servants
Over the centuries numerous races have been corrupted into servants of the Hollow, either through choice or desperation.
The Bane
What was once a race of divine beings has been transformed into the Bane; angelic champions of their twisted monarch. Few in number they are perhaps the most feared of the Hollow's minions and for their service cults must perform truly debased atrocities in His name.
The Mesitori
The twisted remnants of an Elven race once renowned for their wisdom and magical ability the Mesitori now serve the Hollow as his emissaries. They teach the faithful their master's dark arts and spread the gospel of His cause.
The Avatars of the Hollow
On occasion the Hollow projects His spirit beyond Bel'Zanar to personally cause pain and suffering or to remind less than faithful followers of His power. His form varies; to some his Avatar is the Bloody Knight; a giant armoured warrior whose joints weep blood and to others He appears as the Saint; an old man with black holes for eyes and a grin far too wide. Yet the most feared is the Weeping Boy; a child in rags who cries and all who hear it are driven mad with misery and self-loathing causing mass suicides and psychotic killing sprees. Certain scholars of the profane say the Weeping Boy is the true form of the Hollow, a remnant of who He was before His ascension.
Even though these Avatars possess only a fraction of the Hollow's power they are still incredibly powerful and dangerous and there are few entities on Earth and Otherworld who could stand against them. And even if defeated, no real harm is incurred upon the Hollow; only more pain.
The Cult of the Hollow
The numerous Cults who worship the Hollow and by extension the Shai Nari (even if they are unaware of it) mostly consist of the downtrodden and forgotten, those with nothing to lose. The cult offers a way out, it offers power. It feeds the self-loathing and self-pity and suppressed rage and hatred at an unjust world and gives the faithful a way to strike back at a world that they deserved a better life in. The greater the act of bloodshed and sacrifice, the more the Hollow rewards the faithful. The lowest ranks are neophytes; the desperate who have nothing to lose. Then are the Acolytes, those who have proven their worth to the Hollow and have been blessed. Finally one reaches the Priests and Arch Priests; beings who have committed unspeakable atrocities and inspired others to do the same. They are horrifically powerful and evil creatures fortunately few in number.
The Cults work dark rituals and rites to summon aide from the Hollow who may answer their pleas if their sacrifices please Him with servants like the Mettigar and the Bane, lesser demons and monsters. The Hollow does not care for grand schemes and plans; His servants exist to bring pain and even if they perish more will come.
One of the most feared spells the Cults have access to is opening portals directly to Bel'Zanar and tethering that terrible place to Earth. The more powerful versions of the spell, those wrought with larger blood sacrifices, can turn anything from rooms right up to whole districts into whole districts. Essentially the affected area becomes a part of Bel'Zanar and its denizens have free reign to wreck havoc so long as the tether remains. So far there has been very few cases of this as it requires considerable blood to enact and has only occurred in small areas. But how long until a cult tries to plunge an entire city into Bel'Zanar?
BLOOD AND PAIN MAGIC
The Hollow and its minions teach the faithful dark and terrible magic based on blood and pain. The more blood spilled, the more pain inflicted whether on the caster or victims, the more potent the spell. Users of the Hollow's magic who survive long enough become masochistic sadists who revel in bloodshed and horrific acts of savagery. They become personifications of the Hollow's Will, spreading His dark and terrible teachings to those who will listen on bloody pilgrimages. They do not fear death as to them death is a release.
Another dangerous spell is the creation of an Abomination. A member of the faithful is chosen and subjected to hideous torture, driving them to the brink of death. Then almost as life leaves their body they are submerged into a pool of sacrificial blood and after a lengthy and exhaustive chant by the Arch Priest emerge transformed; they are towering hulks of grotesque flesh and misshapen limbs driven by an all consuming rage at those who have not embraced the teachings of the Hollow. They can be calmed by words taught to the Arch Priest by a Bane so that the beast may be unleashed at the opportune moment.
The Cult releases the Abomination either at a target be it an important official or someone whose death would cause much distress, or to simply wreck havoc. The Abomination is a berserker so far gone in mind it feels only rage and hatred. Even a Praetorian struggles one on one with an Abomination and it takes considerable firepower and numbers to bring one down. Attacks by Abominations are growing and the Conclave is considering introducing newer, heavier and more formidable Praetorians to combat the menace.
MOTIVATIONS
So what does the Hollow want? What motivates Him to perform the unspeakable acts He does and inspire legions of loyal faithful to inflict pain and suffering upon themselves and all others?
For a centuries old God the Hollow's motivation is simple.
He wishes to die. Every moment of His existence is painful. All He once loved is lost and can never be brought back. Once He had memories but with the passage of time He has lost even that. For all His power and influence and the terror He inspires and adoration He receives is meaningless. Loneliness and loss drive Him to do what He does. He hates existence because it reminds Him of what He no longer has. But try though he has and sometimes still does, He cannot die. Once He sought out great champions He felt sure could slay Him but they could not. Each time He died He returned, stronger yes but the pain would never leave him. It was the Elnorians who imprisoned Him in Bel'Zanar. They tried to help Him but their efforts failed and so they built a prison to contain Him and perhaps limit the damage He would inflict upon Otherworld and beyond.
That is why He has allied with the Shai Nari. They have promised Him that once released they will end creation and He will be free. No more pain and suffering. No more soul crushing loneliness. Once the Shai Nari are free the Hollow will be free.
Wow, this is one heck of an antagonist. I love how his terrible deeds are done because of the amount of pain he's in. It's an interesting take on The Big Evil. I also love all the horrors he creates, and the avatars are absolutely terrifying. It's a great article all around!
Thanks. I'm trying to paint him as a tragic victim. I'm not going too deep with this version but there's a reason he is the way he is and as awful as he is as an antagonist
Oooh that makes me even more intrigued!