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[✓] Manite, Void Gems, and The Galvanized - An Expansion of Hollows


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Note - This lore is an elaboration of existing Hollows lore, not a retcon or redo. The original lore can be seen here:

 

 

 

On Hollows

 

It is no mystery, to those inclined to learn, that magic and the void are corruptive forces. The weakness of magi is but the first sign of this truth, though it is without a doubt one of the more mild forms. The true depth of this corruption is rarely seen, even by the most accomplished of magi.

 

Through the history of the descendants, on numerous occasions the Hollows, pinnacle of the void’s corruption, have manifested. While the basics of such a blight are well-known to those studied in them, little has been determined as to what lies in the depths of such a place.

 

Few could imagine what lies below, its wonders and its horrors.

 

Overview

 

As has already been ascertained, a Hollow is the result of magical calamity. A burst of energy, be it from a Node or some other disaster, is the typical cause for this blight to appear. Sometimes this occurs deep underground, where it's true nature may never be seen. Sometimes, on the surface where it shall forever scar the world with the Void’s potential.

 

Within the bounds of a Hollow, the world changes dramatically. A perpetual fog covers the sky, and all sorts of unnatural creations exist. The sun is unseen, the area remaining in a constant state of near dark. Time and space seem to follow their own rules within a Hollow, and direction and size are meaningless. One might travel north for hours through one, only to end up at the southern border mere minutes after he’d entered.

 

It is a dismal and treacherous place. Few ever seek to enter, and fewer ever return.

 

Effects

 

While occupying space within the physical realm, a Hollow seems to follow few of its properties. Time, Space, even life itself are far changed once one enters its bounds.

 

Physical Properties

 

A Hollow’s overall appearance and layout is based on what the location of it was prior. A region once mountainous will be mountainous, a region once urban will be urban, so on. However, those who may have been acquainted with the region prior to the formation of its Hollows will notice that the layout of the area has changed. A city might find two buildings, once on opposite ends, sharing a wall. Cellars will lead to other cellars in an impossibly labyrinthine passage, ever leading down. Mountains will have newfound passages and caves, always leading down but never seeming to get any lower. Pathways, of some sort, are apparent, in all cases, leading ever-downward in some fractal pattern.

 

crystal_city_by_lethalbean-d7wl0v3.jpg

 

An urban area turned Explosion Hollow.

 

As was already known, the nature of a Hollow’s appearance also depends on the type of explosion, though it's patterned depths remain in either. An Explosive Hollow will have its crystalline appearance, and an implosive Hollow it's wildly transmuted one.

 

DregHeap.jpg

 

A dramatic example of an Implosion Hollow, occurring within a city.



 

Mana is dense in the air, as well as everything else within the Hollows. Any metals in the area take on the properties of Arcanium, though any attempts at harvesting it are likely to end in failure. Stone itself has taken on a similar nature, transforming into a substance that one mage promptly named Manite, for its special properties.

 

In the deepest reaches of a Hollow, small, brightly glowing white crystals form - the true treasure of this unmade land. Coveted by enchanters for their seemingly infinite mana-supply, entire expeditions into a Hollow would be considered a success if merely one such gem was found.



 

The Galvanized



 

Inside a Hollow, life is a cruel imitation of what lies outside. Terrors are commonplace, and Horrors are not particularly rare. Furthermore, the corpses of those who perished, be them man or beast, often find themselves rising - mere puppets to the mana coursing through them. These aberrations, dubbed ‘The Galvanized’ mindlessly wander the depths of the Hollow, and make up the most common creatures within. These creatures act as puppets, apparently controlled by the more dangerous Terrors and Horrors lurking within the region. They act as violent husks, attacking any not as corrupted as they with both physical blows and bursts of unstable magical energies, taking the forms of the five elemental evocations.

 

The Galvanized are not solely of the corpses of men - any once living, pliable tissue is vulnerable to this process. A Hollowed forest might be home to Galvanized bears, charging forth with ferocity and spewing voidal flame, for example.

 

Shadow_Beast.png

 

A Galvanized human, formed in an Implosion Hollow.

 

They are puppets, rather than undead. More similar to an atronach or conjuration creature than a necrolyte. Holy magics are not without effect on them, but nor are they particularly powerful. The only reliable way to kill a Galvanized is to destroy its physical form.

 

Like the Hollows themselves, the Galvanized are affected by the nature of its creation. An explosion Hollow will result in crystalline figures, with growths on their bodies whereas an Implosion Hollow will result in morphed and disfigured creatures.

 

Crystal Knight.jpg

 

The body of a knight, Galvanized after the formation of an Explosion Hollow.

 

Manite and Void Gems

 

Manite and Void Gems are the two treasures that of a Hollow. Like everything else within the region, they are objects that have been bombarded with obscene amounts of mana, giving them strange new properties.

 

Manite

 

Manite is the most common of the two, usually forming where any exposed stone was present. Manite is typically found as a dark blue or purple color, and exhibits two immediate traits.

 

Manite.jpg

 

Variable Mass - When affected by alteration, particularly transmutation, manite displays a trait that, by all rights, should not exist. Using transmutation to change the size and shape of such a stone does not merely shift the stone, but adds to it or subtracts from it. This process becomes increasingly harder, as the mass changes further from its original value, but through transmutation a skilled transfigurationist can shift a given sample to anywhere between one tenth its original size and mass, to ten times that original. The stone does not lose density in this process, as the vast amount of mana that seeped into the stone seems to evoke or discard material as necessary to maintain its original density.

 

Telekinetic Assistance - Telekinesis as well has special effects on Manite. The massive mana reserve within the stone seems to lend itself to any telekinetic spell used on it. It roughly matches the force applied to it, causing the given spell to be about twice as powerful as it would be otherwise.

 

Red Line

 

Transmuted Manite cannot exceed one tenth, or ten times the original mass. For archons, this extends to one fifteenth and fifteen times.


 

Void Gems

 

The true treasure of a Hollow, the Void Gems are incredibly rare, incredibly powerful items. Usually found as tiny shards, larger gems are exponentially rarer than smaller ones, and almost always found in the deepest reaches of a Hollow.

 

Functionally, Void Gems are almost identical to Mana Gems with one major distinction - they absorb ambient mana from around them, passively recharging at a slow rate. This effect is not grand enough to show any adverse reactions in the surrounding area, but the gem will slowly regain mana until it reaches its capacity - an amount that is fairly larger than managems of the same size.

 

This recharging is a slow process, not unlike the similar effect that normal managems undergo when near a tear. A Void Gem will not last forever when active. In addition, its output is restricted by the size of a gem. Smaller gems can only output a stream of mana large enough for smaller enchantments. Gems large enough to supply mana to larger devices such as Atronachs are nearly impossible to find.

 

In addition, the gems themselves cannot be magically altered, only bound to an enchantment. Shards cannot be transmuted together, and any adjustment in shape or size is done only by physically cutting the gem - a process that irreversibly lessens its power.

 

VoidGem.jpg


 

Red Lines

 

One cannot RP the use of a Void-Gem without possession of a ET-Approved item representing one. These are meant to be rare rewards, not a staple in enchanting.

 

Void Gems large enough to be capable of powering large devices, such as Atronachs, require LM approval.

 

The size and shape of a Void Gem can only be changed through cutting it, transmutation of these gems is impossible.


 

Implementation

 

This lore is intended to give further purpose to Hollows, and as such, is primarily focused on creating an event-setting with fitting, balanced rewards.

 

An underground Hollows can be located anywhere, due to the nature of their creation, though surface ones are more difficult to justify. Examples of appropriate surface Hollow locations would be the Johannesburg ruins, or anywhere that has been home to a voidal tear for a long time.

 

Neither new material, Manite nor Void Gems, are designed to be widespread or powerful. Both require an ET-Approved item to be roleplayed, and are meant as useful, but not game-changing, rewards for successful expeditions into the Hollows.

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I thought there was already lore for hollows? Even if or not more lore is always welcomed, we must explain the unexplainable.

 

 

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Just now, Tox said:

I thought there was already lore for hollows? Even if or not more lore is always welcomed, we must explain the unexplainable.

 

 

 

The current Hollows lore by Moot only describes the very basics of Hollows - the difference between Implosion and Explosion Hollows. This lore elaborates on the Hollows, adding content and detail to them.

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So what you're telling me is that you can gather and transmute enough "manite" to build a floating... thing by utilizing it's unique telekinetic properties with enchantments??

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Just now, SodaiKamikaze said:

So what you're telling me is that you can gather and transmute enough "manite" to build a floating... thing by utilizing it's unique telekinetic properties with enchantments??

 

No. It simply matches telekinetic force applied to it, effectively halving the force needed to move it. It doesn't make anything possible that is currently impossible.

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Infinite mana gems are overkill, otherwise I like the rest.

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Just now, Aerial "The Wroth" Kebabu said:

Infinite mana gems are overkill, otherwise I like the rest.

 

They're restricted by the rate at which mana flows, and difficult to obtain. Void Gems will only really see use in minor enchants, things like magelights whatnot. Manablades, at most.

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Do you have a separate explanation for the previous Hollows that created random structures and entities by telepathically reading those who entered its presence? Is there a situation in which this happens, rather than the Hollows which you have detailed? They were typically from Nodes upon which Mages had established themselves so it could have something to do with the tampering of the energies put out by the Node prior to it resulting in a Hollows.

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Sorry if this comes off as meta but I havent even really heard about these hollows, how many are even in axios, can any old et just make an event for them? The lore in really cool I just don't know how often it would be used. And it personally would love to rp in an area like that in given the chance

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Void Gems seem to be a naturally caused Void Shard, (something I'm working on ATM). Interesting explanations as well for everything.

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Mana from the Void seems to be a bit of an issue right now, seeing as we have no explanation for why the Void can produce it. It may be an idea to talk with others and work out exactly why the Void has the capacity to do this (at least under these circumstances). Just seems odd for something that has no soul to have the capacity to produce an energy unique to them.

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10 hours ago, Elindor said:

Do you have a separate explanation for the previous Hollows that created random structures and entities by telepathically reading those who entered its presence? Is there a situation in which this happens, rather than the Hollows which you have detailed? They were typically from Nodes upon which Mages had established themselves so it could have something to do with the tampering of the energies put out by the Node prior to it resulting in a Hollows.

 

The implosion hollows will operate most closely to what you've said. They're the ones where things start to get transmuted into other structures. However, as far as both voidal lore and event implementation goes, I think it's simpler for them to create random structures that are simply based on what's already present - Buildings in a city, etc.

 

7 hours ago, Gizzol said:

Sorry if this comes off as meta but I havent even really heard about these hollows, how many are even in axios, can any old et just make an event for them? The lore in really cool I just don't know how often it would be used. And it personally would love to rp in an area like that in given the chance

 

They've been underutilized for a while now, the last one I can remember seeing was in Anthos. Right now, the best location for one to go would likely be Johannesburg. They're not particularly common, but a map only needs one to provide events.

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So pardon me if I am being dumb here. Either can the jburg area become a hollow or then why is this lore even going to be needed. You have now said it yourself that they are underused and have not been used in a few maps. I mean it's nice lore but perchance if it's not going to be used shelve it for a rainy day instead of writing lore for it.

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I don't think the infinite void gem makes much sense. Once the node goes poof, there's that infinite potential. Perhaps you could work around that and make the crystals found within hollows (perhaps found in large formations or on the Galvanized) simply more potent for mana gems? Just a thought.

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