[✗] [Voidal Feat] - The Unmoored

[Luxury 1085]

 

Credit to Andrew Hou

 

Background/Origin

The Void does not hold or embrace. It is an expanse without anchor, a force without affection. Those cabals of Magi who reach for it may do so together - but they are answered alone. The Void offers no warmth, only silence. An infinite, indifferent silence. The Void does not protect its seekers. It does not mourn those who lose themselves within it.

 

And yet, some push further. Some drift beyond the edge, drawn by the pull of understanding. The Veil; The stalwart barrier between the Mortal world and the Void, was never meant to be crossed. But some lean too far. Their reach extends beyond the limitations of body and mind. Wizards, scholars, arcanists - such names lose meaning when one begins to unravel. Their forms grow thin as their minds stretch across unseen distances. Their voices echo where none should hear. Mortality is a fragile mooring, and those who strain against it will find their tether snapping thread by thread.

 

Were they simply to fade, perhaps that would be ultimate mercy. Alas, they remain. Unmoored.

 

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Magic Explanation

The Unmoored are Voidal magi who have forcibly expanded their Mana Pools beyond mortal limits through a precise yet enervating ritual. This expansion - achieved by sacrificing portions of their own Anima, the soul-essence responsible for mana generation - permanently alters their body, mind, and Connection. The feat is not a mere advancement in casting; it is a metaphysical restructuring - an irreversible trade between the self and the Void.

 

The Rite of Expansion
The aspirant must gather at least two other Voidal magi to assist, totaling three participants. Together, they connect to the Void in the presence of a Mana Obelisk or Voidal Tear. The assisting magi maintain steady connections to the Void and direct stabilizing streams of mana into the aspirant. Their role is to anchor the aspirant’s expanding mana pool and contain the energy that would otherwise rupture outward. Without their support, the ritual would inflict immediate thaumburn. At the height of the ritual, the aspirant forcibly folds their own mana pool inward, severing a portion of their Anima and converting it into active casting mana

 

As a result, their ability to sustain prolonged or intricate magical work improves significantly. However, this artificial expansion disrupts the natural cycle of Anima replenishment. What was once passively restored over time now flows erratically, if at all. Their internal mana dynamics become unstable, leading to visible Aura leakage, weakened physical recovery, and gradual metaphysical unraveling.

 

-The ritual is self teachable by any character with [5] slots dedicated to Voidal Magic.
-The target mage requires the assistance of two [T5] magi or alternatively one [T3] Voidstalker.

 

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Physical Effects

 

The bodies of the Unmoored cannot withstand the strain of their expanded Mana Pools unscathed. This burden manifests as Wilting - a slow, irreversible deterioration of the physical form.

 

Their skin wrinkles, dulls, and grows papery and brittle, like ancient parchment or petrified wood. Muscle tone fades; movements become slow, stiff, and frail. In time, even their blood and genus are replaced by a thin, ichorous fluid tinged with the hues of their Aura. Wounds no longer heal naturally. Cuts and fractures persist unless painstakingly mended by arcane intervention. Although still alive, the Unmoored appear far older than their true years, their bodies suspended unnaturally between death and decay - sustained only by the mana coursing through their hollowed coil. They cease to age further, achieving a grim form of functional immortality.

 

Heavier armor becomes impossible to bear; anything beyond cloth or light leather induces strain. Likewise, most conventional weaponry proves too cumbersome, leaving the Unmoored reliant on their arcane arts alone.

 

Redlines:
-Limited to wearing cloth or non-armor grade leathers, no armor of any type (eg. Light, Medium, Heavy).
-Cannot effectively wield heavy or standard weaponry (swords, axes, bows).
-Restricted to lightweight weapons (daggers, knives) or staves with significant physical strain.
-Cannot sprint in combat; limited to walking or mounted travel.
-Must always roleplay visible frailty and aging, unable to be masked or amended by means alchemical or otherwise.

 

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On Arcane Healing

Due to their profound arcanic calcification, Unmoored magi cannot naturally recover from wounds. Healing is uniquely challenging, requiring deliberate and focused arcane intervention by another Voidal Mage or group of magi.

 

Process:
Arcane healing of the Unmoored is performed through a freeform ritual, in which mana is carefully and deliberately channeled into their withered body. This mana infusion repairs wounds superficially and restores limited structural integrity, without restoring vitality. If performed near an Obelisk or Voidal Tear, the ritual's effectiveness is notably enhanced, allowing severe injuries to heal slightly faster or with reduced complexity.

 

The mana required from participants scales directly with the severity of the injury:

Minor (Cuts, bruises, superficial injuries)                    T1 Spell Equivalent     Brief, simple ritual (2 emotes)
Moderate (Deep wounds, fractures, severe burns)                    T2-T3 Spell Equivalent    Extended ritual (3-4 emotes)
Severe (Lost limbs, organ trauma, catastrophic injuries)    T4-T5 Spell Equivalent    Prolonged, intricate ritual (5+ emotes)

 

Redlines:
-Unmoored cannot heal naturally under any circumstances.
-Participant(s)  must hold a Voidal Magic MA, and be able to perform magic at the specified tier for the injury they are healing; mundane healers cannot effectively restore Unmoored.
-In the presence of an Obelisk or Tear, the tier required for healing is reduced by one. (I.e. a moderate wound can be healed by a T1-T2 spell equivalent in 2 emotes).

-Severe damage may only be healed outside of combat scenarios.

 

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Mental Effects

The mind does not remain untouched. The Unmoored often experience moments of detachment - losing track of time, drifting mid-thought, or overlooking simple details. This is not mere senility, but the erosion of mortal rhythms caused by prolonged exposure to the whispers beyond the Veil.

 

These whispers, subtle and ever-present, bleed into their consciousness as fragmented thoughts: echoes of ideas not their own, glimpses of distant truths, or nonsensical murmurs. Some learn to live alongside these intrusions while others train their minds to quiet them, but they are never fully silenced. 

 

Paradoxically, where ordinary memory falters, arcane thought flourishes. Magical theory, formulae, and the structure of mana come effortlessly - etched deep into their cognitive foundations. The Unmoored often seem distant, eccentric, or forgetful in the day-to-day, yet they can recall ancient arcane theses or construct enchantments with startling clarity.

 

Redlines:
-All effects described are strictly narrative.
-This detachment bears no mechanical influence on spellcasting, success rate, or speed.
-Whispers may never be used to metagame, intuit OOC knowledge, or reveal truths not learned through legitimate in-character means.

 

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Credit to Jean-Baptiste Monge

 

Abilities

[Active] [Combat/Noncombat] - Fade
Years spent tethered too tightly to the Void have thinned the boundary between body and magic. When the Unmoored wills it, their form may dissolve - scattering into ephemeral motes, mist, or flame - becoming briefly untouchable, or vanishing entirely from the world.

 

Noncombat:
Over two emotes, the Unmoored may dissolve into arcane phenomena (e.g., ash, dust, sparks, ribbons) as a narrative exit; This allows for aesthetic soulstone travel, persona swaps, or RP logging out. Reappearance occurs off-screen or later via soulstone mechanics or narrative reintroduction.

 

Combat [1 Connect + 1 Cast]:
Upon fading, the Unmoored becomes intangible and immune to all effects (physical and magical) for 1 emote round (until their next turn). While faded, the caster cannot move, cast, speak, or take any action. Reappearance occurs in the exact location where the spell was cast.

 

Redlines:
-Cannot be used to escape imprisonment, bypass mechanical barriers, or circumvent server rules.
-Intangibility lasts 1 emote only, ending at the start of the caster’s next turn, where they may resume normal action.
-If the space where the Unmoored faded is occupied upon reformation, they will reappear in the nearest unoccupied tile within 1 block of the original location. This triggers disconnection from the Void and causes one full emote of disorientation, during which they may take no magical or physical action.

 

[Passive] [Noncombat] - Hallowed Praxis
In time, repetition evolves into muscle memory. For the Unmoored, casting has lost its novelty - it is no longer performed, but remembered. Every spell is long since internalized, enacted without any sense of urgency but with a sense of inevitability.

The Unmoored do not experience narrative fatigue from mundane or repetitive magical tasks. This includes rituals and standard usage of non-combative magic. These acts have become second nature, carried out instinctively.

 

Redlines:
-Strictly a flavorful way to show mastery over magic, offering no combative advantage.
-These casters may omit ritual induced casting fatigue; This does not increase the total count of rituals they may perform per day.

 

[Active] [Noncombat] - Grasp Beyond the Veil
The minds of the Unmoored no longer move linearly. When they close their eyes, they do not dream as others do - they fall inward, drifting along eddies of thought and forgotten truths. Through ritual meditation they may receive visions - obscure, symbolic, and often unsettling - that speak to their unraveling psyche.

The Unmoored may perform a meditative or trance-like ritual over the course of  four emotes to induce narrative visions, which may be:
-Dreamlike allegories about magical lore or cosmic events
-Reflections of a caster’s own anxieties, obsessions, or subconscious thoughts
-Symbolic interpretations of magical imbalance or metaphysical questions
-Visions of possible futures, never guaranteed
-Compatible with Prophecy

 

These visions may be player-written and interpreted, so long as they remain ambiguous and do not assert mechanical truth or metagame information. Alternatively, at the discretion of an overseeing ST or ET players may request a vision for event tie-ins or deeper Voidal insight.

 

Redlines:
-Unless approved by ST, Visions are purely symbolic and narrative. They may not assert factual or mechanical truths.
-Unless approved by ST, Visions cannot reveal specific locations, identities, or event triggers.
-Players may freely write or describe their visions, so long as they are abstract or dreamlike in presentation.
-Player written visions are non-binding and open to interpretation
-Limited to one use per IRL day.

 

[Active] [Noncombat] - Severance
The Unmoored may willingly shut down all magical resonance within themselves, collapsing their aura and tether to the Void in a single controlled act. While in this state, they cannot be detected, influenced, or affected by any form of magic - because through the lens of magic, they no longer exist. Severance lasts indefinitely until the caster willingly ends it.

The Unmoored enters a Severed state over the course of two emotes [1 to focus, 1 to sever], during which:
-They cannot be sensed by magical means (e.g., aura sight, MA/CA detection, magical tracking).
-They are immune to illusion, mind-affecting spells, and other magical influences.
-They cannot connect to the Void, cast spells, or maintain magical effects.

 

Redlines:
-The caster remains fully visible, audible, and physically interactable.
-The Unmoored may not cast, maintain, or concentrate on any spells during Severance.
-Severance may not be initiated during combat, though its effects may persist into combat if already active beforehand.

 

[Active] [Non-combat] - Arcane Succession
Through the Rite of Succession, an Unmoored may prepare to pass fragments of their unraveling essence into a chosen student. Upon the Unmoored’s permanent death (PK), this imprint anchors itself within the successor, preserving limited guidance through visions, cognitive impressions, and memories.

 

-Before death, an Unmoored must designate a single living student through direct RP, with OOC confirmation.
-Upon the Unmoored’s PK, the successor begins to experience visions, subconscious insights, and lingering memories guided by their former mentor.
-Should the successor later designate a student of their own, both they and the original Unmoored may continue to influence future generations, layering impressions across the lineage.
-Guidance manifests purely through narrative means: dreams, intuitive flashes, or philosophical musings.
-The original Unmoored’s influence persists indefinitely unless intentionally severed through roleplay.

 

Redlines:
-Arcane Succession activates only upon the Unmoored’s PK; no death, no imprint..
-Both the Unmoored and any active Successors must possess at least one valid TA to use Arcane Succession.
-Successors must still learn magic through normal RP channels and cannot shortcut progress through Succession alone.
-If a successor dies before the Unmoored, a new successor must be chosen ICly and confirmed OOCly before PK.
-Legacy chains may be voluntarily severed by a successor through a simple freeform narrative ritual.
-Arcane Succession does not reveal the cause of the Unmoored's death or the fate of previous Legacy Holders.
-This ability is only actionable for any Voidal MA that can be taught via OOC oversight.

 

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Tier Progression

 

Tier 1
Following the Rite of  Expansion, early signs of Wilting appear - faint aura instability, minor fatigue, and visible aging. The Unmoored may use Fade and Hallowed Praxis.
Lasts 2 weeks.

 

Tier 2
Physical and mental changes set in permanently. Ossification begins, and Voidal whispers grow more frequent. The Unmoored may now perform Grasp Beyond the Veil.
Lasts 2 weeks.

 

Tier 3
The Unmoored is fully detached from mortal rhythms, as such they no longer age biologically and will not die of natural causes. Their bodies persist in a deteriorated, but stable, arcane state. They gain access to Severance and Arcane Succession.

 

General Redlines

-This feat requires all 5 slots to be occupied by Voidal Magic. Dropping one would mean losing the benefits while retaining the drawbacks.
-Unmoored is incompatible with all other Voidal Feats (Voidal Artificery, Eminence, Voidstalker, Scion, and Veilwatcher)

 

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Purpose / Explanation
I asked myself what a modern “end game” Voidal feat would look like. I reforged an older write I had sitting in docs for years to try and accommodate the niche I was aiming for. I didn’t want this to be an objective power up ability wise, as much as a narrative treasure trove for advanced Magi to earn and explore. Hopefully that translates, I’d love to see what players do with it. Feel free to let me know if this is voidslop.

 

Credits

Direswift - Feedback

PrimaQuorum - Feedback
 

[Islamadon 9163]

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