The Void Caller

Hello! I am Auroch Armstrong, and this is the Void Caller, an informational/entertaining blog bringing you stories from my world.

[aurocharmstrong]

Just what are “Planes” and “Worlds”?

Planes and worlds are the quantifiable units with which one can just begin to measure the universe.

Beginning with the smaller of the two, a world is a mostly homogeneous mass of matter that houses a somewhat consistent array of living beings, geological patterns, etc. Worlds are often, though not exclusively, spherical and exist in harmony with other worlds just barely visible by the naked eye. Worlds float around in a mostly empty expanse known as the Astral Sea, and they tend to orbit some common source of light and heat. My own world orbits the great World Tree at the center of our plane.

Now a plane is much larger and may contain many worlds within itself. The best way to understand planes is to use the geometric phenomenon for which they are named. Imagine that a plane is a literal flat plane, perhaps a sheet of paper. Then imagine many worlds as individual points on said plane. Finally, imagine many planes stacked on top of each other to form the universe.

As you can imagine, travel between points on a plane is much easier than travel between planes. I shall cover that subject in a later issue, but for now remember: a world can be traversed by land or sea, between worlds on a plane by the Astral Sea, and between planes in the universe by very special means. That is the main issue that separates the two, really: the degree of difficulty to travel between them.

Some societies have figured out travel between planes, while others are just beginning to discover their own world. Regardless of your situation, remember that all worlds and planes are precious; nothing short of a god is able to create a new one, and if you are reading this I highly doubt you command the will of any gods. So take care of your world.

May the sun brighten your joy and the clouds hide your sorrow.

T.K.

[aurocharmstrong]

The Eldritch and You

By Doctor

Part 1 - Introduction

Welcome to The Eldritch and You! I am Doctor and this is my crash course guidebook on the eldritch and how YOU can stay sane while living in the same world as them.

First off, I would like to answer the most important question: what does it mean to be eldritch? The word “eldritch” means something that is weird or sinister, even alien. In my line of work, something eldritch is something that cannot be known, similar to magic, but not quite the same.

While magic is something that can never be understood, its nature can still be observed directly. Magic can be manipulated and experienced with the senses as normal, and it can be understood up to the point of “we just don’t get this one part”. What makes something eldritch is the fact that it cannot even be comprehended.

When one observes a magic stick that shoots lighting, one would logically conclude, “This is a magic stick that shoots lightning.” One could even understand, “This magic stick shoots lightning because its core is tied to the flow of elixir that runs through the universe.” What one cannot understand is how exactly the elixir creates the lighting.

Now, when one observes an eldritch stick that shoots eldritch lightning, one would conclude, “What the hell just happened?” One would not even register that lightning shot out of the stick. One might see a flash of light, or the consequences of lightning hitting something, or maybe even something completely unrelated fabricated by the brain, but the lightning itself, even though it can be seen, it cannot be comprehended. The mortal mind simply cannot put together the things that are right in front of it, and that is what makes a thing eldritch.

And for an item or being to be eldritch, it must have an inherent attribute that cannot be comprehended by the mortal brain. It can be as simple an item or as powerful a god as you like, but the common factor is always the incomprehensibility.

As you can imagine, this makes it very hard to study eldritch things. For the most part, the eldritch can be observed indirectly, and some eldritch things can even be contained. Using these two techniques, I have devoted the last several years of my life to the study of the eldritch, and now I compile my findings for you.

I hope that by reading my writing you may avoid the insanity that has plagued my brain. Not by understanding anything, mind you, but by being smart enough to satiate your curiously among the pages and never seek out these things in real life. But if your curiosity does get the better of you, I have left you plenty of practical advice to end any encounter with the eldritch at minimal risk to your person.

Don’t let them hear you,

Doctor

[acejam10]

GEONOVAEL

“Oh the planet amongst the stars the home of eternal mystery, whimsy, and dread . . . What a magnificent thing her spirit is”- FROM THE ONE BEYOND THE STARS

Geonovael is the place where my story takes place. This is only a part of Geonovael it has an inner planet that also connects to another dimension but that’s a tale for another day. It’s also has 2 moons I think they’re neat. Anyway

Rn this is what the planet looks like.

What YALL think of me planet. If u have any questions or anything feel free to ask, I will be glad to answer.

[aurocharmstrong]

I was a Fruit

By Hilfrig

I was a fruit

A beast stole me away

Consumed all I was

And tossed me aside

I was a seed

And many were saplings

I sprouted up slowly

But I was not alone

I was a sapling

And many were yearlings

I struggled to survive

With few by my side

I was a yearling

And others grew fast

I feared for my life

As they left me behind

I grew up so slow

And the others were grand

The steel took them all

Save one by my side

I soon stood still small

Though grander I grew

And beside me yet grander

Though I fear the steel’s hunger

I grew to be grand

And my parter more so

We live without fear

The steel fears the beast

[aurocharmstrong]

Just what are “The Seven and Twenty”?

The Seven and Twenty is a list of prophecies that have existed as long as scholars can trace back, and probably longer. They have been found across the planes etched in standing stones and cliff faces, spelled out by ancient fungal colonies, and even revealed by the pure flow of magic itself.

(Editor’s Note: The prophecies have been found written out in almost every known language as well. They have been very useful in translation of less spoken languages. If you are familiar with something called the “Rosetta Stone” it’s the same concept, but on a much larger scale. — A.A.)

The sites where these prophecies have been found in their written form quickly become sacred sites, often causing chapels to the Creator god, and sometimes entire cities, to be erected around them. Since these prophecies are older than history itself and they carry so much power, they are almost universally attributed to the Creator god. However, we have no more than circumstantial evidence to prove that, as the Creator has not made any contact to confirm or deny this theory.

The Seven and Twenty may also refer to the divine guardians of the prophecies. They are not exactly “gods” by the full definition, but the prophecies are generally considered a core part of the universe, and since the guardians are innately tied to a prophecy each, they could qualify as minor gods. However, due to their mysterious nature, scholars tend to place them in a category all to themselves.

Additionally, we do not have concrete proof that each prophecy has a guardian, but of the 6 that have yet been fulfilled, there has come an unknown divine being that played a major role in the prophecy and disappeared promptly after, so it’s safe to assume the pattern will repeat itself.

You may be wondering, “Why 27? Such an odd number to choose.” And if you will pardon the unfortunate pun, I will admit to you that the best scholars wonder the same thing. Some say it has to do with the number 3, and the fact that 27 is 3 to the power of 3. This number was supposedly sacred in ancient times, but we have little information about the origin of this tradition. Many churches of the Creator hold to it, but no one really understands what the significance is other than ritual.

A final note on the prophecies being fulfilled: be grateful if you do not live to see a time when it happens. They seem to have no rhyme or reason for when or in which order they come about, and the events are the cause of great turmoil. If you would like to read the tales of the prophecies that have been fulfilled thus far, I am not an expert on the nuances of history, but I can recommend you to some in a future article.

(Editor’s Note: I will try to find some of those sources as well. — A.A.)

May the sun brighten your joy and the clouds hide your sorrow.

T.K.

[gnarlyghost]

Recent Insectoid Musician Comm

[bluebellowl]

I was in eastern germany, saw quite a bit of old architecture and decorations and got inspired

So now we got Chandelure themed glass man Ingo.

Kinda reminds me of how Bass and Treble from Megaman can fuse into a more powerful Bass. They even got similar colours!

Anyway here’s some refs i took while on vacay

[rudamaruda520]

me as a writer

[tenderwatches]

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

[aurocharmstrong]

My god I needed this

[doctoralhashimi]

"I need a fic about this!"

but have you commented on an existing fic today? have you left guest kudos today on that fic you've already kudos-ed before but can't stop coming back to? have you shared a writer's post today?

have you supported your writers today such that they feel encouraged enough to write the fic you are asking for tomorrow?

[aurocharmstrong]

Great now not reblogging this feels like hypocrisy

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

fiction and art that depict taboo, problematic, disgusting, socially unacceptable contents do not reflect artists’ in-real-life moral compass. no matter if it’s romanticizing said contents or not. hope this helps.

[aurocharmstrong]

This and: intentionally adding characters with terrible or problematic morals is how you write a good villain! Or antihero! Or redemption arc!

[aurocharmstrong]

Mossface Chili

From Cooking for Civil Folk

Feeds approximately 4. Multiply for larger groups.

4 large tomatoes

2 hands ground axedeer

1 hand mossface sausage

1 blue onion

4 cloves garlic

2 swigs raw water buffalo milk

2 orange pigtail peppers (NOT RED)

2 hands cooked sand beans

1 shell acorn paste

1/2 shell green paprika powder

Salt

Brown your sausage and axedeer separately, then set aside. Char your tomatoes, the grind to a watery paste, adding water as needed. Lightly cook your remaining vegetables separately, optionally caramelizing the onions. Combine your tomato sauce, meats, vegetables and spices in a large pot. Allow to simmer for 2 hours. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Keep warm until serving, optionally topping with water buffalo cheese. Perfect for your next Mossface Festival gathering!

[aurocharmstrong]

Schwarzentier

By Hilfrig

A gash in the side

Limbs fractured

A deep scar

Savagery

A place of my own

Space cleared

A personal touch

Home

[aurocharmstrong]

Just what is “Magic”?

Good question. The answer is surprisingly simple. Yet the answer is also endlessly expansive and ever-changing.

Put very simply, magic is anything that contains the unknowable essence of the Creator. If a thing cannot be fully understood without first comprehending the true nature of the Creator, it is magic. This definition is unchanging. This is “magic” as defined by the gods themselves. Anything that does not abide by this rule, anything that can be fully understood on a purely physical level, is considered “mundane”.

Although, this definition hardly clarifies anything. No thing can really truly be understood down to its pure, finest, smallest makeup. So I suppose everything is magic. And some things are more magical than others I suppose. A stone, for example, can be more thoroughly understood than the mind of a person, if only due to its simpler nature. So is a stone mundane and the mind magic? Not really.

See, the old word from which “magic” is derived can also be derived to the word “mystery”. So magic is anything that contains mystery. In a way, magic is subjective then, because mystery and curiosity tend to go hand in hand. What seems perfectly mundane to a person may be completely enthralling to another, like the fine, detailed makeup of a stone, for example.

This is at least the colloquial definition, but there is a more exact way to say it. You see, the concept of mundane versus magical is less a debate of “Do we understand it yet?” Although that is certainly a mistake that scientists and magicians make, but it is rather a case of “Can we ever understand it?” At least in a mundane sense. And that is determined by the presence or lack of magical energy. Mana, ESP, chi, flow, spirit, there are a lot of names for it, but they are all in a way containing the unknowable essence of the Creator. And if the amount of essence, and inversely the amount that a mundane scholar can understand it, is substantial, then a thing itself can be considered fully magical.

This is all a bit much I realize. I suppose a better question might be, “What is magic the way a spell or a wizard might be concerned?” Or perhaps, “What is a magician and how might I become one?”

The concept of magic and spells and magicians the way a layman understands it is the way that someone or something can manipulate this magical energy directly. While the true magical essence of the Creator cannot be know totally, there are those who can understand bits of it or its influence. Those people are called Magicians, and the methods they use is what the layman would refer to as Magic.

And I believe, dear reader, that I have finally answered the question. My apologies for the rambling. I am a foremost a philosopher, not a writer, but I seek to improve myself always as I am sure you do by the fact you are reading my text.

May the sun brighten your joy and the clouds hide your sorrow.

T.K.

[aurocharmstrong]

Just what is “T.K.’s Basic Principles”?

It’s what you are reading right now, dear scholar. “Basic Principles” is a series of brief writings created by me, T.K., in order to educate the layman on the more intimate and complex corners of knowledge in a concise and legible way.

An attempt at least. I am aware that my flowery grammar often gets the best of me. You’ll have to forgive me, I am a philosopher foremost and often utilize vocabulary and turns of phrase a tad out of reach of the everyman, though I must say much less so than many of my colleagues.

Regardless, I hope that my writings serve to educate you and empower you. Knowledge is power after all, and those who have it are the same that cannot be manipulated so easily by the ill-intended.

May the sun brighten your joy and the clouds hide your sorrow.

T.K.

[aurocharmstrong]

Intro from the Editor

Hello! My name is Auroch Armstrong, editor-in-chief of the Void Caller. The Void Caller is a blog/journal that seeks to broaden your horizons by showcasing the philosophy, science, literature, and other such writings of my world. I have combined various one-off works and series from various authors, so hopefully you will be able to see every possible corner and perspective of the world I come from. I hope that you and others like you may find entertainment, inspiration, and education by reading the Void Caller.

Peace upon you,

A.A.