TARTAROS
The edge of existence, and the beginning of the war between light and dark
How it Began
Beyond existence lies an eternal nothingness known as Tartaros or the Darkness. It is, to put it more accurately, non-existence. Ever since the birth of the Spectrum of Existence, it has sought a way in. A way to destroy what is. Many imperial scholars and philosophers have debated what exactly Tartaros is, with the more shrewd among them pointing out the flaw in that very question. Perhaps the question can be rephrased as what exactly Tartaros is not. However, they all agree that whatever it is or isn’t, it seeks to destroy all that exists. It might be that the Darkness is unaware, without a specific mindset, and that rather it behaves more instinctually. Indeed, this has become the prevailing theory among most scholars including those from across the Adalcis Ocean.
The White Daemoni (imperial holy book of the church), teaches that it was angels who discovered the Darkness. It hints that when the first angels birthed within the first stars began to explore the Spectrum of Existence, studying its vast array of worlds, stars, and nebula, they discovered an endless void when they reached the edges of the Spectrum. An emptiness, which they could not touch, nor enter. It even drove a few of them insane when they attempted to cross over. It caused others to become ill, and many described a deep coldness inside of them. While the White Daemoni does not describe all of these events, there are other ancient sources. In the end, the angels named it, Tartaros.
(It has long been a hot topic among paytors and theologians as to who named the angels. Of course the Imperial Church refuses to accept the existence of gods or a god, likes other heathen beliefs do. They insist that angels are divine and the creators of all. It is believed by some that angels do not receive their names, but rather feel them in a way mortals can never understand.)
The first, and therefore oldest, angel was named Volcanus. (There is more about him under Angels in the Archive). As more angels were born, thousands becoming hundreds of thousands, becoming myriads, he quickly set up a hierarchy with him at its head. Unfortunately, his thirst for power was not sated. Having created several, now unknown and mysterious angelic artefacts, he also created the first soul shard. What he intended to do with it exactly, is unknown, but what is known is what he did do.
Using the shard, he cut away pieces of existence, producing the Shathra Stone, then he used a another part of the Spectrum to create a nameless artefact that would later become the Book of Souls, and lastly, he created the Aura. What his original intentions were is also unknown, but it is agreed among many mortal scholars the he inadvertently began the war between light and dark, between existence and oblivion. By cutting away pieces of the Spectrum, he allowed Tartaros a way in.
It did not take long for the first attacks to occur, angels vanishing from the edge of existence. Once the threat became known, it was already too late. Tartaros had begun its destruction of the Spectrum of Existence. Angels gathered on the border to defend the Spectrum and myriads were destroyed, or turned against their own. It was a disaster and Volcanus was exiled, his name a byword among angels for betrayal.
Shraeds
Tartaros is nothingness, the absence of everything, and yet when it came into contact with the Spectrum it turned existence on itself. It was able to use the very fabric of existence itself to form entities. One of these was the shraed.
Winged monsters, they are often described as a dark writhing mass of talons and wings. Devoid of any independence they are mere manifestations created by Tartaros to extend its will into the Spectrum. Shraeds often spew forth in their millions from giant black holes that erupt within the Spectrum. It is believed that the first black holes were as a result of Volcanus cutting away parts of existence to form his artefacts. Ranks of angels always meet the shraed swarms in a terrible clash of light and darkness, and after every clash, the Spectrum shrinks a little further. The angels appear unable to stop its advance, but they have fought hard to slow it.
Manic and Mania
Two notable and eccentric shraeds, sometimes referred to as the Twins as they often appear as a brother and sister, are called, Manic and Mania. Originally, Tartaros used them to gain possession of the mind of a mortal. Somehow, they became infected with a little humanity. Having gained a measure of independence, the duo began to operate independently of Tartaros. Always with their own dark agenda, they began to interfere in mortal and angelic affairs, and their power and influence has continued to grow.
The Fallen Ones (More on these under Angels in the Archive)
While many angels that fell to the minions of Tartaros were destroyed, others were not. Some of these became Fallen Ones. Infected by the essence of Tartaros they became its foot soldiers, and often fought alongside the shraeds.
It’s worth noting that not all the Fallen were victims; some chose to change sides for a variety of reasons from being overwhelmed by the onslaught of Tartaros and its inevitability, to disillusionment and outright hatred for the angelic ruling body known as the Seraphim Council. Those who chose their fate often retained their independence of action and thought. After all, all Tartaros wants is the destruction of existence by whatever means necessary. If that meant some of the Fallen turning on one another or trying to carve out their own piece of the Spectrum to rule, so be it. In the end, the Darkness always wins.
Other Entities of Tartaros
Lucifer, known as the Prince of Darkness, is a more unusual entity in that it appears he or it had a form of identity that shraeds generally did not possess. Even Manic and Mania did not reach their level of sentience without human contact. Of course, Lucifer did have human contact with a sorceress, and it is not known if he drew his identity from her, or if he possessed it beforehand. Either way, at some point, he claimed the title of Prince and appeared to rule Tartaros. Not much is known about this entity, but it is safe to say that he or it was something much more than a mere shraed. It claimed to be Tartaros itself, rather than a product of it, and was perhaps a manifestation of its will. This may have occured due to the initial contact between Tartaros and existence.
The Fetch, was a creature said to have been created by the Grim, though the truth was somewhat different. After all, one of the Grim’s titles was Father of Lies. The Grim merely borrowed the Fetch, tailoring it to his needs, and the Fetch served because ultimately the Grim did what Tartaros wanted, whether he was cognizant of it or not. Tartaros made use of many different servants, both willing and unwilling, both aware and unaware, to further its aims of annihilation. It would also pit its servants against one another, the strongest and most brutal surviving. The Grim was one such servant, though he was it is believed, unaware. He was said to have been deluded into believing he fought against Tartaros. It began that way, perhaps, but the Darkness had other plans for him.
Rade Wyn, was born the granddaughter of the imperator Tolan Laman Todralan, her birth name being Rade Wyntara Todralan, which she later shortened. Both she and her twin sister Antipa initiated the purges in the year 702YC against the viral undead. Even then, they were both being used as pawns of Tartaros, which had already marked the undead as a threat to its plans.
Though she and her sister succeeded, at least in part, her sister died during the first purge and her son later abandoned her. Left alone, it is unknown exactly what became of her until the year 924YC over two hundred years later. By then, Tartaros had taken control of her, with very little of her humanity remaining; just enough to keep resisting a little longer due to the love she held for her son. Three years later in the year 927YC, even that much had been lost as Tartaros overwhelmed what remained of her.
Nightmares, were entities manifested from bodies of water like rivers, lakes or even ponds, and seemed to be composed of nothing more than rotting fish, water grasses, and silt, all held together with dark magic. Yet the effect they had when attacking mortals was devastating. They were particularly difficult to destroy and often required viral mages in clots working in concert to do so.
Gressil, a personal creation of Lucifer’s, and unlike the shraeds that seemed to manifest on simple contact between Tartaros and the Spectrum, this creature was more of an assassin where the shraeds were like foot soldiers. With the ability to hide within reflections, it is in some ways reminiscent of the Fetch and may well have been inspired by it.
In its beast form, Gressil had six legs, two heads and eight mouths filled with teeth. It could also appear in mortal form, though it appears for only limited periods. The reason for this is unknown. It did not appear to have any identity or independent thought of its own, proving to be its main weakness. It was unable to adapt and counter complex threats. It appears that Tartaros in general has difficulty adapting to existence, and often finds its will either blunted in the case of Gressil, or usurped in the case of Manic and Mania.
Despite certain weaknesses, the threat of Tartaros remains great, as it manages to eat away at the Spectrum bit by bit. Its essence, used to bond with existence and create shraeds etc., appeared endless. Since existence is finite, in a protracted war the Darkness wins. Therefore, a time will come when all of existence ends. Until then, the fight goes on, for therein lies the very essence of existence.