Three years ago in the wake of Hollowpoint's destruction by a meteor strike came the Affliction, a sinister magical plague embodying the very essence of entropy. Then from the ruins of this cataclysmic event arose The Void's Embrace, a formidable cult working to quietly overthrow the country from the shadows. Those ensnared by the cult find their physical forms marred by ashen skin, peeling away in a grotesque mimicry of wood ash. The cult's grim worldview revolves around the conviction that existence itself is a cruel jest of lies, viewing the uncorrupted with disdain and deeming them impure, needing to be reborn with their truth. In the eyes of The Void's Embrace, death is the final merging with the void, fully succumbing to the Affliction's insidious influence.
Guided by the mysterious and formidable figure known as "The Crown," the cult operates within a hierarchical structure. Alongside The Crown is a secondary leader, a puppeteer orchestrating events from the shadows. Little is known about this hidden figure, believed to be the original founder of the cult. Surrounding them are the four generals, "The Pillars," wielding unparalleled power and corruption that eclipses the lower ranks. Advancement within the cult is a pursuit of power from the Affliction itself, symbolizing favor from the ominous source.
Enrollment into The Void's Embrace is often an involuntary descent into darkness. The cult abducts individuals, forcibly subjecting them to the Affliction, and integrating them into the fold. The cult's symbol, an eye imprisoned and consumed by swirling darkness held open by two hands, represents the insidious influence of the Affliction.
Rituals and practices unfold in sinister reverence, with devotees worshiping the Affliction and paying homage to the meteor crash site in Hollowpoint—a hallowed ground believed to be the starting place of the plague. Ceremonies unfold regularly at this malevolent site, where new initiates absorb the Affliction, sealing their pact with the void.
The cult's primary ambition unfurls as a pervasive menace—they seek to spread “the truth” of the Affliction throughout Veargreum and beyond, ultimately infiltrating the entire world of Crius. Operating in the shadows, The Void's Embrace shrouds its existence and the malevolent presence of the Affliction from Veargreum. Their preferred method is one of insidious manipulation and gradual infiltration, a methodical journey towards seizing control without the clamor of outright war.
Erebus, the 1st Pillar, once loomed as a formidable figure within the cult—a towering goliath adorned in heavy plate armor, a living inferno. His fall at the Battle of Nature's Rest gave very little answers to those involved. Presently, a lone group, the Saviors of Crius (SOC), stands against this rising darkness. However, the broader public and military, ensnared in the tendrils of willing ignorance, still perceive The Void's Embrace as a myth rather than a tangible menace. As the cult continues its relentless spread of the Affliction it casts an ever-deepening, foreboding shadow over the once serene lands of Veargreum.
