The Land has many stories, and many ages. The Red Venom Plains has a history that is ancient and forgotten, but part of it remains etched into the memory of its inhabitants. One such memory is the scourge of the gods, the Apathetic Plague. They say it was the first sign of the pending banishment, and it plagues the Red Venom Plains to this day.
The deities of old perpetually struggled for followers. They did whatever they saw fit to grab power. At first they all wanted to see great kingdoms grow in their name and prosper, so their worship could be limitless. For a time the Red Venom Plains had unparalleled growth, and civilization took root in this expansive section of The Land. The vast resources of the Red Venom Plains were initially enough to support many seats of power, but as often happens, many wanted more than they had. Small wars erupted, and the earliest alliances were formed.
Some deities discovered that conflict brought more worship than prosperity, and it did not take long for all of the deities to act upon this. Great kingdoms were formed and great armies were organized, and wars erupted in the name of divine expansion. The savagery of the expansion took its toll on the people of the Red Venom Plains, but its effect on the resources of the region was far more profound. Entire forests were razed to provide farmlands or building materials, and mines were stripped of their resources to feed the engines of war. Often deities negotiated a conflict before it began, to ensure their followers suffered just enough to maximize their worship.
Unbeknownst to either man or god, a plague had started among the beasts. Some say it was The Land exacting revenge for the destruction of resources; others believe it was the proliferation of death that led to it. Animals, beasts, and some insects became tainted with a negative energy, a force not of The Land. The plague made these creatures larger, stronger, and more aggressive towards their prey. Initial reports said they always targeted nearby civilizations. It was soon discovered that they are attracted to sentient species as a shark is to blood, and that they were capable of absorbing their victim’s soul. All creatures of intelligence higher than beasts were vulnerable – from the simplest Kolbold to the ancient servants of the Higher Courts, this plague could end their very existence.
Rumors of these creatures were initially referred to as the “Void Plague”, based on the black, glassy, soulless eyes that Apathetic creatures tended to develop. Generally the plague only affects creatures of large enough to threaten a Human, but swarms of corrupted insects have been found from time to time. The warring deities were initially blamed for the plague, but that notion was put to rest in one night with a divine miracle that affected all within the Red Venom Plains.
It is said the deities learned the true nature of the Apathetic Plague, and decided that action needed to be taken. They seeded the dreams of their faithful, revealing the term “Apathetic Plague”, and warned them it would consume all within the Red Venom Plains if their orders were not followed. Over the next several decades, the deities demanded that their faithful retreat and cooperate with others to ensure the survival of all. Towns grew into uneasy cities, and kingdoms became vast city-states.
Roughly 120 years before the banishment of the deities, two miracles happened. The first presented 16 of the largest cities with a large portal – a glowing archway capable of transporting armies between cities; they are active six times per day, and a traveler need only have the correct rune to use them. A sect of priests known as the Order of Tethen came to power as watchers of the portals; they had strict rules upon them to prevent their usage in war or other crimes, and most cities allowed all to access them.
The second miracle was a ritual that appeared in the mind of many of the faithful. The ritual would create a zone of protection from the Apathetic Plague around their cities. The ritual was costly and took decades to implement, and many cities failed to take the threat seriously enough to perform it. Some believed the deities were simply making their worshipers prove their devotion, and that the threat was just a tool to gain more followers with doomsday predictions.
On the day the deities were banished, an uncertainty washed over the Red Venom Plains. Some blamed their rulers for not heeding the advice of the gods; revolts happened in several kingdoms. Cities that had been working on their ritual at a slow pace immediately began to work in a frenzy, hoping it was not too late to activate their protection. Thirteen of the Sixteen cities with portals had finished their protective ritual (known as a “Boundary” spell), and many fled to these cities in fear of what would happen.
With the deities gone, the Apathetic Plague spread fast. Packs of beasts descended on those not protected by Boundary magic, eating the flesh of civilized creatures while devouring their souls. It is said that even Dragons fell to creatures of the plague, as The Land took its revenge on those that would carelessly destroy it. When the Plague ebbed, the Red Venom Plains was once more a vast wilderness, dotted with magically protected points of civilizations. The three cities that failed to protect their portals were lost, and their portals were destroyed. Many nomadic tribes were overwhelmed, although some found ways to mask their presence from the Void creatures.
Eventually the initial wave of Void creatures died of old age, and the Plague became far less widespread. The ritual was turned into smaller-scale magic, and personal charms and spells have been developed over the millennia, to help prevent attacks by Void creatures. Nomadic tribes once again roam many areas, but they constantly scout for creatures affected by the plague. Civilization has expanded past the walls of the city-states, but many ruins still lay unclaimed. Farmers often leave their fields unattended at night, traveling to tend them every morning under guard, and returning to their protected cities when the harvest is done.
While there is a great deal of research into the Apathetic Plague, its source has never been determined (at least publicly). Creatures affected by the Apathetic Plague tend to be larger and more aggressive than their kin, but do not otherwise appear different from afar. They often act as an Alpha in a pack, and cannot resist attacking sentient creatures they encounter, as they feed on souls.
In addition to their black, pupil-less, glossy eyes, Void creatures have a peculiar trait – the shadows of a sentient creature are abnormally attracted to a Void creature. As a Void creature nears, depending on its strength, its prey’s shadow will actively bend between where it should be (from the light source) to the direction of the approaching Void creature. As the Void creature gets closer, the shadows of all nearby sentient creatures will bend towards it, regardless of their light source.
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