“They are not dead. They are not alive. They are absence given shape.”
Overview The Bleakened are mythic figures said to be remnants of a radical Draol sect that experimented with prolonged exposure to what is now called Void Stray (formerly Dead Stray). Seeking transcendence, immortality, or deeper knowledge of the underworld, they instead lost their connection to Grellis—the source of all life and magic—and became void-walkers.
Today, they are spoken of only in whispers.
Origin Long before the Great Purge, a group of Draol mystics entered a state of magical isolation. They locked themselves in sanctums saturated with Void Stray, convinced it was the key to unlocking truths about death, rebirth, and the afterlife.
Over time, they ceased correspondence. When the doors were finally opened, nothing remained. No corpses. No furniture. Just deep cold and echoing silence. The air itself felt wrong.
And then… rumors began.
Properties Nullifying Aura: Magic ceases to function within proximity of a Bleakened. Even enchanted objects lose their spark.
Existential Erasure: Prolonged exposure causes memory loss, identity disintegration, and eventual nonexistence.
Time Distortion: Some accounts claim clocks stop. Shadows point the wrong way. Sound arrives before its source.
Mind Dissonance: Witnesses report hearing thoughts that aren’t their own—or forgetting the names of loved ones.
Cultural Role Draol Teachings: Students are warned:
“Grellis is not a gift. It is a tether. Cut it, and you will drift.”
Superstitions: Travelers avoid silent places. Cold drafts are believed to herald Bleakened proximity.
Forbidden Study: All records of the sect were burned. Only cryptic fragments remain.
Modern Interpretations Existence in Doubt: Some scholars argue they are metaphors. Others insist the Tal Calar once lost an entire battalion to one.
Theories:
They are anchors of Void Stray in physical form.
They can see through the Void Lay and speak to souls.
They are not individuals anymore—but a single being fractured across many forms.
See Also Void Stray
Grellis
The Ruined Deeps
The Draol Heresies