I_am_Wake
Legend
Welcome!
This is my little project that has been on my mind for quite some time. Inspired by Dark Souls and the F:NV Mod "Dust,"
I have always wanted to write my interpretation of a grimdark universe for Hollowworld. I esentially asked myself the question of "what would happen if everything that could go wrong went wrong in our lore?"
This is the result! In my free time, I will work on more lore for this universe I have begun creating-- the Alternate Universe of Altera!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Let me know what you think in the comments
This is my little project that has been on my mind for quite some time. Inspired by Dark Souls and the F:NV Mod "Dust,"
I have always wanted to write my interpretation of a grimdark universe for Hollowworld. I esentially asked myself the question of "what would happen if everything that could go wrong went wrong in our lore?"
This is the result! In my free time, I will work on more lore for this universe I have begun creating-- the Alternate Universe of Altera!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Let me know what you think in the comments
"The Realm ended when the Gods abandoned us for our sins."
-Last Exodus, Saint Marko von Sauer, 32 AE
Hallowworld
Grimdark Alternate Universe
It has been a 166 years since the Gods abandoned Altera Four.
The new era is known as "After End."
Altera has become a playground of endless warfare, suffering and strife. Only a handful of mortals survive- battling to simply stay alive each day. Nowhere is truly safe.
The Gods have abandoned Altera Four. Unprotected, walls of reality shattered and otherworldly entities roam free. Qlippoth is in eternal war with Corruption within the heartlands of the continent. The undead crossed the Shoreless Gulf which flooded the coastlines, spreading Skraag’s Touch to the Eastern Kingdoms. An eternal blizzard freezes the entirety of the north, making everything inhabitable and the northern ocean frozen. In the south, Bwabo tribes roam in black fog murdering and eating the dead whilst the deserts are host to vicious new life. With the Planar Infinity melding with Altera, elementals invade survivors and mages have unlimited power-- should they dare grasp it. With the absence of Gods, nobody truly dies: the souls have nowhere to go and are often harvested by whomever comes across them.
Only small communities of survivors exist now-- almost always on the move... unless tempting fate.
Everlasting War:
Since before the End, the Titan Qlippoth awoke to devour all life on Altera Four. Following the End, very little could stop it-- though skirmishes did delay the inevitable. Spreading their consumption and Blight from Qlippoth itself in the Blightlands south of Blackrush Crossing on the western side of the heartlands, the Rift saw dramatic activity in the eastern heartlands near the Ashlands. The Armies of Naught reformed under the so-called ‘daughter of Grief,’ the new Queen Grief began their invasion and spread Corruption. As the Corruption grew, as did the power of the demonic forces. Nether Portals began to open in the hearts of cities, spreading chaos and discord.
Eventually these two forces clashed. The monstrous Blighted creatures of Qlippoth devouring the world do battle with the Armies of Naught, the alien spreading Corruption which seeks to form Altera into another realm of the Nether. This war is everlasting and endless- both sides having limitless pawns and ceaseless battles.
Great Flood of Undeath:
After the End, the undead of the Northern Kingdoms crafted ships of bone and corpses to cross the Shoreless Gulf and the Sea of Storms to invade the Eastern Kingdoms, guided by an unknown hand. The elementals of the sea and the hurricane formed a brief truce that lasted the entirety of a single day to attack the Eastern Continent before resuming their constant conflict. This truce brought the undead to the Flooded Lands and the Eerie- the remnants of the eastern and western coastlines. Skraag’s Touch returned as an evolved disease that turns mortals to undead.
Soul-Stealing:
After the End, souls cannot pass to an afterlife- the metaphysical constructs of ‘normal’ life changed. Instead, when a person dies, their souls linger- sometimes taking the form of a ghost, other times taking the form of a wisp. These souls are often harvested by a powerful entity, demon, absorbed by a mortal, eaten by Qlippoth or even stored in a gemstone by a Mage. Death is never the end- it is merely the tool for someone else’s ascension.
The Blizzard:
Everything in the north is now victim to an endless blizzard through unknown means. The further north one goes, the worse the blizzard becomes-- as it has entirely frozen the northern ocean, making it walkable. The most southern ‘northern’ regions have heavy downfalls of snow, making it impossible to grow anything without constant work.
Planar Melding:
The Planar Infinity melded with Altera, causing mages to have limitless power and elementals to go berserk. Survivors found themselves being invaded by elementals, becoming ‘Touched’ (Spiritblessed) at rapid developments as elementals consumed the souls of mortals, taking over their bodies en masse. Mages became subject to great power, which some wielded to try and prevent the End. Others used it to save themselves.
Eternal Crusade:
After the Gods abandoned Altera, the remaining faithful banded together in an attempt to beg mercy for their return. For a time, this was successful: worship continued through trying times. The city of Linistel became the only true safe place on the Continent, shielded through isolation. It was here the Eternal Crusade was called by a Kaltic Ignite, Saint Marko von Sauer. Despite the fact Linistel fell over a hundred years ago, the Eternal Crusade continues with large clans or solitary knights murdering anything considered ‘unholy-’ from the undead, the demons, the Blighted, the Touched to an average man just trying to survive. Sometimes the remnant zealots themselves prove a threat upon the remaining mortals… especially the lawless and Bwabo.
Mortal Struggles:
Death is more common than life. With famine, limitless dangers and lawlessness abound, very few mortal communities now exist. Nicknamed ‘the Remnants,’ only a few communities have proper laws and are memories of the old world. Outlaws and bandits are the most common survivors now, struggling to live and thriving on the suffering of others- often living amongst ruins of great, fallen cities. These raider communities sometimes are unique to a specific region or ruin, having a residue of that location's culture within their actions and lives. However, this is overshadowed by their savagery and murderous intentions.
The Remnants:
Across the Eastern Continent, small communities continue to exist among the ruins of the old world.
The Armada:
The Armada is the most successful remnant community: a fleet of ships sailing across the seas with no permanent mooring, sailing across the western and southern coastlines made up of old Sangrian, Fuvurian, Kaltic and Moorish survivors. A new culture based on sailor life, maintaince of ships and strict law has evolved among the Armada. Each ship has a captain-- who is treated like nobility was back before the End. The Armada is one of the only communities with a functioning heirarchy, educational system and enforced law among the ships.
Soolerans:
Sooleran Caravans still exist within the southern regions of the Continent- roaming in constant migration and welcoming to trade with any survivors. Unlike before the End, however, they do not meet for Fadma- as it is too dangerous for an entire culture to meet in one location. Caravans sometimes do cross paths and stories are shared before they part ways once more. Stories are shared by word of mouth- very rarely do Soolerans keep hold of any written texts. Each caravan is heavily protected and Soolerans are even seen by Earthspawn as great warriors.
Sanctuary:
“Sanctuary” is a well known location and the last bastion of the old world from before. Created after the End, it is a vast underground city of metal and engineering, designed by the Immortal Constructs to shield from the outside world. It is located beneath the ruins of Astrakhan, chosen due to being a very central location. Survivors of various races defend themselves here, trying to survive the apocalypse. Sanctuary is one of the few places with law, education and- more importantly- a single, unmoving location. Many outside Sanctuary regard the location as doomed.
Dwarven Kingdom:
In the far north, the Dwarven cities of Khárûz Korum and Aeroch Rimtar became closed off from the rest of the world due to The Blizzard. Instead of dying of cold and hunger, the stubborn Dwargar chose to survive by their old codes of Korog. Closed off from the rest of the world, the Dwarves evolved into ‘Deep Dwarves,’ being able to see perfectly in the dark and survive solely on underground flora and fauna. The Deep Dwarves survive today in great underground labyrinths and halls nicknamed ‘The Hollows’ which encompass the entire underground northern regions. The Dwarven Kingdom does not overextend itself and is relatively isolationist with its own King, customs, law and rendition of what the world before used to be like. It is very rare for a non-Dwarf to be a part of the Kingdom.
Earthspawn Clans:
If any race can survive the apocalypse, it is the Earthspawn. Bol’tn’thar stands strong with its massive walls. Before the End, Clan Hakiaz was the only clan left. Today, several Clans exist and are growing in number. However, due to the dangerous nature of the outside world, the Earthspawn have become increasingly xenophobic and will see any monster, race and entity as a challenge to overcome with few exceptions. They trade sparingly with Sanctuary to the north and passing Sooleran caravans.
Bwabo Tribes:
Finally, the Bwabo tribes have flourished. Evolving with the world around them, the Bwabo adopted more savage traditions. They kill any non-Bwabo in the southern regions of the Continent, hunting them and eating them as a food source. Their approach is often warranted by a black fog which surrounds their hunting parties. Together, the Bwabo tribes remember very little about the old world, never writing anything down and living each day as a new challenge to their existence.
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