Mystical region, interpreted as an unreal apparition of the transition of the existing world of Caelereth and the realm of infinite possibility and un-reality. In the elven interpretation the Void is the place where the existing world enters the thoughts of the Dreamer of the Universe.

Picture description: An interpretation of the Unreal of the Ethereal Void. Image drawn by Mitra Rodi.

The Ethereal Void is one of the strangest places in all the whole world, which should not be surprising as it is not truly in the world at all. It is thought by some to be a mist that surrounds the world of Caelereth (elvish: Aér'aí'chán). While this is partially true, the full nature of the Void is a bit more convoluted. Many speak of mysteries located in the Ethereal Void to the far south, beyond the Aeolian Desert of Life, but even more fear the apparition of the Void beyond the world to the north. The latter is said to consist of utter darkness which is another expression or aspect of this nothingness between worlds, a cold, windy nothing-mist filled with ominous shapes and terrors. Evil is said to live and originate there. The nothing mist to the south seems much friendlier to the infrequent visitor, filled with a soft light coming from the nothing-mist itself. Most of the time this mist is either motionless or swirling gently, and travellers feel warm and safe inside. Yet the Void is not without its dangers. Imaginary storms are infrequent, but unpredictable, and can smear the thoughts and physical form of a still-living individual throughout the Void. Thus the Void takes on gradually the slightest shadow of a personality as the eons pass in the worlds it surrounds.

Drawings of the appearance of the Ethereal Void as seen from Aeruillin (above) and Cyhalloi (below). Click on pictures to enlarge. All pictures drawn by Ingeborg.

The Void is a place where dreams can and do come true, but precautions must be taken. Anything can be imagined into existence, but to become permanent the imaginings must be made fully real by magic. Otherwise they will vanish as soon as the one imagining is no longer paying attention. Aeolian Brownies imagined their settlement just inside the Void, but anchored it firmly to the reality of the world. Vigilance must constantly be kept as impossible creatures sometimes wander in through the Void, coming from other worlds, occasionally causing havoc. It is said that some of the stranger creatures found in Santharia and other places are descended from creatures who had thus wandered in.

Even though the Ethereal Void surrounds the worlds, one cannot simply walk into the Void and find oneself in a different reality. Even if a wizard or highly imaginative person left the world behind, surrounding himself with his own reality, and walked straight into the Void, he would never get to another world. He could walk due south for hundreds of strals, and still he would be but a step away from the Desert of Light. This is because the Ethereal Void, in itself, is not truly real, it is only potential, and concepts such as time or distance simply have no meaning there. Other worlds can only be reached through the Void by first knowing the imaginary location in the Void, and then using a combination of imagination and magic to open a hole or a door that leads directly into the desired destination world. These locations cannot be described by distance or direction or duration or any other measurement we commonly use in our world of four dimensions. Instead, these locations must be described in the fifth, sixth, and seventh dimension, with using the eighth dimension being optional most of the time. With such an abstract way of thinking being neccessary to open portals to other worlds, even though only the most basic of magic is required, few can open them - only those few that have near-genius level imaginations. Technology works poorly in the Void, while magic is enhanced. Blades of steel are especially useless. Glass blades on the other hand, are quite usable in the Unreal.