Void Rift

A Void rift is a "small" wormhole that opens up between another plane of existence and The Void. Often, the Voidtouched can consciously create one, but they may also simply open randomly. Some may be natural, or simply so ancient that they might as well be, such as the one that is speculated to be located in the Bermuda Triangle. Void rifts are considered by most of The Great Houses to be extremely hazardous, due to their unpredictability. The nature of reality becomes, as Queen Sable Aradia puts it, "somewhat negotiable" within their range of influence. Current known sites of "stable" Void rifts include The Zafforza Trench, the McMurdo Base in Antarctica, and the deepest levels of The Warren. This last rift opened up only recently, when Queen Sable wrote in The Iron Tome following The Fifth Word War. There may be others that are unknown or closely-guarded secrets.

A medieval image of a rabbit armed with a spear on a crest. Text: House Lapin Owsla

THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REDACTED BY THE LAPIN PROTECTORATE FOR SECURITY REASONS BY ORDER OF THE OWSLA. Information not generally known in the GoTverse

Voiders Anonymous strongly suspects that there was a Void rift at the current site of The Great Crater, and that this may have been what destroyed The Missing House. They have investigated the site, but cannot confirm this. Whatever was there, it is gone now.

Geography

A Void rift that has not been created by a person who is Voidtouched usually appears as a dark hole in space. This might be a hole the size of a quarter or even a pin, or a vast ovoid pit in the earth. The center of the rift is so dark it seems to eat light. The surrounding area, referred to as the "event horizon," often appears distorted or warped, something like the twisting of a kaleidoscope. Within its range, logic and proportion might also be warped. Pocket universes may well be contained within a void rift.

Ecosystem

Creatures who live within the event horizon or even the "influence zone" of a Void rift are subject to random mutations that can be quite frightening and disturbing. It is unknown if these only happen at birth, or might occur due to exposure over time.

Localized Phenomena

Within the "influence zone" or "event horizon" of a Void rift, gravity is prone to significant malfunctions — for example, one might find the floor is suddenly the ceiling, or the area may fluctuate between extremely high, crushing G forces, and none. Other laws of physics may suddenly malfunction as well. For instance, on McMurdo Base, the presence of the Void rift will cause shadows to appear strangely, or even disappear altogether. Colours may shift and change as the bending of light is warped, and there may be magnetic shifts or pulses, or possibly even the occasional plume of random radiation. Space might also be bent or warped, so that it takes several kilometers to cross what ought to be a single step, or moving at all could teleport someone over vast distances.

Climate

There is no weather or climate to speak of in a Void rift that is not already present in the space that it is in. Within the event horizon, cosmic phenomena tends to stabilize climate, ironically, as either the radioactive heat of a sun, the cold of space, or anything in between.

Fauna & Flora

The less said about flora and fauna that dwell within a Void rift, the better.

That ain't no puppy!
— Senna Nightshade upon encountering a creature from a void rift

Some odd, amorphous beings with a sense of humour seem to have taken up residence near the Void rift in the Warren. They are known as Void Mimics because, likely influenced by stories of RPG games, they like to shapeshift into furniture, which then tries to bite anyone that interacts with it.

Ha! Did you get bit by that void mimic again?
— Regent Dazzlinkat

This time it was shaped like the toilet paper holder. I blame you.
— Queen Sable

Void Polypore (void mushrooms) often grow within the influence zone of a stable rift. The Voiders are experimenting with cultivating Void Coffee and Voidnip within the event horizon of the rift in the Warren.

Natural Resources

While no one has yet successfully harvested natural resources from a Void rift, there is amazing potential for resource access. Odd, localized cosmic phenomena could potentially cause the shifting of atomic elements, such as compressing diamonds in an instant, or literally turning lead to gold. The potential of raising native Void crops within a rift's event horizon is also significant. Last, it may be possible to harness the incredible energy potential for near-limitless power sources... provided the risks could be overcome.