The Powers that Be

     In the Stone and Void universe, there are multiple separate forces vying for control of the known universe, or simply observing the battle for unknown purposes. This battle extends across the entire universe, there is nowhere that is "safe" so much as there are places the war has not reached yet. The forces arrayed against each other in this interstellar war can be broadly categorized into three factions: The Elderkin, the Spire, and the Witness. 

    The Elderkin are the ones I've focused on thus far in the story of the Stone and Void universe, beings that tore themselves from the Nothing in an act of cosmic brutality that forced creation into being. These formless masses of godhood are described (by those who managed to get a good look at them) as blacker than the space between the stars, covered in writhing tendrils, gnashing teeth, and endlessly staring eyes. Their physicality is difficult to ascertain, as they seem to be solid, liquid, gaseous, or all of the above as they see fit. They are endlessly hungry and endlessly quarrelsome, dwelling at the center of planets (Though it would be more accurate to say that the planets formed around them.) Their language, the Elder Speech, is the foundation for magic, though it manifests in different ways from world to world. They are nourished, somehow, by the passing of souls into the Nothing after death. 

    To present the Elderkin as a united front is a fallacious and simplistic misunderstanding. The Elderkin have factions, alliances, and schemes running amongst their number (though given their nature as eldritch beings inside of planets, these schemes are extremely long-term), as well as different methods of managing the life that invariably sprouts on their worlds. The sole reason the universe hasn't turned on itself with every planet vying for control is their uneasy alliance against the Spire.

    The Spire is fundamentally incompatible with the Stone and Void universe, having come from another place entirely. It tore a hole in the fabric of reality as soon as there was fabric to tear, its endless expansion and assimilation never stopping, barely slowing, with the inevitability of a glacier rolling over prehistoric plains. The Spire resembles a massive dark purple crystal, oblong in shape and multifaceted. From within the crystal, light of impossible colors (the color of deepest sorrow, that one from out of space, magenta, etc.) glimmers in mesmerizing patterns. Any piece of the Spire is the Spire itself, down to the subatomic level. A piece of the Spire the size of a quark is still the Spire in its entirety, as is a piece of the Spire large enough to impale a planet. This is one of the many paradoxes that only make sense to the Spire.

    The Spire's nature is that of absolute order, though the order is not at all compatible with the current state of reality. Planets under its influence, known as Spireworlds, do not follow the same rules as Kinworlds or Nullworlds. Physics itself seems to have fled, carrying reason in its wake. Stars sit equidistant from moons, orbiting around stationary planets. The universe is still, yet moving like clockwork. 

    The Spire's order is enforced on a planet by impaling it. A planet will be struck from out of nowhere by a giant crystal, driving straight through the core (potentially killing any Elderkin inside) and coming out the other side. Once a planet is impaled, the Spire becomes its new magnetic pole. Then, if there is already life on the world, the Spire repurposes it into sapience. If not, it creates its own. The Spire then uses the beliefs of these beings to create gods, which it uses to gain greater influence over the independent minds of the planet. (Regardless of the Elderkin or Spire's intent, all minds are fundamentally free and cannot be controlled by any greater power. This is why influence is so important to them.) 

    Finally, there is the Witness, a spectator on a cosmic scale. It exists to observe and report, though to whom or what is a question that might never be answered. Its main body dwells in the Place Where All Roads Meet, a realm where reality is dictated by the strength of one's convictions, a place that sits sideways relative to space-time, intersecting only when it is called. One could travel to another planet there simply through determination and a lot of walking. The Witness' main body is never seen, and it only interacts with the various worlds via sensory apparatus known as the Misters. 

    The Misters look like a pair of men, one tall and thin, one short and stout. The color of their skin, hair, and eyes as well as the style of their clothing varies from world to world as a method of camouflage, but they're always just a little bit...off. They always name themselves after alliterative opposites (such as Mr. River and Mr. Road, Mr. Feast and Mr. Famine, Mr. Song and Mr. Silence, Mr. Calm and Mr. Chaos, etc.), though their names change every time one meets them. They always introduce themselves; after all, it's only polite. The Misters always come in pairs, one tall and one stout, but there are not only two of them. There may be billions of them. Every time their names "change," it is a different set of Misters. This is why they always introduce themselves; it's terribly impolite to let someone go on assuming you're someone you're not.