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<big>⚠︎</big>  <small>'''Content Warning:''' The following text contains brief discussions of stillbirth, disfigurement, as well as the skinning and utilization of hides.</small>
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W.I.P<blockquote>'''The Hollowed''', or  '''''Vacuumanis cavus,''''' are a race descended from the failed experiments of '''[[The Nine Choirs]]''', an ancient civilization that attempted to harness the biology of the Warden. The Hollowed are almost universally blind, navigate primarily through echolocation, and vary considerably in appearance, though they all bear some form of Warden characteristics. Over many generations of survival within the deep dark, they have developed a culture wholly their own, distinct from that of the civilization which created them.</blockquote>
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<h1 style="border: none; color: #a4e5ff; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; font-size: 2.5em; margin: 0 0 0.3em 0; padding: 0; text-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.5);">The Hollowed</h1>
<p style="font-size: 1.2em; color: #c4f0ff; max-width: 700px; margin: 0 auto; line-height: 1.6; font-style: italic;">"Vacuumanis cavus — a race descended from the failed experiments of an ancient civilization attempting to harness the biology of the Warden."</p>
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== Physiology and Classification ==
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Physical variation among the Hollowed is extensive. Three terms are used to describe this range, each built upon the shared root '''Tskal''', meaning '''marked''' or '''touched'''.
<p style="line-height: 1.7; color: #374151; font-size: 1.05em; margin: 0;">The Hollowed are a blind, subterranean race navigating primarily through echolocation, possessing Warden characteristics, unique click-signature identities, and an acoustically optimized deep-dark culture.</p>
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* '''Tskalvo''' refers to individuals  present with extensive skulk coverage, exposed bone and horn structures, and a build closely resembling that of a Warden.
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* '''Tskalen''' refers to individuals presenting a mixture of both extremes, and represents the most common classification.
<h2 style="color: #0d1518; border-bottom: 2px solid #3d6673; padding-bottom: 0.3em; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 0;">Physiology and Classification</h2>
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151;">Physical variation among the Hollowed is extensive, built upon the shared root <b>Tskal</b>, meaning <b>marked</b> or <b>touched</b>. <b>Tskalvo</b> refers to individuals with extensive sculk coverage, exposed bone, and horn structures resembling a Warden. <b>Tskalen</b> represents a mixed intermediate and is the most common classification. <b>Tskalir</b> refers to individuals retaining human-like skin with negligible sculk markings. These classifications carry no social rank.</p>


* '''Tskalir''' refers to individuals that retain human-like skin and other features, with only minor or negligible skulk markings.
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151; margin-top: 1em;">The majority are blind from birth, and a considerable number are born without eyes altogether. Stillbirths and physical irregularities occur at a much higher rate, reflecting their artificial origin.</p>


These classifications carry no social rank. A Tskalvo elder holds no greater standing than a Tskalir messenger.
<h3 style="color: #0d1518; border-bottom: 2px solid #3d6673; padding-bottom: 0.2em; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 1.5em;">Senses and Communication</h3>
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151; margin-bottom: 0;"><b>Echolocation</b> allows the Hollowed to perceive outlines and movement through active vocalized clicks. <b>Pallesthesia</b> provides passive vibration detection. Individual recognition relies primarily on <b>click-signatures</b>—unique vocal patterns comparable to fingerprints. Spoken language can be projected in narrow, targeted cones, and compressed sensory impressions can be transmitted via <b>click-song</b>.</p>


The majority of the Hollowed are blind from birth, and a considerable number are born without eyes altogether. Stillbirths and physical irregularities occur at a much higher rate than what would be expected in another species of purely natural origin, reflecting The Hollowed’s artificial origin. They are unstable in terms of their population and health.
<h3 style="color: #0d1518; border-bottom: 2px solid #3d6673; padding-bottom: 0.2em; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 1.5em;">Culture and Society</h3>
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151; margin-bottom: 0;">The Hollowed practice communal child-rearing and maintain strict acoustic taboos, such as avoiding unannounced physical contact or direct echolocation toward another's face. They use tactile scripts and stone resonance tablets for record-keeping. Post-mortem traditions involve sounding the deceased's vocalization tablet and utilizing remains for tools, clothing, and architecture.</p>


The Hollowed have a lifespan of 150-200 years.
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=== Senses and Communication ===
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'''Echolocation''' allows the Hollowed to perceive the outline, distance, and movement of nearby entities and objects, though not in fine detail. This sense must be actively engaged through vocalized clicks; it does not operate passively. As a result, an entity that remains silent and motionless is essentially invisible to a Hollowed.  
<h3 style="color: #0d1518; border-bottom: 2px solid #3d6673; padding-bottom: 0.3em; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 0;">Lifespan</h3>
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151; margin-bottom: 0;">The Hollowed have a lifespan of 150 to 200 years.</p>
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'''Pallesthesia''' is a secondary, passive sense that allows the Hollowed to detect vibration continuously, including distant footsteps and other movements, without requiring active echolocation.  
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<h3 style="color: #0d1518; border-bottom: 2px solid #3d6673; padding-bottom: 0.3em; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 0;">Abilities</h3>
<h4 style="color: #16262b; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 0.5em; font-size: 1.1em;">Physical prowess</h4>
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151; margin-bottom: 1em;">Their bodies are sturdy and less prone to injuries, though their physical strength varies by specialization. Warriors possess strong sonic capabilities and are deployed strictly for defense.</p>
<h4 style="color: #16262b; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 0.5em; font-size: 1.1em;">Mental prowess</h4>
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151; margin-bottom: 1em;">There is little to no difference between a Hollowed’s cognition and that of a human.</p>
<h4 style="color: #16262b; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 0.5em; font-size: 1.1em;">Magical prowess</h4>
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151; margin-bottom: 0;">The magical abilities of the Hollowed are currently unknown, as they do not present any outwardly.</p>
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Individual recognition among each other rarely relies on echolocation at all, as doing so would be considered unnecessary and often exhausting to do constantly. Recognition instead depends loosely on scent and primarily '''click-signatures''', a vocal pattern unique to each individual Hollowed and comparable to a fingerprint.
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=== Culture ===
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<h3 style="color: #0d1518; border-bottom: 2px solid #3d6673; padding-bottom: 0.3em; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 0;">Characters</h3>
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151; margin-bottom: 0;">Hollowed Characters can be found here: [[:Category:Hollowed Characters|'''Hollowed Characters''']]</p>
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===== Notable Phrases =====
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<h3 style="color: #0d1518; border-bottom: 2px solid #3d6673; padding-bottom: 0.3em; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; margin-top: 0;">Author</h3>
<p style="line-height: 1.6; color: #374151; margin-bottom: 0;">[[HotDogDobby]]</p>
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===== Etiquette Taboo =====
* '''Physical contact''' initiated without prior announcement.
* Directing '''echolocation''' toward another individual's face without warning is treated in a manner comparable to unwelcome staring within sighted cultures.
* The deliberate '''imitation''' of another individuals click-signature.
* '''Loud''' or '''undirected noise''' within shared spaces is generally viewed as inconsiderate, and in certain contexts, alarming and overwhelming. 
===== Diet =====
The Hollowed diet consists primarily of '''cultivated fungi''', '''subterranean roots''' and produce, and cave-dwelling '''fauna''', supplemented in recent generations by goods obtained through '''surface trade'''. As visual presentation holds no significance, food is evaluated principally on the basis of '''aroma and texture'''.
===== Written Records =====
A '''tactile script''' exists for informal and everyday use. It is '''written backwards''' using a needle-like tool to make indents. Once finished writing, the paper is flipped so that the indents are raised bumps. They are read by fingertip touch.
'''Formal record-keeping''', however, relies primarily on resonance tablets. These consist of carved slabs of stone or bone that are read through sound produced by dragging a tool along the spiraling grooves. Specialists trained in this discipline, for both writing and reading (or hearing, in this case) are referred to as '''stone readers'''.
'''Wall-relief''', carved directly into architecture, serves both as public text and as a component of the broader wayfinding system. Think of these as road signs, used for announcing exits, current location, warnings, etc.
===== Birth, Death, and Use of Remains =====
Upon the birth of a child, the surrounding kin-cluster gathers to observe a rite referred to as '''sounding the new voice'''. The infants '''first vocaliztion''' is recorded and preserved onto a resonance tablet, functioning thereafter as the individual’s name. Note that there are two variations of every Hollowed name. A click, which is what the above '''first vocalization''' refers to, and then the word for it, which is given later. Children born stillborn are subject to the same rite, only with a blank tablet.
'''Mourning''' does not last long as death is frequent, however it is done with great care. The deceased have their '''vocalization tablet''' retrieved and sounded every day for a period of one week before it is buried alongside the deceased individual. Certain close kin can retain bones or other parts from the deceased.
An established, openly acknowledged tradition holds that no part of the body should go unused following death. Bone is commonly worked into tools, rare weapons, clothing, and architectural elements, while skin may be prepared into clothing. This practice originated during the early days in which resources in the deep dark were scarce and, while less common since the establishment of surface trade, remains practiced by a meaningful portion of the population.
Children are '''raised communally''' among all Hollowed rather than solely by their parents. Instruction in click-song typically precedes formal spoken language. As individual aptitudes emerge, children are directed towards one of the specializations describes below.
=== Abilities ===
Spoken language among the Hollowed is quiet and directional. Each individual is capable of '''projecting''' their voice in a '''narrow, targeted cone''', permitting conversations to be less intense on surrounding Hollowed, as their hearing is exceptional.
A separate system, referred to as '''click-song''', allows for the transmition of compressed sensory impressions. This can be used to transmit near-perfect depictions of anything a Hollowed has ‘seen’ (echolocated), similar to a photograph being handed between individuals. It can only be done by very close proximity or physical touch.
==== Mental and Magical Prowess ====
There is little to no difference between a Hollowed’s cognition and that of a human.
The magical abilities of the Hollowed is currently unknown, but they do not present any outwardly.
== Miscellaneous ==
=== Characters ===
None currently.
=== Author ===
HotDogDobby
[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Races]]

Latest revision as of 13:13, 5 September 2026


The Hollowed

"Vacuumanis cavus — a race descended from the failed experiments of an ancient civilization attempting to harness the biology of the Warden."

The Hollowed are a blind, subterranean race navigating primarily through echolocation, possessing Warden characteristics, unique click-signature identities, and an acoustically optimized deep-dark culture.

Physiology and Classification

Physical variation among the Hollowed is extensive, built upon the shared root Tskal, meaning marked or touched. Tskalvo refers to individuals with extensive sculk coverage, exposed bone, and horn structures resembling a Warden. Tskalen represents a mixed intermediate and is the most common classification. Tskalir refers to individuals retaining human-like skin with negligible sculk markings. These classifications carry no social rank.

The majority are blind from birth, and a considerable number are born without eyes altogether. Stillbirths and physical irregularities occur at a much higher rate, reflecting their artificial origin.

Senses and Communication

Echolocation allows the Hollowed to perceive outlines and movement through active vocalized clicks. Pallesthesia provides passive vibration detection. Individual recognition relies primarily on click-signatures—unique vocal patterns comparable to fingerprints. Spoken language can be projected in narrow, targeted cones, and compressed sensory impressions can be transmitted via click-song.

Culture and Society

The Hollowed practice communal child-rearing and maintain strict acoustic taboos, such as avoiding unannounced physical contact or direct echolocation toward another's face. They use tactile scripts and stone resonance tablets for record-keeping. Post-mortem traditions involve sounding the deceased's vocalization tablet and utilizing remains for tools, clothing, and architecture.

Lifespan

The Hollowed have a lifespan of 150 to 200 years.

Abilities

Physical prowess

Their bodies are sturdy and less prone to injuries, though their physical strength varies by specialization. Warriors possess strong sonic capabilities and are deployed strictly for defense.

Mental prowess

There is little to no difference between a Hollowed’s cognition and that of a human.

Magical prowess

The magical abilities of the Hollowed are currently unknown, as they do not present any outwardly.

Characters

Hollowed Characters can be found here: Hollowed Characters

Author

HotDogDobby

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