Void-Whales

Cetus aetherii / “The Singers” / “Sky-Leviathans”

“Saw a void-whale once. Singing in the deep. Most beautiful thing I’ll ever experience. Made me weep without knowing why.”
—Captain Jorah Ironwind

Quick Reference

Void-Whales - The Singers

Description

Void-whales are the most majestic and mysterious creatures in the Aetherium—massive beings the size of airships that drift through the deep void, singing haunting songs that can be heard for kilometers. They are peaceful, awe-inspiring, and profoundly alien, moving through the Aether with impossible grace despite their enormous size. Seeing one is considered either a blessing or an omen, depending on culture, but always an experience that changes the witness.

The creatures resemble whales in basic form—elongated bodies, fins, tail flukes—but adapted for aerial existence. Their skin is translucent, revealing internal organs that glow faintly with bioluminescence. Patterns of light pulse across their bodies in waves, creating displays of moving color visible from kilometers away. They move slowly, majestically, as if swimming through invisible water, their tail flukes propelling them forward with gentle undulations.

What makes void-whales truly remarkable is their song. They vocalize continuously—deep, resonant calls that carry through the Aether like whale songs through ocean. The sound is hauntingly beautiful: melodic, complex, and profoundly sad. Those who hear it report feeling emotions they can’t name—awe, sorrow, peace, longing. Some cry. Some pray. All remember.

No one knows what void-whales are. Pre-Shattering records mention nothing like them. They may be post-Shattering adaptations, or they may have always existed in some dimension humans couldn’t perceive. They may be natural creatures, or they may be something else—divine creations, cosmic guardians, or beings from beyond reality. They don’t communicate with humans, don’t acknowledge our presence, and don’t explain themselves. They simply exist, drift, and sing.

Physical Characteristics

Size and Proportions

Length: 30-50 meters (average 40m) Width: 8-12 meters Height: 6-10 meters Weight: 100-200 tons (estimated) Wingspan (Fins): 15-20 meters

Size Comparison: - Length of large airship - Mass of 20 elephants - Visible from 10km away - Largest living creatures in Aetherium

Anatomy

Body: - Elongated, streamlined - Whale-like proportions - Smooth, flowing lines - Translucent skin (organs visible) - Bioluminescent patterns

Skin: - Translucent (like frosted glass) - Reveals internal structures - Glows faintly (bioluminescence) - Patterns pulse across surface - Texture: Unknown (no one has touched one)

Fins: - Two pectoral fins (15-20m span) - Dorsal fin (3-5m tall) - Move slowly, gracefully - Propulsion mechanism unclear

Tail: - Flukes (horizontal, like whale) - 10-15 meters wide - Undulates slowly - Primary propulsion

Head: - Blunt, rounded - No visible eyes (or eyes are different) - Mouth: Unclear if they have one - Sensory organs: Unknown

Internal Organs (Visible through skin): - Glowing structures (purpose unknown) - Pulsing rhythmically - Complex, beautiful - Alien but organic

Behavior and Ecology

Movement

Flight (If it can be called that): - Drift slowly through Aether - Tail undulations propel forward - Speed: 5-10 km/hour (leisurely) - Can accelerate if threatened (rarely) - Graceful despite size

Altitude: - Prefer deep Aether (below settled regions) - Occasionally rise to mid-levels - Never near islands (avoid collision) - Comfortable in open void

Migration: - Annual patterns observed - Routes: Consistent but purpose unknown - Destinations: Unknown - Following what? (Aether-currents? Constellations? Something else?)

The Song

Characteristics: - Deep, resonant vocalizations - Melodic, complex - Continuous (never stops) - Audible for 5-10 kilometers - Each individual has unique song

Emotional Impact: - Induces profound feelings - Awe, sorrow, peace, longing - Many listeners cry - Some pray - All remember

Purpose: - Communication? (With what?) - Ritual? (For what?) - Navigation? (Echolocation?) - Expression? (Of what?) - Unknown

Patterns: - Songs change slowly over time - Respond to each other (if multiple present) - Intensify during migrations - Meaning: Unknown

Diet and Feeding

The Mystery: - Never observed eating - No visible mouth - No hunting behavior - How do they survive?

Theories: 1. Aether-Feeding: Absorb nutrients from void (like sky-kelp) 2. Filter-Feeding: Strain microscopic organisms (Aether-plankton?) 3. Energy Beings: Don’t need physical food 4. Unknown Mechanism: Something we can’t perceive

Evidence: None conclusive

Reproduction

The Greater Mystery: - Never observed mating - Never observed young - Never observed birth - How do they reproduce?

Theories: 1. Extremely rare events (once per century?) 2. Deep Aether breeding grounds (below observation) 3. Asexual (budding, division?) 4. Don’t reproduce (finite population, immortal?)

Population: Estimated 50-200 individuals (entire Aetherium)

Cultural Significance

Religious Interpretations

Constellation Clergy: - Created by constellations as guardians - Sacred beings - Killing one is blasphemy - Songs are prayers

Rot-Touched: - Survivors of old world - Transformed by Shattering - Songs are mourning - Proof transformation can be beautiful

Folk Belief: - Spirits of the dead - Souls of drowned sailors - Guardians of the deep - Omens (good or bad)

Superstitions

Good Luck: - Seeing void-whale = fortune coming - Hearing song = blessing - Following one = safe journey - White whale = exceptional luck

Bad Luck: - Killing void-whale = curse (entire community) - Harming one = disaster - Ignoring song = missing warning

Neutral: - Song changes = weather changing - Migration = seasons changing - Behavior predicts events (maybe)

Taboos

Universal: - Don’t kill void-whales (all cultures agree) - Don’t harm them - Don’t follow too closely (respect distance) - Don’t interrupt song (rude to divine)

Penalties: - Social: Shunning, exile - Legal: Varies (death penalty some places) - Spiritual: Cursed by constellations - Practical: Bad luck (real or perceived)

Notable Sightings

The First Sighting (12 S.)

Event: First post-Shattering void-whale observed

Location: Deep Aether below proto-Skyport Eos

Impact: Proof that life adapted to Aetherium

Significance: Hope that world could heal

The Migration (134 S.)

Event: 20+ void-whales observed migrating together

Location: Crossing Bright Reaches

Duration: 3 days (visible)

Impact: Largest gathering ever recorded, considered omen

Result: Year of good fortune (correlation? Coincidence?)

The Dying Whale (256 S.)

Event: Void-whale observed dying

Location: Near Murky Chasm

Description: Stopped moving, song became mournful, sank into Deeps

Witnesses: 50+ (including Sister Morrigan)

Impact: Profound sadness, community mourning

Morrigan’s Claim: “It sang its death-song. I understood every word. It was beautiful.”

The White Whale (287 S., Recent)

Event: Albino void-whale sighted

Location: Periphery edge

Rarity: First white whale ever recorded

Significance: Debated (omen? Mutation? Divine sign?)

Status: Still alive, location unknown

Mysteries and Questions

What are they?
Natural creatures? Divine creations? Something else?

Where did they come from?
Pre-Shattering? Post-Shattering adaptation? Always existed in Aether?

What do they eat?
Never observed feeding. How do they survive?

How do they reproduce?
Never observed. Population stable. How?

Why do they sing?
Communication? Ritual? Expression? Unknown.

Are they intelligent?
Possibly. No way to test. They don’t respond to attempts at communication.

Where do they go?
Migration destinations unknown. Following something?

Will they survive?
Population small. If they can’t reproduce, they’ll go extinct. If they can, how?

Related Topics

• The Deeps - Primary habitat
• Aether Phenomena - Related mysteries
• Captain Jorah Ironwind - Witnessed one
• Sister Morrigan - Heard dying song
• The Periphery - Migration routes

In-World Documents

Captain Jorah’s Log

Day 156 of voyage. Deep Aether, below the trade routes.

Saw a void-whale today. First time in my twenty years of flying.

It was massive. Ship-sized. Translucent. Glowing.

And it was singing.

I’ve heard descriptions. They don’t do it justice. The sound was… I don’t have words. Beautiful. Sad. Ancient. Like the Aether itself was singing.

My crew stopped working. We all just stood there, listening, watching. Some were crying. I might have been too.

It drifted past us, slowly, gracefully. Didn’t acknowledge us. Just sang and moved and was gone.

I’m not a religious man. But that was sacred. I know it was.

I’ll never forget it.

Sister Morrigan’s Account (Dying Whale, 256 S.)

The void-whale was dying. We all knew it.

It had stopped moving. Just floating there, in the deep Murk. And it was singing.

But the song was different. Mournful. Final.

I listened. And I understood.

It was singing its death. Its life. Its journey. Everything it had been and seen and experienced.

It sang for hours. We all listened. Rot-Touched, uncorrupted, didn’t matter. We all heard.

Then it stopped singing. And it sank. Down into the Deeps. Gone.

I wept. We all wept.

It was the most beautiful death I’ve ever witnessed.

“Void-whales are the Aetherium’s greatest mystery and greatest gift. We don’t know what they are, where they came from, or why they exist. But they sing, and their songs remind us that there is still beauty in this shattered world, still grace in the void, still something worth witnessing. They ask nothing of us. They give us wonder. That’s enough.”
—From Mysteries of the Aetherium