Story

A call unto the unknown.

Formed of matted fur and writhing legs, a nightmare once took shape in twisted tails and burning eyes...

Unto the Void was sent a call for aid in a Caelha Inquisitor's most desperate hour. To save a Queen and twist the threads of fate, the unfathomable depths of what lies beyond are called forth...
It was the Rat King who first answered.

Initially appearing as a mass of a thousand thousand rats, sprawling and squeaking and writhing, this Voidal - recently crowned an Elderborn, lord of their kind - knew nothing but hunger.
After all, the crown came at the cost of their six sibling entities. Each devoured in a million bites, subsumed by the growing mass.
And so the entity offered but one solution to the Inquisitor's dilemma. His soul - rich with aether and magic. The first soul of an aetherborn creature this Voidal would ever have tasted.
How it craved that experience...

But foiled by the Paragon's intervention, the Rat King was forced to give chase. For months and months it traced its summoner's steps, camouflaged as hidden rats in dark corners and beneath beds, watching and listening. A thousand eyes standing sentry, scouting for that unmistakable scent of aether.

And one eve, it would finally arrive. A single white rat - the Voidal's core - appeared before Dorian and Clara, and offered once again to devour his soul.

Clara was gravely ill, lulling in and out of consciousness more and more with each passing night, her body strained by the lingering bond with the distant engines. With a heavy heart, Dorian was about to give in to the Rat King's demand - but in a sudden moment of wakefulness, Clara intervened. She would speak to this Voidal personally, and learn more of its motives.

It was then, that she learned of the Rat King's hollow existence. Knowing nothing but emptiness - and devouring its own kin to survive. It had never had a chance to live.
She could see in the rat's empty eyes a faint spark. The spark of curiosity. Of wonder. Of, perhaps, a dream unmade...

She would ask for a different bargain. If the Rat King would learn the ways of mortalkind, it could decide in seven years if it still wished to claim its prize. And until then - it would take mortal form and walk among living creatures. In exchange for freeing her from the engine's curse, she would help procure anything the Rat King wished. Books, trinkets, foods and drinks -- any sensations it desired to experience.

The Rat King pondered this for a long while...and to her surprised, finally agreed. Taking shape in the form of a mortal being, and with a voidal touch upon her forehead, the curse was lifted. To seal the pact, Clara tied together the Rat King's tails with a delicate ribbon - symbolizing the hair's breadth by which the entity accepted this bargain.

When the three spoke together again - they decided on a plan. In those seven years, Clara would pursue her dream to become a dancer. With Dorian's spellweaving and the Rat King's voidal powers, they came upon an enchanted isle and transformed it into what would become the Midnight Cirque. A chance to bring hope to others with a similar dream -- and for the Rat King, a perfect opportunity to explore the universe.

And now, as the entity dances across the stage, blade in hand to perform fantastical feats of battle...who knows what thoughts lie hidden behind the mask?

Relationships

Dorian  Summoner

Summoner and "friend". They don't trust each other. Dorian's not a big fan of Septimus's friendship with Clara; he believes the voidal is a danger and a menace. It wants to eat Dorian's extra-tasty-and-aether-rich sorcerer soul.

Clara  Boss and BFF

Fascinated by her determination. Gets up to no good with her. She finds rare cheeses for it to sample. It can be a bit possessive and overprotective of her - to Dorian's annoyance. Also definitely wants to eat her soul. She gave the Rat King its tail ribbon, which limits its voidal powers. These powers are unleashed when the seven tails are untangled.