The Empty Ones

The Empty Ones are a group of monsters that have plagued Orejynn since the death of Jastrimo Grawiskiel. They were created by Elairet Laguengarst.

In Xyrinfe Shadow
After the death of Jastrimo at the hands of Gwyneth O'Connors, the Relinquished cease to exist. However, Jastrimo's extreme negative emotions spawned the Empty Ones. Or so it is believed.

In Cosmic Interference
The Empty Ones make regular appearances in Cosmic Interference, but are usually dealt with swiftly and as such are nothing more than nuisances.

Appearance
Their appearances vary, but they all have a few things in common - for instance, their eyes do not have pupils of any sort. They also have three eyes, though the Hollow Ones can conceal these with ease.

The Empty Ones all have a hole where their heart would have been. However, they cannot gain hearts at all.

There are seven different kinds of these monsters.

The Haunted Ones
When a strong Empty One (generally an Abandoned One or a Hollow One, but rarely a Subjugated One) has been slain, it is possible for it to, through sheer willpower, maintain an incorporeal form resembling a translucent ball of harmless grey flames - these are referred to as the Haunted Ones. They retain their abilities from their previous stage.

Though they are incapable of using their original abilities or interacting with most corporeal objects, they can still interact with other Empty Ones. They can also interact with other incorporeal objects, and while immune to damage from corporeal sources, can take damage from incorporeal sources.

However, the Haunted Ones possess a dangerous ability of their own. Ten or more Haunted Ones can combine with an Abandoned One into an Eternal One.

The Vacuous Ones
These are the most common form of the Empty Ones. Normally devoid of intelligence or thought, there have been instances where they work in groups, usually under the leadership of a stronger Empty One. Their bodies are mostly amorphous in nature. They cannot maintain an incorporeal form upon their defeat. It is believed to be as a result of them not having a will of their own.

However, there are extremely rare instances of a Vacuous One actually having free will, as was the case with Iqthal.

The Barren Ones
These are the more predatory forms that are developed for efficiently killing people and draining them of as much life essence as possible. They cannot maintain an incorporeal form upon their defeat.

The Subjugated Ones
Artificially-created Empty Ones, meant to deceive their enemies and befriending them, before killing them in cold blood. They were created by the Abandoned Ones as part of a plot to obtain a crystal in which Night Rain was sealed.

Unlike other variants of the Empty Ones, they are capable of separating their third eyes (which are located on their chests) from their bodies for recon purposes, or for freaking people out. Damaging this third eye will destroy it, and weaken the Subjugated One somewhat, though their third eyes will regenerate given enough time - usually a month; the stronger the Subjugated One, the longer it will take to regenerate.

Rarely, upon their demise, a strong-willed Subjugated One can turn into a Haunted One.

The Hollow Ones
These are the third-most dangerous forms that the Empty Ones can have. They are completely humanoid in appearance, possessing intellect on a similar, if not greater, level. However, it is rarely possible for a Hollow One to be a total idiot.

Upon their demise, a strong-willed Hollow One can turn into a Haunted One.

The Abandoned Ones
The second-most dangerous forms that the Empty Ones possess. They are mostly similar to the Hollow Ones, except that they lack the holes where their hearts would have been (though they still don't have hearts) and they have only two eyes. They are also capable of commanding the lower-ranking Empty Ones.

There exists an evil organization that started off containing 13 Abandoned Ones, though it has massively expanded to contain 400 named members.

Night Rain, while also an Abandoned One, is one of the few (if not the only) Abandoned One not to be evil.

Upon their demise, a strong-willed Abandoned One can turn into a Haunted One.

The Eternal Ones
The most powerful, most dangerous form that the Empty Ones can possess. Though similar to the Abandoned Ones, they are actually an amalgamation of an Abandoned One and ten or more Haunted Ones.

Eternal Ones can also combine with other Eternal Ones to become even stronger.

It is unknown what happens when an Eternal One is slain, as nobody has ever encountered one and defeated it.

Abilities
Should an Empty One kill its target, it will proceed to drain it of its life essence, effectively turning the victim into another Empty One while powering up the original one. Usually, this new Empty One is among the Vacuous Ones, but it is possible for somebody with a strong enough will to become a Barren One - or even a Hollow One.

How the Abandoned Ones are formed is not known at present.

Upon death, most Empty Ones cease to exist entirely, dissipating into nothingness. However, strong-willed Empty Ones (generally Subjugated, Hollow and Abandoned Ones) will take on an incorporeal form, becoming the Haunted Ones instead.