The Hollow Star

 

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The Hollow Star: A Cosmic Desert Horror Fantasy

In a world scorched by endless deserts and ruled by ancient, forgotten gods, The Hollow Star is a dark and twisted tale set in the empire of Nharith-Khaal, a realm sprawling across the vast, glass-flecked wasteland known as The Shatterwastes. Here, beneath towering dunes, lies the cursed city of Vaerith'Sul—an obsidian labyrinth built around the impact crater of a fallen star known only as the Hollow One. For millennia, the Hollow One has whispered into the minds of the living, warping time, space, and reality itself. It is a cosmic force that distorts the human mind, breeding madness, creating cults, and mutating flesh into monstrous forms.

The fallen star has become a magnet for the desperate and the power-hungry, from exiled kings seeking to reclaim lost thrones to wizards and mystics thirsting for forbidden knowledge. It is a force of unimaginable terror, and its very presence twists the fabric of existence, causing entire caravans to vanish into thin air, only to reappear decades later as if they had stepped through time itself.

Plot Overview
The story follows Maldran Kaeth, an exiled prince-turned-warlord who has gathered a warhost of exiles, zealots, and madmen to storm the city of Vaerith'Sul and claim the Hollow One’s power for himself. His only goal: to reclaim his throne. But Maldran is not the only one who seeks the Hollow One’s influence. His estranged brother, Revek Morhaal, has embraced the star’s madness, becoming a monstrous figure—the Star-Caller, a high priest mutated by the light of the Hollow One. Revek now controls the city and its deadly cults, setting the stage for a confrontation that will determine the fate of Nharith-Khaal.

Alongside Maldran is Shirae Voss, a desert witch whose face is scarred by starlight, and Corin Darrek, a mercenary captain hired to escort a cursed relic. As Maldran advances through the shattered city, he must confront not only the horrors within Vaerith’Sul but also his own descent into obsession. Meanwhile, Shirae’s search for answers leads her to the Oracle's Maw, a living sinkhole where prophets vanish, and Ithra Saan, a veiled oracle whose prophecies kill those who hear them, reveals disturbing truths about the Hollow One’s influence on the world.

Key Locations
Vaerith'Sul is the heart of the story, a cursed city rising from the crater of the Hollow One, where the very architecture has been twisted by the star's presence. It is a city filled with blasphemous temples, portals to other realms, and obsidian spires that pierce the heavens. The Obsidian Palatine is a ruined fortress made of star-forged glass, a place where time itself seems to unravel. Beneath the desert lies The Thirsting Vault, a sub-realm where time is devoured, and the Oracle’s Maw, a living sinkhole, is a place where the wise are drawn only to disappear.

Throughout the desert, other locations play pivotal roles: Ashmir Vale, a cursed oasis that bleeds black ichor, and the Sepulchre of Riven Moons, an ancient temple dedicated to dead gods, where forgotten rituals threaten to bring ruin.

Themes
At the core of The Hollow Star lies a dark exploration of ambition and corruption. The desire for forbidden power consumes the characters—whether in the form of a throne, godhood, or an impossible return to a lost past. The theme of madness and light runs deep, with starlight serving both as a weapon and a curse, capable of unhinging the mind and soul. Blood betrayal is ever-present, as family ties are severed in pursuit of power and survival, most notably between Maldran and his brother Revek. Finally, the relativity of time and memory pervades the world of the Shatterwastes, where the very fabric of existence is distorted and twisted, and nothing can be trusted—not even the passage of time itself.