The Decay
The Decay, also known as the Oblivion, is an ancient, abstract cosmic mould-like entity that originates from beyond space and time, and turns all it touches into a void of nothingness. It spreads through spores created from the body of living organisms. Its power is great enough to alter timelines.
The Elder, a servant of the Decay, spreads its infection and feeds on the memories and hopes of living creatures, draining them into empty husks. Children are particularly vulnerable, their fear and nightmares turning into an energy source for the Decay. Those who survive are left crippled with insanity. The Atlas of Worlds may have originally been created as a feeding ground for the Elder.
The defeat of the Elder by the Elderslayers created a temporary vacancy which attracted other forces to partake in the Struggle for claim over the Atlas of Worlds and the resources it holds. The Decay is dormant.. for now.
Lore
"
For an eternity, the darkness swelled within a ceaseless churn of its feeding, and then... silence. Such silence is deafening to those who listen for it. The abyss cast its gaze upon its source. The first lurching movement of boundaries drawn long before the dawn. A claimant has arrived. You may know who. You wish to know why.The Maven seeks new conflict. Bored, she is, with the realm she has given. She is not the only one. The silence is deafening to all.
You fear The Maven. You fear she is The Elder, returned and emboldened. She is, and she is not.
The Maven serves not The Decay. She serves only her own amusement, passing eternity with an endless string of meaningless struggles.
She is not The Elder, but you are right to fear her."
- - The Envoy: "The Maven" dialogue
"
[...] The Elder came here out of hunger. Preferring victims of a younger flesh, it became the bogeyman, dragging our children off into the night, casting them into its realm of shadow and feasting upon their nightmares undisturbed, for it was imagination that truly satiated it. With such sustenance, the Elder deigned to cultivate something. To... sustain and birth forth its true goal. Its true self. The Oblivion from outside time and space. The Decay. [...]"
"
[...] Times will become as they were in the days of old, when the Watchers of Decay were formed. Children will go missing from their beds. Parents will mourn, darkness will descend, and then birthed from that carnage, the Decay will arrive, finding its physical form in our dimension – for that is the Elder's true master! The fungal monstrosity will manifest and spread forth its mighty tendrils. The mould from before time and space began, will seek out the destruction of all things... [...]"
Servants
Related items
| Item |  | Flavour Text |
|---|---|---|
 The Devourer of MindsThe Devourer of MindsPig-Faced BascinetArmour: (412-578) Evasion: (286-402)Requires Level 63, 85 Str, 62 Dex+(30-50) to Intelligence (80-120)% increased Armour and Evasion +1 to Level of all Minion Skill Gems 25% increased Light Radius Minions count as having the same number of Endurance, Frenzy and Power Charges as you Minions have the same maximum number of Endurance, Frenzy and Power Charges as youThe Decay infects thought itself, leaving nothing but hollow husks filled with virulent void...  | 63 | The Decay infects thought itself, leaving nothing but hollow husks filled with virulent void... |