Qliphoth

Qliphoth (pronounced Kli-fof) (note) is a Hebrew word meaning "shells" or "husks." In Rabbinic lore, it is used to refer to the denizens of old, ruined, universes made by God before He made the current universe in which human beings dwell. Western occultists have theorized that an entire negative Sephiroth may exist, mirroring our own universe. In the Champions Universe and Champions Online, the "Qliphoth" are the denizens of the "Qliphothic World," a kind of anti-Universe which is a home to cosmic horror and which is hostile to life as we know it. The Kings of Edom and the Elder Worms come from the Qliphothic World. The Bleak Ones are Lemurians who have been permanently transformed by exposure to its energy.

The Qliphothic World

The Qliphothic World - also known as “the Shining Darkness” - is made up of “ancient dimensions whose energies decayed into forms inimical to all normal sorts of life and existence.” (The Mystic World, p. 9) Authors compare the Qliphothic World to a cosmic drain down which runs the entire Multiverse. Even traveling in this place causes death and madness. Those who do dare to go here see a place in which darkness itself is a kind of radiation. Light sources such as flashlights or matches explode the moment someone tries to use them within the Shining Darkness. More importantly, anyone within the Qliphothic World is subjected to a constant transformation which destroys their body and turns them into Qliphothic entities. Player characters can see a glimpse of the Shining Darkness for themselves by reaching the end of the Burial Caves lair; Necrull, who has unwittingly tapped into Qliphothic energy in his experiments animating the dead, has a portal to that place in his final chamber. When the player quest is completed, this portal will close.

"In the Shining Darkness, huge, angular masses rise from vast, warped planes in utter disregard for gravity. Indistinct things flop and writhe between them. Every few miles stands a loose cluster of humanoid statues, like huge, squatting fetuses made of compacted grey ash. Qliphothic horrors nest in the empty eye-sockets of their oversized heads." (The Mystic World, p. 48)

Inhabitants and Servants

The Elder Worms are Qliphothic entities who once ruled Earth and its pre-human inhabitants. The Elder Worms, who can be found in downtown Millennium City, on Monster Island, and in Lemuria, worship and serve Qliphothic gods known as the Kings of Edom. Eventually, the pre-human slaves of the Elder Worms rebelled against them. The single most significant Elder Worm on Earth is known as the supervillain Slug. Various "Demons" in Canada and elsewhere also seem to be Qliphothic entities; they are distinguished from "Nether Demons," which have their origins in the Netherworld. The Lemurians once worshipped Qliphothic gods, and this is responsible for the transformation into Bleak Ones.

At the farthest end of the Qliphothic World (either its highest or its lowest point, depending on how you want to measure it) lies the Solipsist, known also as the Decreator or the Anti-God. The Solipsist is ultimate non-being; to go to it or merge with it means to cease to exist. The closest any individual can get to the Solipsist is to come into the presence of Quemetiel, a being known as "the Crowd of Gods." More than a mere King of Edom, Quemetiel is a chaotic fusion of long-dead cosmic entities. It mindlessly sucks in all things which come near, like a supernatural black hole.

Foes

When the Kings of Edom invaded our Multiverse billions of years ago, they were defeated by an alliance of powers so old that we can no longer clearly identify any of them. They had names like "the Fire Bearer," "the Lords of the Jeweled Spider" and "the Angel of Cold Shadow." Signs of these ancient powers can still be found. The Crystal Spider emblem found in Canada and in Monster Island, identified by Ironclad, is a protective symbol against the Kings of Edom and other Qliphothic entities.

Storytelling and Notes

From an Out of Character perspective, the Qliphothic Realms are a vehicle for stories of cosmic horror in general and they homage the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and related authors. It's important however to note that the Qliphotic Realms are not specifically realms of what is normally concieved as dark, evil or corrupted. It is not the anti-thesis to life, but to existence alltogether. Neither are the Qliphothic Realms are Hell dimensions, those are located in the Netherworld.