The Void



"The Void is unspeakable. It is infinite and it is nowhere, ever-changing and perpetual. There are more things in the endless black Void [...] than are dreamt of in your natural philosophy."

- Delilah Copperspoon

The Void is an alternate dimension in the Dishonored universe that "hungers for a representational, godlike entity", the Outsider being its current divine inhabitant. However, he is no longer confined in the Void following the event of Death of the Outsider. It consists of a series of floating islands in an organic and chaotic state, which contain uncanny representations of real world locales held in suspended animation.

While the purpose of the Void is not entirely clear, according to developer Harvey Smith, "The Void sometimes has a divine entity, and sometimes does not. Some last for thousands of years. Sometimes the gap between them lasts as long. Each takes on the attributes of the time or process that made [them]." However, it is unknown what other divinities have existed in the Void and how they were destroyed. These beings can be unmade in many ways, including by fading, abdicating, deicide, being accidentally destroyed, and being reclaimed by the Void. Despite this, "[i]t's possible that somewhere people are still worshiping a prior Void divinity."

There exist cults of devotees on the fringes of society who worship the Void. Approximately 4,000 years ago, on the edges of the Void, the Outsider was made in a ritual by cultists who saw signs of his representational capacity. When his mortal life was brought to an end, he was "merged in part with the Void" and reborn a god. The site of his transfiguration remains intact and serves as a vault of power, which others are able to harness.

It is suggested that there is an otherworldly connection between the world of the Empire and the Void; events that take place within the natural world can appear as still scenes within the Void, such as the death of Jessamine Kaldwin and the abduction of Emily Kaldwin by the Pendleton twins. Harvey Smith notes that the Void "draws from [one's] mind", which in turn "influences the environment". The three endings of Dishonored are also shown through representations present in the Void.

There are various means of reaching the Void. While some are brought into the Void in their dreams, the dimension can be accessed directly from the natural world, as evidenced by Daud and Delilah Copperspoon. Outsider shrines also act as momentary conduits between the natural world and the Void, as individuals are brought into the Void when runes are taken from the shrine alters.

Trivia

 * The Void is likely an afterlife realm for the Dishonored universe. The Heart's environmental dialogue within the Void supports this notion.
 * Both Harvey Smith and the book Speculations on the Afterlife confirm this somewhat, saying that discordant spirits go to the Void and drift there for a very long time until they are devoured. Peaceful spirits are rewarded with non-existence.
 * It is hinted that the world of the Empire will end when the Void "devour[s] all the lights in the sky". This is supported with statements given by the Heart and Anton Sokolov in his excerpt The Hungry Cosmos.
 * The book We Watch the Stars found in Death of the Outsider claimed that witnessing a cluster of stars vanishing from the sky prompted the Envisioned to create the Outsider.
 * Objects can be both brought into and extracted from the Void, such as with Delilah's paintings and the Heart.
 * Falling from one of the islands within the Void is not fatal to Corvo, Daud or Emily. Instead, they will return up the island they just fell off.
 * However, throwing an unconscious body off an island counts as killing them.
 * A person can be killed while in the Void.
 * In Dishonored 2, supernatural abilities used in the Void consume no mana.
 * In Death of The Outsider, particularly the Ritual Hold, despite appearing vast and infinite, one can only travel so far before stumbling upon an invisible wall.