A Vessel In A World Of Mages

Hollow Knight Info Dump

This chapter is just a small information and lore dump on Hollow Knight to help you guys know more about our dear (Y/N). While you don't have to read this, it would help you guys be more knowledgeable about it so I don't have to make any pauses in the story to explain the small things to you. This chapter will be updated when there's anything new to add that is important to the story, such as vocabulary, culture, currency, etc. Please note that while some of the information will be from the Hollow Knight Wiki, a lot of lore focused information will be from my own personal headcanons, so many aspects will be changed from how it is in canon. Please note that I write this on mobile, so it might look a bit wonky though I'm not completely sure. Enjoy!

Homeland

Hallownest. Also known as the Eternal Kingdom, Hallownest is a group of kingdoms connected together through tunnels and caverns. There are various places to be in when visiting this luscious kingdom, from the leafy caverns of Greenpath to the peaceful and atmospheric City of Tears. There are various places to visit, though one should take caution. After all, not everything is peaceful and safe, such as the acidic waters that require a specific charm in order to actually withstand it.

People

Bugs. The people of Hallownest bare resemblance to that of insects, being born with a hard exoskeleton, segmented appendages, and occasionally a bug-like abdomen. Most of the people will use a mask to cover their featureless face and provide a "face" in the faceless, thought there are a few that choose to keep their heads maskless, like the grubs, moths, and flys. Some of these people are shown in the image given above.

Clothing

Cloaks. Because of their armor-like exoskeleton, most of the people weren't to enthusiastic on the idea of clothing, but after more diverse races like moths and butterflies arrived, the idea of clothing became more appealing to the public. Cloaks come in various different styles and colors, some looking like normal cloaks while others were more form fitting, looking more like dresses than cloaks. Each color represented each seperate area, with white being reserved for only the royal family.

Currency

Geo. Created by the fossilized shells of ancient creatures, the people of Hallownest trade Geo for tools or to pay tolls for transportation. There are three different types of Geo that each hold different amount: Small round drops resembling iron are worth 1 Geo, long silver drops resembling silver are worth 5 Geo, and big round drops resembling pieces of bronze are worth 25 Geo.

Weapon

Nails. While there are various weapons used in Hallownest, the main weapon of choice for people is a sword-like weapon known as a nail. These nails are created by nailsmiths and infuse the Soul of the owner in its attacks, creating importance in owning the right nail for the right person. Nails are also referred to by the people as an extension of one's soul, a way to see into who a person is by the way their nail works.

Charms

Charms are special badge-like accessories that allow its wearer to achieve feats greater than the regular person. In order to use these charms, they must be attached to notches attached to the wearer, like on their cloak or on an piece of clothing. There are various different charms for different uses, from the Dash Master to Wayward Compass. There are a total of 45 charms known to the public, but an extra charm was recently created by the Pale King to help disguise its user to the species of the area around them. Some of the charms are described as below.
-Dashmaster: Bears the likeness of an eccentric bug known only as 'The Dashmaster'. The bearer will be able to dash more often as well as dash downwards. Perfect for those who want to move around as quickly as possible.
-Wayward Compass: Whispers its location to the bearer whenever a map is open, allowing wanderers to pinpoint their current location
-Steady Body: Keeps its bearer from recoiling backwards when they strike an enemy with a nail.
Allows one to stay steady and keep attacking.
-Fury of the Fallen: Embodies the fury and heroism that comes upon those who are about to die.
When close to death, the bearer's strength will increase.
-Baldur Shell: Protects its bearer with a hard shell while focusing SOUL. The shell is not indestructible and will shatter if it absorbs too much damage.
-Weaversong: Silken charm containing a song of farewell, left by the Weavers who departed Hallownest for their old home. Summons weaverlings to give the lonely bearer some companionship and protection.
-Kingsoul: Holy charm symbolising a union between higher beings. The bearer will slowly absorb the limitless SOUL contained within. Opens the way to a birthplace.
-Void Heart: An emptiness that was hidden within, now unconstrained. Unifies the void under the bearer's will. This charm is a part of its bearer and can not be unequipped.
-Hunter's Cloak: disguises the user's form into that of the species most common in the area. Small characteristics of the user's original form will show, but will be slightly changed to accommodate their environment. (Created by yours truly)
-Adventurer's Tongue: allows its user to understand the language of those around them. Other people are still unable to understand the language of its user however. (Created by yours truly)

Lore and (Y/N) Backstory

Deep in the underground exists the thriving kingdom known as Hallownest. This kingdom is, in actuality, multiple kingdoms connected together by a vast network of caves and tunnels. Hallownest is ran by a council of the individual kingdoms' monarchs, but the main leaders of this kingdom are the Pale King and the White Lady. The two monarchs are gods who had decided to live amongst the mortals to help the kingdom thrive, graciously advancing their kingdom and allowing it to flourish and thrive. During the peak of Hallownest's history, other gods and god-like beings began to involve themselves with the affairs of mortal lives. One of the more persistent beings was known as the Radiance, the god of dreams. Under this god's light, a group of followers emerged, threatening the balance of Hallownest that the Pale King and the White Lady had spend their time to build. At the same time, the Pale King discovered an unknown substance that could be used to keep this new god from causing chaos to Hallownest.

After various tests, the Pale King had found out that this substance was more affective when mixing with Soul, the life force of every being. With this information, the Pale King had the idea of infusing Void into a vessel with enough Soul to keep the Radiance sealed away. While he could've used anyone to turn into a vessel, the Pale King decided that only a vessel with traits of him and the White Lady would provide the best results. With this solution, the two soon bared children for this potential solution, though the Pale King kept his queen in the dark for the true reason of having children. These children of the gods were labeled as vessels and each were infused with Void when they were just eggs. While most of these vessels turned out just like any other child, two children in particular came out in the Pale King's favor, emerging from their eggs as the "purest" results. As soon as these two hatched, they were immediately put into specialized training and given the highest education in order to train them into their roles.

Unfortunately, it seemed that one of these vessels became less of the Pale King's ideal vision. Because of this, the Pale King placed more of his attention on his only success, leaving the other tossed aside like many of their brethren. Confused and hurt, the discarded vessel attempted to continue their training, aiming to get back into the good graces of their father, though not knowing the cause of this sudden coldness. Day after day the little vessel tried to get their father's approval, though there were little to no positive results. No matter how hard they tried, the Pale King's attention was solely placed on the successful vessel, though others around found it natural. After all, the perfect vessel wasn't allowed to have any emotions in order to achieve the best results.

This negligence caused the little vessel to grow resentful of the success, not understanding why they got the attention while they were left behing like their siblings. Despite this feeling, the little vessel turned to the affection of their mother, the only other parent that hadn't thrown them away. Quickly attaching herself to that affection, the little vessel assisted the White Lady with taking care of their siblings.

Despite this, the Pale King disliked seeing their most promising failure gain more and more feelings, seeing his original control slipping away like a puppet losing its strings. To fix this, the Pale King used manipulative tactics to keep the little vessel in his grip, creating rules specifically for the little vessel, dangling pieces of affection that they so desperately crave. These tricks and uses of manipulation dug deep into the conscious of the little vessel, keeping them in the control of the Pale King and turning them into one of the most loyal soldiers of the Pale King. They protected the kingdom and the people the best they could, acting on orders and blocking out any will of their own. While they turned out more efficient than the Pale King expected, the little vessel's free will remained deep in their soul, waiting for the moment they could free themselves of the Pale King's control and be their own being...

If you wanna do some research on your own about Hollownest, here is the link to the official Hollow Knight Wiki: https://hollowknight.wiki/w/Hollow_Knight_Wiki the link will also be in the comments.