Void

The Void, also known as "the abyss" is a place of nothing, an undefined location mentioned mainly in connection with various religious beliefs in Thedas.

Chantry teachings
All that the Maker has wrought is in His hand Beloved and precious to Him. Where the Maker has turned His face away, Is a Void in all things; In the world, in the Fade, In the hearts and minds of men.

Passing out of the world, in that Void shall they wander; O unrepentant, faithless, treacherous, They who are judged and found wanting Shall know forever the loss of the Maker's love. Only Our Lady shall weep for them.

&mdash;Canticle of Threnodies, 12:5

The Chantry views the Void as the antithesis of the Maker's creation. The relationship between the Void, or the abyss and the Fade is ambiguous. Andraste said all are children of the Maker and deserve the freedom to walk by His side or throw themselves to the Void, two fates that await the faithful and the unworthy in the afterlife, respectively. The Chantry also teaches that at death all souls cross the Veil and enter the Fade. Those who lived good lives and earned the Maker’s forgiveness move beyond the Fade and journey to join the Maker. The sinners are lost, endlessly wandering the Fade or even returning to the "ether" (the primeval matter of the Fade) from which they were made. However, according to the Canticle of Threnodies the Void is not equal to the Fade but rather is in it, as well as in other things.

Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew. Come to me, child, and I shall embrace you. In my arms lies Eternity.

&mdash;Canticle of Andraste, 14:11

One interpretation of this verse directly equates "the emerald waters of the abyss" to "the waters of the Fade".

Trivia

 * "To the Void" is a common curse.
 * Staff of the Void dating back to the old Tevinter Imperium bears the following inscription: "There is strength in absence. Absence of weakness, and of limitation. Absence of caution, and of mercy. The Void has always been within."