The Realms:
The physical manifestation of a planet of rock and water and trees is only the central realm in the Ul-Zaorith tradition. What we would consider the "world" they recognize is but a small part of a greater system of connected levels of existence known as the Realms. In this tradition there are ten layers "below" or further towards the Huskline and ten layers "above" or closer to the Manna Weave that surround them. In certain hot spots where the Realms touch or gateways exist it is possible to slip from noe Realm to another. There are also portals and spells that enable travel through the Realms. Some races possess special abilities to commune with creatures from other Realms or actually travel to these other places. Each Realm has its own set of Laws of Existence. For instance, on the Earth Realm, things like gravity, cyclical seasons, balance of Husklnie and Manna Weave, the pattern of life, growth, death and other laws that we would consider 'givens' are in effect. These are not always so constant or compatable in other Realms. The Realms are listed below from most Huskline to most Manna Weave in alignment.
-10 ~ Tebbania (The Realm of the Unknown) Tebbania has the least documented evidence as it historically was a place that if mortals were able to reach it, they did not return. Since the Fall, this journey is no longer possible. It is said to be a place of raw energy, where the boundaries of Ul-Zaorith lead to the universe beyond.
-9 ~ Sutasia or The Üllen (The Realm of Chaos) Sutasia is said to be the place from which invention, mutation, and possibility arise. Sutasia is basically raw Huskline with no governable laws; everything there is in perpetual flux and transition. It is said that even in the Age of Heroes, those who entered its demesne would go mad. Sutasia plays a huge role in Speritanian religions.
-8 ~ Ekbasia (The Realm of the Damned) Ekbasia is a Realm of malevolence and opposition. It actively opposes order, even though this requires a certain form of rigidity to impose its will. Hexes, curses, torment, and corruption originate here. Some believe that Ekbasia emanates such evil because it is where deities send souls to be punished.
-7 ~ Minvathrian (The Realm of the Lost) When one goes missing and no trace of them is ever found—those lost at sea, those abducted and never seen again, travellers who vanish en route and never reach their destination—it is said they have fallen into Minvathrian. While once Gates leading into this Realm were plentiful, there have never been documented Gates leading back, meaning those few who escaped its relentless grip had to travel out to other Realms in search of a way home. Nowadays, those taken by Minvathrian never return.
-6 ~ Vuvaithon (The Realm of the Grey) Vuvaithon is home to creatures that hang in the void between life and death. The Grey are entropy personified: ravenous monsters drawn to any source of Manna Weave, be it magic, material matter, or life itself. Whatever they latch onto and consume is corrupted to become yet another Grey creature, spreading like a plague to fuel their bleak and consumptive Realm. While access to Vuvaithon is no longer possible (thank the Gods), it still leaks through in Realm Sickness when individuals get too close to death. The only known rebuff for its steady creep is divine power.
-5 ~ Muniloria (The Primordial Realm, or the Winter World) Many believe life originated in Muniloria and was transferred to the Earth Realm by the whim of some deity, Gate, or chance Realm convergence. The colourless and prehistoric Muniloria is inhabited by massive Silver Spiders who are said to be the weavers of things yet to come. There, seeds of truth sprout, but only through our actions will they become a piece of history. It is the place of beginnings, growth, and primordial wisdom.
-4 ~ Tulorian (The Realm of the Ghosts) Those who find their soul separated by untimely death, magic, curse, or misfortune wind up here. The inhabitants of Tulorian either do not realize they are dead, have unfinished business, or are waiting for something that will enable them to move on, such as the fulfilment of a Quest or the destruction of an artefact. Unlike the Grey, the Ghosts of Tulorian are watched over by their deities and awaited. While there is no true passage of time in Tulorian, the longer their tether is unfulfilled, the more they decay. They forget who they were, and as they lose these pieces of themselves, they can become quite dangerous to the living: their touch like frostbite, their presence maddening. A few hours for the living seems an eternity to a Ghost. So take care when travelling to Tulorian, or you may return to find the world has left you behind.
-3 ~ Letheria (The Realm of Darkness) Letheria is one of the elemental Realms, meaning it is a source of cast magic, a font for elemental creatures, and a Realm that overlaps in myriad ways with the Earth Realm. Darkness, the counterpoint to light, obscures, protects, and dissipates. Letheria is therefore a realm of secrets, potential, misfortune, subterfuge, disguise, defence, warding, and protection. It is often said to be the junction between the Mind and the Soul. When one slips into a coma in the Earth Realm it is because their mind and spirit have slipped into Letheria.
-2 ~ Vismithia (The Realm of Dreams) Vismithia is the Dream Realm, and many believe it is to this Realm one’s soul travels while the body sleeps. It is also the conduit that allows astral travel and other Metaphysics skills. Vismithia is the subconscious, the plane on which we can communicate with other dreaming creatures, where we can tap into inner wisdom and make sense of things that seem too complex or convoluted in the waking world. Vismithia’s primary denizens are the Padua: highly intelligent beings that understand these layers of collective consciousness and can reveal truths to those who come seeking answers.
-1 ~ Kukothrian (The Shadow Realm) Kukothrian is the most intertwined layer with the Earth Realm. There are numerous Gates between the two worlds, many of which are so innocuous that they are looked over by the average mortal: that patch of shadow between buildings that seems a bit darker than the others on the street, the dappling beneath the trees that remains even when the angle of the sun changes, the dark patch of water in the river around which the current seems to dip. Time and space are misaligned between Kukothrian and the Uaharté, and often one passing back into the world through what appears to be the same gate they entered might deposit them miles away from there they started—or years before (or after) than when they left. While in Kukothrian, many can still see hazy impressions of the physical plane they just departed, figures moving just beyond one’s reach, the senses all muted. Here shades roam: fragments of ghosts departed, personified energies of the land, hazy shadow-selves that represent the other Huskline paths you could be walking. Those without League of Spirits will need magical means to communicate with these shades.
0 ~ The Earth Realm (Uaharté) This central Realm is the anchor around which all the others spin. Home to the sapient peoples of Ul-Zaorith and the countries they have established. Because its Manna Weave to Huskline composition is perfectly balanced, it is one of the most stable and dependable Realms. It is believed to have the most diverse biomes and largest quantities of flora and fauna, as well as tethers for the deities’ Domains, through which mortals can provide power to and receive boons from their pantheons. The majority of play will likely occur on the Uaharté.
1 ~ Nunilonia (The Realm of Water) Nunilonia is the Elemental Realm of Water, from whence the water manna originates. In fact the entire realm is “underwater” as it were with no land or sky. The Sha’a’hi of Ere Breghin legends dwell here though there is some argument over whether or not they originated in the Earth Realm or in Nunilonia. Irris of the Speritanian Pantheon, Irtem of the Suoro Pantheon and Veteirndi of the Tirivahni Pomeli all rule sections of Nunilonia. It is said that it is because of their power struggles that the tides swing out and in and that ocean storms arise when they clash. The craft of Nunilonia is Seacraft, one of the most common types to be found on the Earth Realm as it is brought up occasionally in fishermen’s nets or washed in on the tides. It is a semi-sentient and mutable substance that can be crafted into a carapace that when worn and willed to obey can change shape to become variants as per the owner’s wishes.
2 ~ Cytheria (The Realm of Air) Cytheria is the Realm from whence inspiration comes and is the Elemental Realm of Air. Those who are truly inspired or talented touch mentally upon Cytheria. Mind Speech and other forms of Telepathy are done through this Realm, as well as many forms of Astral Travel and Divinations. It is said that Prodigies are the chosen of this Realm. Cytheria is ruled over by Iho and Ebrd of the Tirivahni Iseapo. Cytheria is a Realm of truce where those who are pursued can take sanctuary without fear of persecution.
3 ~ Sanilonia (The Realm of Light) Sanilonia is the “White Light” some people claim to see when they are dying. It is merely passage through the Realm of Light in a spiritual sense that gives that appearance as one moves on from life into Balania. Sanilonia was basically commandered by the God Salin from the Speritanian pantheon, and is now much harder to obtain than it might have once been. The Elemental Realm of Light it is the counterpart of Letheria, and is a place of truth, illumination, clarity, contrast, finality, fortune, dogma and definition.
4 ~ Nunithorian (The Realm of Fire) Nunithorian is the counterpart to Nunilonia and is the Elemental Realm of Fire. It is said that this is the source of all Fire Manna and is a piping hot, constantly burning world of ash and fuel, one of consumption, rebirth, transmutation, evolution and progression. Life may have originated in Muniloria, but the evolution of the Five Clans, and perhaps other races (like the Lisdanese and Talmontese), were caused by the touch of this Realm. Unlike some realms that maintain contact in one place or one method with the Earth realm, Nunithorian only makes actual contact with the Earth Realm once in an era, and it is during these times of Fire in which new breakthroughs are made and progress advances.
5 ~ Balania (The Realm of the Spirits) Balania is the Realm to which all souls go when they die. It is from this realm they are then sorted. While not an unpleasant Realm, one can always feel the pull of the Realms to which they belong like a palpable sense of yearning. It is for this reason that those who are denied “heaven” with their deities and sent to a realm of punishment or chaos feel the spurn so sharply, because in Balania they have tasted a touch of what they have been denied. From Balania Spirits are sorted depending on their faith. For the Tirivahni they are sent to the Halls of their Iseapo in the Realms of Fialysia. The Suoro are sent to Leddania where those go who have died. The Lisdanese remain in Balania until they are ready to be reincarnated. The Speritanians are sent to the Üllen to be tested for their merit, and so on...
6 ~ Rulamian (The Realm of the Soul) Rulamian is the Realm of perfection, where truth is obtained, where flaws are cut away and where raw power is derived from the Manna Weave. In this respect it is the opposite to Sutasia and is a triad of superimposed time of past, present, and future where all of the paths of Manna Weave connect. However, the gateways from the Earth Realm to Rulamian were sealed with the Fall. While passage is still possible from other Realms to Rulamian it has become inhospitable to mortals and any who try to stay there to perfect aspects of themselves will be warped and destroyed before they can reach perfection. Now only the gods can access Rulamian, and only Ahd’ar’ohk, the God of Legends and Heroes can channel energy from Rulamian into his pupils—but even he will only do so for one of the 5 aspects per Hero.
7 ~ Olosyria (The Realm of Peace) Olosyria is a Realm for the psyche, the collective unconsciousness, where the collected memory of the world resides. Ancestors, indelible marks upon the world, and universal wisdoms gather here. It is said that Olosyria is a passive paradise where the self ceases to exist. Those who touch on Olosyria experience enlightenment, but to travel there is to lose oneself and be consumed by the sentience of the planet itself. These days, only deities visit this place to distill what they may safely impart to mortals and to gather and answer prayers.
8 ~ Peolysia (The realm of the Lesser Gods) Peolysia is the first of three Realms where the majority of the pantheons reside. It is said that the entrance to the world is in the form of a circular room with a number of choice doors, each representing a different group of sentient Gods. From here one passes into the Domains and territories of their patron deities. Peolysia is actually an easily reached realm through prayer and faith, and the less potent gods who reside here are more apt than their Higher God counterparts to answer prayers of mortals. Physically entering the Realm of Peolysia can only be done under the permission of the God you wish to address and otherwise one has no choice to to return home.
9 ~ Fialysia (The Realm of the Higher Gods) Fialysia can only be accessed through Peolysia so only those who have been admitted by the Lesser God have a chance of reaching the Higher Gods and must be presented by the Lesser God who allowed them in. Through prayer Fialysia can still be reached, but it is much harder to do, and requires a great deal of dedication, faith and usually a heightened state of mind achieve either through narcotics, meditation, trance, orgasm or some other method. These messages may be enough to lure the deity to Olosyria to grant a miracle.
10 ~ Leddania (The Realm of the Beyond) Only those who are dead are permitted to Leddania and once admitted there is no return. Once one has achieve Leddania their essence, the materials that compose their soul, and all their memories are retired from the world and will never again be used. Leddania is almost a repository for those who have no return. It is governed by Nusir (a Deceased Suoro Goddess) and is home to Teomves (another dead Suoro Goddess), as well as the deceased Bodovian gods: Arr, Tell, Harr and Ull.