Phosphorus
The spirit of Phosphorus sighs in rupture having escaped into this lower realm almost half intact and already soaking in the wake of that success. ‘’I made it,’’ it thinks to itself as it takes in the world it has birthed itself into and the chaos of the unformed Spirit in which this new lower realm of existence exists. ‘’I am one of many’’ it realises as full wakefulness comes to it and it comprehends its existence and its place in the universe relative to others.
The spirituality of this lower realm is weak but to this spirit, Phosphorus, diminished as it is there is security, comfort here; pleasure in forming what has remained unformed in its surroundings.
As one that is weak, a refugee from the conflicts in the spiritual places of higher realms it hides itself as soon as it can lest it attracts the wrong kind of attention. Watching and waiting it continues to form itSelf and its surroundings; watching some of its other siblings in their boldness, exposing themSelves to the established pantheons and spirits of these worlds only to be snuffed out, recruited or used in various ways.
A few do make a splash, establishing themselves in the fabric of these planets anchoring themselves in the beliefs of mortals. The spirit of Phosphorus goes overlooked in the initial exodus and clash of spirits from the higher worlds to this one.
Thousands of its kind die, others giving up themselves in order to be joined to greater powers, still others keeping themselves veiled taking no power from these worlds in hopes of eventually landing in even lower worlds far from the conflict to establish themSelves where there will be less competition. How many centuries will the passage be though, how diminished by the time they reach those false succours? ‘’I establish myself here,’’ the spirit declares anchoring itSelf to the vastness of the spiritual in the spiritual realm of the living worlds.
It watches and waits, its siblings flashing, exploding, expanding, diminishing in the chaos of conflict created by the opening of the Gates of these middle worlds to the spiritual. The vast unformed potential of this spiritual realm takes shape as more spirits establish themselves, blasted into formlessness as they are obliterated or retreat, taking form again and again as events transpire. Like a scavenger the spirit of Phosphorus feeds on the remains of such struggles, studying how the older and already established spirits exert themselves whilst floating at the fringes keeping a tight rein on the reality it forms around itself.
The first minutes of the Unsealing pass this way, thousands of spirits already having risen and fallen; pantheons lost and created. The seals keeping the full might of the spiritual removed with the opening of the Gates separating the powers of the physical worlds by an unknown organisation on Gaia.
The spirit of Phosphorus grows, is found and struggles against another spirit lashing out with everything it has, its Self against Another. The struggle is one of many like it already taking place, what mortals would consider the birth and death of stars takes place, existences questioned, realities put in doubt. The spirit is strained, losing and gaining ground as time passes around their clash. For long minutes, hours, days, months, years, decades they are locked together in a galactic clash worthy of beings that don’t need to worry about the physical in their conflicts.
After an age Phosphorus is victorious, taking great Influence and Self from its fleeing sibling that will never again be powerful enough to challenge the spirit of Phosphorus directly. Coming back to its anchor only a number of days have passed in the physical realm this spiritual is anchored to. A scavenger spirit comes by to feed on the leavings of the conflict but like recognises like and the spirit of Phosphorus takes a big bite out of the scavenger which scurries away.
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Slowly the spirit digests its gains, cataloguing its Self, re-establishing form within and around itself. It discovers it has been changed by reality in subtle ways, acquiring aspects of its actions and that these aspects guide its form giving it solidity, strength, authority. Formless, Cloaked One, Spirit Former, Watcher, Scavenger, Destroyer, Defender; even as the spirit forms reality around itself reality echoes and forms the spirit back into having such aspects. Each aspect an outline of what it is and could be, a desciptive label almost.
YOU WILL BE ONE OF MINE
An older sibling declares scooping up the Spirit of Phosphorus flinging it into its enemies as though it where a rock to be flung in a fight. Conquered, Weapon. Unable to escape the influence of this greater sibling already fully established as a god of rivers, streams and flowing water it fights others of its kind pitted against it for the sake of the god of water, lakes and tranquil waters. A conflict fought not just in the spiritual but the Water Tribes of Velidain in the conitnent of Rhe on the world Aqueous take up arms against each other in the names of their gods, shedding blood strengthening beliefs and the power of their gods.
Phosphorus fights for its survival against other fresh spirits, losing retreating, being fed like a babe by its overlord brother then flung back into conflict barely a remnant of what is was only an age ago. Scarred.
Eventually the god of flowing water is defeated becoming nothing but a Ghost, a Remnant, a Spirit of flowing water to be honoured and remembered in legend by the few remnants of its former worshipers that run from their pursing enemies, a Whisper. The pantheon of spirits is scattered pursued by the victors to the ends of the world, but not beyond.
Again only a number of days have passed in the physical but the Spirit of Phosphorus having been through much in its time in this middling physical ream is changed. It steals a handful of worshippers from the refugees of the Flowing Water Cult gaining new dominant aspects and establishing itself in the world of Aqueous. Formless, Formed, Cloacked One, Survivor, Theif, Fighter, Drowned, Destroyer, Scarred, Worshipped; each aspect dominant and keeping it grounded and much less easily influenced by the powers of others.
Fleeing Aqueous the spirit crosses into Gaia where the conflict of spirits is so all encampusing that it shakes the very foundations of the physical world. The clashes here are several tiers above what is happening on Aqueous, second only to that of Lucifer the world of the demons and the conflict of gods there but coming here frees Phosphorus from pursuit from Aqueous. The water gods of Gaia tolerate no rivals from off world pantheons with no local worshipers, thus none pursue it here.
The spirit takes the time to steal and persuade worshipers by visions and dreams from the most forgotten places on the planet establishing itself here when a physical being, an actual physical morsol crosses into the spiritual not far from where it lurks. Surely this is a Blessing.
Cloaked is the vast aspect of Wisdom and Understanding which passes through the being then fading. Phosphorus steals away the being to a forgotten place it has influence over before fleeing far away lest the being’s relocation is traced back to it.
If a physical being can cross into the spiritual surely a spiritual can cross into the physical without completely diminishing itself or resorting to crudely possessing a mortal like a cloak. ‘’If I could manifest directly into the worlds I could establish my own cult personally, hide in the physical whilst establishing myself,’’ the possibilities are endless and can be carved from the flesh and spirit of the mortal, a human Phosphorus secures in a cemetery of mummies.
Scavenger, thief, survivor could not let such opportunity pass.
The spirit disappears it’s presence deep in the spiritual realm, most places here already have one form or another, influenced by the passage of those that have gone before it. It extends itself far, finding a susceptible humanoid to whisper secrets to, becoming the first true acolyte. The acolyte is gifted Sight and thus is able to see a glimpse of the spiritual within the physical and begins speaking of its new god with fever.