AN: Here, as promised. A chapter on the lore of the world. I avoided spoilers as much as possible, so it might be updated as the story progresses, or it might not. It gets its own official chapter because I don't want to screw up my numbering.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Winds Of Change Volume 1: The Oncoming Storm
Chapter 7: Of Realms & Races
The Four Realms: Mortal, Divine, Demon, Fae
Mortal Realm: Where most of Spark’s adventures will take place. It is a realm that contains and supports all “mortal” beings, in this case, it refers to all creatures that can die natural deaths. It has a fluctuating supply of mana.
Geography: To the north are a series of mountain ranges inhabited by dwarves. What lies beyond them is mostly unknown as the farther north you go, the greater the frequency of volcanic activity. Just south of the mountains lies a vast desert.
The center of the continent contains mostly human settlements. They are scattered and disorganized, as there is no realm-wide political power to shape the location of cities, and cities are often placed where people can find resources easiest. Since people must also fight monsters, cities are often placed in defensible locations. It is not uncommon for villages to be wiped out.
To the west are the lands of the elves. These are mostly lush forests and greenery. If there is anything beyond the forest, elves have neglected to inform the other races.
The east has a wide range of terrains. These include swamps, wastelands, plains, and forests in equal amounts. Due to this, it is speculated that magic was involved in the creation of said territory. It is also rumored that territories change randomly with the seasons. This makes the land mostly uninhabitable for humans, however, for roving beast-tribe it is seen as a valuable training area.
To the south is a vast ocean. It is avoided by all races due to disasters of the past. The few humans who have tried to sail these seas have never returned. It is believed that to the south is the world’s end, and those who go over it shall fall into the demonic realm and become food for the beasts that live there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Races: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Beast-tribe, mixed-bloods.
Humans: The most widespread race. They live in the center of the known Mortal Realm. This is a Race that continually advances itself in order to find easier ways of survival. Physical strength is less than beast-tribe and dwarves, but greater than elves. Lifespan varies due to magic, monsters, and lifestyle, but normal humans rarely live past sixty. Magic capability is unknown due to the rarity of samples.
Elves: Live in the western forests. Though physically among the weakest races, they are incredibly agile and dexterous. They use their surroundings to their advantage and are very difficult to face when in their own forests. Supposedly capable to strengthening themselves while they are within forested areas. Magic capability is rumored to be high, but that could be due to the extended lifespan to research and learn magics.
Dwarves: Live in the northern mountains and volcanoes. A tenacious race that survives in harsh environments. Out of necessity, they developed a means of living underground and created a series of tunnels and caves throughout the mountain range. They mine the ores located in the mountains and have developed means of determining when volcanic activity will occur, so they usually manage to avoid it.
Within the mountains, they face dangers of eruptions that could fill entire tunnels with lava and earthquakes that could cause cave-ins and landslides. Outside of it, they face fiercely territorial Wyverns. Dwarves are short and stout. The ores they mine allow them to create the finest weapons and tools they need for excavation.
Beast-tribe: Nomadic warriors. They contain both human and inhuman characteristics. In some cases, they have the shape of man, with additions of beasts. These could be ears, tails, claws, fangs, etc. In other cases, they have a vaguely human silhouette, but are covered in fur and have beast-like features. The beast tribes make no distinction between male and female roles in their community, and it is rare for those that create offspring to raise their children.
All members of a tribe are warriors in their youth, once they have aged enough to become elders, they can take on other roles, but generally most stay as warriors until they are too old to fight. It is a common desire for them to wish to die as warriors. Most tribes also require youths to venture out into the world for their coming of age; they are not expected to return for several years. Tribes often merge and split for various reasons, not the least of which is to encourage learning new techniques and strengths. Beast-tribe members have the strongest physical abilities. They have advanced speed, strength, resilience, and senses. However, they are unable to utilize magic.
Mixed-bloods: Just as the name says, mixed-bloods are those who do not belong to any single race. The mixing of races is generally frowned upon, but it is quite common. Most consider the lineage of a mixed-blood to be a moot point and do not inquire about parentage. All mortal races can reproduce with one another.
Mixed-bloods generally live in human settlements. This is the matter of opportunity more than anything else. Humans rarely visit the northern mountains, so there are few dwarven-human mixed bloods. Elves generally don’t want to mix with humans due to offspring having considerably shortened lifespans, but it does occur occasionally. Beast-tribe are commonly seen as undesirable by humans due to their animal features, and humans are seen as undesirable by beast-tribe for their weakness. Mixed-bloods are commonly born of adventurers and other travelers. Their traits vary with the potency of their blood and the nature of their lineage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Politics: In the past, all races were in the central area. However, the beast tribes split off in search of strength. This left Elves, Humans, and Dwarves to settle. Elves and Dwarves did not get along due to differences in aesthetics. Elves believed in nurturing nature and living alongside it, while dwarves wanted to use nature to increase survivability. They eventually went to war, but elves couldn’t match the dwarves outside of the forests. Elves made an alliance with humans in order to force the dwarves towards the northern deserts.
After the war with the dwarves, the elves were significantly weakened and moved into the forests, leaving humans to fend for themselves. Elves and Dwarves are hostile with one another due to the war.
When Elves eventually came back to the Human territory centuries later, humans had forgotten their alliance. Unfortunately, being away from the forests gave elves a disadvantage, and some were taken by humans and sold into slavery. The memories of the former alliance were enough to prevent war, but they ultimately withdrew from Human borders. They now have a neutral relationship with humans, but look down on them for their short lifespans. However, they have no problem killing those who cross their borders if they think the intruders have malicious intentions.
After being forced into the northern mountains, the Dwarves were forced to rely on bartering to supply most of their food. Luckily, there was a human faction that supported them long enough to build their caves. It was enough for Dwarves to forgive some of the transgressions against them. As time passed, the trade system grew and Dwarves became renowned for their excellent products. Currently Dwarves and humans have a neutral relationship that is supported by trade.
Beast-tribe are now and will always be neutral. They got involved in the war on both sides as mercenaries, but were not considered to support one side over the other. They take no political stances and do not rely on any trade, though they occasionally do trade with humans. They continue to pursue strength, and in some cases, have made enemies of lords due to challenging them to duels.
Humans no longer have kings, but they do have Lords. Lords are nobles that rule or ruled certain territories. Usually, Lords only control their city and the surrounding territories. Knights are direct subordinates to the Lords, they are considered the strongest warriors and are sent to fight monsters or other attacking forces. Soldiers are subordinates of the Knights. Regiments are decided by duties given by the Lord. Soldiers are expected to support Knights during battle and train for that purpose. They can eventually be promoted to Knights. Enforcers are not soldiers, but a force made to police the populace. Enforcers ensure that the Lord’s laws are being followed; they also collect taxes and handle investigations for murders. Corruption varies between cities. As Kings no longer exist, the Lords answer only to their own morality.
Elves and Dwarves have unknown political structures. However, they are longer-lived than humans, so it is expected that elders have more power.
Beast-tribe leaders are either the most powerful warriors or the most experienced ones. Elders are treated with a respect relative to the respect they gathered as warriors. Elders are often responsible for training youths before their coming of age. They can also gain respect if the ones they trained become strong.
Churches are another powerful force. Since each race has its own god, all humans follow the same one. Churches believe strongly that worship will bring about miracles. Priests are proof of this, as they are granted power from the god they serve. The churches dislike most forms as magic as sacrilege or heresy. They believe that humans should only obtain the ‘pure’ power from their God, and that only those deserving are granted it. Any other form of power is considered dark magic.
Beasts that live in the Mortal Realm: There are many types of beasts in the Mortal Realm. The ever-present man makes it easy for strong monsters to form. Generally, there are normal beasts that are unable to utilize mana, there are beasts that have evolved to utilize mana, and there are beasts that have been tainted by demonic energy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Divine Realm: A realm that exists above the Mortal Realm. Mortals think that it is in the sky, allowing those who dwell in it to watch over them. It is generally believed to be a paradise by Mortals, but no human that has gone there has returned to tell of it. The Divine Realm is filled with mana purified by the Gods.
Immortals: All beings in the Divine Realm are considered immortals. They cannot die from age or disease; they only die if injured to the point where recovery is impossible. Divine beings include gods and demigods. Divine beings rarely come to the Mortal Realm, as they cannot sustain themselves long on the mana they consider to be impure. Most Divine beings take on a human appearance.
Relationships with mortals: The most powerful gods are those that are widely worshiped. Their worshipers can become priests or priestesses and may be blessed with the power of their God. It is also possible for some worshipers to directly hear the voice of the one they worship, or to summon them temporarily into the Mortal Realm.
Sometimes worshipers, particularly beautiful women, are taken by their God to be a wife. Any offspring created by such a union would not be able to return to the Mortal Realm, but they would not necessarily be ranked among demigods. It is also believed, that if one is devout unto death, they will be taken to the Divine Realm to become an eternal servant of their God.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Relationships with other immortals: Divine beings have hostile relationships with demons as they have opposite attributes. Demonic energy can be fatal to Divine beings and vice versa. Divine beings are neutral or hostile towards Fae.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Demon Realm: Also called the demonic realm. It is believed that the Demon Realm lies below the Mortal Realm. It is considered a wasteland uninhabitable by mortals. It is filled with impure, chaotic, or dark mana.
Demons: Immortals that live within the Demon Realm. They are incredibly hard to kill and rarely take on a human appearance, but sometimes take on forms of beasts similar to those found in the Mortal realm. Powerful demons can store enough mana from the Demon Realm to survive in the Mortal Realm for an extended time, but weaker demons need constant energy to sustain themselves. They get this energy from those who summon them. Contrary to popular belief, they can lie, and do whenever they want. Because they live such long lives, they enjoy tormenting and playing with mortals to reduce the monotony that eternity brings.
Demons of a similar type might form groups or packs, but generally demons are solitary. Some practice cannibalism. The strongest demon in existence is called the Demon King. If the Demon King is slain, then he/she will be reborn. The rebirth takes centuries.
Relationships with Mortals: Demons can be summoned by mortals for a price. Often, that price is the person’s soul. Demons will manipulate mortals however they can in order to obtain a mortal’s life force. If a demon knows a mortal’s true name, and if that name is unprotected, the demon can take it. Once a demon has a mortal’s name, that mortal becomes bound to it. The more powerful the demon, the more they can do with a name.
Mortals that summon demons may do so for power. Even someone unable to use mana can gain dark magic from a demon. As long as they continue to pay the demon for power, they can become stronger and stronger. It is a common practice for those who delve into this area to sacrifice the lives of others, rather than their soul. However, a demon may cancel their contract at any time, so the mortal has to have ever increasing sacrifices in order to keep a demon’s attention.
There are occasionally reports of demons raping women and siring children, but said children are usually ‘purified’ by priests before they can become full demons. Demons can reproduce with other demons, or be spawned randomly by collected dark magics. Supposedly, demons can also engender offspring by possessing someone and using their body to do so, but it is unknown whether said children actually have demonic power.
Relationships with other immortals: They have a hostile relationship with Divine beings since Divine magics can purify them. Even though purification does not necessarily mean death, it can strip them of their power for a long time. If they see a Fae, they will eat it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fae Realm: Known by the naïve as the Fairy Realm. The Fae Realm is the most ambiguous of the four. It has been described as being parallel to the Mortal Realm. It has also been called, ‘The Mortal Realm, only two seconds into the past and five into the future all at once’ and ‘A Realm that exists as a dream.’ It is utterly suffused with mana. There exists no being within it that does not possess mana.
Depending on the story, it is believed to be the Mortal Realm’s future or past. People that have traveled to that world occasionally go mad. It is also common for someone who was spirited away to return after twenty or one hundred years. Said person may not realize that any time has passed at all. Other times the victim will claim that they have lived decades with the Fae, but return after a single night.
Anything that happens in the Fae Realm is reflected in the Mortal Realm and vice versa. If a mortal makes a campfire in their Realm, a fire sprite will be born in the other. If a forest is burned down, a fire elemental will spawn. Powerful magics worked in the Fae Realm can cause growth or wilting of plants, sudden deaths or sicknesses, and many other strange occurances.
Those that live there: Fae, also called fairies, are only one of the sentient creatures that live there. Fae can appear however they like to humans, and often like to play tricks on those they like. They can seem playful and mischievous sometimes, and cruel and sadistic at others. They are malleable existences that are ever-changing. They can be heavily influenced by location, mana, and those surrounding them. It could be said that they can reflect the best and worst in an individual. Their gender is as changeable as their form.
Since they live in a Realm of magic, they are able to use mana. However, they use it by instinct rather than using constructed spellwork. They most commonly use illusion magic, and it is unknown just how powerful they are, as they rarely leave their Realm.
Unlike demons, the more powerful the Fae, the less likely it will be to survive in the Mortal Realm. Fae constantly require vast amounts of mana, the stronger the Fae, the more they need. It is not a problem in the mana-rich Fae Realm, but can be fatal in the Mortal Realm.
Summons: Magical beasts of the Fae Realm. These include elementals and sprites. These beings are also constructed of mana, it is what makes it possible for Summoners to bring them to the Mortal Realm. They must be constantly supplied with mana if they are expected to remain.
Relationships with Mortals: Fae-If they like you, they might perform some harmless pranks on you. However, harmless to Fae is vastly different to what you may be expecting. Lesser Fae, those dubbed fairies or sprites, are generally the only ones that actually have harmless pranks. Fae also like to abduct those they become attached to, or will be attached to. These abductions happen more frequently at night, because it is the only time that the higher Fae can stand to be in the Mortal Realm, and it is easier to traverse Realms at that time.
Summons form contracts with their chosen Summoners. These contracts allow them to travel into the Mortal Realm by using the connection between Summoner and beast. The more powerful the beast, the more mana that is needed to summon it. They have varying levels of intelligence and often are very discriminating when it comes to wielders.
Relationships with other Immortals: Hostile with most immortals. Fae are sensitive to changes in mana, so both the ‘pure’ mana of the Divine beings, and the ‘dark’ mana of the demons can cause them harm. They tend to avoid all contact with any of these beings or their followers.
Demons try to eat them because they possess a large amount of mana, potentially allowing demons extended time on the Mortal Realm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other
Reincarnation: The cycle of rebirth is something believed by all Mortal races. It is believed that when you die, your soul leaves your body and is partially dispersed until it can find a new vessel. It then coalesces again within the new unborn body. You don’t remember your former life or lives because of the original dispersal.
It is believed that your former lives strongly affect your next one, and that the sins or good deeds you commit in this life carry over. This leads to a large disparity of wealth as well as a superiority mentality. Those who are rich, healthy, and strong believe that they are deserving of all of the things they possess, while those who are poor, sickly, or weak are thought to deserve such as a punishment for prior sins.
Eventually, your soul tips to one side of the balance and your rebirth is no longer in the Mortal Realm. Those who were good in most of their lives are reborn in the Divine Realm. Those who were sinners eventually are reborn as demons. Once you are reborn as an immortal, it is seen as an ending. Your soul no longer enters the cycle of rebirth upon death, but remains in the Realm you ended up in until it forms a new body. Thus, a demon will only ever be a demon and a god will only ever be a god.
Because of the belief in reincarnation, death is not seen as scary to some. It is common for loved ones or people with strong bonds to expect to meet again in the next life. Some will even attempt to seek out the reincarnation, but there is no guarantee that the person will be reincarnated within the seeker’s lifetime. It is also believed that if two people die together, they will be reborn around the same time and will be guaranteed to meet again in the next life. These people are considered ‘bound by fate.’
The Cataclysm: The earliest records indicate that in the past there was an enormous calamity that caused the four realms to collide. Gods, Demons, Fae, and mortals all were thrust into the same world and had to struggle to survive. Mortals, as the most fragile of the races, suffered tremendous casualties. Fae suffered the next greatest. They were attacked by demons for their mana, and the Divine attempted to stabilize their fluctuating mana, causing them to age and die.
Sometime during the chaos, the Realms were split again, allowing each immortal to return to their homes. The Realms were then sealed off from one another so that the catastrophe would never occur again.
Rifts: Rifts are holes or gaps in the seal between the Realms. They can be used to travel between Realms, but there is no guarantee that one will survive the crossing. Rifts are quite common and there are several stable ones throughout the Mortal Realm. There are usually at least two open to each of the three immortal realms at any given time. Certain areas are more prone to rifts than others. Generally, these rifts allow mortals passage easier than immortals.
Portals: Rifts purposefully made or solidified by magic. These also exist in various parts of the world. These are different from Rifts in that they lead to the same Realm each time. They also are only usable by those able to work magic, meaning no innocents will be able to cross it. They can be temporary or permanent.
The End: The war between the Divine and Demons is believed to one day end with the Mortal Realm. If mortals fall to demons, the gods will send tornadoes and howling winds to rip apart homes. Then, rain will fall forever, flooding the earth. The winds will stir the ocean, causing tremendous waves that will sink the world into the sea. Then the living will be washed over the world’s edge into the Demonic Realm. Only the devout will be spared and taken into the Divine Realm. Others will become fodder for the demons.
If mortals all become devout, they will reach transcendence, allowing them to invade the Demonic Realm and end the demons. After that, the Mortal Realm will become ‘pure’ and will be equal to the Divine Realm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I said, this is the lore. The magic/adventuring/skill stuff won't be introduced until after we actually get to those parts.
Comments, Questions, and ratings are both appreciated and motivating.
Next Update: Unknown.
Back to Chapter Six Forward to Chapter Eight -not available yet