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Message: <blockquote data-quote="seasong" data-source="post: 483983" data-attributes="member: 5137">Gods & SpiritsPlanes of ExistenceThe material realm is the one we are accustomed to. The mountains that you can see with your own eyes, the dirt you can pick up with your own hands. Everything that is well known is in this realm.Co-existing with this is the ethereal realm, the insubstantial plane of ghosts and spirits. Your mind, anchored to your body and bound in its material "stuff", exists in the ethereal. Ethereal objects which are not bound into an object are insubstantially visible as wispy, transparent things.The ethereal realm is one dimensional slice away from our own, and has unknown properties. Connected to it in other dimensional directions are the many planes. Of these, only a few are known and detailed herein.The celestial realm is where the gods dwell. According to most research and theological understandings, the gods constructed it in the ethereal and then divided it from the normal ethereal as the eldest gods once parted land from sea. The celestial realm is actually numerous realms of the same nature, each one owned by a particular god, or jointly owned by several.The infernal realm is the prison of the older gods, whom the current gods overthrew and destroyed. The serpent YS dwells there, as does the great wolf Abthyr, and many others.The elemental planes are almost connecter to the material realm, with the veil thinnest where great amounts of the element are strongest. Thus, deep beneath the ground, the veil between the material realm and the elemental plane of earth are very thin indeed. The elemental planes are similar to the celestial realm, but provide their owners with far, far more power. Xeras, Peladas, Hethas and Phastas each possess one of the elemental planes as well as a demesnes in the celestial realm.All of the realms and planes are geographically limited in scope as regards the material realm. The gods of Theralis do not rule everywhere, and thus one might find other gods ruling the elemental planes elsewhere. This is one small reason why the gods war.And, as it is said, the wars of the gods are the wars of mortals.OriginsOnce, long ago, the first lick of divine fire sparked into existence in an icy world of blackness. Within moments of its birth, it raged throughout the universe and created everything. However, it was completely chaotic, creating and destroying in an orgiastic frenzy, but without conscious design or intent.Sixteen major behavioral patterns emerged from its random actions, each representing varying degrees of chaos or order, creation or destruction. And eventually, these took on some degree of self-awareness and drive. When that happened, they ceased to be aspects of one entity and became their own beings, forever dividing the universe from an organic morass into distinct elements.They developed alliances and enmities, short-term and long-term goals, and succeeded to varying degrees. But they were not a stable structure.At some point, exactly when is unknown, one of their first servants, now ancient and cunning, led their other servants into betraying and destroying them. The various servants took into themselves what they could of the divine fire, and hid the remainder away until they could handle its burning glory.These, then, were the first gods as we know them. The current gods are the third generation of such, having overthrown the children of the first gods, and taken the divine fire into themselves.The current gods were spirits made strong with faith and belief, and are the closest to humanity that have ever been. Their divine fire is also weaker than any before them.</blockquote>

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