Guide to the Arcane Realm

Cosmology

Cosmology

It might come as a surprise to you that the everyday physical stuff around us is not the only part of the world. There are actually multiple planes of existance and dimensions where various life forms and forces dwell.

Of course there is the physical or material plane of Kaf that covers pretty much everything from the nature section of Kaf to now. There also exists a spiritual world along side the material one we are used to, called the Aether. If the physical plane is full of the everyday atomic matter we can touch, then the Aether is the spiritual plane, made up of subtle mass that is intangible to normal matter yet tangible to spirits.

The Aether coexists as a parallel layer of the material plane, its structures and native beings roam the same space as physical beings but without being noticed or touched by them. It is possible to see into the physical plane from the Aether, however, it has a ethereal hue to it. Although it occupies the same space, it as if the Aether doesn't exist to physical creatures since it can't be perceived with most of the physical senses like sight, hearing, or touch.

The Aether is usually seen as "the spirit world" because it exists on Kaf and a lot of spirits thrive in it. However, there are multiple spirit worlds that use the Aether as a link to Kaf as you can't leave them just by walking since they exist in physically seperate dimensions. 

Godrealm

Godrealms are stable spirit worlds made by a specific pantheon of deities. They were places where the divinities lived, worked, and played when they were not interfering in the affairs of mortals or battling against Demonic forces, each Godrealm reflected the pantheon and the ideas and legends of the followers that spawned it. A few even served as an afterlife for the devout righteous before the end of the Ghulat Wars. 

All Godrealms had one thing in common: a special passage called an Axis Mundi, which connected the Godrealm to the mortal realm's Aether and was used by gods for travel between them.

Underworld

Underworlds were stable spirit worlds created by the gods where the souls of the deceased end up. Some were made for specifically for the righteous or wicked, but many are neutral afterlives for believers. Which set of deities one puts above all others in their life determined where one would end up when their time came. 

This is how they operated up until the end of the Ghulat Wars Eras. Once the demonic forces started to invade the divine spirit worlds, the remainder of demons and ghuls were banished to many of the torturous underworlds and as a result, souls no longer end up there after death.

Otherworlds

Intermediary spirit realms created by powerful/intelligent non-divine spirits. These are different from godrealms and underworlds in that they are unstable and require constant maintenance to prevent collapse. Their control is also not innate or concrete since it can be usurped or completely destroyed. Many spirits that don't dwell in the Aether or physical world live in one of these. Some otherworlds may also have physical components to them due other preternatural creatures living there as well.
 
Author Notes: Thank you for reading. If you like the story so far, you can comment.