Welcome to Gaia! ::

INTRO


SETTING

Worlds
-Earth: Earth is the reality that the normal folk know, and what is generally dubbed "the real world." In truth, it's just one part of Creation. While called Earth, it really is more like the Universe as most people know it, and it lies at the center of Creation.
-Spirit Realm: This plane of existence shares the same "space" as Earth. Here is where all the nature spirits and the Fae live, as well as the spirits of the deceased that have yet to move on. While it seems to mimick Earth, things tend to be more wild. Distance has less meaning here than in the real world, and the laws of physics can vary from place to place. While generally inaccesible to normal folk, the occasional gate opens up that the unwary traveler might wander through. Such visitors usually wander in bewilderment until either found by the denizens of the Spirit Realm, or they manage to find their way out, possibly hundreds of miles away or more from where they entered. Mythical creatures can be found residing here, as Earth has become too hostile an environment for them to survive. The dragons make their lairs here, though they rarely stir, and rarer still are the ones who don't take affront at being woken up by impudent visitors...
--Threshold: The border between Earth and the Spirit Realm, this is where most spirits of the deceased spend their time. Those on Earth who can see the dead are actually able to see into this part of the Spirit Realm. The ghosts who wander Earth are also tied to this part of the Spirit Realm. This is the portion of that most resembles Earth, but people who wander deeper into the Spirit Realm find things becoming wilder.
--Faerie: The name of the area of the Spirit Realm where the Fae Folk live. The Seelie and Unseelie Courts rule here. Half the realm seems to be in perpeptual summer, th other in perpeptual winter, and at the border, the two Courts continually vie for supremacy. Travelers to here are often ensnared by the words of the Fae Folk and are never seen again on Earth. Though the Fae cannot tell lies, there are still masters of misdirection and twisting words, and are fond of bargaining with mortals, most who have no clue on what they're getting into.
-Shadow Realm: Another plane of existance that shares the same space with Earth. It more closely resembles Earth through analogous locations, though the Shadow Realm versions are darker, more twisted and decayed. The entire plane is in perpeptual twilight, and the very shadows themselves are aware. It is said that every person on Earth has a Dark Twin that resides here who desire to take their real counterpart's place. Should the real person perish, the Dark Twin fades away as well, though the reverse is not true. Occasionally, a gate opens where the shadows are deep on Earth, letting the sadows out to cause mischief and to drag people through. There are tales of travelers who have traveled deep into the Shadows, only to emerge into an Earth not their own...
-Heaven: Spatially next to Earth, Heaven has few connection points to Earth. It has more connections to the Threshold of the Spirit Realm, and none with the Shadow Realm. Those people who were essentially good in life end up here, and the representations of every religion's "desirable" afterlife can be found here. Aside from the souls of those who have passed on, the other major residents are the Angels. Mostly they have nothing to do with Earth, save for the Guardian Angels, who are the ones most likely to be encountered on Earth. There are those Angels that are sent to actively fight against the Demons on Earth, and to guard the few permanent connection between Heaven and Earth.
-Hell: If Heaven is "above" Earth, the Hell is Below. Like Heaven, it has few permanent connection to Earth, more to the Spirit Realm Threshold, and none to the Shadow Realm. The souls of the wicked go here, where The Fallen and the "bad" afterlives of Earth's religions reside. Though The Fallen would love to take over Earth in order to rub Heaven's face in it, for the most part they are unable to Travel to Earth due to a divine decree. Some are able to get through, however, and while most tend to be of wicked heart, not all Fallen are evil, just as not all Angels are good.
-Outside: At the very edges of Heaven, Hell, and the Spirit Realm stand a pair of massive gates. Those who manage to find these gates are standing at the very edges of creation. Traveling beyond the Gates are forbidden, for there dwell things whose very existance would drive a person mad... That isn't to say that some people haven't tried, but the Outsiders see such intrepid folk as tasty morsels. Still, some people have stood at the doorway and listened to the whispers of the Ousiders through the cracks and learned ways to bring them into our reality. It's a dangerous practice, of course, as it is said that each summoning of an Outsider weakens the Gateway a tiny fraction each time. Those Outsiders that have been summoned are frightfully strong, but even they cringe in fear at the ones that would come through should the Gates ever fail...

Critters: Some things you might encounter but generally aren't acceptable as characters...
-Zombies: A basic form of undead, they are the reanimated corpses of the deceased. As the higher spirit/soul has departed, zombies rely on the corpse memory of the dead bodies to function, and are essentially mindless. They are driven by hunger for flesh, and any moving thing is considered food. They are straigh-forward in tactics, moaning and shambling towards prey as soon as they see it. They are only a real threat when encountered in groups, and destroying the brain is the easiest way to stop them. Their senses aren't great, but they seem to be able to move about in complete darkness unhindered. They don't actually need to feed, but feeding keeps them from rotting as quickly,

A faster, more cunning version exist, and are known as ghouls. They have a stronger tie to their corpse memory, giving them increased intelligence and mobility. This comes at a cost, however, as they seem to actually require food, unlike a normal zombie...and they need to feed often...
-Abominations: These giant zombies are the creation of necromancers. By using magic to combine several bodies into an amalgamam whole, they give rise to these monstosities. While mindless like normal zombies, they take instructions, and are capable of wielding huge weapons, and seem capable of a greater degree of cunning than normal zombies. Keeping them fed is another matter...
-Outsiders: These creatures defy any real description, as each individual being seems to be unique. However, they seem capable of warping beings in Creation into parodies of themselves, and many of the creatures found in H.P. Lovecrafts tales draw inspiration from these Outsider-warped beings. Fighting against them is ill-advised, as they are highly resistant to normal weaponry, and even magic seems to have a difficult time of harming them...
-Fae Folk: A catch-all term to refer to the natural denizens of the Spirit Realm. All share a weakness to cold iron, or anything containing a large amount of iron, as well as enchanted weaponry. Several of the broader classes include:
--Sidhe: These are the Faerie lords of the Seelie and Unseelie court. They appear as tall, elven-like beings of grace and unearthly beauty. They are divided into the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and while Sidhe from each court more or less resemble each other, Unseelie Sidhe tend to be nastier and cruel, while the Seelie Sidhe are more gentle and forgiving. Both are fond of mortals, and ensaring them in deals. They are absolutely incapable of lying, but they are masters of twisting words. While in their lands, don't accept food, drink, or gifts unless you want to give up your freedom. The greatest of their kind are the Queens of each court...
--Lesser Fae: Trolls, Goblins, powries, pixies, centaurs, satyrs, etc, etc...and all are adept at tricking, decieving, or killing humans, depending on their temperment and which Court they are aligned to. While they are bound by the same inability to lie, they too are quite adept at twisting words and promises around to fool mortals. Depending on what they are though, they might just be more inclined to bash in a mortal's head and drag them off to eat rather than play around with fancy words like "the."
--Spirits: Nature Spirits, as well as elemental spirits, make up this class of Fae. While they don't ensare mortals like the Sidhe do, they are dangerous in their own right. Many protect unspoiled areas of Earth, and they have an alien mindset that can make reasoning with them difficult. A spirit's size can give you an idea how powerful they are, with the spirit lords as large as mountains (if not the actual mountains...).
Shadows: Denizens of the Shadow Realm, they can appear as almost anything. Each shadow has two forms that are natural to them, one is a pool of shadows that they can use to mimic objects, the other is that of some creature. Strength is determined by how deep the darkness is that makes up each shadow, with the weakest being translucent, while powerful ones appear as voids from which light cannot escape. While they aren't malevolent for the most part, they do covet things from Earth and can be extremely jealous of those with stable forms...
-Dragons: Large, powerful, and intelligent, these amazing creatures have for the most part left Earth behind. Most lair in the Spirit Realm, some in the Shadow Realm, and others have Migrated to Heaven and Hell as befits their temperment. A rare few still live on Earth, but they keep their lairs hidden far from the prying of humans and try and stay out of their affairs. Humans for the most part beleive dragons never existed, though five years ago a dragon from the Spirit Realm showed up in the outskirts of the city and wreaked havoc in a blind fury that is most unlike their normally peaceful demeanors. Unfortunately, the beast had to be slain to be stopped, and it was discovered that someone had driven the poor dragon mad with a malicious curse and then unleashed on Earth. This event has lead to more people in the city becoming more accepting to the existance of dragons and the supernatural in general, but most humans think it was all a hoax.

RACES
Humans: Pretty self-explanatary. What humans lack in strength, they make up in numbers. The supernatural elements of society take care not to rile them up, lest they be faced with the human mob that has destroyed many a vampire, lycanthope, and magic user in the past. Reactions of humans to other supernatural races varies, but they tend to get along the best with all of the races. They are the most liekly race for True Magical talent to show up in.
Angels/The Fallen: One could view them as two sides of the same coin. While on Earth, they assume the form of a human, though they can manifest parts of their divine nature, not the least of which is their wings. While they are capable of using magic, they are limited to that which is appropriate to what type of angel or demon they are. The most common types of Angels seen on Earth are Guardian Angels and Hunter Angels. The Fallen tend to be mockeries of what they were as Angels before Falling from grace, and their powers tend to reflect this. Some Fallen go to Earth to cause havoc and bring mortals to Hell's side, but some are there just to escape from it all, or even seeking redemption.
Ghosts: These are the spirits of deceased mortals unable to pass on, and are stuck in between our world and the Spirit Realm. Powers vary between individuals, as well as their reasons for remaining on Earth, but they all share an incorporeal state that lets them pass through things, and can disappear from view by traveling to the Spirit Realm Threshold.
Nekojin: A catch-all for people who look human, but have certain animal features such as animal ears and tails. Different animal varieties go by different names, borrowed from Japanese, but most humans refer to them as "Nekos" regardless of whether they have cat features or not. This obviously isn't the case in Japan, where they are known as Kemonomimi. Their personalities tend to reflect the animal type that they share features with, though they more or less act like humans. Humanity's reaction to them varies, but the attention their features bring tends to cause them to hide their more obvious features when out in public.
Therianthropes: A fancier name for shapeshifters, this category includes werecreatures of all stripes, as well as the rare beings capable of transforming into more than one form. True magical talent among them is very rare, though some are capable of psychic powers or elemental control.
Vampires: Undead creatures that must feed of mortals, they come in several varieties. The classic blood-drinker is unable to move about in the daylight and suffer the usual vampire disabilities, but they are far stronger than they were as a mortal and can exhibit strange powers. Psychic vampires aren't as strong as a blood-drinker, but they are capable of moving about in the day and are resistant or immune to the usual vampire banes because they are more "human-like" than the classic blood-drinker. They feed off emotions through physical contact, and individuals have preferences to which emotion be present when feeding, whether it be lust, fear, or despair.
Fae Folk: While most Fae tend to remain in the Spirit Realm, some come to Earth for a variety of reasons. Animal spirits (the demons of Japanese Folklore) are the most common, but it's not unheard of for a nature spirit to find the natural feature they were a part of paved over by humanity and wander around, displaced. Some minor Sidhe enjoy living among mortals as well, especially when they have few overall ties to one of the Sidhe Courts.

RULES

Planes of Existence

Earth: Earth is the reality that the normal folk know, and what is generally dubbed "the real world." In truth, it's just one part of Creation. While called Earth, it really is more like the Universe as most people know it, and it lies at the center of Creation.

Spirit Realm: This plane of existence shares the same "space" as Earth. Here is where all the nature spirits and the Fae live, as well as the spirits of the deceased that have yet to move on. While it seems to mimic Earth, things tend to be more wild. Distance has less meaning here than in the real world, and the laws of physics can vary from place to place. While generally inaccessible to normal folk, the occasional gate opens up that the unwary traveler might wander through. Such visitors usually wander in bewilderment until either found by the denizens of the Spirit Realm, or they manage to find their way out, possibly hundreds of miles away or more from where they entered. Mythical creatures can be found residing here, as Earth has become too hostile an environment for them to survive. The dragons make their lairs here, though they rarely stir, and rarer still are the ones who don't take affront at being woken up by impudent visitors...

Threshold: The border between Earth and the Spirit Realm, this is where most spirits of the deceased spend their time. Those on Earth who can see the dead are actually able to see into this part of the Spirit Realm. The ghosts who wander Earth are also tied to this part of the Spirit Realm. This is the portion of that most resembles Earth, but people who wander deeper into the Spirit Realm find things becoming wilder.

Faerie: The name of the area of the Spirit Realm where the Fae Folk live. The Seelie and Unseelie Courts rule here. Half the realm seems to be in perpetual summer, the other in perpetual winter, and at the border, the two Courts continually vie for supremacy. Travelers to here are often ensnared by the words of the Fae Folk and are never seen again on Earth. Though the Fae cannot tell lies, there are still masters of misdirection and twisting words, and are fond of bargaining with mortals, most who have no clue on what they're getting into.

Shadow Realm: Another plane of existence that shares the same space with Earth. It more closely resembles Earth through analogous locations, though the Shadow Realm versions are darker, more twisted and decayed. The entire plane is in perpetual twilight, and the very shadows themselves are aware. It is said that every person on Earth has a Dark Twin that resides here who desire to take their real counterpart's place. Should the real person perish, the Dark Twin fades away as well, though the reverse is not true. Occasionally, a gate opens where the shadows are deep on Earth, letting the shadows out to cause mischief and to drag people through. There are tales of travelers who have traveled deep into the Shadows, only to emerge into an Earth not their own...

Heaven: Spatially next to Earth, Heaven has few connection points to Earth. It has more connections to the Threshold of the Spirit Realm, and none with the Shadow Realm. Those people who were essentially good in life end up here, and the representations of every religion's "desirable" afterlife can be found here. Aside from the souls of those who have passed on, the other major residents are the Angels. Mostly they have nothing to do with Earth, save for the Guardian Angels, who are the ones most likely to be encountered on Earth. There are those Angels that are sent to actively fight against the Demons on Earth, and to guard the few permanent connection between Heaven and Earth.

Hell: If Heaven is "above" Earth, the Hell is Below. Like Heaven, it has few permanent connection to Earth, more to the Spirit Realm Threshold, and none to the Shadow Realm. The souls of the wicked go here, where The Fallen and the "bad" afterlives of Earth's religions reside. Though The Fallen would love to take over Earth in order to rub Heaven's face in it, for the most part they are unable to Travel to Earth due to a divine decree. Some are able to get through, however, and while most tend to be of wicked heart, not all Fallen are evil, just as not all Angels are good.

Outside: At the very edges of Heaven, Hell, and the Spirit Realm stand a pair of massive gates. Those who manage to find these gates are standing at the very edges of creation. Traveling beyond the Gates are forbidden, for there dwell things whose very existence would drive a person mad... That isn't to say that some people haven't tried, but the Outsiders see such intrepid folk as tasty morsels. Still, some people have stood at the doorway and listened to the whispers of the Outsiders through the cracks and learned ways to bring them into our reality. It's a dangerous practice, of course, as it is said that each summoning of an Outsider weakens the Gateway a tiny fraction each time. Those Outsiders that have been summoned are frightfully strong, but even they cringe in fear at the ones that would come through should the Gates ever fail...

Critters
These are things you may encounter but are not generally accepted as characters.

Zombies: A basic form of undead, they are the reanimated corpses of the deceased. As the higher spirit/soul has departed, zombies rely on the corpse memory of the dead bodies to function, and are essentially mindless. They are driven by hunger for flesh, and any moving thing is considered food. They are straigh-forward in tactics, moaning and shambling towards prey as soon as they see it. They are only a real threat when encountered in groups, and destroying the brain is the easiest way to stop them. Their senses aren't great, but they seem to be able to move about in complete darkness unhindered. They don't actually need to feed, but feeding keeps them from rotting as quickly,

Ghouls: A faster, more cunning version of zombies. They have a stronger tie to their corpse memory, giving them increased intelligence and mobility. This comes at a cost, however, as they seem to actually require food, unlike a normal zombie...and they need to feed often...

Abominations: These giant zombies are the creation of necromancers. By using magic to combine several bodies into an amalgamam whole, they give rise to these monstrosities. While mindless like normal zombies, they take instructions, and are capable of wielding huge weapons, and seem capable of a greater degree of cunning than normal zombies. Keeping them fed is another matter...

Outsiders: These creatures defy any real description, as each individual being seems to be unique. However, they seem capable of warping beings in Creation into parodies of themselves, and many of the creatures found in H.P. Lovecrafts tales draw inspiration from these Outsider-warped beings. Fighting against them is ill-advised, as they are highly resistant to normal weaponry, and even magic seems to have a difficult time of harming them...

Fae Folk: A catch-all term to refer to the natural denizens of the Spirit Realm. All share a weakness to cold iron, or anything containing a large amount of iron, as well as enchanted weaponry. Several of the broader classes include:

--Sidhe: These are the Faerie lords of the Seelie and Unseelie court. They appear as tall, elven-like beings of grace and unearthly beauty. They are divided into the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and while Sidhe from each court more or less resemble each other, Unseelie Sidhe tend to be nastier and cruel, while the Seelie Sidhe are more gentle and forgiving. Both are fond of mortals, and ensaring them in deals. They are absolutely incapable of lying, but they are masters of twisting words. While in their lands, don't accept food, drink, or gifts unless you want to give up your freedom. The greatest of their kind are the Queens of each court...

--Lesser Fae: Trolls, Goblins, powries, pixies, centaurs, satyrs, etc, etc...and all are adept at tricking, decieving, or killing humans, depending on their temperment and which Court they are aligned to. While they are bound by the same inability to lie, they too are quite adept at twisting words and promises around to fool mortals. Depending on what they are though, they might just be more inclined to bash in a mortal's head and drag them off to eat rather than play around with fancy words like "the."

--Spirits: Nature Spirits, as well as elemental spirits, make up this class of Fae. While they don't ensare mortals like the Sidhe do, they are dangerous in their own right. Many protect unspoiled areas of Earth, and they have an alien mindset that can make reasoning with them difficult. A spirit's size can give you an idea how powerful they are, with the spirit lords as large as mountains (if not the actual mountains...).
Shadows: Denizens of the Shadow Realm, they can appear as almost anything. Each shadow has two forms that are natural to them, one is a pool of shadows that they can use to mimic objects, the other is that of some creature. Strength is determined by how deep the darkness is that makes up each shadow, with the weakest being translucent, while powerful ones appear as voids from which light cannot escape. While they aren't malevolent for the most part, they do covet things from Earth and can be extremely jealous of those with stable forms...

Dragons: Large, powerful, and intelligent, these amazing creatures have for the most part left Earth behind. Most lair in the Spirit Realm, some in the Shadow Realm, and others have Migrated to Heaven and Hell as befits their temperment. A rare few still live on Earth, but they keep their lairs hidden far from the prying of humans and try and stay out of their affairs. Humans for the most part beleive dragons never existed, though five years ago a dragon from the Spirit Realm showed up in the outskirts of the city and wreaked havoc in a blind fury that is most unlike their normally peaceful demeanors. Unfortunately, the beast had to be slain to be stopped, and it was discovered that someone had driven the poor dragon mad with a malicious curse and then unleashed on Earth. This event has lead to more people in the city becoming more accepting to the existance of dragons and the supernatural in general, but most humans think it was all a hoax.