Cosmology

The cosmology of Miranda is an attempt to map into a loose definition of our own universe into a fantasy universe. The world is not populated by thousands of scientists with modern equipment and while The Ancients possessed vast knowledge of this universe, only scraps and legends of this knowledge has been passed down.

This system is heavily influenced by The Primal Order by Peter Adkison.

The cosmos is listed below in order from set to subset.

1. The Void
2. Existence
3. Realms
4. Dominion
5. Planes

The Void is the infinite that exists outside of existence. It is what this existence sprung from at the time this existence was formed. The only thing that is found within the void are the two high order concepts of Order and Entropy. Most scholars pit these two concepts in conflict with each other, but in truth one cannot exist without the other so they both feed on and support each other.

The Existence is an infinitesimally small bubble that exists within the void. This finite and expanding space is where everything else exists. Scholars believe that there are other existences within the void; although so far it has been impossible to travel to them. The existence that we care about is the one that Miranda is located in.

When our existence was shattered during the war between the gods and devils three realms were formed. The two outer realms are called the Divine Realms and the Infernal Realms, while the single inner realm is called the Shadow Realms.

The power possessed by the beings native to the outer realms is called primal power because it descends directly from this existence. The power possessed by natives of the inner realms is called spiritual power, which was created when the Shadow Realm came into existence.

The Divine Realm is one of the outer realms and home to those beings who possess The Creation. These beings are generally referred to as gods, angels, devas, and other names. The primal power of this realms is the power of life, hope, community, charity, and self-sacrifice.

The Infernal Realms is home to those beings who possess the power of un-life. These beings are typically called devils and demons. The primal power of this realm is the power of destruction, corruption, lies, blasphemies, avarice, pride, and sin.

The Shadow Realms is the only inner realm and it keeps the two outer realms from ever making contact. Those who are natives of this realm are mortals who possess a spirit. Not all of these spirits can express themselves through free will, instead they are driven by their instinct and nature. Those that can express free will have the ability to bring into being spiritual power that far exceeds their own.

The Elemental Realms are neither an inner realm or an outer realm. It is something else entirely that seems to penetrate all of the other realms. The Eldar are the beings of these realms or these realms are actually the Eldar, nobody knows for sure. What is known is that anything physical in the universe are part of the elemental realms - tied to them in a metaphysical way not understood even by the gods. They are one and they are all.

A Dominion represents one small sphere of space where the Shadow Realms formed around one of the prisons of the Celestial Dragons. A dominion includes not only the Shadow Realms, but also the areas of the Divine and Infernal Realms that touch it.

The dominion that is the center of this game is called the Hydrus Dominion and the prison of the Empyrean Dragon at the center of this solar system is called Mir. The specific world where this wiki takes place is called Miranda.

Main Article: Planes (Index), Planes (List)

Each dominion is comprised of many different planes. Each of these planes represents a small slice of reality within the dominion. Unless otherwise stated the plane discussed in this wiki is the mortal plane. This plane represents the physical plane of the dominion. It also is the strongest source of spiritual power as mortals are creatures with free will. This makes it the most heavily fought over plane by the gods, demons, and devils within this dominion.

There are other Shadow Planes within this dominion. In effect any “other place” that connects to this world is considered a plane of this dominion. The Mortal Plane, Fae Lands, Evernight, and Astral Plane are all examples of planes. A shadow plane must be fully contained with the Shadow Realms - it cannot open a doorway to any other realm.

Primal Planes can also serve as a bridge between the inner and outer realms. Beings with primal power will create these planes using their power and the spiritual power that they have gained from their followers. Planes like the Halls of Valor, Elysium, and Hel all bridge the inner realms with the outer. These bridge planes allow outsiders to use a measure of their power in the Shadow Realms where they connect. If an outsider is not careful they could find themselves trapped in the inner realms if their bridge plane ceases to exist.

The Elemental Planes like the Sea of Storms, Realm of Fire, or Keep of Iron are formed when the elemental realms contact other realms. The ones listed above are those that were formed where the elemental planes contact the mortal plane, forming a temporary and often violent bridge.

Main Article: Cosmic Beings

This is a very short list comprised of only three things: the Eldar, Chronos, The Creation, and Entropy.

At the very pinnacle of power are beings known only as Eldar. These beings represent the most basic forces in the universe: fire, ice, hate, love, order, chaos, law, and countless others. The eldar exist beyond the understanding of even the oldest of gods, and beyond comprehension by any mortal. A single Eldar is as far above the collective power of all of the gods and devils as a single god is above the collective power of the mortals. They do not wield or control the power of the universe — they are a part of the universe.

Many legends have called them titans, dragons, or even elder gods. However, they should not be confused with other elementals that can be controlled by mortals and gods. These lesser elementals are but a shadow of their more powerful forefathers and no more noticeable to their creators than any single mortal.

The last thing every created, for only Creation can exist without the flow of time, and the last thing every destroyed — Chronos is the flow of time in a universe that is constantly dying. As such, although even the elder count the temporal clocks of the universe as moving forward — they are in fact marching backwards to the end of time itself. Time is motion, it is a snapshot of everything in the universe and the very instant that it is taken. Put these snapshots together and you have the flow of the universe. The very powerful may learn to move to a different snapshot, but they will find that they cannot change the snapshot as they were in the snapshot when it was originally taken. At its heart a mortal's belief in its own free will is actually the already undertaking of that free will with respect to time. Entropy

If the idea of the Eldar or Chronos was difficult to understand or talk about, Entropy is potentially even stranger. When everything was created so was Entropy, it is the devourer of all things and the ultimate destruction. Within the fluid concept of time entropy will finally have devoured everything, including the Eldar. Finally Entropy will devour Chronos and then because Entropy cannot exist without time it will devour itself. In the very instant (a vague term considering that time no longer exists) that Entropy fully devours itself it will give birth to Creation. In the instant (again funky because time doesn't yet exist) Creation is born it will give life to everything that will ever exist, finally dying with the birth of Chronos. This is because Creation cannot survive withing time. The ending of creation and the start of time will be the birth of Entropy — who will start the entire process over again. Primal Beings

This catchall term is used to describe any type of being that possesses some type of primal power. Remember that much of the information below is given on a GM-scale — meaning that its what is really happening, not what the characters would ever know. The very notion that a primal being is limited in any way would never occur to a mere mortal, especially after a strong taste of its power. All primal power comes from the outer realms; therefore, by definition all primal beings are natives of those realms.

Power Analogy

• Entropy is the ultimate short to ground.
• Chronos exists at every tick of every point of both AC and DC
• Eldar exist as pure power, able to use and shape either AC or DC
• Primal Power is DC power and comes from the outer realms
• Spiritual Power is AC power and is from the inner realms
• Shadow Power is AC power as seen through a band-pass filter
• The elements are an insulator and from the elemental realms

Since there is no DC power in the inner realms both the Gods and Devils would die if they fully appeared in the inner realms. By creating a “body” from the elements and housing a small portion of themselves within they can survive in the inner realms. Likewise beings from the inner realms need to craft bodies from the elements or use specific shadow realms whose filters will allow their AC spirits to survive in a DC environment if they travel to the outer realms. All beings can travel the elemental realms, they just cannot change anything.

Devas are power converters that can change AC to a specific type of DC power and vice versa, which is determined when they are made. Since each being from the outer realms takes a unique level of DC power avatars are specifically tied to their primal beings, unless another primal being wishes to remake them to suit their needs.

Although collectively known as deities, mortals divide them into two categories known as gods and devils. The gods are beings whose are from the higher planes and draw upon its divine power, while devils are from the lower planes and draw upon its infernal power. Each is half of the power that was used to create the universe. The exact nature of each power is discussed more fully in several sections below.

Deities can gain spiritual power when worshiped by those with mortal spirits. Each mortal spirit releases a small amount of spiritual energy. The more strongly they worship, the more power they release. The deity can then use physical objects, a follower’s investment link, or sacred sites to gather this power. They often use avatars (see Avatars) to convert this spiritual power into primal energy, which they need to survive in this plane of existence.

However, because all deities are beings of pure primal power they cannot physically manifest themselves on the mortal plane. To do so they must create a body, often called an Avatar, from the elemental forces that divide the inner realms from the outer realms. Into this body they place a small amount of their primal energy. While inside this body they may travel the inner realms and use what primal energy that passes through their body; however they are also very vulnerable. If they use up too much of their primal energy they will no longer have enough power to return their own self to the outer realms. Deities that are trapped in the inner realms are often called “fallen” to represent their lesser existence.

Devas are those lesser beings that serve the gods or devils, which are often called a deva's patron. These are typically referred to as angels, demons, and several other names; although they function the same. They gain their primal power from the deity they serve, but they can draw spiritual power from mortals. A deva acts as a conduit of spiritual, or aspectual, energy from the mortal plane to a primal being. These devas must have at small amount of primal energy encased in an elemental object, called a primal artifact, in order to accomplish this task. When both the deva and primal artifact are linked they can fully convert primal and spiritual energy.

However, the primal artifact is keyed to the deity that created it, which limits the deva to converted to and from a specific deity only. In the same way because spiritual energy if born of belief and conviction the deva is limited in gathering only that spiritual energy that is directed towards them from a mortal soul. As an example, an angel of mercy can gather forth energy from mortals asking for healing, but not those looking to strike down their enemies in cold blood. If that angel was carrying a scepter keyed to a deity known for joyous murder it doesn't matter because once the angel has gathered the spiritual energy it can use its primal artifact to convert it to primal energy and deliver it to the deity.

These are a result of the mating between primal being and a mortal. Because they primal being has an elemental body they can, if they wish, mate with any mortal being depending on the form of their body. Those born from this union will stand above the mortals around them as they were crafted from the intermingling of spiritual and primal energy. Depending on the power of the deity that represents half of their heritage they will often excel in whatever gifts that deity's body was crafted to accomplish.

Because they were born of mortals, they may live in harmony with any of the inner realms. Unlike devas, there is no bond to the primal being that can be used to force the demigod to obey. Like all mortals — they have the gift of free will.

The classic example would be Hercules. He was born of Zeus (All-powerful god in Grecian pantheon) and a human mother. He was born with the strength of the gods, but still had the frail soul and body of a mortal. This made him vulnerable to the same problems that beset other mortals.

If the outer realms are pure power without substance and the inner realms is mix of substance and spirit, then there must be some place where substance exists without spirit — this place is the elemental realms. This section is kept short because this is a book about the relationship of the spirit, and the pure elemental realms (often called planes) is a place of body not spirit. Spiritual Beings

These are the beings from the inner realms. Their bodies built from a complex mixture of the natural elements and housing souls created when the power of the outer realms passes through the elemental barrier and strikes the shadow realms created by power creating those shadow realms in pure opposition. This fluxation and bleed of power is what gives spiritual beings a very unique position inside the inner realms. They are sentient and have some measure of free will, within the restraints imposed by Chronos. Because the power that gave them life was so fractured and in conflict with itself they are free to choose their own path, with the capability to draw upon their own power to create that path. This is in direct conflict with the deities, and to a lesser extent the devas, who have their path chosen for them by the power that created them. A spiritual being manipulates the power within them — the power does not manipulate them.

The most powerful of the spiritual beings are the Celestials. These great beings are more powerful that the shadows of the primal beings that come to the inner realms. While they are mortal like all spiritual beings of the inner realms, they live such long lives that they are seen as immortals. In fact life will be created, flourish, and die out on the planet of Miranda before any Celestial even notices its passing. Although dragons and serpents are common shapes for the Celestials, others are more esoteric as their physical bodies are easily manipulated by the vast quantities of spiritual energy they hold.

Devoting ones life to following the teachings of a more powerful entity is not to the liking of everybody. Giving up your individual needs to further the needs of other beings, following goals that might conflict with your own, and complying with rules that may get you killed if a difficult road to follow. In most cultures they are called clerics, priests, paladins, friars, monks, or shaman. These titles do not set down any difference in their relationship with their deity, only solidify their own position within the society.

What makes a follower more than the mortals around them is the investiture link that connects them with their deity. This link acts as a direct connection between a deity's deva and the follower. This link means that more energy can be given and taken from the follower that other mortal souls. Because of the link the follower can act as a gatherer of spiritual energy that is directed at their deity and hold that energy until they pass it one in the form of song, prayer, verse, or whatever ritual their belief is based around. In the opposite direction a deva can send down more energy through the link which the follower can then direct at the people they wish to have its effects. This is far more efficient that taking the time to find all mortal souls who are currently directing spiritual energy at the deva's patron and then directing some energy to supporting them as well.

Finally because a mortal is a repository of spiritual energy at rest during most of their lives, a skilled follower can help that mortal shape that energy in a manner that is most suited to their own deity. The more closely aligned the mortal's belief structure is to the follower the easier this is to accomplish. In the same manner a mortal who has a very weak set of beliefs can often be manipulated into giving up their own spiritual energy to a strongly convicted follower. Mortals

This all other sentient members of the inner realms, which is the vast majority of beings. Each mortal has a finite amount of spiritual energy that they may produce depending on the strength of their own convictions; whatever those convictions may be. It is each individual's belief structure that generate the strength and level of spiritual energy that they may hold at any one time. Either a follower or deva can gather up this spiritual energy; although a deva is limited to only gathering spiritual energy that is shaped for them, while a follower can work to convince the mortal to give up a portion of their spiritual energy and then the follower shapes it into the best form for their own deity. In all cases a mortal's spiritual energy must be given up freely, while it is possible to forcefully take a mortal's spiritual energy it is a thousand times weaker than when that same energy is freely given.

Like the muscles from someone that exercises regularly the amount of spiritual energy that a person can hold is not determined at birth. While it is true that some people are born with greater gifts than others, any mortal can increase the amount of spiritual energy they can hold by simply strengthening their own spiritual bond. Different cultures have taught different ways to increase this bond, but they all revolve around increasing one's sense of belief, understanding, and occasionally spiritual harmony. Typically this is helped by mantras, objects, or a belief in something larger than one's self — but this is not a requirement any more than jogging is the only way to increase one's cardiovascular efficiency. Shadow beings

These creatures are those that were created by the power that passed through the shadow realms and did not find a elemental host body. Most mortals would know these creatures as fae, brownies, shadows, spooks, boglins, and a host of other names. These beings all come from the shadow realm where their spirit was formed and as such they are both a small part of this world and still an outsider. They can freely travel upon this world, unlike the deities and elementals — but they do not have true free will. They were born in the laws of the shadow realm and therefore must obey the laws that allow that realm to exist.

The closer their realm exists to the realm world the weaker their spiritual energy and more strict their laws, but the more closely they are tied to a single world. The shadow realms on the farthest side have fewer laws, as they are more influenced by a greater number of power streams, but the weaker their connection to any one world. In-between these two extremes are where most of the shadows beings exist, with their strange laws and quixotically connect to the world and shadow realm at the same time.

If there are beings that exist in spirit but not in body then there must be bodies that exist without spirits. It is these creatures that make up all of the animals, plants, and everything else that is not sentient inside of the world. These creatures have a body fashioned from the same elements as sentient creatures, but because of their nature they could not capture the spiritual power that give the sentient beings their soul.

While most people can look upon animals and see they are not sentient there have been times, and will be more times, when a creature than normally cannot capture a sentient soul for some unknown reason is born with one. These creatures are considered mortals for all purposes and follow all of the descriptions given in their section above. Power

There are three types of power related to beings: Primal, Aspectual, Temporal, and Spiritual. Both Primal and Spiritual have been lightly introduced above, but in this section all three will be more fully laid out. There is also the power of Life, but since that is only held by Creation and it can only exist outside of all other things it will not be more fully discussed. Suffice it to say that the Power of Life gives birth to all things, including all of the other powers. In doing so it destroys itself completely.

This power is that generated by the Elder. It fully covers all aspects of their very being, but is strictly limited to the Elder's defining nature. The Elder of Hate can only spread the power of hate wherever it goes — it can do nothing else or respond to anything else. However, this represents hate in all of its forms. The Elder themselves don't actually mental cause their power to manifest, it simply spreads across the cosmos by their very nature — they are both a sink and source of their power at the same time. If even the most powerful deity came into contact with even a sliver of pure aspectual power they would be destroyed utterly as their own power is impure. Instead, the effects of aspectual power flowing through the cosmos is limited by Chronos.

As these cosmos slides slowly to its eventual end, the amount of aspectual power remaining in the cosmos is also dwindling. The very instant Creation died giving birth to all things each Elder was given all of the aspectual power they would every have. This was a chaotic time as the power of the elder waged war when it touched the power of another elder. As their power diminished and was consumed by Entropy the places where pure aspectual power touched each other also diminished and so the chaos gave way to the order of Chronos.

This power comes only from two beings: Chronos and Entropy. Both of these beings represent and keep the universe from constantly dying and being born in the place without time. The exact relationship between these two beings is a bit difficult to explain. Entropy is the end of all things, including time; while Chronos is time itself. Since Entropy both consumes temporal power and is comprised of temporal power it will eventually turn upon itself, but not before consuming all other traces of temporal power.

Exactly when a specific “when” is consumed by Entropy is unknown — but it must eventually consume all “whens.” However, because temporal power is flowing from Chronos and into Entropy they will eventually meet just before the end of all things. If you want to think of things in linear terms imagine one object, Chronos, moving along a speed x (which must be a positive number according to the Law of Time), while a second object, Entropy, is following its exact path at speed x+y (where both x and y must be positive numbers according to the same Law). Eventually the second object will catch the first object which will result in the consumption of all things.

This has special significance to anyone that wishes to travel through time, either forwards or backwards. As time flows from Chronos to Entropy is is very dangerous to get too close to either of these strong temporal forces. If someone travels too close to Chronos at head of time they may find themselves thrown about throughout time and possibly scattered to all “whens.” If a traveler gets too close to Entropy they may find themselves consumed and no longer existing in any “when.”

Traveling forwards is by far the safest method for the traveler, but also the most difficult all moments in time they interact with will now be formed by temporal power. Once they are formed by temporal power they have the ability to be consumed by Entropy. If a future time is consumed by Entropy before that time can happen it can cause a cataclysm on a cosmic basis — or it could have an effect so small that only one being in the entire universe may notice. The exact occurrence is unknown as only something outside of time would know that a future temporal event was consumed, those locked within time wouldn't know what was happening to them.

Travelling backwards in time is more dangerous for the traveler, but will not cause any cosmic event. Because that slice of time already happened, the traveler must have already been there. It is impossible to go to a past event and make any changes that did not already occur — such is the Law of Time. Therefore, the traveler must have already been there with that time happened. This doesn't mean that the future times are already created; only that the traveler was there at that point in time, the Law of Time doesn't say why things happen on what happens on the “whens.” If the traveler happens to be at a “when” when it is consumed by Entropy they will be consumed as well.

This is the power of the outer realms, which most people tend to think of as the higher (divine) and lower (infernal) planes. In reality there is no difference except if using the Power Analogy from above and considering the inner planes as the natural ground — then the divine planes represent the primal power that is positive with respect to ground, while the infernal planes represent the power that is negative with respect to ground.

A being of primal power is not simply lacking in an elemental body, but their very nature is defined by the exact level they represent with respect to ground. This level can represent everything from a wide range of values to a single line, but in either case it will represent all things along that line. The very nature of primal power stops it from every leaving its range.

Because of the pure elemental barrier that divides the outer realms from the inner realms primal power cannot exist within the inner realms in its pure form. To travel within the inner realms, primal beings fashion a body from the elements to house and protect their primal energy from destroying itself in the inner realms. Most primal beings only put a small fraction of their own primal energy into this body because the amount of primal energy each being is given when the primal field creates them is finite. Once a primal being uses all of its primal energy they will no longer exist. Primal Field

This field exists on the surface of the pure elemental plane that faces the outer realms. It is this field that creates new primal beings. Exactly how and why it creates these beings is completely unknown, but because it seems to happen in bursts it is believed to be due to a build up of primal energy. The field also automatically keeps the overall balance of itself in check with no more power in the higher or lower planes — achieving perfect balance. This is why no war can ever be won between the planes; although beings not of the same charge continue to fight and die together.

This is why primal beings fashion bodies and come to the inner realms to fight. The inner realms impose no such balances, so those beings from one or the other outer planes can achieve dominance over those from the other. Because the primal field demands balance a being from one plane must also seek out and attempt to destroy a being from the opposite plane. These battles take so long that it would require hundreds of mortal lifetimes for a single fight to be finished, or it could happen between the blink of an eye depending on the beings involved.

Primal power cannot exist within the inner realms. While a primal being's body will convert their primal power into a limited for that can exist within the inner realms, it is the creation of devas that give a primal being the most access to its power. A deva is a creation of the inner realms and therefore at harmony with their own laws; however it was created with primal power and as such can hold a tiny portion of primal energy. How much it can hold depends on how much it has been given; although as mentioned above sometimes devas have been given primal artifacts to increase their ability to hold and convert primal energy.

I have placed the devas under the section on primal power even though they do not hold pure primal energy. Instead they hold some mixture of energy from both the inner and outer realms. Their bodies were created from the elements to convert from one to the other, as well as storing both types of energy. Their primal artifacts only increase the ability of those that possess them to hold and harness both types of power. If a deva is ever damaged to the point that even the smallest portion of their primal power should intermingle with even the smallest portion of the inner realms then the reaction would be similar to matter touching antimatter as each power destroys the other in a huge explosion.

Primal beings have the ability to convert spiritual energy into primal energy through their own elemental body, but there is a great deal of danger in that. The deva not only serves as an additional cell for holding both primal and spiritual energy, but they also act as a buffer to make that primal energy perfectly conform to that needed by their patron primal being. When a primal being directly takes spiritual energy into their own body it may not be converted to the full range of their primal energy, instead it will always be along a single line as determined by those giving up the spiritual energy. If a deity takes in power only along a single line they may find that it overwhelms and eventually becomes a limiting factor upon their own power. This is who primal beings become trapped upon the physical world as their followers have more tightly defined their power — they will no longer have enough primal energy to escape. This is how a city, town, or location can have its own deity, they are primal beings who became trapped by the overwhelming spiritual energy around them. Spiritual Power

The last type of power that exists within all things is spiritual power. This power is unique to sentient creatures within the inner realms. Some cultures may call it the soul or spirit of a being, but it is the defining thing that divides the people from the animals — to use a very general term because their are things in the inner realms that most people may classify as animals, but were actually born with a soul and as such just as sentient as the people that judge them.

What makes spiritual power so unique, and the reason that most primal beings want to understand it more, is that a person generates spiritual energy. Unlike all other forms of energy that are fixed according to some universal constant. A being born with a spirit has the ability to create as much spiritual energy as they need when they need it. In fact the amount of spiritual energy often rises and falls as long as the spirit still survives.

This would leave open the possibility that a primal being would simply gather up as many souls as they are able and bind them to only giving it their spiritual energy. Alas, this does not work as the reason that souls can give up and thus produce more spiritual energy is the soul has the capability of existing both above and below the neutral ground of the inner realms. Unlike the fixed location of primal beings, a soul is able to change and adapt to its own environment. Thus, a spirit trapped and bound to primal being will only be able to produce more spiritual energy for the brief instants that their own cycle matches exactly with that of the primal being. This happens so briefly naturally that any primal being would absorb the soul completely before they would get much spiritual energy from it. However, if the primal being can convince the soul to freely give up its spiritual energy then they can convert that to their use and the soul will create more as its own needs are met.

When a mortal soul gives up some of its spiritual power it passes through the shadow realms and will eventually become a part of the universe unless something gathers it up before that happens. If enough spiritual energy is shaped according to a similar event it will tend to collect and merge. If enough spiritual energy merges if can have an influence upon the universe. This is how those with mortal souls are able to influence the universe without any intervention from primal beings; however this is very difficult as the amount of spiritual energy needed is a multiple of the size of the effect.

This becomes more efficient when a mortal soul directs their belief to a single entity or idea. This entity or idea when then have the spiritual energy already directed at them. However, close physical proximity is no guarantee that the spiritual energy several mortal souls give up will find each other and merge. This means that a primal being or deva that is looking for spiritual energy must spend a great deal of time moving through the inner realms in a effort to gather up the smaller parts of spiritual energy that have been shaped for them. It is even more difficult to use that energy to manipulate the inner realms to the benefit of those that have given up their spiritual energy.

To make this easier primal beings and devas form vestment links to a number of individuals. This individual then becomes a magnet of any spiritual energy of the proper type given up in their area. They then pass this energy along the vestment link to the deva or primal being that holds the other end. Depending on the strength of the primal being or deva will determine how many vestment links they can support without weakening themselves. This gives rise to a hierarchy of beings, both spiritual and primal, that hold the vestment links to those below them. Using this manner the primal beings at the top can hold more links and more easily gain the energy they need in the form that they need it.

For the mortal soul that holds the other point of the link it is easier for them to be given spiritual energy from the structure that supports them. Typically this is done through a deva, but this is not a requirement — there have been many times that a primal being physically manifested itself. This can give rise to those who believe, which will then increase the amount of spiritual energy those mortal souls nearby focus to that primal being. There is the potential for a primal being becoming bound to the area, but most will not stay long enough to let this happen. In either case a mortal soul with a vestment link to a primal being can receive spiritual power when they need it to do anything that they need.

The stronger the vestment bond the more spiritual energy that can pass between the primal being and the mortal soul. This strength can be increased in a similar manner as people increase their physical or mental strength, by constantly using and working it. Mental strength is increased by learning, studying, and working; while physical strength is increased by lifting, carrying, and exercising. Spiritual strength is increased by focus, concentration, and ritual reminders of one's own internal beliefs. Someone with a stronger vestment link will often find themselves in favor more often with their primal being as they can gather and deliver more spiritual energy than other mortal souls. They also, by growing their own beliefs, will in fact increase the amount of their own spiritual energy available. Power Links

I have touched upon a few of the various methods used to connect spiritual beings with the primal beings that feed off of their freely given energy. In this section I will go into more detail about the various methods that primal beings use to gather spiritual energy to them and send their own energy to assist their followers. This is not like an vestment link that requires something that can generate spiritual energy, these are objects and other items that have an elemental body which can gather and hold spiritual energy until it is needed.

The most powerful elemental container is a primal artifact. This artifact has internal chambers that can hold both spiritual and primal energy without endangering the user. The artifact itself will seek to keep these two powers in check by balancing the power of one against the other. Thus a primal artifact is able to transform spiritual energy into primal and vice versa. Most often these artifacts will be found in the hands of a deva or the primal being itself. Only on the rarest of occasions will any mortal be given a primal artifact. There is nothing inherent in the creation of a primal artifact that stops a mortal from using it, but most primal artifacts have restrictions on their use and power placed inside of their elemental shell.

The real reason that most primal beings or devas will never give a primal artifact to a mortal for even short duration has to do with the fact that the power contained within could destroy even the body of a primal being itself. While the primal being would strike dead any mortal foolish enough to try it would be too late for the primal being as their physical presence in the inner realms would cease to exist. The primal beings have more control over the devas, since they were created by the primal beings to serve their needs. It is possible to create a primal artifact with the law that it could not be used to slay a primal being, but that would leave the deva that wields such an item with a defense against any primal being that attacked them. Thus most primal artifacts can be used to slay a primal being.

Significantly beneath the power level of a primal artifact is the next type of object typically created for the followers of a primal being. A relic is a object fashioned from a elemental body and filled with a small charge of primal energy. Unlike a primal artifact, a relic does not contain any spiritual energy. Instead the body of the relic shapes and fashions its stored primal energy in the manner desired when the relic was created. Thus a cup that when filled with water will confer a blessing upon all who drink contains enough primal energy to accomplish its task.

Because the primal energy inside is finite it would be possible for most relics to eventually no longer work when the last of the primal energy was released. To prevent this from happening most relics can actually gather up a small amount of spiritual energy that is directed at them and use that power to replenish the primal power that it holds. However, since the object has no intelligence or spirit directing it any primal energy it can gather must be directed at it and not simply the deity that created it. In fact the more well known the relic the longer the primal energy will last as you don't have to be touching the relic to give it some of your spiritual strength. This means that relics that entire cultures accept as symbols of some primal being can actually gain in power over the years — even becoming shaped by the believers in ways the creator of the object never intended. Vessels

While a relic was created by a primal being for those that serve and worship them — a vessel was crafted from mortal hands. However, this is not to say that a some point the primal being or a deva acting in their service did not see the object and make their own contribution. Thus a vessel is a mortal creation with help, either knowing or unknowingly, from a primal being or deva. Because a vessel was not crafted from an elemental body it cannot hold primal energy; however due to the intervention this object can gather, hold, and distribute spiritual energy.

This allows a mortal access to far more spiritual energy than they can currently control. Anything the mortal can do with their own energy they can do with the energy contained within a vessel, with the exception that the vessel's energy cannot be used in opposition to the primal being that helped in its creation. The vessel can also only hold the spiritual energy that has been directed in the belief of the primal being who the vessel was manufactured. The spiritual energy inside is also limited to pulling out only spiritual energy aligned with the vessel, since what goes in is the only thing that can come out — a vessel cannot change the nature of this spiritual energy.

A blessed object is any object that has been briefly touched by the spiritual energy of another. While this is typically done in the name of some primal being this is not a requirement for a object to be blessed. Instead, the common object will have a temporary aura wrapped about it created by that spiritual energy. Depending on the belief system of person whose spiritual energy now surrounds the object it can cause many different types of reactions. Sacred Items

These items were created by mortal hands and at no time during their creation were they touched by anyone from the outer realms. These are simple common items that believers use to focus upon the primal being in whose honor they were made. Things like prayer books, hymns, small bits of jewelry, idols, sash, and all of the other numerous physical objects that one mortal can use to assist in the focus of their beliefs. By using these objects they are able to give up more spiritual energy during any ceremony and replenish their own lost energy quicker than they would have been able to do normally.

Unlike objects that can be moved to where the most mortal spirits are found, a sanctified area is stationary. This area has been touched by a deva or the primal being itself which has left its impression, or auro, upon the area. The more time the being spent there the stronger its aura. While over time the aura of the primal being will fade it can be maintained forever by anyone giving up some of their own spiritual energy to the area. The area then can feed upon the spiritual energy so that its benefits never fade.

More importantly to the primal being is the fact that a sanctified area can act as a very large depository of spiritual energy that a follower can gather up and send it along its own vestment link. Because of its size and the fact that any area contains trace amounts of elemental bodies the amount of spiritual energy that a sanctified area can store is near infinite, with only a small amount of lost over time. However, this also has a down side as that much spiritual energy in an area with no mortal spirit to control it can cause ripples in the barriers that divide the real world from its shadow worlds. If left unchecked one of these ripples could destroy the sanctified area — releasing off of its spiritual energy left with unknown consequences.

The weakest of all objects, symbolism only exists in the mind of the mortal followers and potentially any larger cultures. This is because symbolism that has been linked to a primal being cannot be held, passed around, or studied for hours on end. Instead, it simply serves as a simple reminder that costs the primal being nothing to create; although it make require some primal energy to see that enough members of any group can agree on the symbol. Because so many people are thinking the same thing at the same time it is easier to gather up their spiritual energy before becoming embroiled and tied to the world.

Based upon all that I have written above it is easy to see why those that believe in the same things would gather together. By concentrating their spiritual energy in the same area they can have more influence over their events. These people may eventually come to the attention of a primal being who may choose one of them as their prime follower and give them a vestment link. This first follower would then seek to grow their own followers and therefore gain more from the primal being. As the followers grow and more are chosen to receive a vestment link the primal being will create several devas to serve the varied needs of the followers. Some of the devas may be given primal artifacts to assist them in transforming the followers spiritual energy into primal, plus defend the followers from various threats.

Over time these followers will create varied sacred items to help teach their ways and possibly a powerful vessel in the hands of the first follower. Their gathering places will be sanctified and its people given regular blessings in the name of their primal being. Further down the road laws will be codified, punishments meted out, and the followers will continue to grow. Followers will die and be replaced by others and others after them. They will construct special places of worship and then when they get large enough they may come in contact with other belief systems. This could lead to conflict, mingling, or even co-existence.

While that is the best outcome possible, there are many groups of followers that are killed or simply fail to pass on their beliefs to enough other people that it will survive their own small group. For a list of those that are currently alive in my world and large enough to be written up check out the Miranda Religions section.

Religious organizations generally come in three flavors. The first divide is between those that worship some external entity or idea and those that internalize their worship. Those that worship externally are further sub-divided into those that have a pantheon and those that worship a singleton. As far as the actual structure among the primal beings it makes little difference what the organization thinks is the way their gods are grouped. However, there are some beings that more naturally work together — and thus are more often found grouped together as their worshipers are more likely to come into contact with each other. There is no wrong way — it just simple happens.