There are three types of power within all existence: Primal, Elemental, and Spiritual.

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.

This power is possessed by the Eldar when this existence was created. They were not created when the universe was created, rather all of them combined along with The Creator are all of existence. Each of the Eldar represent a single defining aspect of the physical existence, while The Creator is the spiritual or living heart. The Eldar are commonly believed to be the existence of Fire, Water, Air, Metal, Earth, Wood, and many others; however where the Eldar touch they create places where the elements blend (mud or steam) or conflict (storms and lava).

The Eldar exist in all places within existence so to does their power and influence. Mortals and beings have long brought forth fire and metal to smite their enemies or light their way, built with earth and stone, and brought peace with water and wood. Each of these elements are devoid of purpose on their own, but given will they can be used as long as this existence exits.

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 spirital 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.

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 recieve spiritual power when they need it to do anything that they need. Strength of Faith

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.

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 durations 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. Relic

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.

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, shash, 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, symbology only exists in the mind of the mortal followers and potentially any larger cultures. This is because symbology 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 goupd 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.