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 fluctuation 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 choosen for them by the power that created them. A spiritual being manipulates the power within them — the power does not manipulate them.

Celestials

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.

Followers

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 fo the shadows beings exist, with their strange laws and quixotically connection to the world and shadow realm at the same time.

Animals

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.