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| The Ethereal Realm
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Between Worlds
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None
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Ethereal
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Average 1G, Directionally Variant
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Crystalline, Rocky, Sandy, Hills, Plains, Trenches
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Force Spirits
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Various
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Basic
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- The Chain
- Fortress of the Unchained
- The Corpse Fields
- Sky Islands
- Reflection of Eos City
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The Force
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The Ethereal Realm is a plane of reality that exists apart from the known universe. Some believe it may be an extension of the legendary realm of Mortis, however, there has been no evidence found the two are the same. It is known the Force is abundantly strong there, and deeply permeates the entire realm.
The Children of Mortis have had access to this realm for millennia after it was first discovered by Matthias Westland, the Father, while still in his original mortal form. Through this realm, the Children can open portals to far-off worlds and appear without the use of hyperspace. In this realm, the Children believe they can “unchain” the Force and remake the universe as we know it.
Replicating their portal research has taken countless hours of research by the Brotherhood, who now find themselves marching forward to stop the Children’s nefarious plot.
Known History
The Ethereal Realm operates outside of the normal confines of time that is experienced within the universe. Hours there may be days here, while years there could be mere minutes here. It is unknown how many different societies and organizations have found a way to it, but it is known at the very least to have been discovered by Matthias Westland, a human with strong Force capabilities thousands of years ago.
Over that time he has made multiple pilgrimages, each with the goal of shattering the literal chain that continues to manifest itself there. His first attempt cost him his mortal form, turning his skeleton into purified crystal, which the Children continue to safeguard and revere. The exact number of visits is unknown, but in that time the Children have come to master the quirks of the realm and use it as a backdoor to move throughout the Galaxy, as well a safe haven away from the destructive efforts of groups such as the Brotherhood.
After many failures, the Children began to focus on better studying the Force, leading to the formation of their three branches of The Lightbringers, The Truthwardens, and The Shadowseers. They hoped with a better understanding of all facets of the Force, they could finally shatter the chain that held it in this realm.
Geography
The Ethereal Realm is a seemingly endless stretch of land, water, and islands that expand into eternity. There are instances of locations in the known galaxy being reflected within the realm, such as Eos City. While generally rocky and crystalline, there is abundant plant life, all glowing with an unnatural light along their edges. Despite the abundant plant life there seems to be no indigenous sentient lifeforms.
The closest thing to sentient life in this realm, beyond the will of the Force itself, are the Spirit Avatars that can be found. It is hotly debated if these are the actual souls of the individuals locked in place, or if they are projections from the Force.
While generally viewed as a single flat plane, there are deep valleys and tall mountains that can be found in this realm, along with large lake-sized bodies of water. All water as it moves glows with a vivid intensity that dulls as the water comes to a standstill. There are often large waterfalls pouring down from the many floating sky islands, and in some cases pouring up to the sky islands, which each seem to have their own orientation of “down” for gravity.
There is no sun or moons to be found in this realm. It is cast in an eternal hazy glow.
Notable Locations
There are many notable and beautiful locations to be found within this realm, and a collection of the most relevant ones are outlined below. In the Brotherhood’s efforts to stop the Children, the land from the arrival portal to the Chain of the Force has several points of interest.
Reflected Eos City
After immediately passing through the portal from Arx to the Ethereal Realm, there is the shadowy reflection of Eos City itself. Housing the return portal to Arx, the portal looks nearly identical to the one ventured through, a simple reflection that marks the one known way out for Brotherhood forces. Moving beyond the arrival zone takes you to the streets of Eos, all cast in the eternal glow of this realm. The streets and buildings shimmer like wisps of smoke bound within the glowing borders that outline their shape.
The Children of Mortis seem to have left the city itself alone. However, that does not mean it is free from danger as this is where the majority of the Spirit Avatars may be found, most often seen as the individuals who have been caught in the Brotherhood’s crossfire for years. Be it the ones from the Children’s assault on the Clans, those who died when the Collective attacked Arx, or even those who remained on Antei when it was devoured, these ghosts nearly all harbor a violent hatred of all who support the Brotherhood.
The Sky Islands
Floating above the plains of the realm are many Sky Islands, ranging in size from just large enough to put a house to big enough to support an entire city. They float and move lazily through the sky, seemingly repelling each other to prevent any mid-air collisions. These islands are most noted for their bizarre usage of gravity, often oriented to the side, and in many cases upside down compared to the mainland of the realm. There does not seem to be a steady rule for how far their twisted gravity reaches, as in some cases it is possible to jump from the ground and land on the island above.
These islands provide both a defensible retreat for Brotherhood Forces, but also a dangerous method to bypass the plains below in the race to reach the Children’s forces.
The Shattered Plains
Much of the land between the arrival portal and the Children’s Fortress of the Unchained can be viewed as a long stretch of planes, sliced apart into trenches. Some are barely knee-deep and can be crossed with a single step, others massive gorges to be crossed. Over the years the Children have had access to this realm, these trenches have become filled with defenses, crystalline growths, and hidden tunnels back to their fortress.
The Corpse Fields
The area surrounding the Children’s Fortress of the Unchained is known as the Corpse Fields. The long-discarded bodies of their former disciples and enemies litter the ground. Some, ancient, have been worn down to a fine crystalline dust. Others, more recent, still lay rotting slowly away. The closer one gets to the fortress the higher the corpses pile, and the more defenses can be found. Each faction of the Children have contributed to the defense of the Fortress in their own way, and each is found in abundance within the Corpse Fields.
The Pyres of Belief
Created by the Lightbringers, there are many eternally burning pyres throughout the corpse field. Ranging in size from small campfires to massive towering infernos, each pyre burns with a blue flame harshly illuminating the area around it. While standing in the immediate light of these pyres, the Children’s forces find themselves healing at an incredibly rapid rate. Those who oppose them, however, find themselves burning instead.
The Mists of Equilibrium
Thick rolling clouds of misty fog flow through the Corpse Fields, an invention of the Truthwardens. Emulating their constant effort to reject purely Light or Dark-sided ideologies, these mists are designed to invigorate the Children and befuddle their enemies. The Children move faster, react quicker, and hit harder while breathing in the mists. Those who oppose them however find themselves sluggish, and their abilities toned down to match.
The Nightmare Machines
Throughout the Corpse Fields are massive Crystalline Skulls. With smoke pouring out of their eye sockets, these skulls are large enough that a fully grown Rancor can make its way out of their gaping maws. This is something that happens regularly as these Shadowseer-created devices crank out new crystalline monsters with alarming frequency. From Crystal Rancors, to Crystal Raptors, to the partially converted ascendant beings, and crystalline zombies these machines constantly replenish the Corpse Field’s need for new bodies.
The Fortress of the Unchained
The Fortress of the Unchained is a constantly growing and evolving complex. Comprised nearly entirely of Crystal Growths, its oldest sections can be found in the center, dating back thousands of years. Like tree rings, the Fortress has grown outward, with newer defenses and sections added over time. This is the Children’s second most holy of sites, second only to the Chain itself, which can be found beyond the Fortress Complex.
The Chain
The Chain of the Force appears to be a giant chain passing through many different “portals” to different realms. These stacked snapshots of the chain rarely line up correctly, but as a whole each link seems to be at least 100 meters in length. Unlike other crystalline creations, these are so dense and compacted they look nearly like metal. There is evidence of past attempts at breaking it, mainly the discarded remains of broken contraptions, but there is the occasional scratch to be found in the surface of the chain.
It is currently set up in formation for the Children’s latest attempt, a complex ritual circle drawn in blood surrounds the chain.
Ethereal Quirks
The Ethereal Realm, and its deep connection to the Force, has left it with many bizarre effects to be found, explored, and dealt with.
Spirit Avatars
Spirit Avatars are potentially the ghosts of beings long since dead and gone. While it cannot be confirmed if they are the literal souls of the deceased or merely the realm pulling in from memories of the wronged, these avatars provide both an emotional and physical danger. Many seem to appear as vaguely humanoid in shape, the deeper the connection to the individual seeing them, the more real and like the person they supposedly are they appear.
Often found in clusters around the realm, the majority the Brotherhood have faced seem to be located within the ghostly reflection of Eos City. Ranging from those killed in the many conflicts the Brotherhood has seen over the years to those with personal connections to different members' histories, these avatars should not be taken lightly. The more real and formed they appear, the more they are able to affect the psyche. They also are able to cause very real physical harm, as the more formed ones often lash out and attack those who have wronged them.
Whispers in the Wind
Beyond the clusters of Spirit Avatars, there are frequent reports of individuals hearing whispers in the winds as they explore the vast stretches of the Ethereal Realm. These voices do not seem to have that personal connection like the Spirit Avatars, however, they can be quite persuasive, often leading those who hear them in circles.
It is not clear if these are prompting of the Force itself, or merely the projection of the Children’s influence in this realm.
Gravity and Power Issues
As noted with the sky islands, gravity within the Ethereal Realm seems to play by its own rules. While a constant 1G force, the direction of its pull, or “down”, can change from one step to the next. The closer one gets to a sky island, the more likely they are to find themselves dealing with a new gravitational direction to deal with. For those unprepared to deal with this, and the potentially long falls they can create, it is recommended to give the sky islands a wide berth.
In addition to this, gravitational anomalies have caused known issues for power, especially in the case of large engines. Both over and under power surges have been witnessed, as well as complete power failures and strong outputs that blow out the engines completely.
The Force
The Force itself permeates every inch of the Ethereal Realm, and with that comes several interesting effects.
Boosted and Dampened Force Powers
Those already with a strong Force connection will find pockets within the realm where their powers are amplified (often to their highest level) or weakened (to their lowest). It is important to keep this in mind as one travels through the Realm, as it is possible to unexpectedly overdo it with a Force power or to have a suddenly difficult time accomplishing anything.
Inverted Powers
In addition to pockets of stronger and weaker connections to the Force, many will find areas that seemingly invert their abilities. Abilities they are poorer at suddenly become their best, while their best become their weakest.
NFU Force Ability
For those who do not utilize the Force normally, merely being in this realm has amplified the latent connection they all have with the Force. Lacking proper training and a lifetime of experience using the Force makes this newfound ability a wild card of potential. While only presenting these powers at their lowest levels, it is possible to purposely utilize these powers, even if it is more common for it to be an unexpected outburst of power.