Spirit Realm

Spirit Realm
Also Known as the Afterlife

Power:
Death, Peace and Rebirth, aligned with Nyrevin and Doeli

Adjacent Realms:
The Prime/Mortal World, the Twilight Realm, Nightlit, The Voidscape, the Realm of Blight, Elemental Realms, the Dreamveil

Acessible
Easiest and most common way is by dying. The Nissian/Takai portal in Sikhnikija (Near Chiconis) leads directly there, but only Nissians can use it without dying or without being in Astral form. There are other entrances from the prime, some can be used while still alive. There are also gates from the Twilight realm and the Realm of Blight.

Description:
It is a realm built of and for the souls of mortals to rest and wait for rebirth and to let the cares of life soak away. It is a muted plane of peace and relaxation, but also one of resignation. Silence reigns in many places, except in the cheerful Nissian city of Badaalupa, the only living place in the realm of the dead. The realm is as big as it needs to be, and is thus effectively infinite and infinitely varied, but at the approximate center there is a large palace, where the god of this realm, Nyrevin, and the demigod who also calls this realm home, Doeli, reside. The palace is essentially a massive spa with countless rooms, where souls can come to soak away the cares and trials of life and living, in preparation for their eventual rebirth. Many spirits simply enjoy their afterlife or ‘retirement’ and make new ‘lives’ for themselves there. Others simply meld into the spirit-matter realm and return via that route to the eternal cycle of live. Some remain intact and travel to the forest of rebirth, a 'remote' and ancient forest within the realm, on their own will to reincarnate. Still others find a purpose in accompanying travelling Nissians as Spirit Companions in the living world. Others who manage not to meld with the plane can go to other planes, such as the Hall of Ancestors or one of the other divine or semidivine planes, for a different Afterlife experience. Still others, though only those rare souls who are so devoted to a god that they refuse to accept their retirement, may be given the offer to incorporate themselves into that diety. This offer is very rare, a great and somewhat dangerous honor (It compromises the individuality of both mortal and god breifly), and often not given. It contains about the same variety of environments as the prime, to suit its many varied residents. It can be considered the most cosmopolitan realm, as living races from across the prime enter this realm at the end of their lives. Unfortunately, the only living race that can take advantage of this are the Nissians. The sky is where most spirits enter, and many young nissians make a game of watching the Gifted enter the sky and be pulled back. Obviously, the plane not friendly to living mortals. Living mortals who enter through the proper entrances and the Vielo are fine, but this is no place for the living. The realm itself will remove life force, and as such even those who enter through the correct ways or with permission of a god find that this realm is at most a transitional realm, a brief stopover to one of the other realms. Living mortals who stay too long or who enter the plane in an unauthorized way find themselves… citizens. Nissians/Takai are immune to this and are able to live in the Realm of spirits and pass freely between it and other realms. Gods, too are able to do so.

Istara’s Notes
''At first, dears, I was a bit wary of letting death into the world. I had just created it after all, and when one creates something usually one doesnt think about how to destroy it. I, foolishly, told Alyssa to refuse Nyrevin’s offer of death and rebirth. That was a rather... mmm... heated argument. I was sleeping for a good part of it, thank goodness, but still. Later, Nyrevin explained why she was necessary in great and persuading detail and I eventually came around to the idea. And what with the necromancers around, well. I think you get the point dears. Now, many of the other gods, except for Doeli of course, dear little demigod, are naturally uncomfortable here. We're fine, of course, but it does remind us that Nyrevin has power over us too... But lets not get into that! Nyrevin is a good host and something interesting is always happening there. Her Takai.. oh, sorry dears, they go by Nissians now. Silly me… Anyway, they are so fun! Maybe it’s the fact that they live rather unusually in a divine realm, but there is none of that silly bowing and scraping and awe that I've gotten so tired of after all these millenia... You darlings should have grown up a little more by now.''

''Anyway, the older ones and the ancestral ones are always so serious, but the younger ones know how to have fun. Always questioning. Thats the kind of thing I like to see.''

''Oh yes, the plane itself. Its like a watercolor, really. Muted, blurred, and dreamlike. Its lacks the vivid life of the Prime but that what makes it so relaxing. Its perfectly spacious and… well, its Paradise to some. Home to many. Hell to a few that make it such. Its like they say, dears, Hell is within.''

''Do you know whats interesting though? The necromancers that have died- even the 4 Grand necromancers that we’ve managed to slay, the baddest of the bad, the cruellest of the cruel? They are treated the same as any other spirit. I think this is perfectly scandalous. She, of all of us, has such an extreme grievance against them, and yet she does not treat them any differently from any other soul. I suppose it fits with her merciful character. Or its a show of her power- that they are hers now and she chooses not to destroy them or torture them or such. But I am concerned that there may be unforeseen repercussions, mainly because it frustrates many of us who have several bones (Get it, dears?) to pick with them... Like myself. I apologize, dears, but they get my essence in a right tizzy. I’ve been good about keeping my… rage? yes. Rage. I have been good about pushing aside my rage over Rachival but I foresee many spats between Bachantus and Nyrevin over these souls. And that doesn't even need future-sight to predict, heehee!''

''Anyway, Spirit realm. Nice place. Unfortunately, you have to die to see it. Such a shame.''