Hell

The world as we know it is but a fragment of the real world, whether or not humankind is aware of this. Over seven centuries ago, reality split into three layers, forcing us to remain ignorant of the fact that we are not alone, that our stories and legends are still real.

There is truth... and there is Hell. - 46820/The

Hell
There are other worlds apart from ours. In them, creatures and supernatural entities still exist, and man is only a myth washed away by time. These lands are a virtual purgatory for humans, populated by all kinds of creatures that we would call demons and nightmares. To these beings, however, any other world - including ours 0 would be a terrible place to live. They would have to hide in its shadows to avoid being caught.

In the end, we are their hell, as much as they are ours.

Aside from the earth we know, there are mainly two large areas populated by other races - each unaware of the other and different in every aspect. Little is known abut these places. In fact, very few people know how the inhabitants of these worlds may have evolved during these past seven centuries.

The Barrier
The world is divided by an invisible Barrier that separates reality. It resembles a huge wall encircling the Old and New Continent, an all of the islands around them. No one can perceive it or reach the lands that lie beyond it. It is located in oceanic areas, always several miles off the nearest shore. Gaia's nearest populated area is a small island to the north of Bekent, located only 1,500 miles away.

The Barrier does not function as a physical obstacle; its effects are much more subtle and undetectable - which serves to conceal its existence wonderfully. Once a person crosses the Barrier, his reality alters slowly and progressively, until the traveler is transported to a different place without even knowing it. For the most part, each section is linked to its exact opposite corner, thus creating the impression that the world is perfectly round. In this manner, a ship going west from the New Continent shall reach the western islands after miles and miles of ocean. Sometimes, unforeseen fluctuations happen, and a ship may end up at the end of the world instead of where it was supposed to appear.

Generally, the Barrier takes the shape of a tremendous sea storm that rocks ships for several miles until they leave it behind. It is also present in the waking world of The Wake, where it can be seen as a huge wall of souls and chains that physically obstructs the passage for any of its inhabitants.

Transit Spots
The Barrier is not perfect, though, or at least it was not designed to be. Occasionally, small alterations will provide temporary windows that allow passage. There is no way of knowing for certain when or where the next tunnel will materialize - although they do appear to follow a general pattern.

The Keys
The same powers that created the Barrier also created certain control systems that allow them to pass through it and stay in touch. These objects are called "keys," and they allow the bearer - and sometimes those in his company - to ignore the Barrier. These keys do not come in any definite shape, but they usually carry some sort of embedded crystal.

Amazingly enough, some old artifacts created thousands of years before the Barrier itself was formed, act as natural keys. Imperium has used Tol Rauko to acquire all of the objects of this kind whose existence they were aware of, but some may still remain scattered about.

Unfortunately, Imperium is also aware that there is enough knowledge to develop a key using the thirty black metal pieces that went missing.

Interreigns
The Barrier is not homogeneous. Many alterations exist along its thousands of miles, which sometimes produce large intermediate areas inside it. These are usually vacant areas, containing nothing but ocean. At other times though, they hide small islands that may even contain creatures. These are like tiny, intermediate worlds that evolve without the supervision of the Powers in the Shadow, where unknown cultures may have thrived over the face of Gaia.

Yggdrasill
There are two points where the walls that divide the three worlds converge. On the outermost part is Yggdrasill, the Soul Clock. Yggdrasill is a humongous piece of machinery, as big as a metropolis, made of black metal, wood and crystal. Its huge hands are always about to strike twelve. They are locked in that position with Gaira chains and C'iel doves which keep them from moving. Yggdrasill exists in all worlds and realities at once, connecting all the planes of existence.

Apparently, it is also a material point of access to the sea of souls. It is said that one of its functions is that of directing passing spirits back to the Flow - although it is very unlikely that this is the case, since the very structure of existence is able to do that by itself. Its creator has not been established with certainty, but neither the Delkavir nor the Ilakavir have claimed any credit for it.

It would be possible for an individual to gain access to it and wander its strange labyrinthine gears, but whatever may be encountered inside eludes our knowledge completely. Even several Jürgand agents have been unable to return after venturing too far inside it. In the construction of the Barrier, the Powers of the Shadow employed a small portion of Yggdrasill's energy and redirected it to the machinery. Around the clock are located the three Cronos Pillars - techno magical artifacts that create the walls which divide our reality.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">Nobody knows for sure what exists within the second point of convergence. It may be simply a vacant area, or something both the Powers of the Shadow and the Kavir have tried to hide.

Khalis: Sea of Clouds
<p style="text-indent:.5in">Khalis is the name of the world under the supervision of the Technocracy; it is the dwelling place of elves and other fairy races. Its geographical disposition is truly unheard of. For some unknown reason, the whole surface has been subject to death and desolation. Oceans have turned to blood, and an impious aura now extends over the land, killing any living organism that dares tread upon it even for a few seconds. Still, its inhabitants survive. They make their abode in the skies upon huge islands and flying continents, surrounded by an infinite sea of clouds. They float thanks to the Tears, gigantic crystals that fell from the sky during the desolation, causing those enormous blocks of ground to rise and to become the population's home. Its inhabitants believe themselves to be Gaia's only surviving race. They use zeppelins and flying creatures as a means of communication and transport.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">Khalis is filled with magic, and it is the home of many kinds of supernatural beings. Most of the islands and continents have already been discovered, but there are still hundreds of mysteries to be encountered within its distant frontiers.

Lunaris
<p style="text-indent:.5in">Lunaris is the second of the world’s we call Hell. It is the home of the Duk'zarist, as well as that of other supernatural entities. Unfortunately, we do not have a lot of information about this place, except the fact that its continental structure bears some resemblance to the world of men, that it is slightly colder, and that its days are usually shorter.