Magical Realm Cyoa/Diaspora/Secrets

Secrets of the Realms

There are numerous secrets within Xanatos' realms - how could there not be. But unless you are here by invitation this information is not to be used in character in the role-play. These really are secrets, and few if anyone knows them besides Xanatos himself. He knows them because everything set up here was by intention, even before he knew of the existence of other realms.

The People's Afterlife

The people believe in an afterlife of peace and prosperity, where their souls are given the rest and rewards that are denied them in life. The truth is that no such afterlife exists - there is no rest for the dead within Diaspora. A sad truth, but necessary.

Once a person's HP reaches 0 within Diaspora, they are gone. Dead, and forever unrecoverable. The sole exception to this are those with Existential Magic allowing them to survive and re-create their own body, and even then if the individual has been assimilated by the realm they may choose to pass on in this manner. Why one would want to do so is a mystery, of course, Xanatos is not one to judge the choices others make.

The Unnatural Nature of the Realm

The realm itself is not what it at first appears to be. The 'dyson sphere' nature of the realms many pockets are not truly Dyson Spheres. Indeed, the pocket realms of Diaspora do not exist within the same universal structure as Earth, and cannot be reached physically. When one digs down deep enough in the dirt, or swims low enough in the ocean, one will reach a layer of simple non-existence, which is as unbreachable as the barrier between realities. Literally nothing exists 'outside' one of the spheres of Diaspora, because those spheres are themselves the entirety of its existence, a true alternative universe.

Further, the Suns of Diaspora are not, in fact, large balls of fusing hydrogen. They are tears in the space of reality that reach into the elemental plane of fire. Similar tears into the elemental planes of water, earth and air are responsible for the matter within the realms - replacing anything that is carried out, and keeping things in 'balance' within the individual realms. Such tears are not visible to the naked eye (except for the 'sun' which is quite obvious in most cases) but can be detected magically. The entrances to these realms can be treated as especially high-level dungeons if one is so inclined, but little in the way of treasure is to be found beyond - except for the elemental earth realm, which has effectively infinite precious metal burried within. Of course, getting it out is exactly as difficult as creating it from scratch would be using high-end magic, though the logistics of the process are different.

Secrets of the Gates

There are precisely 225 realms of Diaspora. Their total surface area is quite close to the theoretical maximum for the realm. Each realm except for the seven greater realms have exactly two Gates. The seven each have five total gates. There is one gate in each of the elemental planes. The gate in the elemental plane of fire allows only light and heat to pass through, in specific quantity and frequency. No matter or magic may pass. It connects to every single one of the realms of Diaspora - through the 'sun gates' in the center of each pocket realm. The gates within the other three elemental realms are not as protected, but still limited in what they allow to pass from the elemental side to the Seven realms they are each connected with. These gates are not, in fact, physical objects as they may appear. Instead, they are essentially physical manifestations of the natural topology of Diaspora. Attempting to change or manipulate these gates through magic or technology would generally have very dire results.

The remaining 25 gates are, in fact, physical objects. They can be considered highly-enchanted artifacts, their essential magics tied to the primary gates of the realms. Normally they appear to be a grouping of enormous magical pillars, similar to the standing stones of Stonehenge, but smaller. Each gateway would weigh close to half a ton. Assembling the stone pillars in a standing arch will result in them looking and acting pretty much like the standard travel gates of Diaspora. Pressing that gate's activation sequence and then holding down the central rainbow button will deactivate the gate and allow it to be disassembled again.

Xanatos

Little is known about the cause of the Great Breaking, but everyone knows the name Xanatos. Considered by the population of the realm to be the religious equivalent of Lucifer after his fall and Loki after the start of Ragnarok, he is referred to as 'The Breaker', 'The Deceiver' and 'Father of Monsters' based on various legends about his most famous words and deeds.

The extent of Xanatos' abilities are shrouded in mystery, but it is known that he can change shape, fly without wings, and that he does not die when he is killed. Considering magic has progressed in the world to the point where the Polymorph spell, Fly spell and the Lich's phylactery are reasonably well known to all magical scholars, it is commonly accepted that Xanatos is far more powerful than his legends would depict, but that he is supernaturally adept at hiding the full extent of his power.

The most difficult thing is identifying Xanatos - the legends depict Xanatos as being crafty enough to assume the shape of a woman's lover to take her to bed, only for the real man to show up in the middle of the night. It is through such antics that Xanatos gained the title of 'The Deceiver'. Another legend has Xanatos claiming that it was his desire that Monsters be loosed on the world after the Great Breaking, which gave him is other title.

While none know or understand Xanatos' true motivations, the priesthood of the old faith hunt for signs of his presence endlessly and are convinced that the being is a trickster-god whose sole purpose is to sow chaos and discontent among the people.

Even the Portal Guardians are mystified by this being, and hold him in the highest form of contempt. But they have learned not to try to stop a lone man, dressed all in black, with dark skin and darker hair and claiming to be the despised figure. For the last hundred years, any Portal Guardian who so much as slows the man down has died - instantly and without apparent cause that they can discern from their last moments of life - regardless of the defenses or countermeasures they might raise against him.