Realms Apart
Safe on a little dinghy, Losthome’s treacherous river fading into the bright blue of the open sea, Sara finally sagged in relief. “Freaking freak, we seriously could have died in there, Tia!”
The Crown Princess lay sprawled across the floor, bruised and spent. Her knight retainer slumped against the rudder, nursing a tremendous black eye and a broken arm. Ishikawa and Fang maintained an exhausted watch at either end of the dinghy, their knees shaking with every bob of the current.
We seriously could have died, Sara thought, the realization sinking in. She was a Crystal Swan now, ready for anything! She and Apricot had made mince meat of that rude spirit at that caravan inn before her guardians could even break down the door!
But Losthome was different. Losthome was…
“Sorry,” Tia whispered softly.
“Do skyshadow eagles hunt over open water?” Fang asked.
“As far as we know, they are all dead,” Ishikawa replied, his calm very thin.
“Dead doesn’t buy you much in Losthome.”
Both kept their eyes on the skies.
“What were you doing in that awful place?!” Sara demanded. Apricot nodded in agreement from her shoulder. “Do you have any idea how long we spent catching up to you?!”
They had found Tia at a ward stone. Or what had once been a ward stone. Now it was…twisted and brutal and even its memory set her teeth on edge.
The princess had raised her hand before that awful monument and sang something. Sang words Sara knew the way she knew Apricot’s name – waiting in her breast all along. Words that soothed that pulsing scar, if only a little.
An instant later, a horde of the most vicious and unspeakable things surged from the very mists, and they had all fought for their lives.
“We can’t say,” the princess evaded.
Sara sucked in an angry breath.
Rynn cleared her throat. “What our good Crown Princess Selene Astra Mikoto Celestia Alora means to say is that we wish to tell you, but we must mind our words. The full accounting of events spans the Kingdom itself. Our own contribution is…”
“We do what we can,” Tia mumbled.
Fang snarled. “Into Losthome?! Even our foes know those mists as a calamity. Who would be a fool enough to–”
“There are names that cannot be spoken. Not this close to the wards,” the Rose Thorn replied somberly.
The boat fell silent. Even Sara knew by now.
The Grand Fae.
Finally, Fang spat over the side. “You ventured into Losthome to foil the machinations of a fairy tale. Even if they are real, don’t you think they are a little bit above our pay grade?!”
“Daddy is always being watched,” the princess sighed. “Mom too. I’m the only one who can sneak out of sight. It had to be me. I had to…to continue what he started.”
_King Senbonzakura no Yamamoto Riku. The greatest warrior in the entire Kingdom. Where can Tia go that he cannot? _
Sara grimaced, recognizing the uncharitable thought. Every Path was different. Every person was different.
That was the heart of the Garden.
“If it makes you feel any better, the saboteurs were among the restless dead,” Rynn grimaced. “Maybe they realized their mistake at the last. The damage could have been worse.”
“No one deserves that place. May they find peace,” Ishikawa prayed.
The princess glanced away. “By the time Rynn and I sensed the plot, there was no choice left. We had to come, just us. There wasn’t time to…”
“There’s always time to call your friends,” Sara admonished gently, petting Apricot. “We’ll come.”
Tia’s lower lip started to tremble.
Sara reached to comfort her.
“Um, not to ruin the touching moment,” Apricot announced, “but the ship is getting lower!”
Everyone in the dinghy looked to the Crystal Swan – the girl with working limbs and attunement to Water!
Sara leaped to her feet, breathed the element into her belly, and shoved on the sea water. Thick with salt, the element responded sluggishly.
Staring into the tropical waters, she caught a gleam of rainbow scales.
“Sirens!” Apricot squeaked, leaping into Sara’s clothes. “Don’t let them see me! I still owe one ten shells!”
Another Will suddenly seized the salty waters, heaving a wave onto the deck.
What the freak?! I thought Sirens couldn’t use Arts!
Worse, the Siren was way better at manipulating the water, even with all that salt!
As Sara struggled in vain to master the waves, Rynn planted her head in her good hand and groaned.
“What now?” Fang snarled. “We’ve survived Losthome. Let’s make sushi of ‘em!”
The knight protector laughed. “These are shoalskimmers. They’re not here to kill us.”
“Then what?!”
Rynn rubbed at her bruised face. “I’m afraid we are about to be involuntarily rescued.”
The world of Seln is home to powerful immortals, each ruling over domains set apart from the waking world. These miniature dimensions, known as Realms, operate by their own laws in accordance with their rulers.
The first folk to arrive found Seln a fiefdom of these immortals with little room for mortal folk to live and thrive. Mortal Seln was little more than mud and storm – the canvas upon which ancient forces painted their individual masterpieces.
Three forms of immortal are recorded in the histories:
- Spirits – animal gestalts gifted with surpassing communion with nature
- Shades – animate memories of the departed
- Fae – Wanderers of unknown origin that shape all the world to their songs
All were equally merciless to the newly arrived mortals, and few records remain of those terrible days. Most records are oral legend of terrible foes like:
- Yamato no orochi – an eight-headed serpent, capable of both speech and cruelty, that demanded a virgin daughter to eat with each full moon
- Scylla, claiming to be turned into a monster by the Fae, who channeled the waters into whirlpools for her meals
- The thunderbird, a massive bird of lightning that took umbrage when mortal man dared build upon the earth and spoil the forest
The gap between the age of legends and the age of the Kingdom is wide. By the time of the oldest scrolls, the situation greatly advanced.
- The spirits reign, allied with the Kingdom
- Shades are rare, placated by Kingdom offerings and funerary rites
- The Fae scowl outside the wards, defeated by Kingdom bravery
As centuries pass, the bond between Kingdom and spirit proves enduring. Mentions of the Fae slowly dwindle. Then, around five centuries ago, the Fae simply fade.
As far as the Kingdom of today knows, the Fae are a long-vanquished foe relegated to children’s bedtime stories. If some few remain in the recesses of the wilds, they hide from the Kingdom’s might.
Who’s Realm is it anyways?
You speak of our Realms as strange things, yet were we not here first? Seln was born of the endless sea and given over to our Realms before you came. Yet you too wish to exert your will upon Seln; to set it on your own course. Your kind uses geomancy to craft the world you wish to see. How is this any different than our own powers? Is not your Kingdom not also a Realm?
We need not be enemies. For do we not all wish to be Kings of our own land? Set down your blade and learn secrets hidden by your petty Queen.
About Realms
Realms share a few common traits.
- A Realm must have a Ruler or gradually fade into the mortal world
- Some small fragments may remain after it fades, which may help to explain the many puzzling ruins across Seln
- The physical geography of a Realm matches that of the mortal world in most cases
- Deviations reflect the greatest dreams and concerns of the Realm’s ruler
- The more powerful the Ruler, the stronger the deviations
- Time passes as it does in the mortal world unless otherwise stated
- Time of day, celestial alignment, and seasons might be offset
- Though a Ruler may leave their Realm, prolonged absence weakens their influence and offers an opportunity for enemies to strike
- Rulers are immortal against age and sickness. They still require a form of sustenance (which varies) and can be defeated in combat.
- Defeating a Ruler in combat merely Banishes them. Their core remains, linked to the Realm, and will re-emerge (with a grudge!)
- Elemental storms pass through all dimensions concurrently
- Crystals anchor all dimensions and never deviate.
- The crystal seen across any dimension is the same crystal. Changes reflect across all dimensions concurrently
- Only a single Realm may co-exist with any given location in Seln
Gateways
As befitting alternate dimensions, the Realms are not normally accessible. A point of convergence must be either found or established.
Common natural entry points are arches of wood or stone; holes at the base of trees; deep grottos, chasms, caves; lonely heights like the peak of a mountain; pools of still water; and fairy circles of mushrooms or flowers.
Constructed entry points mime this pattern, building arches or small lakes. Architects decorate the entry point with items that resonate with the Realm. For example, hunting treasures for a powerful wolf spirit or a shrine for the dead before a shade gateway.
The border of a Realm is weakest at the juncture point of powerful ley lines. Thus, entry ways can often be found or built at crystal dens.
A word of warning! Gateways might be one-way. Just because you can get into a Realm doesn’t mean you can get out!
Mingling
The three known types of Realm are immiscible. Where a Shade rules, a Spirit may not; where a Spirit rules, a Fae may not; etc.
However, within the same category, multiple Realms may mingle. Each has only a single Ruler, but linkages form between the Realms. These links, following the ley lines, create a highway by which enterprising souls may travel at great speed. The links often deviate from mortal geography, creating incredible shortcuts…if you can deal with the Rulers on either end!
Relinquishing
The Ruler may release their hold on their domain. Doing so sets in motion the dissolution of the Realm. The now-unruled Realm slowly dissolves back into Seln, vanishing from whence it came. This process takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and the Realm grows increasingly unstable as its edges fray.
Treasure hunters salivate at the potential for unguarded treasure, but those caught in the final collapse of a Realm risk vanishing without a trace alongside the Realm itself.