THEM

# **Warning: Spoilers ahead for Alda D&D campaign!**

THEM, The Essence of Existence, is one of the last-known living Astrals in the Quantum Timeline.

## Appearance

THEM, being an Astral, looks just like a nebula. THEM is mainly blue in color, ranging from light to dark blue in certain areas.

## Personality

THEM is interested in inferior, mortal life. Unlike other Astrals, however, THEM takes their consent and wellbeing into concern whilst interacting with them. While THEM is genderless, most followers refer it with male pronouns. THEM also portrays a wise male voice when speaking to lifeforms.

## Abilities

THEM is able to create matter by arranging individual atoms as he pleases, as seen when he creates a new body for Jus Glowvus. THEM, being an astral, is easily able to manipulate time. He is also capable of great telepathy, speaking to a mortal directly via their soul.

THEM is able to "Uplift" a mortal being, removing their consciousness from their body to create an Angel. In order to survive this, the individual must undergo years of spiritual meditation. In order to prove themselves, THEM will assign the person a mission which requires great will. THEM only preforms uplifting with consent from the recipient.

## Chronology

### Pre-Alda

THEM and his twin, Tharul, were born when they split from an uplifted Astral named Themarul. Themarul was an Astral whom was greatly interested in small, mortal lifeforms. He would study them and their biology, keeping a sane ethic while doing so. When THEM was born, he kept the personality parts which was concerned with mortal life, and had a benevolent interest in them, contrasting his twin Tharul. Both Astrals participated in creating Gamma\_Sachiel Xiii, a living weapon to battle and kill Ingonius Unbound.

Before the creature was finished, THEM privately granted it sapience, as he paternal towards the creature. It quickly awoke and lashed out, escaping into the depths of the Quantum Timeline and naming itself YORE. Eons later, THEM decided trying to destroy Ingonius Unbound was futile, and left his fellow Astrals to find Yore instead. THEM followed his interstellar tracks, discovering 6 timelines completely devoid of life, as they had all been consumed by Yore.

When THEM finally caught up to Yore, Yore grew angry and argued with the Astral. Yore resented his existence, as his one purpose in life was truly impossible. Yore lashed out, engaging THEM in a deadly battle. THEM defeated Yore and imprisoned him in a giant organic prison in deep space, but not without suffering heavy wounds. THEM bled out, his blood seeping into every corner of dimension **DN**. THEM saw how he had arrived too late, the souls of this timeline had been freshly devoured. He created three children: He, Whom says "Ligma", It, of the Furbished Worlds, and She, who Purifies the Soul. They would all play a part in helping THEM restore life to this Timeline, and the four all chose the planet Alda to start.

### Alda

Millenia later, after life was beginning to evolve on Alda, he created a pantheon of "gods" to rule over Alda, as he understood that mortals develop better when they have a religion to guide them. Because of the properties of Astral blood, the denizens of Alda were able to access a reality-warping ability called Magic. THEM's wounds worsened.

When The Obcy Wad vessel, The Everlasting Vigilance, came to Alda, it led to Jus Glowvus inevitably meeting THEM. Jus Glowvus' body was rebuilt by THEM and Jus agreed to work with THEM to save Alda by destroying Zathron, and later, YORE.

After Yore was released and defeated by Jus and THEM, they punched a hole through the fabric of Dimension **DN** to Dimension **LA** to return Jus home. THEM, who know he would soon succumb to his injuries, bid Jus farewell and departed forever.

### Death

Since his departure from Jus Glowvus, THEM kept a steady pace as he searched for the emptiest and furthest-away spot to die in, as he knew his corpse would result in a Shadow Zone. THEM passed by many civilizations and saw many galactic wonders and sights as he journeyed, eventually dying in the LMC Galaxy. Despite his efforts to do so in the emptiest spot available, THEM's Shadow zone encompassed three celestial bodies: A **red dwarf star**, a **rocky planet**, and it's **moon**.

Over the period of 3.7 million years, the dark, lightless magic of THEM's Shadow Zone had slowly given life to the three celestial bodies within it, converting them into Shadow-Beast-Class organisms. The three are known as:

* Eurythmy
* Taphonomy
* Rhizotomy