Otherworld

Otherworld is a parallel of Earth where magic is the ruling force of nature and where various creatures and beings considered 'supernatural' hail from. According to some Magi Otherworld is a 'magical reflection' of our Earth and where all magic on Earth flows from, although the Aeon believe this to be also true of the White Realm where the spirits of halfbreeds like Taranis were banished.

Unlike the 6th Dimension that is a higher plane of existence of our universe, Otherworld is a parallel of Earth that resides in another universe altogether, and the name is a coverall for various realms and worlds in Human mythology in various cultures across the globe; It is now known that these realms are in fact all a part of the same planet and these areas in Otherworld overlap the respective geographical areas of Earth, the geography of Otherworld, however is slightly different to our Earth and most of it would not exactly resemble Earth's maps.

Otherworld is likely the original Homeworld of the Danu's ancestors in prehistoric ages and one of the seats of their great Empire of Worlds that existed in Otherworld's universe long before Humanity evolved.

Access to Otherworld can usually be only achieved by forces of magic but some early neos and Halfbreeds later colonised various areas of Otherworld.

### **History**

Early history of Otherworld is stooped in myth and legend, hearsay and stories, and with Access to Otherworld now almost entirely almost cut off after the Orchard Grove event, studying Otherworld is next to utterly impossible.

The earliest knowledge of events on Otherworld collaborate the theory that the planet was known as Aælysium and was the original evolutionary homeworld of the Danu species millions of years before Humanity evolved in our universe. The Danu used the power of Tuathium crystals to create a network of worlds spreading out from Aælysium to other planets in Otherworld's galaxy, eventually creating a vast yet peaceful Empire of Worlds; an early interpretation of this may have been the Nine Worlds of Yggdrasil in Norse mythology and 'Asgard' another interpenetration of Aælysium, with Nine Planets perhaps being important worlds in their greater Empire. However these stories occurred many millennia before Humanity evolved and may be the result of countless stories passed down through the centuries when the Aesurans built vestibules such as Valhalla.

However when a group known as the Formorians began seeing this Empire's peace as weakness they began toppling planets, eventually forming a bitter feud with the Danu that led to the decimation of Aælysium; most of the remaining Danu fled into another universe, our universe, where they ended up on a prehistoric Mars. Surviving Danu who remained on Aælysium hid underground during the Formorians destructive waves of terror that lasted for hundreds of years, but were later known as Elvyn and Drow over the millennia split into Light and Dark races, helping the planet recover and regrow once they left.

After Aælysium's decimation the world began quickly regrowing, empowered by the natural magic and the Elvyn, the planet and it's creatures, however, held a kind of shared implicit memory that would be mistrusting of all those not of it's world, as discovered when Early Humans began accessing Otherworld via magic and the creatures known as the Aos Sí now claim to rule what was once Aælysium, viciously protecting all of nature and renaming their lands The Sidhe; this area was one of the first parts of Old Aælysium accessed by Celtic Humans by magical means as it coincided with Scotland and Ireland in our universe; these Humans believed Otherworld to be a realm of spirits and the dead, but the furious Aos Sí, however began invading Ireland and Scotland in return.

In the early Bronze Age of our Earth, Aesurans would partially access Otherworld, creating vestibules like Olympus, Avalon and Valhalla, the latter of which may have been responsible for the retelling of the Danu stories of their world which the Norse interpreted through cosmology and creation myths. These areas acted almost like limbos to Otherworld proper, with many magical descriptions seeing them as "halls" between worlds, as both an access point from one universe to another, and a place invisible to both worlds on either side where beings could live within.

In the 1930's the House of Seasons attempted to colonise an area of Otherworld that coincided with somewhere in North America or Canada, when they arrived they built the town of Orchard Grove, however angered by their return and destruction of their realm's nature using pollutive technology from Earth the ruling Aos Sí attempted to destroy Orchard Grove. While a rebel group of creatures led by the Elvyn, Spriggan and Wendigo, terrified of the ruling cruelty of the Aeo Si tried to aid them in their fight however these factions and the Human town were destroyed in an overwhelming magical battle that left both human souls and the spirits of magical creatures doomed to haunt the ruins of Orchard Grove for all time.

### **Areas and Regions**

As Otherworld is essentially a heavily parallel version of Earth (many natives saying that in fact Earth is a heavily unmagical version of Otherworld) certain areas overlap regions of our universe's Earth and have different cultures and races just as human do; these races and creatures are a mix of survivors of the Formorian's earlier attacks on Otherworld when it was known as Aælysium such as descendants of the Danu known as Elvyn or 'elves', nature spirits such as Spriggan and Elemental like races like Nymphs; these races and species vary heavily from area to area and as such many are reminiscent of myths and legends found in different Earth cultures the world over.

* **Avalon:** In British mythology Avalon was home to various gods and supernatural creatures, and indeed the vestibule to Otherworld, built on an island in Lake Avalon was built by the Aesurians and Halfbreeds masquerading as gods on Earth, but beyond Avalon Castle within Otherworld the region known as Avalon looked very similar to England at the time, and today still does, with vast ancient forests and beautiful woodlands stretching twice as far and wide as Britain on our Earth, trees here are thicker and denser, hills and mountains higher and more rugged, and is was once home to various nature spirits, Elvyn and Faé and elementals who lived peacefully with one another until the invasion of the Aos Sí from The Sihde, islands further north. It borders the peaceful nations of Annwn to the west. Human magic users and early neos and halfbreeds later accessed Avalon and from their interactions several myths and legends in Britain were born.
* **Duat:** Lands of deserts and planes that overlap Egypt on Earth, Duat was considered a Land of the Dead by Egyptians and likely portals or vestibules made by halfbreeds and neos that were worshipped as the Egyptian pantheon of gods such as Thoth and Set who were later killed by Quetza to make mezzite. It may have been home to the Typhonic Beasts.
* **Elvynheim/Dronvier:** Lands associated with the light elves and dark elves of Norse mythology who were in fact descended from the Danu and came to be known as Elvyn and Drow, and millennia of adapting to their lands altered them splitting them into fair-skinned and a darker-skinned races. The two nations for a while were as one, and a part of the greater Heimlands Northwest of an area roughly equivalent to various Nordic lands on Earth; The two nations became swift enemies when the Aos Sí wished to rule the Heimlands, while the Drow saw the Aos Sí as strong and able to defend against any possible future Formorian attacks, the Elvyn did not want to be part of their controlling empire claiming they had not returned to their world for thousands of years; this split the relationship between the nations and Dronvier waged war for the Aos Sí against Elvynheim. Currently the two nations exist in a delicate ceasefire and many individual Elvyn and Drow alike, sick of the war, have left the Heimlands to fight against the Aeo Sí for less powerful races and creatures of otherworld.

* **Jan'nah:** Desert lands to the far south of Olympia and home to the Djinn and a verity of demon-like creatures including Imps, the region is split into several small nations such as the volcanic Jahannam, home of the somewhat demonised Red Djinn race known as Ifrit, Haawiyah, Ladthaa and Sa’eer. Jan'nah overlays the Middle East on Earth but has much more volcanic and rocky terrain, and multiple caverns, canyons and ravines. It was through that in fact it was the Djinn who first came to our universe and taught Humanity the basics of magic. Some may have even bred with humans and fought against the Aeons which may have led to tales of angels and demons and even biblical accounts.

* **Mag Mel:** A small, cold island and part of The Sehde at it's northernmost tip; it's a Drow colony where the Drow and Aos Sí formed a unified alliance and nation and struck back against the Elvyn.
* **Olympia:** Accessed via a vestibule inside Mount Olympus in Greece, which had a counterpart in Otherworld built by the Dragon Xeus and his followers, Olympia is a bountiful, natural land with very little influence from the Elvyn, Drow and Aos Sí, it is home to a verity of very dangerous creatures, some even demon-like, with an enormous hollow area beneath the Southern edges of Olympia a hell-like series of caverns and caves known as The Underworld where the dragon Hades and for a time Klaytos made residence.

* **Tír Na Hóige:** An area of the northwestern islands that make up The Sehde nation, original home to the Aos Sí, Tír na Hóige was once a peaceful country that shared the prosperous wealth of its lands with neighbouring islands and nations for thousands of years, making it and the other lands of The Sehde such as Tír Tairngire and Mag Mel a paradise along with Avalon and Annwn.
* **Tír na Tairngire:** A small country and part of The Sehde, the Aos Sí there were very powerful but utterly pacifistic, but when the Aeos Si of Tír na Hóige became more and more aggressive after the Formorian attack, they grew angry at the decimation left in the wake of their pacifism, preferring to help the land regrow than defend it in the first place. The Aos Si of Tir na Tairngire were mostly decimated but many fled their lands and became known as the Faé where they seemed to settle into the roles of elementals.
* **Vyraj:** A nation mostly inhabited by Drow who grew larger and stronger than their homeland cousins in Drovnier and became obsessed with proving themselves and becoming stronger, it is a cold but fruitful and and only the hardiest survive there; but if they can there are many hidden bounties and treasures. It is a land said to be filled with precious hidden caves full jewels and as well as a land of giant ferocious creatures and the phoenix-like Raróg. Vyraj is commonly depicted in Slavic mythology as a paradise and at one point may have been accessed by Slavic witch Baba Yaga. Like in Olympia Vyraj also has an underground zone known as Nav where the halfbreed Hades may have mated with the Drow female and bore him two children who became Veles, worshipped as a Slavic god of darkness and death and Mavka, but the two siblings and their parents fraught constantly and Mavka was supposedly killed and then re-animated by Veles to wander Russia on Earth for all time.