The Spirit Realm

The Spirit Realm is an anomalous dimension that is loosely attached to Crunkiverse 00A. Originally it was part of the entire crunkiverse, and used to comprise 32% of the previous area of 00A. It is the only dimension of its kind, and little is known of its true properties. It is mostly unrelated to the Shadow Realm.

## Origin

The Spirit Realm is a direct result of the first activation of the World Engine, in which the Artificer used the device to destroy the Rat Gods. However, the massive amount of energy collected by the device was enough to shake the structure of reality and split Crunkiverse 00A into two pieces, the smaller of which would become the Spirit Realm. All mortals trapped within the piece of the crunkiverse that was split were turned into Spirits, giving them the ability to manifest in the Spirit World if they were ever to be killed.

The creation of the Spirit Realm attracted the attention of all Omnigods and even Crunky. In order to keep balance within the multiverse and prevent the split Crunkiverse from causing imbalance, the Omnigods created 5 powerful entities to maintain the balance between the Spirit Realm and the mortal Crunkiverse 00A. With a massive amount of power and focus, the Sentries were able to keep the two planes partially attached and balanced was temporarily restored. In order to prevent the highly anomalous Spirits from spreading throughout the multiverse, the barrier between the Spirit Realm and the rest of reality is significantly stronger than other dimensional barriers, and is particularly effective at preventing Spirits from leaving.

Since its creation, travel between the Spirit Realm and the rest of the crunkiverse is limited at best. Using advanced projection Sacred Arts, it is possible to see the Spirit World but not to interact with it in any way. The reverse is true for the resident Spirits, who are permanently trapped within the Spirit Realm for all eternity.

## Properties

For the most part, the Spirit Realm is unchanged from its past as part of Crunkiverse 00A. Many of the same planets and other celestial objects retained their populations of mortals, the only significant difference being that these peoples were now immortal. Furthermore, it was soon realized that no new life could be created in Spirit Realm, as new life such as infants, seeds, and other lifeforms would simply cease function as soon as they could be considered "alive". It is unknown why the immortality and lack of new life are present in the Spirit Realm, but it is thought that the World Engine made the souls of the Spirits inherently unable to be reborn. Without a proper way to cycle souls in a crunkiverse, it is likely that the Soulsmith stopped the flow of souls to the Spirit Realm and overall made the plane an endless purgatory.

The cultures of the peoples living here radically changed due to the lack of new life and immortality. Unable to die, no war between peoples ever ended, and violence and crime became more common than ever in sentient species. Throughout the next thousand years after its creation, the citizens of the Spirit Realm eventually learned to accept their fate and would "die" simply by meditating for the rest of time. However, a few refused to accept their circumstances, most notably Tengin Khan.

Overall, its impossible for mortals to go to the Spirit Realm, and spirits to go the mortal realm. However, through specific rituals, Sacred Arts, and recent Crunch related events, the travel between the two realms began to falter. The first notable peoples to find and experience the Spirit Realm were certain members of the Shamans of the West, who were particularly apt in astral projection. Since their mysterious disappearance, tales of the Spirit Realm have faded into obscurity. In recent times, the death of one of the five Sentries has interrupted the bond between the mortal and Spirit Realm. The Professor has a frightening theory which explains that this death of the Sentry combined with the Crunch could lead to a potential overlap between the Spirit Realm and Crunkiverse 00A.