The Episphere (Prelude World)

  The Episphere, also called Prelude or Prelusion by the people who live on it, is a vast open fantasy world dotted with towns, cities, and acres of unexplored wilderness alike. Magic and demons, gods and goddesses, and all sorts of creatures call this world (and its nieghboring planes, the heavens, the hells, and all sorts of things in between) home.

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The Gods and The World

In this world there are hundreds of different types of gods. One for almost anything you can imagine. From the sea, to the sky, a god of life, and the wilds, death, and dreams, almost an endless number!

There are two gods however who outrank them all: the Goddess of Life and the God of Death. All of the gods once existed together on the mortal plane, wherein they created everything in existence, but it was by these two's decree that all things should have a beginning and an end, so as to maintain balance between the power of everything that is and ever will be.

By normal means it is very difficult, in fact almost impossible to kill a god. You would have to be another god, and you would have to keep the two ruling gods, Life and Death, from reviving or bringing them back. But despite this, it is still very seldom that you will see an actual god on the mortal plain anymore, and this is because of the decree that the ruling gods made.

All things must have a beginning, end, and begin again, so once they had finished creating their world, Life and Death decided that all the gods should leave it be. Watch it and let it grow on its own with minimal interference. Every god was given a choice of ending: leave and ascend to the heavens and become eternal, where their powers may not have as strong a direct influence over the world below, but they are able to spread themselves farther and help with maintaining the balance, Or fall and leave behind their heart, they will still be omniscient and know what is happening around the world, but they will remain dormant and slumbering, unable to interact with the world until a time when they decide to reach out and Bond with a mortal being. That being would then inherit a much stronger portion of their power, almost unbridled, but will have to learn to use it, and should that power fall into the wrong hands it could spell catastrophe... Some gods chose to become eternal, others left behind their hearts, pure crystalline gemstones of varying colors, filled with oceans or galaxies or all sorts of magical essences. Most hearts are either lost to the world until they decide to be found, or very well guarded by people who to this day defend them for a cause which might have long since been forgotten.

Of course, life and death knew it would be unfair to ask the other gods to leave if they were not willing to do the same. So they self imposed their own deaths as well.

They would bind themselves forever to the hearts of two different mortals, and live out a standard life. With no memory of who they truly are, or what powers they hold. And each time they would die, they would be reborn anew as a different mortal somewhere else on their world.

They should never remember themselves until they are needed most. The only two gods who are truly impossible to kill.

Life and Death love each other absolutely, and if they ever meet as mortals in one life they will always feel inexplicably drawn to one another. Otherwise they live entirely normal, simple lives.

None, or only a select few gods know who they are at any given point in time. They would only trust certain people with that knowledge; however, for the clueless... there may be ways to discover their mortal identities..
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Peoples

Humans - Normal everyday human beings, either possessing magical abilities or not. However there are no naturally occuring non-human features to them.

Animal People - Beings that resemble animals, but who walk and talk like men rather than beasts. They think, can use magic, create things, and live just as any man. Sometimes they are of simple build, like a fox walking on two legs, no wings, no horns. Other times they may be wonderful amalgamates of several different types of creatures, such as a foxhawk, or a lesser dragon. The Entu would qualify as a type of Lesser Dragon race, having descended from a draconic race themselves.

Halflings - Any sentient creature that is a mixture of two or more prominent races. A Human with a tail for example might be a cross between an animal person and a human. Or an animal person with fiery horns might be part demon. It is rare, but elementals might occassionaly have children who are born of another race as well. Contrary to popular belief, Centaurs are actually not halflings, but rather they fall under the "Other" category.  Having originally descended from a creature that was both part man and part beast. Minotaurs  and satyrs on the other hand can be halflings OR animal people, which is likely where the confusion originates from.

Gods - The divine entities of the universe, they created everything that was and that ever will be. Though they are gone from the world they still find ways to occassionaly interact with those living on the surface. Undoubtedly the strongest beings in existence, they cannot be killed. Demons fear them. People worship them. There is a god for practically everything imaginable. Life and Death are the two ruling gods.

Demons - Powerful and corrupted beings that reside in the Hells. They are able to venture out of Hell from the Grey Expanse (a sort of limbo for souls) and worm their way into the mortal plane where they seek to indulge themselves by causing all sorts of chaos and calamity. Demons, while powerful, are not nearly as powerful as gods, but can still do a lot of damage. Masters of curses and creulty, there are different ranks for demons of various strengths. Lesser demons follow the instruction of Slag Commanders, who lord over their own personal portions of Hell. They have organized their own heirarchy, wherein perhaps some of the strongest demons are called The Vices. One for each of the seven sins.

Elementals and Spirits - Ghosts, spectres, and creatures created and held together through magical means. They are more connected to the elements and the world, and know things that most mages and magic users would be hard pressed to discover on their own. They are powerful and typically gentle, but hardly ever use that strength for selfish reasons. More often seen as protecters of the wilds and guardians of the alternate planes. They strive to keep order where chaos might dare to rear its ugly head. It is possible to become an elemental. It is much less possible to turn back once you have become one. Forever made into a keeper of the balance. This danger has not stopped people from seeking such power.

Other - All sorts of other magical critters residing on The Episphere. From unicorns, to dragons, godlings, and lucky rabbits. There is an endless number of creatures, mythical and magical that one might find while traveling the wilds.