Magical Realm Cyoa/Diaspora/Secrets/Afterlife

Afterlife

The people of the Seven Great Cities are of the opinion that there is an afterlife of peace and wellbeing which comes after death. Their faith in this afterlife is based on their belief in a pantheon which was old and ill-understood even before the breaking. Their faith also has no basis in reality - it is simple faith in what their parents believed.

The truth would shock and apall them - and the fact that the already reviled Xanatos is responsible would redouble their hatred of him. Because the truth is that there is no afterlife in Diaspora - only a new life.

Anyone who dies within Diaspora is immediately reborn, in a different pocket realm of Diaspora, far from any portal, and in a new body. Their memories of their previous lives are locked away in their deep subconscious mind, giving them gentle guidance so that they may learn more quickly those skills they were once good at, but only really accessible to the most powerful of mind-mages, and then only if they go looking. All bonds and beliefs held in that past life are lost, only the experience and knowledge are retained and that only subconsciously, used in the forging of better and more useful skills for the newly reborn.

The knowledge and skills of the deceased also become part of the collective unconscious of the realm itself (see Unnatural Forces of Nature), so that the specialist skills, abilities, knowledge and magic of those who die in the realm are added to those that the realm it can grant as part of quests and as bonuses for 'special actions'. In effect, this means that any time a person with a skill set the realm hasn't had access to before dies within Diaspora, that person's abilities become available to the people of Diaspora as a whole. It may be some time before these skills are given out again, and the individual most likely to get those skills back is the re-incarnated soul of the one who 'donated' those abilities in the first place, so this doesn't mean that a person's capabilities are copied entirely simply because they died. But it makes it much simpler to learn to create an internet if an internet expert comes to Diaspora and is accidentally killed. And it makes it much easier to research angel-summoning if an angel summoner is likewise killed in Diaspora.

There are other, more mundane means of acquiring skills from visitors to the realms, which are covered in the skills section (not yet finished).

The First Generation

The First Generation Diasporans, or in their dialect, The Ancestral People or simply The People, are the ones who are descended from the ancient, original inhabitants of the realm, before it was broken up, those who have never been reborn. Currently, there are some 300 million of them, living mostly within the Seven Cities or in other near-portal settlements in the smaller realms.

The People have been building, adapting, and growing in the way of any culture for several millenia, placed under constant strain and in the face of ever-present danger. While none of them are ever fully safe, for the most part they have learned to manage the continual monster attacks and natural hazards of their world, and so they can expect to live as long as first world people of the modern world - and while their technology might be somewhat behind the curve in comparison to the modern world, they more than make up for it in magic and magitech.

Indeed, as far as the Diasporans are concerned, the rules of Sorcery are simply more natural laws to be learned, understood, and exploited for the betterment of all Diasporans. But this is not a fast process, or a simple one, since the laws of magic seem to be nearly as complex and numerous as the realms. It is said that there is a school of magic native to each of the realms, and that only by exploring and understanding all of the realms fully can one comprehend the full extent of magic within the realms. Whether true or not, such exploration is likely to be far simpler than the extensive study needed.

The Reborn

Those who are reborn generally take on a shape acclimatized to their new native realm - those realms which are mostly water will tend to result in aquatic inhabitants, while mountainous realms will result in cloven hooves and fur. The people birthed this way are called 'demihumans' by the inhabitants of the Seven Cities, and generally are considered sentient monsters - sometimes reasonable, sometimes not, depending on species and culture. They are treated as second-class citizens in the cases where they are accepted at all. Common demihuman races are discussed under The People in the main article.

The majority of the people in the Seven Cities are first generation - those who are born naturally into the worlds, most often from other first generation people. Because life is least harsh among the Seven Cities, and the inhabitants are relatively long-lived, the birth rate for these people is fairly low. The citizens of the Seven cities who are not first generation are usually those who were reborn in the smaller realms and grew powerful enough to challenge the portal guardians, or were clever enough to make a deal for passage.

For the most part, it matters little how many times a Diasporan soul has died and been reborn - additional rebirths only offer a wider variety of subconscious experiences and knowledges to draw on. The mechanics of Rebirth are deliberately mysterious - no one has ever witnessed it occurring, and the Reborn themselves remember nothing of the event. They merely appear in some abandoned place in the wilderness, roughly 10-11 years old and just at the beginning of puberty. The Reborn who are birthed in this manner have high levels of instinctive access to survival skills and also have some natural affinity with one type of magic or another, giving them sufficient power and ability to survive until they can find others. Those who are not aware of the rebirth cycle generally assume that the Reborn are simply orphans from a lost tribe wiped out by the natural dangers of their world, and the fact that such individuals are common beyond all statistical likelihood has led to extensive myths about the monsters of the forest being kind to children - something which is not entirely untrue, since many of those 'monsters' can dimly recall being children themselves, once.

Those who have been Reborn are also no longer capable of giving birth to First Generation souls. Any progeny where one of the parents is one of the Reborn will result in the child also being one of the Reborn. Such children are known to grow from infants to young adults at a greatly accelerated rate - generally taking a mere 100 megaseconds to grow as much as other children do in five times that time, with this accelerated growth ending just after puberty. It is fortunate for such children that their minds are capable of keeping up with such rapid growth. However, for such a birth to be possible, conception of the child must come at the same moment as the death of an individual in another realm, to within a tenth of a second. This means that the Reborn have a significantly harder time reproducing than the First Generation. It is possible that this could be fixed with appropriate applications of Necromancy or other soul-based magics, but so far no one has made the connection.

First Generation Diasporans are not completely unaware of this phenomena, and they call those Reborn humans they find or who are birthed by other reborn 'Noven'. It is generally hard to tell one of the People from a Noven physically, but mentally there is not a great deal of comparison. A Noven would be considered a natural genius on earth, and many of the greatest geniuses born as First Generation Diasporans have been mistaken as Noven. While there is some small prejudice for the Noven as a whole among The People, on an individual level they are generally welcomed and well liked, since they tend to be the most skilled individuals in any society. Still, Noven are considered a rarity, simply because so few of the Reborn are both born completely human and close enough to one of The People's settlements to make it there.

Most of the Reborn are birthed as either Demihumans or Monsters. Demihumans are those beings capable of passing for a normal human in poor light - those who have scales for skin, who can wear pants to hide their digigrade legs and hats to disguise their horns. Perhaps the Demihuman is a bit too large or small to easily pass for being a man, but not outside the realms of reason. Extreme dwarfism or giantism in a First Generation Diasporan will often lead to them being accused of being a Demihuman. These children are somewhat less able to access the skills and recollections of their past lives due to the more significant physical differences in their new forms, although if a soul is reborn as the same type of Demihuman or Monster, they will have many of the same benefits as a Noven child

Monsters are those Reborn who are birthed as intelligent beasts of the wilds, sufficiently inhuman in shape and mind that their spiritual ancestors are unable to recognise or accept them as 'people'. Of course, not all Monsters are intelligent - most of the beasts of the wild, such as Drakes and Dire Wolves, are just animals with extreme biologies and some innate magical ability. Such beasts have spirits similar to the souls of the intelligent, and as such have a similar birth and rebirth cycle, but the mechanics of their reincarnation are not as well governed by the natural rules of the realms. This results in some monsters being incredibly powerful, having been reborn with full access to all their original memories and powers. Such monsters tend to be just below the cusp of true sentience, exceptionally clever and capable, and far more dangerous because of this.

The Guardians

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. In this case, a particular set of Classes, which can only be gained through the most difficult quests or else granted to singularly unique beings (such as Realm Wizards). The following classes exist which allow one to partially or fully bypass the 'Respawn' afterlife mechanic:

Class: Portal Guardian Requirements: Intelligence 100, Wisdom 100, Level 50, Quest - Life's Little Secret Description: The Portal Guardians are a class of creature who protect both the Gateways between the realms of Diaspora and the Secret of life in Diaspora. These mysterious guards are amongst the most powerful and skilled beings of the realms. While not actively hostile to everyone, the Portal Guardians are very particular about who they allow to access their chosen Portals. Abilities:

• Eternal Guardian (Passive) - Unlike most other classes, the Passive abilities of this class are active even when the class is not active. Class granted Skills are still only available when the class is the primary class, or if the skill is taken as a personal skill.
• Eased Passage (Passive) - When slain, rebirth occurs immediately in a random realm, close to a portal. The reborn soul is reduced by a single level, with one point removed from every attribute (minimum 1) and all skills still present but reduced in strength by one level (minimum 1). Memory of all past lives are maintained.
• Skill: Portal Awareness (Active) 5MP/Minute +Requires Concentration - The Portal Guardian may use a scrying spell to know everything that occurs within 100 meters of their portal. They may use this ability even when they are on a different plane of existence from their chosen portal. Additional levels allows this skill to extend further, sense things hidden by magic or technology, and use this ability without concentration. Awareness always centers on the Portal Guardian's chosen poral.

Class: Guardian Monitor Requirements: Intelligence 150, Wisdom 150, Level 100, Class: Portal Guardian, Quest - More to Life Description: The Guardian Monitors (GMs) are the secret masters and rulers of Diaspora. Their powers are unsurpassed by any native to the realm. These mysterious beings ensure that no threat to the realms as a whole may actively exist within Diaspora. They also work to maintain the Dungeons, unintelligent monster populations and other aspects of the realm which ensure that the people of Diaspora remain strong. Their powers are not absolute, but in their home Realms the GMs cannot be easily matched. Abilities:

• Eternal Guardian (Passive) - Unlike most other classes, the Passive abilities of this class are active even when the class is not active. Class granted Skills are still only available when the class is the primary class, or if the skill is taken as a personal skill.
• Rapid Passage (Passive) - This ability is similar to and overrides 'Eased Passage'. When slain, the Guardian Monitor is reborn in a place of their choosing. All levels, attributes and skill levels remain the same, but any experience points gained towards the next level are reduced to 0.
• Skill: Self Awareness (Active) 5MP/Minute - The Guardian Monitor becomes aware of their personal environment and surroundings in a way few others can match. For a 100 meter per level radius, they gain absolute awareness of all magic and technology, all biological, energy-based and inorganic life forms, and any attempts to deceive these senses. This perception may not grant the ability to understand everything that is sensed, but long experience and vast reserves of intellect and wisdom prevent any chance of surprise.
• Skill: Realm Awareness (Active) 15MP/Minute +Requires Concentration - The Guardian Monitor may use a scrying spell to know everything that occurs within 100 meters of any point of their choosing, based either on a location they have previously observed or an individual they have met. They may use this ability even when they are on a different plane of existence from their target. Additional levels increases range and allows this skill to mimic the absolute awareness of the Self Awareness skill.

Class: Realm Guardian Requirements: Realm Wizard, Quest - The Secret Oath Description: The Realm Guardian class is given only to Realm Wizards who choose to become assimilated to the realm's nature, and then take a secret oath, of their own free will and with full intent of carrying it out. The wording of the oath is specific and cannot be simply guessed, but requires the oathtaker to protect Diaspora as a whole. Breaking the oath removes access to this class, and has other detrimental side effects. Abilities:

• Eternal Guardian (Passive) - Unlike most other classes, the Passive abilities of this class are active even when the class is not active. Class granted Skills are still only available when the class is the primary class, or if the skill is taken as a personal skill.
• Perfect Passage (Passive) - As Rapid Passage, except there are no losses to level, attributes or skills.
• Skill: Perfected Observe (Active) - As the standard observe skill, except it allows the user to see the contents of inventories and skill lists by default rather than at max level.
• Skill: Blue Mage (Active) 50MP/Minute - This spell allows the user to copy and acquire any spell or skill used against them in conflict (including physical, magical, social and mental combat). Cannot copy passive abilities or racial qualities, but can copy abilities which do not directly affect the user (such as regenerative magics used by the opponent on themselves). Skills or spells copied in this manner are gained at level one, and remain copied as long as the Blue Mage spell is actively in use without taking up one of the user's permanent slots. The user may choose to make a copied ability one of their permanent abilities at any time while the Blue Mage spell is active, but once the spell has ended.

This leads to the last category of intelligent life in the Realms - the Portal Guardians. While technically just Monsters in the eyes of the Diasporan people, the Portal Guardians are the beings most aware and knowledgeable about the reincarnation cycle. To an individual, they are unwilling to share this revelation with others, seeing it as robbing their spiritual descendants of their innocence. Also, freely sharing this knowledge is a violation of the oat needed to become a portal guardian.

The reason that they guard their portals is generally specific to the individual - perhaps they think that limiting travel between the realms will make it more difficult to piece together the many puzzles of the reincarnation cycle, or they are inherently anti-social, or they just think it's fun. Regardless of their reasons, they are not shy about killing those who attempt to force access to the portals they guard - such people may be their spiritual descendants, but they'll be reborn, so no real harm in killing them a bit. The Guardian classes also tend to be incessant gossips, using the portals themselves as communication devices to speak with other portal guardians, or talking by other mystical means.