The Tether

Thinly woven between the realm of the gods and that of mortal life is the Tether. It blankets the Globe, shrouding the two worlds from one another - or so the Doctrine claims. Other sources say it is simply where the two overlap, and does not exist as an entity on its own. In either case, it is a wary and unnerving place for all who find themselves within its fog.

Mortal souls are thought to pass through the Tether once released from their physical forms, though souls often finds themselves there during sleep as well, and even occasionally while in other states of consciousness. Naturally, those with more arcana in their physical form (i.e. arcanists and slighen) are more apt to slip into the Tether, and tend to do so to varied extent while using their arcanic skills. The experience is usually realized only upon coming out of the Tether, wherein the individual feels as though a veil has been thrown over part of the world.

As several deities have found their way to the Globe, albeit somewhat incorporeal, it is assumed that they too can traverse the Tether. This does make sense under the Doctrine's assertion that Eava created the Tether, however little is truly known about the degree of permeability on the deific end. Further, there is some speculation on the difficulty of the return journey for divine entities. In several instances throughout history, minor gods have found themselves seemingly 'stuck' in mortal lands.

It's a very subtle tugging, so the first time you find yourself there, it's not - it doesn't seem different, it's just part of the rest of the Globe. You might feel off, though there's no visible differentiation. But then you come out, you realize, 'oh, this is very different.' It's easier for people who've experienced it before, because you begin to recognize the sensation - even if you don't know what it means.

The earliest mentions of the Tether are in the Pyramisic Doctrine, though earlier records do mention a similar between-realm. The Doctrine states that Eava created the Tether as a membrane between the mortal and divine realms, a place designed to unnerve men and deities alike and that would slowly chip at both their resolve and sanity. At its heart, the place was meant to separate the two kinds of being. The main issue thus presents itself in the case of beings who defy normal bounds of divinity versus mortality, most pertinently arcanists.