The space between the realms of the Barren is known as Astral Space, a plane of stars and bizarre creatures that glide through the colorful clouds of fog and rogue magic. Most people who reside within the realms see this plane as nothing but a road or path they must track to arrive at whatever rock they wish to stand on, but many wish to live in the Astral Sea to learn of its mysteries, perfect realm travel, and/or experience the valor of combat against both man and aberration.
Plane of Magic & Souls
After the first instance of the Barren was destroyed it left remains in the form of the souls that were created during its run. Though the universe has been recreated, the souls still linger in clusters of light amidst the Astral Sea, waiting to reincarnate into the Barren. These clusters emit light that can be seen throughout the Barren, becoming the stars in every sky of every realm.
The
mana of these souls are being used only in the production of light, leaving a lot of its magic free to roam the Astral Sea. This causes many instances of random surges of magic to radically alter the space of the Astral Sea into dangerous environments and hazards which occasionally stretch to multiple realms.
Civilization in the Sea
Most people living in the Astral Sea are the remains of civilizations forced to flee their realms. Due to the lack of gravity, groups of mages have been forced to develop magics that would stop them from flying off their vessels. Cities of the traditional sense rarely pop up in the sea, most build ginormous ships to live off of, containing farms, shops, homes, and anything that would traditionally be in a town or city.
Traveling through the Sea
For someone to travel between realms without the use of gates or portals, they must travel through the Astral Sea in one of two ways. As mentioned before, most create vessels to use as homes in the Astral Sea, but they may of course be utilized to move through the sea. Otherwise, magic can be utilized to avoid obstacles that would otherwise make physical travel into the sea impossible. This process is called Astral Projection, in which a creature detaches its soul from their body (creating a metaphysical tether between them) and lets it pass through the Astral Plane without the risk of being attacked by most monsters. Once the soul enters a realm the body appears around it, rebinding the two in the new realm.
Comments