Setting
The Edeia originate from an "urban fantasy" world, a world much like ours but where magic has been revealed to humanity. Some areas in the world have more magic-related activities, and some areas remain almost completely mundane—in those places, people can go their entire lives without ever encountering a magical individual.
The only form of magic that originates from this world is idea magic, magic from the power of an Idea. Any other kinds of magic and supernatural abilities come from entities from different dimensions, often involving an Edeia bringing back an entity or object with that kind of magic.
Mundane society and magic societies still govern separately, but there have been advancements in innovation that use both science and magic—and both mundane and magical worlds have changed and intermixed.
Table of Contents
Timeline
This provides a brief overview of Ideation world history, which may be sufficient for general needs in character development. For more detailed world history, see the History page.
The Ancient Era / The Age of Magic
Up to sometime in the 1500s. There was no division; everyone lived with the fact that magic was real and something you had to deal with. "The Age of Magic" is often used for the time closer to the Age of Secrecy.
In the very beginnings of civilization, humanity was very superstitious and believed in gods, spirits, demons, etc—though all of these were essentially Edeia. No one truly understood what Edeia were at first, but some Edeia who sought knowledge and understanding began to compile knowledge and theories. The term "Edeia" began being used around 2000 BCE, but only sparingly and usually only among the Edeia themselves.
As the years progressed, some societies/groups gained more understanding of idea magic, Edeia, and the process of Actualization, while others did not. There were also conflicting views and beliefs in some cases; some had it correct, with idea magic/Actualization having to do with identity and personal development (with the term "Idea" to refer to the origin of magic coming into use over time), while others held onto various other beliefs.
The Age of Secrecy
~1500 - 2016. The age in which the world of magic and the world of the mundane attempted to completely isolate themselves from each other.
An Edeia known as Order along with some others called a convergence with as many Edeia as possible—they had seen possible futures with Possibility, and decided that the best path forward for the sake of order and advancement of society, the magic and the mundane should separate.
The separation had varying degrees of success. Edeia and other magical entities simply stopped appearing, and while the early generations knew Edeia were real, later generations had only the stories. Magic became myth, and those that fell into the world of magic were often told to keep things secret. Those who showed signs of becoming an Edeia would often be contacted and spirited away—or the family was told and brought into the fold of secrecy. In this stage, the mundane world is as close as it gets to ours, with a few differences: there are unexplored regions of the world due to magical effects (both deliberate and natural—such as places that would mysteriously turn you around or just never let you leave), and there are any number of fictional locations.
It was during this time that some Edeia began to work together to truly understand their kind, and to standardize various terms and establish social norms among themselves.
The Age of Reunion
2016 - present.The age in which magic society and mundane society reunited.
Order decided the time had come to reunite the magic and mundane, and did so with the help of many other Edeia, including Data. This led to collaborative governing bodies, magical entities hiding in mundane society revealing themselves, intersections of magic and science, etc. With the reveal came all the knowledge of Edeia, organized and presented for all to understand if they desired.
Currently, there is advanced technology and magitechnology in use, though there are only a few "futuristic" cities.
In ~2030, a supergovernment with some degree of control over all countries was established, along with the Registry.
The current time can be considered to be exactly 100 years from now, i.e. 2100s.
Society, Culture, and Behavior
Edeia-Specific Society/Culture
Edeia do not have a centralized governing body or culture, but many may choose to integrate themselves into mundane society.
Convergence
Edeia do not have organized law enforcement, but if an Edeia is causing trouble, a meeting of Edeia can be called. This is referred to as a "convergence." An Edeia can send out an energy signal for others to gather, and each signal might attract about three to ten more Edeia. They then decide on a course of action; it is generally agreed that if a decision is made at a convergence, it should only be contested by another convergence decision.
As for what those decisions are: they might decide to try to talk down the Edeia, or seal them within their Abstraction - which is possible through the combined effort of multiple Edeia. It could be indefinitely (which essentially means until dissociation) or for a set amount of time.
It is possible to visit those within Abstractions, including those sealed away. In general, if an Edeia knows the energy signature of another Edeia, they can metaphorically knock on the door of that Edeia's Abstraction. Whether they let them in is up to them, though it is possible to force your way in.
Energy Signature Exchanges
Edeia are capable of recognizing specific energy signatures—it may even be their most precise sense, since it is their only "default" one. Generally, an Edeia can recognize another to some extent if they spend some time in proximity, make contact, or both enter either's Abstraction, but it is much more socially acceptable to seek out Edeia you know less well after "exchanging" energy signatures by making physical contact and letting out a small flare/burst of energy.
For Edeia with hands, this is often done by holding each other's hands for a moment. Any kind of contact with any part is fine, and for those who prefer not to be touched, they can acknowledge an exchange by flaring their energy without making any contact.
Interactions with Human Society
Relatively few Edeia remain in human society—they don't need to eat, sleep, and work to live, after all. They outlive all the humans, as well. Many wander the parts of the world untouched by society, such as magical environments that may be dangerous or protected, possibly by an Edeia.
That isn't to say they don't interact with human society. Some might want to contribute to science or magiscience, or create things for mundane society to partake of. They aren't allowed to take mundane political positions, but there are Edeia-specific roles that they may take. They might also act as advisors or Edeia representatives, running businesses (usually pretty small ones, since they have no significant need for money), or simply living among mundane society.
Mundane Society and United Society
Much of mundane society/history can be considered similar to ours, though from the Age of Reunion onwards, when it could be considered "united society" rather than "mundane society," many societal, environmental, and other issues were addressed fairly well, whether due to Edeia/magical intervention or not.
Society is united by a supergovernment with some degree of control over all countries, established in approximately 2030. Following this, there came to be:
the United Council, a group of 50-100 members consisting of Order and volunteers that pass a qualifying exam (literacy, understanding of current policies, etc.) and then are picked randomly for election for a five-year term.
universal currency (credits, with 1 USD approximately equal to 100 credits)
the Registry, which keeps records of all individuals who interact with human society
an increasing trend of people raising children without gender. That is, the child could try whatever gender they found they liked; it is fairly easy to update the registry in regards to a new gender, though it is not required to put anything until ~18 years of age (at which point you are still allowed to put "questioning"). Parents could still raise children with a gender if desired, though this becomes less common as the years go on.
universal healthcare and minimum living needs provided. People still need to find some kind of occupation and provide something to society, whether material, emotional, creative, etc.
The Registry
After 2030, when the Registry was established, all citizens must have a record in the registry with some biographical information, as well as what kind of magic or supernatural abilities they have if any. For those born under normal circumstances in this world, the entry is made at birth and voluntarily updated (with periodic reminders to do so). Age updates automatically, though they can update information such as their picture, gender, pronouns, and magic information.
Edeia may choose whether or not to maintain an entry in the registry if they already have one. Those who do not already have one can choose to make one. If they want to interact with society to a significant degree, such as being a resident, running or being part of a business, having a role as a leader, etc. they need to have an up-to-date entry.
An individual may choose which parts of their Registry is visible to the public, if any. Edeia who register do not need to reveal their status as an Edeia to those who know them, in which case only Order and Data are privy to the information.
Fusions may choose to register, and are strongly encouraged to do so as permafusions. The entry will be attached to both components' entries.
Twin Edeia and Fissions have singular entries with different sub-entries. Twin Edeia have a sub-entry for each individual and their fusion, and Fission Edeia have a sub-entry for their normal form and each fragment.
Below is an example of a Registry entry. The images on the left can generally be arranged into any collage desired and the distribution of space can be altered. Birthdays and other metadata can be added as well. A filled out template can be found here, and a blank template can be found here.
Potential Edeia in Society
It is fairly obvious when someone has the potential to become an Edeia, because they have powers as well as minor changes in their appearance, usually their eyes. The color of any part of their eyes could change, the pupil shape could change, there could be some other pattern, etc. At the same time, this can be hidden by covering the eyes or explaining it off as a different phenomenon.
In united society, in the Age of Reunion, once it is clear someone has the potential to become an Edeia, they are provided information on Edeiology and Edeia norms - of course, many do not consciously remember all of this information after Actualization. If the potential Edeia hides their abilities then they might not acquire this knowledge.
During the age of secrecy, minor changes in appearance were often written off as mutations. Animals with idea magic were often seen as mythological creatures and spirits.
Extradimensional Individuals
In the Age of Reunion, people are fairly open to individuals who come from other dimensions. They may choose whether or not to engage with human society—if they do, they need to be entered into the registry of all individuals in society. If that individual possesses a foreign type of magic or is anything other than a mundane human, they will be requested to provide a brief explanation of their capabilities and characteristics.
There are, however, research groups dedicated to understanding extradimensional magic and science, and these groups may reach out to the individual to do some testing and research. This is completely voluntary.
If the individual does not enter the registry but still interacts with society, authorities may attempt to get into contact with them. If they are deemed as dangerous to society and/or the world, they may be sent to their home dimension or a different one.
Supergovernment and the United Council
Order has a major role in the supergovernment that governs the world by 2030, though they are not the sole dictator. Many others, including humans, other mortals, supernatural beings, and Edeia have positions, which are mostly volunteers that pass a qualifying exam (literacy, understanding of current policies, etc.) and then are picked randomly for election. There are about 50-100 members in the United Council at a time, with a term lasting five years; these terms do not all start and end at the same time and may stagger. There are no campaigns for those in the supergovernment, and you can consider it impossible to be rigged. The United Council makes decisions that affect all of society; there are smaller layers of government for countries, states, cities, etc. though they operate under similar systems and are under the authority of the supergovernment. You may have any of your characters serving a term in the United Council if you wish.
There may also be non-elected participants, such as consultants, volunteers in less important roles, etc. These may not have time-limited terms. You may have your characters in these roles without consulting me, but if you are unsure whether or not there is a particular role, please ask me. Many of the Orderly can be considered permanent consultants.
Enforcement
If an Edeia is causing chaos in united society, Data will generally be the first to know, and the information will be reported to a member of a group of Edeia who have volunteered to keep a fragment of Data with them to notify. The Edeia may be asked to give a warning to the offending Edeia.
On the second offense, Order may personally appear to judge the situation and give one more warning. You may mention this in your backstory without asking me so long as there are no unexpected interactions, but you may consult me for accuracy if you wish.
If there is a third offense, Order may call a convergence to make a judgement; any Edeia may attend, though Order, Data, Saturne, and Pacific show up to most. The attending will decide on a suitable punishment—this typically involves deciding on the length of time for Abstraction containment (also called Abstraction jail), and then seeing if there are any Edeia who will volunteer to attempt to rehabilitate the individual. Rehabilitation will usually start within the contained Edeia's Abstraction, but if they finish serving their time or by the preference/decision of the rehabilitator or the convergence, sessions may occur in the rehabilitator's Abstraction. Order is able to "lock" an individual in the rehabilitator's Abstraction for set amounts of time, after which the offending Edeia is sent back to their own Abstraction
Sometimes, the punishment may be societal exile, in which they are forcefully teleported outside of the borders of civilization every time they appear. This is done with somewhat automated magitechnology, though Data monitors it. They may appeal their exile through an upstanding participant in society vouching for them in a convergence involving Order or at least one closely associated with them, and volunteering to escort them in society for a time. If the exiled individual demonstrates improved behavior, the exile may be lifted. Though Data will still be watching.
You may mention this sort of judgement convergence in your backstory/history without consulting me, whether as the subject or an attendee, but if you want to have more details with my personal characters, you must ask me.
The types of offenses they address are only in those in context with the united civilization, which includes all mundane humans living as part of society and magical individuals who choose to join it.
They will address anything that causes distress, disorder, loss of agency/free will/ability to make your own decisions, destruction, etc. on a decently large scale as to affect a group of people, a city/town, all of society, etc. typically related to magic/Edeia, as the mundane side of society has other methods of enforcement as well. Breaking mundane laws in mundane ways as a mundane individual will get you mundane punishment.
Interpersonal issues are not something they address; they will not interfere with unhealthy relationships, and they will not stop relationships and fusions that may pose a risk to society. Other individuals and Edeia may attempt to address interpersonal issues separately from Order, however. If there is an Edeia, fusion, or other individual that poses a risk to society, Data will monitor them so long as they are interacting with united society, but as long as they behave no other action will be taken. If they have repeat offenses (successful or not, since Data may act quickly) and show no signs of stopping, then the process will be as mentioned above. Societal exile is more common for non-Edeia and fusions.
Space Travel
Edeia have always been capable of traveling in space, but to keep things simple and straightforward, there is no other life in space. There are no aliens from other planets in the world of Ideation, but extradimensional aliens may be present.
By 2060, there is a United Space Exploration Association, or USEA, that is the center of efforts to explore space, allowing humans and other beings to wander the stars. National space programs were absorbed into USEA, though some still consider themselves part of a subgroup. This is a relatively small part of the lore as most important things occur on Earth, but this information is here if you want it.
USEA and those part of it build advanced spacecraft to explore the vast reaches of space. These spacecrafts can be fairly small or very large, and are capable of faster-than-light speed and instantaneous communication using magitechnology.
Most of space exploration involves researching the characteristics of other objects in space, such as planets, moons, stars, asteroids, etc. It is largely an academic/scientific venture, one to discover the curiosities of space. There are restrictions on building structures, as well; generally, the spacecraft is sufficient to act as a mobile base. Temporary and mobile pods are often used, and orbital bases are sometimes built.
Edeia may sometimes build metaphysical structures in space, which is generally acceptable so long as it is not a physical structure that disturbs the integrity of nature. While it is possible that anyone could build whatever they want, I personally have complicated feelings about colonizing space, terraforming, etc. and it could complicate the world of Ideation. Space was not intended to be a major part of the lore, but again, this information is here if you want it.
Metaphysics
The magical physics and characteristics of the world of Ideation.
Magic
Idea magic is the magic of Edeia, magic that comes from the power of ideas, and it is the only form of magic originating from the world of Ideation. Any other kinds of magic and supernatural abilities come from entities from different dimensions.
There is a special case of Idea magic that anyone is capable of: ritual magic. An Edeia with the Idea of Ritual has the power to essentially grant power to rituals; however, there are many rules woven into the magic, one of which is that the efficacy of a ritual grows weaker the more people know how to do it. There are thus numerous secret rituals that are only passed down to a select few.
Souls
The soul is the essence of self, which is tied to some form of "body" by some sort of energy. For mortal beings, life force is what ties their soul to their physical body. For Edeia, their soul is intertwined with their energy - the equivalents of their life force and body are one. Souls are made of a metaphysical form of energy, which Edeia may be able to influence and interact with to some extent.
A soul has little awareness and sense of self without a connection to a "body." A soul can be safely removed from a physical body by an Edeia; in this case, the soul still has a connection to the body and maintains the self-awareness. A mortal body will enter a sort of stasis without a soul: metabolic needs such as eating/drinking/aging/etc. will slow over the course of a few hours before halting entirely. However, being separated too long can cause difficulties, such as taking longer to awaken and lasting lethargy after returning, as well as a sense of dissociation and loss of self-awareness as the soul drifts from the body. So long as the body is intact, however, it is possible to return.
The appearance of a soul can depend on the nature of the soul, the context they are in, the way the soul perceives itself, and the way the one looking at them perceives them. Mundane individuals generally cannot see pure souls clearly, unless there are external influences. Different individuals may see different things when looking at the same soul at the same time. Some may see them as balls of flame with different colors depending on the individual's personality; some may see them as butterflies with different shapes, colors, and behaviors. Sometimes, the context has imposing influence; an Edeia who keeps a collection of souls in their Abstraction may consciously or subconsciously cause them to appear a certain way. For instance, souls in Repose's Abstraction have the appearance of stars in the sky.
Fusions are metaphysically multiple souls merged into one; for a stable fusion, the fused soul functions as a singular soul. For less stable fusions, the souls have a partially-blended state. Twin Edeia have souls that are one and two at once - a state that should be unstable, but is not. Fissions are fragments of a singular soul.
Generally speaking, souls naturally gravitate to a state of singularity, especially when under extreme stress. As such, when fusions or fissions are harmed, it is possible for them to return to their singular, individual states by "default." Permafusions have more resistance to separation, and Twin Edeia are unaffected by external forces in regards to their fused or unfused state.
Unbound Souls
Under certain circumstances, a soul may become unbound after death but still exist outside the ethereal plane. This includes lost souls, which are unable to move to the ethereal plane on their own, and trapped souls (which can also be called bound souls, enchained souls, etc.), which may be bound to the mundane plane, an Edeia's Abstraction, or some other place outside the ethereal plane.
These souls are generally at the periphery of perception; mundane individuals generally cannot perceive them, and even Edeia may not notice them unless they are looking for them or paying particular attention to the presence of souls.
Lost souls include the souls of extradimensional individuals who have not fully naturalized to the world of Ideation but are unable to access their original metaphysical system for souls for destruction or reincarnation. Other lost souls may be bound to the mundane plane by regrets and unfinished business. They are generally not aware and lack a sense of self, but Edeia may be able to get impressions from them or, as in Life and Death's case, "read" the soul more clearly. If the business is resolved, the soul will return to the ethereal plane on their own. Life and Death may also sometimes choose to sever the soul's connection to the mundane plane and bring them to the ethereal plane to be reincarnated, though this process may just cause the soul to dissolve; what they may do instead is "force" a reincarnation. They will not remember their past, but will be drawn to their unfinished business and instinctively understand what remains and what they need to do to resolve it.
Extradimensional Souls and Extradimensional Species
Extradimensional souls follow the original metaphysical rules of their dimension unless their souls are naturalized to the world of Ideation.
There may be species external to the world of Ideation that have made their home there. If they reproduce, the souls generally originate from their original metaphysical source; they are functionally extradimensional individuals at birth. If there is something preventing new souls from being made or finding their way to the newborn individuals, then it is possible that the species is unable to have offspring without external interference; this may manifest as complete infertility or that offspring are stillborn.
The abilities of certain Edeia such as Life and Death may be able to place a soul in a stillborn body, or a developing body. If the soul is a native Ideation soul, they may not be able to access any magic that is drawn from the original metaphysics of the species, though they can use any abilities that stem from pure biology. Life and Death are also theoretically capable of taking pieces of the souls of others; it would be possible for them to fuse the essence of extradimensional souls with that of a native soul to create a hybrid soul, though it is very unlikely for them to do this.
It is slightly more likely for them to use a lost soul of the same species/origin if the circumstances align with having the lost soul and an available body present. If the same soul is present in the world of Ideation for a few lifetimes, it is likely for it to naturalize.
Extradimensional humans and animals, if they are biologically the same as humans and animals from Ideation, can have children with native Ideation souls. If an extradimensional species has a hybrid child with a native entity, then the soul may have hybrid characteristics, be entirely extradimensional, or be a native soul depending on the extradimensional being's metaphysical "rules."
Soul Naturalization
Extradimensional souls follow the original metaphysical rules of their dimension unless their souls are naturalized to the world of Ideation. This could potentially take multiple lifetimes. A naturalized soul functions as a native Ideation soul, and can develop an Idea on their own. Note that Actualization usually but does not necessarily fully naturalize a soul; if the individual retains a strong sense of connection to their origin in some way, they may retain elements of that in their soul.
Depending on their original dimension and/or species, it may be impossible for them to naturalize in a single lifetime or even multiple. It can be accelerated by forming strong soulbonds with those that have native Ideation souls; a native Ideation soul leaves some of their essence with the other soul when forming soulbonds, and takes some of the essence of the other soul into themself.
Generally, a single-lifetime soul naturalization will only occur with the extremely powerful soulbonds that often, but not necessarily, lead to Tuplet and Soultwined Edeia. Entities that have exceptionally long lifespans who also form fairly strong soulbonds may be able to naturalize in one lifetime, but this can take centuries or even millennia, depending on factors such as how strong their soulbonds are and how strong their connection is to their original world.
In most other cases, the naturalization is only complete when the extradimensional individual perishes; the soul becomes very vulnerable and malleable at this time. If their soul has taken in enough of the essence of the world of Ideation, Life and Death may be able to take them into the ethereal plane, where the soul will completely naturalize and either dissolve into essence or be reincarnated as a human or animal in the world of Ideation. The soul will be freed from any metaphysical "rules" of their dimension or species of origin as well.
If the soul has not taken in enough essence of the world of Ideation, then it remains beholden to the metaphysics of their original species and/or dimension. Depending on the circumstances, they may reincarnate in their original dimension or as a member of their original species, or they may be stuck as a lost soul—which Death will usually pick up and redirect to a suitable place. Life and Death may choose to return these souls to their original dimension or, not often, guide them to a new body; generally, they only guide extradimensional souls to a body that is or would have been stillborn, and are much more willing to do it if the body is the same species or otherwise from the same dimension as they were originally.
The Ethereal Plane
The "ethereal plane" is not a formal term, but it comes more into use by the 2090s, when the nature of souls, soulbonds, and the ethereal plane became fairly well-understood - though there are a few throughout the ages that may have been able to divine a significant amount of understanding, if perhaps not shared.
Note that the "physical plane" or "mundane plane" refers to the physical world of Ideation.
Upon death of a mortal being, dissociation of an Edeia, or any other form of "death," a soul becomes released to a sort of ethereal plane of souls, largely disconnected from the physical plane but in many ways parallel to it. It has adjacencies to an interdimensional void, and souls may traverse into other dimensions from the ethereal plane. Some beings have the ability to interact with these souls, and sometimes there are places or times where the boundary between the physical plane and this ethereal plane where the souls can have influence on reality.
Souls here might scatter into nothingness, becoming a sort of dust dispersed across the infinity of existence. Or they might be reincarnated into another being, most likely in the Ideation dimension but not necessarily.
There is also a lack of individuality in the ethereal plane. Souls can fragment and come together as a new soul, many souls may disperse infinitely into an ocean of essence, new souls and fragments may from from the essence, much like stars being born of stardust. Some souls may have lingering wills, which manifest in a pull to reincarnate or a return to the physical plane as a ghostly entity/specter, though most of the plane is simply like an ocean of souls and soul essence. It just exists and expands infinitely.
New souls can be made there spontaneously, but usually souls are made through conception of life in the physical plane.
Contact with the Ethereal Plane
There are certain magics that can make contact with the ethereal plane of souls, including some forms of Idea magic, extradimensional magic, and ritual magic. However, whether anything responds can depend on any number of factors - whether the one trying to make contact is trying to reach out to a particular soul/entity, what sort of connection they and that soul have, whether that soul's sense of self can be retrieved, etc. If it goes well, it is possible to make communicate with a soul or summon it to the physical plane.
If an individual is trying to reach the ethereal plane without any sort of direction or purpose, depending on the level of preparation they might:
get pulled into it - temporarily or permanently, partially or fully. It is possible that your soul leaves your body entirely and enters the ethereal plane.
tap into the potential energy of souls. This can cause a feeling like an instant burst of energy, or it is possible to use the energy to supplement powerful magic.
get flashes of experiences from a countless, timeless mass of indistinct will. This may be overwhelming.
etc.
Generally, Edeia in would likely be able to access the ethereal plane some extent, with varying levels of difficulty. Some might be able to travel to and from the plane freely, while some might find the experience too profound or overwhelming - enough to feel like if they stayed too long, they would dissociate and join that infinite sea.
However... it is said that there is a guardian of souls and the ethereal plane. Any destruction or poaching of souls, or any other malicious acts would likely be met with severe consequence.
Soulbonds
This can be written as one word (soulbonds) or two words (soul bonds).
There are different ways for souls to be bonded.
Split-soul tuplet: the soul equivalent of identical twins, triplets, etc., where one soul becomes multiple in development. The degree of separation may vary, and the resulting tuplets can essentially share a soul that is one and two at the same time. This can lead to Twin Edeia, though the two may develop into two different, if strongly soul-linked, Edeia as well. Ki and Ro are an example of split-soul twins.
Spontaneously occurring soulbonds (fairly uncommon, and often undetected): This is much like the concept of "soulmates"—it occurs between those who have not met and often early in life. If they do not meet or do not choose to develop it further, it will remain rather dormant. If the two meet, they can develop some kind of relationship, and then the strength of the soulbond depends on them. It can just be a connection, a significant relationship in someone's life (of any kind), or it can be a deep binding that blends the two's souls into something like one. Some of these occur randomly, and some are retained from past lives.
Natural development of soulbonds: when one truly makes a connection with another, there is always a metaphysical connection built in the soul. These vary in intensity and nature from person to person, but most can be considered connections of family and friendships. Siblings may develop strong soulbonds, given that they are raised together and get along. These can fade over time, but often there is a thread that remains.
Deliberate soulbinding: through magic, rituals, etc. individuals' souls are woven into one continuous weave. This will generally not work if there is not already a fairly strong connection, but this basically skips all the slow build to get to the soul-sharing part. Rial and Tial are an example of this, though their soulbond was strongly developed already.
The effects of soulbonds can vary, as each is as unique as every relationship. Common effects include being able to sense the other's emotions and thoughts, whether instinctively/subconsciously, a vague sense, or as a clear and/or external thing. A very common effect of strong soulbonds is having an instinctive sense of the other's emotions, comfort, and needs. Many feel an unexplainable sense of comfort in each other's presence.
Some individuals may not ever know they have a soulbond, even if it is an exceptionally strong one - especially before the Age of Reunion, when metaphysical studies became a public endeavor.
Individuals who are aware of their soulbond can specifically "train" the bond to develop various rarer manifestations, such as rangeless (same regardless of distance) telepathy and empathy, sensation sharing (any or all of five senses, easier when in contact but doing it when apart is possible as well), melding thoughts together (typically only when in physical contact), switching bodies, etc. They do not need to know the exact nature of it, but they must be conscious of some metaphysical bond with another individual.
Soulbonds grow on mutual trust, empathy, and comfort with each other. They can fade, be damaged, and even be severed by animosity, distrust, betrayal, violation of comfort/trust, and so on. That said, if an individual causes any kind of harm to their soulbonded, they may feel an echo of that harm on themself until the bond fades away.
Soulbonds are always equal on both sides. One side cannot have a stronger connection than the other, but they may manifest different soulbond effects and they may become aware of the bond or "something supernatural" at different times, as that is more of a mind thing than a soul thing.
Depending on the strength of the soulbond, if one of the pair dies, then it is possible for the other to continue living afterwards, but for strong bonds it is typical that the other will lose the will to live. Those who had bonds that blended their sense of identity into one and two at once often die not too long after.
Reincarnation
Reincarnation is the process by which a soul that has already lived a life experiences rebirth as a new life. For the most part, the soul does not retain any memories of its past life, though the abilities of certain Edeia like Life and Death can allow an individual to remember part or all of a past life or multiple. Without any magical influence or interference in the process of reincarnation, it is impossible for the individual to remember anything from a past life.
There are, however, certain things that may be retained across lifetimes without any interference.
Ideas are retained. An individual who had an Idea but never Actualized will retain the Idea in their next life, though it may change.
Soulbonds can be retained, though in the average case are weakened to a state of a spontaneous soulbond - something may come of it if all parties wish to pursue it further, and all the same, nothing may come of it. Stronger soulbonds may manifest stronger characteristics, such as a pull to meet and a greater likelihood of being born at the same time.
Naturalization process for extradimensional souls is retained. Upon release from a body, the naturalization process can be accelerated immensely if it is already close to completion due to the vulnerability and malleability of a pure soul.
Additionally, certain circumstances can allow for a soul to be "reincarnated" while retaining some or all of their memories, or have a strong lingering influence from their past life:
Life and Death force the reincarnation of a lost or trapped soul without taking them through the ethereal plane. They may do this if the soul has lingered for a long time and is causing disturbances to the natural flow of ethereal essence. The reincarnation will have a pull to resolve their unfinished business, and instinctively have some sense of they would be able to resolve it.
A being with strong power over souls (or even just that particular soul, via a ritual, contract, etc.), which can be an Edeia or a being with other magic, forces a transfer of an old soul into a new body. This can even be done to one's own self.
If the body is natural but empty (such as a stillborn body), then it is fairly easy, and the process can occur fairly smoothly. Memories may be retained fully or be fuzzy at first and gain clarity as the body's brain (or similar) becomes better able to retain that information. The longer the soul is without a body, the more memories are lost or become fragmented.
If the body is an object or artificial, such a machine, clay/stone/etc. construct, sword, etc., then the process may be difficult. There may be elements of incompatibility, such as losing memories, changes in personality, bouts of unawareness, etc., unless there is magic actively binding the soul to the object.
This is not exhaustive; other circumstances may be possible. In general, if the soul does not pass through the ethereal plane, then more remnants of their past life may cling to them.
Reincarnation of the Soulbound
While deeply soulbound Edeia (Soultwined and Tuplet Edeia) cannot separately dissociate, other soulbound individuals can die separately. The stronger the soulbond, the more closely in time they reincarnate.
Split-soul tuplets were at some point a single soul, whether in past lives or just for its initial formation. If split-soul tuplets die and the souls reincarnate, they will reincarnate at almost exactly the same time; this often involves biological twins but does not need to be the case, such as if their soulbond is not familial. Split-souls were once a single soul and could potentially merge in the ethereal plane and reincarnate as one being; they may alternate between singular and multiple across different lives, though it is more likely for them to remain split.
Those with other kinds of soulbonds have some likelihood of reincarnating around the same time, and have a slightly higher than average chance to merge in the ethereal plane, though it is still profoundly less likely to merge than it is to reincarnate singularly or dissolve into ethereal essence.
It is also possible for soulbonds to dissolve into the essence of the ethereal plane; this usually occurs for any that were not exceptionally powerful. The passage from life to death and back takes much of the entelechy of a lived life from a soul, and returns to the soul infinite potential.
Parallel Dimensions/Universes
Parallel dimensions/universes can exist, with parallel individuals. These individuals are believed to be born with the same soul and similar if not identical physical forms, as much as their biology/species allows, but their subsequent experiences make each of these parallel selves different entities. Experiences shape the soul, after all, and these may lead to many differences, if perhaps subtle.
Parallel individuals may end up in the Ideation dimension - perhaps one is native to the dimension, perhaps all are extradimensional. Regardless, it is possible (though rare as it always is) for multiple to develop different Ideas and Actualize into different Edeia.
Continuity Branching and Alternate Timelines
A "continuity" refers to the flow of a particular timeline in a particular universe. "Continuity" and "timeline" can more or less be used interchangeably. A continuity is like a tree, branching out with every possibility of every choice, with major splits occurring with world-changing differences in events. One continuity in the past can become multiple different continuities in the future.
The branching can become more complex when time-crossing events occur, such as time travel, timeline traversal, communication across time or timelines, gaining knowledge of possible future(s), etc. Each time-crossing event creates new branches: for instance, one where the event occurred, and one where it did not. A timeline where the time-crossing event occurred can further branch into a "continuous timeline" where the past is followed to close the loop, or a "paradox timeline" where an entity who knows of the time-crossing event chooses not to follow the past. These are not exclusive; a single timeline may contain both continuous and paradoxical events, including the main continuity.
There is no universal force preventing paradoxes, though some Edeia may choose to try to prevent them. If a continuity that lacks Firmament develops a large number of paradoxes, the universe may become unstable. The more paradoxes in a timeline, the more difficult it may be to access externally as well. The effects of a paradox on individuals may vary and is fairly open to interpretation, though you may consult Auspice to discuss ideas.
Continuities of Ideation
Main Continuity
The continuity which is described in the setting and history of this site, and generally considered the "default" timeline for community interactions and events. The "main" tag is only from a meta perspective; in lore, there is nothing particularly distinguishing the main continuity from other continuities.
Calamity Continuity
An alternate timeline of the Ideation universe in which physical reality collapsed, leaving only Abstractions for all beings to exist in. Click to expand and read more. You are welcome to add your characters to this continuity. There is a discussion thread on Discord here.
The Calamity Continuity is an alternate timeline of the Ideation universe, where Firmament left (many say it as "the Firmament collapsed"), and some actions of multiple Edeia led to the mundane plane being completely blipped out of existence - not even empty space remaining. The ethereal plane is intact, though, and all Edeia were booted to their Abstractions if they weren't there already; the Abstractions of those in this continuity still have that adjacency of the same origin, and are able to sense and find each other to some extent.
All this means that the "physical space" of the universe now consists more or less exclusively as the Abstractions of Edeia. At the end of the world, some Edeia tried to rescue as many non-Edeia as they could by bringing them into their Abstractions. Perhaps had good intentions... perhaps some less so. They are, more or less, the sole "god" of their Abstraction, after all. Some Edeia create "doors" between Abstractions that allow free movement or easier movement. In this timeline, the Orderly is replaced by the Coalition, which is more open (you may freely add your Edeia to the Coalition if you wish) and tries to reach out to as many Edeia as possible and register/keep track of citizens.
In this timeline, the Age of Secrecy never occurred, and there were frequent magical conflicts that eventually led to the end of the world.
History - The Calamity
The world began to destabilize a decade before the end (2000s), though only those who were very in touch with the fabric of the universe and/or potential futures noticed. It was gradual and then accelerated quickly; many believed destabilization was all it was, and not the start of something bigger. Some did see it as a sign and thought it preventable, or that it wouldn't be a problem for a long time.
By 2010, there were probably clear distortions in reality. Tears in space that led to nothingness, time slowing, speeding, sometimes jumping back or forward. Unexpected displacements in space. By now, more people understood that this was a bad situation, and Edeia started offering sanctuary - whether with good or bad intentions. People had magic technology, though, and many by their hubris thought themselves above the impending disaster. Even then, many were still wrapped in conflict, fighting over resources and any other reason they could find.
In early 2012, large parts of reality began to disappear. The societies finally tried to stop fighting and focus on solutions, but by then it was too late. The disintegration seemed slow... and then, in December, everything fell apart. No one knew when or where the next collapse would happen. People rushed to flee - to Abstractions, to other universes, even to other timelines. And then.... for those who stayed to watch the end of the world - it was a cacophony of noise at first. And then, the sound was vacuumed away into silence, an implosion of reality that became nothing at all. The mortals died, and the Edeia would awaken, disoriented, in their Abstraction some time later. Some even Actualized at that very moment, coming to in their Abstraction as well.
The NPCs
Firmament: Vanished at an unknown time, but can be estimated around 1000 BC. What happens when they "leave" a universe is that they return to universal essence, ready to birth a universe. Where is it now? Has it already made a new universe? Unclear. Perhaps it is still potential energy, waiting to come into being. Maybe there is hope that they could be used to rebuild the universe, if they can be found and gathered.
Consciousness, Concept, and Ideation: Concept's fragments appear throughout various Abstractions, while Consciousness wanders from Abstraction to Abstraction, maintaining a tenuous connection between all the minds of the continuity. Sometimes, they fuse and Ideation appears.
Life and Death: Became overwhelmed with the influx of souls due to the calamity; extremely busy with making sure the ethereal plane also doesn't implode. There are increased instances of soul pathology: multiple souls ending up in one body, stillbirths, reincarnations with memories of the past, souls that dissapate unexpectedly. Over time, these even out, though the "rules" for souls are much more loosened - Ideation souls become able to reincarnate into beings that are not Ideation native, including extradimensional species and even, sometimes, magical constructs.
Order: A long-lived entity who actualized at the final moment of the Calamity, and immediately began to try reaching out to other Abstractions and figuring a plan of how things should be now. After finding good allies, they formed the Coalition and later opened their Abstraction as a highly orderly city.
Data: Actualized in the midst of the Calamity, and cared less about the end of the world and more about getting all the data, every single bit of data. One of the first Order met, and Order proposed a plan, eventually leading to the Coalition. Data rescues entire databases and individuals with immense amounts of knowledge, and has their Abstraction open.
Possibility: Has always been aware of the possibility of the end of the world, and when the possibilities began to collapse into certainty, began offering possibilities to others: new universes, new timelines, new lives. They expended a great amount of power, both due to their wish to maintain more possibilities and due to people desperately coming to them for escape. As a result, they do not appear often and the "price" to escape to a different possibility is often very, very high.
Ritual: The end of the world was foreseen - at least, the possibility of it. Early on, they invited their worshipers into their Abstraction. Soon, some became "missionaries" of a sort to recruit more followers, speaking of the coming end of the world. They welcome any who wish to join, but as always - pay a price for an equivalent gain. After the Calamity, their "missionaries" go out to other Abstractions and offer the power of ritual magic and, in the cases of Abstractions where the Edeia are not so benevolent, an escape. Refused to officially be part of the Coalition, but willing to cooperate at times.
Sanctuary: Absorbed all of their Sanctuaries into their Abstraction around 2011, when they decided they could not wait any longer and gave up on the physical world. Their Abstraction is open to any who wish to visit or stay. Part of the Coalition.
Pre-Calamity Societal Structure
The societal structure even prior to the Calamity is markedly different from that of our own world. The map is also different due to Sanctuary not going through the process of hiding every magical civilization from the mundane, while still creating large Sanctuaries for different purposes.
Most of the larger counties that exist in our own modern world are fragmented into smaller national entities. The structure and culture within each of these nations will vary, with some rejecting magic and pursuing technology, some integrating themselves with magic to develop magitechnology, some devoting themselves to pure magic, etc. Most national entities are under the power of or protected by organizations with immense military power; some nations have multiple of these, some have one, some are the government itself. The most powerful of these are the magitechnological factions, which tend to have their own research divisions along with their military forces. (The magitechnology developed by these factions also played no small part in the destabilization of the world.) Conflicts may arise between nations, in which case a nation with multiple factions will work together to fight; internal conflict may also occur, leading to certain factions gaining power over others.
Many factions with less military might sought out Sanctuary for, well, sanctuary; so long as they agreed to be put under the effect of Sanctuary's laws of no harm, Sanctuary was willing to create the Sanctuaries isolated from external conflict for them. (Later, as the end of the world neared, Sanctuary took all of these Sanctuaries into their Abstraction, unless they agreed to another Edeia taking them instead.)
The most powerful factions of the world may have different attitudes towards the crumbling of the world. Some took responsibility and sought to remedy the abnormalities in reality. Others did not care about the collateral damage of their conflicts. Occasionally, these factions might join forces to address an abnormality that presents immediate danger to both of them, such as those causing natural disasters. After a certain point in the timeline, these powerful factions tended not to directly engage each other due to the anticipated mutual losses, though they might continue to subjugate weaker factions.
In addition to areas ruled by factions, there are also places without any such structures to their society, or other pockets of civilization. These are often protected by an Edeia in some shape or form, whether they know it or not.
Pantheon Continuity
An alternate timeline of the Ideation universe, in which the fundamental NPCs are absent and Edeia society formed into a "pantheon of gods." There is a discussion thread on Discord here.
In this continuity, eras are split into the Age of Magic, the Age of Myth, and the Age of the Pantheon.
Edeia are extremely few. There are so few that the sentiment of them being gods became much more common. People are also a little less critical-thinking and more likely fall into religion/worship without questioning things. Fantasy/supernatural elements of the world would be rarer but much more intense in the Age of Magic. Order would not be able to consult Possibility to seek out their ideal future, but they tried to organize the fewer Edeia to better understand the nature of existence. Their efforts eventually formed around 100 BCE what would become the Pantheon, a society of Edeia as divine (from a societal standpoint) beings. As more joined the Pantheon, there grew a need to understand the nature of their existence. Order along with many others convinced the rest of the Pantheon to step back a bit from the mundane world to understand themselves, how they come to be, and their roles in the world. This started the Age of Myth, where the activity of Edeia was not absent, but notably reduced in a way that many became mythological stories. As part of this process, Sanctuary, Ruler, and some other Edeia crafted the physical space of the Pantheon - "heaven," to some - where all Edeia present were unable to fight each other.
The transition to the Age of the Pantheon was gradual, but it can be considered to have fully transitioned by 1500 CE. This era is marked by a full understanding of Edeiology, and with members of the Pantheon taking on various roles to maintain universal stability and balance. Roles might involve managing souls (and roles could be further split into guiding lost souls to the ethereal plane, directing paths of reincarnation, redirecting souls, etc.), handling supernatural occurrences (ghostly phenomena, world instabilities, etc.), ensuring peace in mundane society (or conflict, if a situation calls for it), fostering growth and change, and more. Those who do not align with the Pantheon do not need to join it, and may move around on their own. All Edeia may freely move around the world, whether part of the Pantheon or not.
Generally, fundamental roles are stable in their work (though personality differences might be another matter). Decisions that affect mundane society may involve more debate and/or disagreement.
All are free to join, though Auspice may offer suggestions/corrections to better align with the continuity's lore.
Fundamental Absences
The absences of the fundamental NPCs have the following effects:
Consciousness: cognitive evolution is much slower. Even though I've aligned Ideation history to our world, humans take much longer to evolve. Edeia from non-sentient items likely don't exist, or are extremely few.
Concept: philosophical understanding of concepts does not grow as much. Discovery and development of idea magic is less common.
Ideation: all Ideas come from spontaneous appearance, since Ideation cannot grant Ideas to extradimensional beings. People are more heavily reliant on seeking magic from other Edeia. Soul naturalization and persistent memories through reincarnation become more relevant, with people sometimes enlisting the help of Edeia to allow them to gain power in their next life.
Possibility: stronger "isolation" of the timeline - much less crossing going on. The world feels a little more fatalistic (but still isn't really).
Firmament: The world's rules and stability are different without them - essentially, they are looser. Maybe there are aliens. Maybe the universe expands in strange ways. Maybe the end of it all is universal heat death. What comes of the universe is much more up to the Edeia who remain. The "inertia" of the universe is weaker, making the universe more vulnerable to reality-altering and large scale abilities of Edeia.
Life and Death: Edeia and other beings would much more easily access the ethereal plane and interfere with souls. More people cheating death in various ways, more instability in the ethereal plane's functions - leading to soul pathologies such as stillbirth (no soul), multi-soul births, weak souls (at risk of spontaneous dissipation), etc. There are probably more lost souls wandering in the physical plane, so there would be quite a bit of "ghost phenomena." Soul naturalization might be very difficult, since Life and Death are usually the ones taking in near-naturalized souls into the ethereal plane. Usually, partially-naturalized souls are not enough Ideation and not enough original dimension to go smoothly into either system, leading them to become lost souls.
Other Continuities
Anyone is welcome to create other continuities of the Ideation universe. The metaphysical lore should remain the same, but all the details of history, major events, and important/historical individuals can be different. You may create them for personal use or for others to join. If you want to make them open, you are welcome to create a forum for them in the Discord server and add them to the spreadsheet of continuities here.
Important and Historical Individuals
These are characters who play a significant role in shaping the world of Ideation. You may see them on their own page here.