Beyond
"What lies Beyond our world is incomprehensible and hostile to us. Only God in Heaven can shield the faithful there."
The material world is only a small, insignificant part of a vast universe, known as Beyond. It is the home of strange, powerful, and eldritch beings, including God in Heaven, and Leviathan. It lies just beyond the shadows, caring nothing for mortal rules or hopes. The world most people see is a fragile shell that protects and insulates its inhabitants, and keeps them from having to face the horrors that dominate the real world outside.
Salvation
When a person dies, their spirit passes into Beyond, and is vulnerable to the outsiders that lurk there. If the person was a worshipper of one of these beings in life, that entity will claim the soul, and ward off others who might desire it. This is most common with God in Heaven, who draws all of his faithful across Beyond into Heaven to become part of the Choir of Divinity.
Spirits that are not claimed by one of the powers wander through Beyond, lost and vulnerable. If they manage to avoid the realm's many hazards, they may eventually grow into a power themselves. Some people believe that this is what has happened to the spirit of the Pharaoh Undying after he was destroyed in the Calamity in Kemet. A cult to the so-called Pharaoh Beyond is gaining traction in northern Lemuria, and has also found a foothold among the vigilantes known as the Orphans of Kemet.
Denizens of Beyond
Besides Leviathan and God in Heaven, there are several entities of Beyond which are known to mortals of the physical world. There is the Broken Bowel - a strange and visceral entity which mimics the sloshing peristalsis of a massive, deranged digestive tract with no beginning or end, and has long had tendrils infiltrating material reality. Another is the Dream-Eaters, faceless pale winged worms that seek to burrow into the subconscious. And somewhere deep within the realm is the entity known as Wellspring - a creature that constantly creates strange and bizarre monsters and spews them out across the universe to conquer or perish. Many of these entities have sought to insinuate themselves into the physical world, either to consume the souls sheltered within it, or to hide from the other creatures of Beyond.
Magic and Beyond
Some forms of magic interact with Beyond. These include mirror magic, certain transportation spells, and the notorious Rites of Resurrection. Any magic that touches Beyond is exceptionally dangerous to use, and is illegal in most of the world. The exact hazards vary, and those who choose to attempt these rituals must be fully informed and prepared to face the consequences.
Mirrors, especially silver mirrors, are known to be susceptible to influence from outsider entities even when magic is not involved. The Church does not even permit mirrors within sacred spaces because of this, and many other institutions have adopted similar precautions, including the Church of Albion and the Ministry of Correspondence. When mirrors are used as a focus for magic, it strengthens their connection to Beyond and allows communication with the entities that reside there. These beings will often use this conduit to seize the reflection of the people near the mirror, and can control them like a puppet.
Transportation magic that passes through Beyond faces unique and deadly challenges. The Wayfarer's Guild monitors all new transportation magic for any sign that it intersects the outer realm, to keep both their magicians and their clients safe. Spells that create long-term, persistent gateways are notoriously dangerous - they attract entities known as Threshold Worms that ooze through the edges of the gate and attach themselves to the souls of anyone nearby. Once attached a Threshold Worm cannot be dislodged, and their victims may go years before the worms finish draining away their soul and leave an empty husk behind. These soulless bodies are themselves connected to Beyond, and make excellent homes for outsiders who wish to rampage for a few years in the physical world.
Finally, there are the Rites of Resurrection. This ritual attempts to summon a spirit back from Beyond, reanimating their body and returning it to full life. This only works if the spirit is free to return - if it has been claimed by God in Heaven or another entity, it may not be capable of coming back. When they do return, it may mean that the soul was lucky and went unnoticed for a time - or it could mean that they were sent back by whatever being claimed them. This was the case with the Little Dragon - his spirit was claimed and altered by Leviathan, and then returned to his body. He then went on to found the Cult of the Leviathan, and to nearly conquer the world in the name of his dark master.
The Fiddle
In the city of Lundeinjon, there is a small and foul tavern marked only by a broken fiddle nailed to the door. Inside, the place is vile - the floor is covered in unidentifiable grime, and the single lantern emits a greasy smoke that clings to the walls and makes the light dirty. There is a staircase leading to a few rooms for rent, should anyone choose to stay in this place - the stairs sag and squelch underfoot, as if saturated with some fluid. Behind the bar, a tall, cadaverous man stands, never moving until someone approaches, and never speaking at all. There is no menu at the Fiddle; if someone is foolish enough to request a drink, they will be given a brownish, watery ale that few can bear to taste. The bartender stands over a hole in the floor that puckers open and closed, and is distressingly organic. Beneath the Fiddle lies the lair of Mr. Rat, an agent of the Broken Bowel.
Mr. Rat is a small human, who smiles constantly and has too many teeth. He deals in dark alchemy - things that cannot be acquired in the brightly lit shops of the von Hohenheim Company. He doesn't require gold or silver for his concoctions - he takes payments in favors that he will call in later. These favors can vary wildly and often make little sense to the outsider - he may ask for a sample of water from a private well, or that a handful of rat livers be discretely added to a particular stew. Those who have attempted to discern his larger scheme have either given up the mission in disgust, or have understood enough to begin to lose their sanity. More than one investigator of Mr. Rat has taken up auto-cannibalism - usually starting with their tongue and teeth.
The Written Word
Words have power, and some words are more powerful than others. When a word associated with certain concepts is written down, it may take on an eldritch nature. This is the case with the word Beyond - writing the word in reference to the larger world seems to pierce the skin of reality a little, permitting a sliver through which reality can be seen. It is not considered wise to write it too often, or to gaze into the crack the word opens.
I wish you could have seen my face as I was reading this article, particularly the Fiddle part. I love the styling of Beyond.
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The Fiddle is a vile inn. ;) I'm glad you liked the styling of Beyond - I liked it too, but wasn't sure if I went too far.