Otherworld Overview

“The thing to know about Otherworld is this: all things are true, and all things are lies.” — Wisdom of a trickster spirit   One of the first lessons learned by any who touch the currents of magic is this: mortal belief is both a compass and a veil. The stories we tell about gods, monsters, and spirits are both accurate and flawed, ancient and newly invented, insightful and misleading—often all at once.   Myths are rarely firsthand. Most are echoes—retellings shaped by fear, reverence, ignorance, or imagination. Some truths have been twisted over centuries; others have calcified, trapped in the moment of the culture that birthed them. But the denizens of Otherworld are not stagnant. Even gods—especially gods—can shift with the tides of time and belief.   Yet change is not universal. Some beings are bound by their nature—fixed like constellations, repeating ancient patterns without deviation. Others evolve slowly, like trees growing through stone. This duality is why the old saying endures:   “Otherworld reflects all truths, and all lies.”   "The oldest is often wisest, one very nearly always recounts their enemy as evil, and in the newest lay truths not once understood." — The words of a Sidhe to a mortal witch   There is power in old tales, yes—but age does not guarantee purity. The oldest stories are often closest to truth, but that truth comes filtered through the fears, rivalries, and agendas of those who survived to tell them. Every myth is a memory, and memory is rarely without bias.   Mortals have long recast their enemies as monsters. A rival tribe’s god becomes a devil. A misunderstood spirit becomes a child-stealer. A forgotten queen becomes a witch.   This pattern is as old as fire—and just as double-edged.   The demonization of gods, spirits, and creatures from outside a dominant culture is one of the most pervasive magical distortions in human history. A being once honored as a guardian may, in the next century’s text, be called corrupter, tempter, or fiend. These reinterpretations are not accidental—they are political, cultural, and often strategic.   Even the most meticulous grimoires—written by so-called scholars and witches of great renown—are not immune. Their authors were shaped by their time: its fears, its wars, its prejudices. One must read through the page, not just on it.   But this truth cuts both ways. For within the new—within the reinterpretation, the dream, the modern story—there can also be insight never known before.   Some truths do not emerge until the world is ready to hear them. The rise of new gods, the reevaluation of so-called monsters, the rediscovery of banned rites—these are not fabrications. They are evolutions of myth, grown from seeds planted long ago.   Otherworld   Otherworld is an alternate dimension, a mirror Earth connected to our own through a network of ley lines and a shared metaphysical and psychic resonance. In this mirrored realm, the gods, myths, monsters, and magic of our world are all tangibly real. The very air in Otherworld crackles with latent magic, and the landscape itself seems to breathe with ancient power, often shifting subtly to reflect the collective unconscious.   Geographically, this world mirrors Earth, yet it exists as if no humans ever lived there, and none natively do. This absence of indigenous humanity means the realms are shaped purely by belief, unburdened by human societal constructs or interference. It is a world woven from the very fabric of humanity's beliefs, folklore, and myths.   Within Otherworld dwell our gods and monsters, its realms populated by Fey, Demons, Spirits, and countless other magical beings who have, at times, crossed into our world. This crossing is often facilitated by powerful ley lines or specific points of intense psychic energy, though the ease and consequences of such journeys vary greatly depending on the being and the nature of the crossing.   It is a world that defies understanding, where magic and the supernatural are woven into its very nature. Its physics are fluid, its landscapes shifting to reflect the collective unconscious, making it a place where logic often bends to the will of belief. Notably, all gods, all faiths, and all myths are equal here. The Angels and Heaven of Abrahamic faith, alongside the hell realms of spiritual torment, stand equal to the domains of the Norse, Greek, and countless other gods whose territories mirror the lands and cultures of their worshippers. This inherent equality fosters a complex tapestry of coexistence and, at times, subtle rivalries, rather than a singular hierarchy. New beliefs or forgotten myths can cause ripples, potentially manifesting new territories or causing older, less remembered realms to wane.   While "gods" have long dwelled in Otherworld and influenced humanity—often through dreams, omens, or rare direct appearances—it is human free will that has always guided humanity's choices. Their influence is more akin to suggestion or inspiration, respecting the fundamental autonomy of human decision, as no single deity or group of beings is innately superior or stronger than another.   Otherworld: A Realm of Souls and Imagination
  Energy cannot be destroyed, and the souls of humans are one such energy. Otherworld is essentially where human souls, thoughts, and imagination flow via the ley lines that connect dimensions. It is the Afterlife (after a fashion), the domain of gods, monsters, and legends, and an intrinsic and necessary part of the metaphysical framework of reality.   The Connection
  The ley lines mentioned earlier are invisible, magical rivers of energy that not only connect Otherworld to Earth but also facilitate the continuous flow of mental energy and human souls between dimensions. Furthermore, magical portals exist that can permit direct travel between worlds, or else can be conjured by powerful spellcasters. Iconic pathways like Bifrost, mystical Mushroom Circles, and certain potent locations on Earth that directly resonate with Otherworld all exist as viable methods of entry and travel between these interconnected realms.   Natives of Otherworld
  "We are legion. Our world is not one of a single dominant intelligence, but of an endless multitude—beings of thought, of will, of magic. You know us only as echoes: those who slipped the veil into your world, or who answer when summoned, or whose presence chills the spine. But I assure you… we all live here, in Otherworld." — The words of an ancient Kami   The beings who dwell within Otherworld are vast in number, form, and nature. There is no single species, no master race, no centralized civilization. Instead, there is legion—a tapestry of sapient entities, from the primal to the divine, the grotesque to the beautiful, the wise to the monstrous.   They are known by many names across cultures and centuries: Fey, Faerie, and Fae, Goblins, Trolls, Ogres, and Giants, Dragons and Magical Serpents, Yōkai, Oni, Kami, Divs, Daemons, Demons, Devils, Asura and Rakshasa   These are but the better-known names—those who crossed into our world through leylines, summoning circles, forgotten rituals, or open dreams. But they are only a fragment of the total denizens of Otherworld.   Alongside them dwell: Forgotten nature spirits and elemental powers, Dream-beasts and story-born predators, Celestial intelligences and underworld lords, Strange faunal creatures once glimpsed in folktales, half-remembered from childhood fears or campfire whispers And the true gods, who may dwell apart but are shaped by the same laws and the same tapestry of belief   Everything that has ever lived in story may live in Otherworld. Its fields may harbor unicorns or three-headed cattle. Its forests may crawl with creatures from Bronze Age tablets or walk with the dead who were never buried. Its skies may burn with forgotten constellations, or rain stars whose names no longer appear in any human tongue.   And its people? They speak, they think, they wield magic—and they do not consider themselves myths.   To them, you are the ephemeral one.   Otherworld's primary sapient species are collectively known as Otherworlders, humanoid magical beings of widely varying size, shape, and nature. Some identify themselves as Fey, others as Giants and hundreds of other names, but they collectively make up the bulk of humanoid life in Otherworld. Alongside these diverse beings are spirits, gods, demi-gods, and, rarely, humans who long ago became trapped, chose to dwell here, or carved out their own realms within Otherworld via their magical prowess.