Category:Ethereal Plane

The Ethereal Plane is a plane in the Eighth Realm where Malakh and Erudite entities, as well as the Creator, reside in the Clouded Horizons series. It serves as a focal point for magic throughout the mortal plane, and protection of the mortal plane also generally falls within its jurisdiction. It is not to be confused with the role of Soul Society, the final resting place of souls; the Ethereal Plane is, simply put, one polar side of the universal coin, the origin of the cerebral and otherworldly. The Nether Plane, however, is the polar opposite; it acts as the origin of the instinctual and realistic. While neither plane is inherently good or evil, each tends to be predisposed towards one over the other, in accordance with their own beliefs.

History

A picture of the Ethereal Plane, just beyond the gates.

The Ethereal Plane's history goes back to the beginning of time itself, being brought into existence by Freya along with the mortal plane. Soon after, Freya created the Pillars of Reality to serve as a means of keeping the planes stable. They were each put in charge of a specific part of reality, and have held their positions ever since. Freya also began to choose mortals and beings from other planes to serve as her agents in the many planes of reality. These agents would come to be called Planeswalkers in reference to their travels between planes of reality.

The inside of Freya's chambers in the Palace of Creation.

The actual recorded history of the Ethereal Plane is full of strife and turmoil that continues even to this day. Since the early days of the plane, many gods and goddesses have attempted to take control for themselves, hoping to attain the power that Freya possesses. All have failed, largely in part to the efforts of Odin and Xeios, Freya's personal guardians and leaders of the Ethereal forces in times of battle, as well as the Gilead Order. Unfortunately, the Gilead Order soon beset Freya with a choice: banish Arragious Nicholai from the Ethereal Plane for his involvement with Destine, or face internal war against her own protectorate. She chose the former, a mistake that would come back to haunt her later on. Her decision would cause the beginning of the first major war in the realm's history, a conflict which would last 330 years and cause the decimation of nearly all Malakhs within the Ethereal Plane, as well as the complete collapse and disbanding of the Gilead Order itself.

In the midst of all of this, Hyne descended to the mortal plane and gave a piece of her power to one she dubbed a "Sorceress." The sorceresses' power is passed on through the generations; when one dies, another must take over for her. Freya had no knowledge of this at the time, but when she found out, she sealed Hyne away into another dimension for her actions.

Many years later, Freya would find herself still dealing with the repercussions of her long-past decision to banish Arragious Nicholai, with many Ethereal beings finding a sense of unrest and dissatisfaction with Freya's rule. Chief among these was Fayt, but her plans were not truly to bring change to the plane for true betterment, but rather to force Freya to relinquish her rule and leave the throne to her, giving her the title of Creator. This plan would fail, largely in part to Angel, Benji Powell, Kisara, and Will, and Fayt was stripped of her power as the Pillar of Fate for a time, power which was given to the former Grim Angel Captain Kari Inihara.

Later, her "sister" Destine would attempt a similar effort, but instead of going after Freya's position, she attempted to destroy the mortal plane itself. She was also stopped, primarily by Ben and Will, with help from Angel, Odin, and Xeios. Destine was, like her sister, stripped of her powers as a Pillar temporarily, and her power was transferred to her daughter, Kitaras Nicholai.

There was a fairly long period of tentative peace after that in the Ethereal Plane, until Dmitri Yuriev attempted to take over the Ethereal Plane, along with the mortal plane and Soul Society. He possessed Byakuya Kuchiki, the Lord Sovereign of Soul Society, and led his armies to the Ethereal Plane in an invasion. He managed to defeat Odin, Xeios, Ben, Celes Chere, Angel, and Katanas DeValle, as well as all four Pillars of Reality before confronting Freya herself, who attempted to banish him into the same dimension that she had banished Hyne to. Unfortunately, this backfired, forcing Yuriev to release Byakuya. Before Freya could attempt to do anything else, however, the four mortals entered her chamber, having been given the powers of the Pillars temporarily. They put an end to Yuriev temporarily, after which Byakuya and Freya helped the four banish the taint from the Ethereal Plane.

Structure

The Ethereal Plane's structure is set up similar to that of Soul Society in that the plane is primarily subdivided into two pieces. Whereas Soul Society has Rukongai and Seireitei, the Ethereal Plane has the Lower and Upper Courts. The Lower Court is composed of the greater whole of the plane, where the vast majority of Erudites reside. Unlike its counterpart, Rukongai, the Lower Court is lawful throughout, with no degradation of structure, form, or order the further away from the Upper Court that is seen. The Upper Court, similar to Seireitei, is comprised of the Palace of Creation and the surrounding structures, most of which are "governmental" buildings or furnishings for the now-defunct Gilead Order. The old division barracks and grounds for the Order of Grim Angels are also located here.

Order of Ethereal Knights

Main Article: Order of Ethereal Knights

The Order of Ethereal Knights was founded soon after the inception of the Ethereal Plane proper by Freya, one half of the force that was to be the peacekeeping branch for all military matters within the realm.

Rankings

Apprentice
Journeyman
Protector
Warder
Master
Grand Master

Order of Ethereal Magi

Main Article: Order of Ethereal Magi

The Order of Ethereal Magi was also founded soon after the inception of the Ethereal Plane proper by Freya, the other half of the force that was to be the peacekeeping branch for all military matters within the realm. Presided over by Xeios, who holds the title of Executor, the Ethereal Magi train acolytes in manipulating and enhancing the latent magical energy of the realm. Initiates of the order are often hundreds of years old, ancient by mortal standards but still young by the standards of Ethereal or Nether beings.

Rankings

Apprentice

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Apprentices within the Order of Ethereal Magi are new initiates to the Order, young and untrained in the ways of magic. They will learn, over roughly the next 150 years, the basics of magic, manipulation, and application, as well as history pertaining to the Ethereal Plane and the Order.

Templar

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Templar are those Angels who have passed the basic tests to truly become a member of the Order. They are now proficient in wielding the innate magic within them, as well as basic manipulation of the latent energy in all realms and beings.

Vindicator

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Vindicators are Angels who have pursued the study of combat and application, making them fierce fighters and skilled mages capable of striking down some of the hardiest warriors. They are masters of their latent abilities and skilled manipulators of the environment and the magical energy within, with some even capable of subtly bending the environs to their will.

Judicator

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Judicators, by contrast, are Angels who devoted their time to the study of manipulation and knowledge, rather than force. They are often superb healers, understanding the threads of magic on an almost instinctual level, and are skilled at misdirecting and countering offensive magic. Many are also scholars, devoting much of their time to the study of magic in order to better teach further generations of mages within the Order.

Praetor

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Praetors could be considered generals of the Ethereal Magi, akin to the Captains of the Order of Grim Angels. Their skills with both manipulation and application are of the highest order of skill, and they serve as commanders in times of extreme conflict, such as during the Great Ethereal War.

Executor

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The title of Executor is bestowed upon the leader of the Ethereal Magi - at present, the title belongs to Xeios. They are the undisputed commander of all mages within the Order, and are also an adviser to Lady Freya herself.

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