đź“– Grimoire of the Gods: Additional Expansions
IV. Races, Species & The Afterlife
Unique Races & Species
The world is not populated solely by humans. The Sundering of Fate and the catastrophic wars of the Weavers permanently scarred existence, giving rise to numerous intelligent species—some ancient remnants, others new aberrations forged by shattered cosmic law.
| Species Category | Description & Origin | Unique Feature & Role in Lore |
|---|---|---|
| The Unshackled Races | Mortals (including humans, beastfolk, and other sapient creatures) who were freed from predetermined fate after the Sundering. They now carve their own destiny. | They often display strange mutations—marks of fate's collapse—granting innate resistance to direct divine influence. |
| The Forsaken Giants | Remnants of the Weavers' warlords from the First War, their colossal forms crafted from raw cosmic elements (stone, ice, flame). | They hold secrets of the First Weaver, slumbering or roaming the world in search of their lost masters. Their knowledge is ancient and perilous. |
| The Spiritbound | Souls caught between existence and oblivion when the Weave shattered. They are beings suspended between life and death's laws. | They manifest as whispering specters, possess objects or hosts, and seek to repair the lost threads of fate they believe can be rewoven. |
| The Hollowborn | Children tragically born without a fate or a soul after the Sundering. They are emotionless and utterly disconnected from prophecy or divine power. | They are immune to all forms of divine power and resurrection. They are worshipped by some as beacons of the new, fated-less age, and feared by others as unnatural mistakes. |
| Celestial Exiles & Infernal Wanderers | Divine beings (gods, arch-angels, minor lords) trapped in the Mortal Realm when the planes sealed. | Gods are trapped in mortal bodies—forced to live as rulers or hidden sages, drastically weakened. They seek either power to return home or dominion over their new prison. |
| The Forgotten Drakes | Dragons born from the direct unraveling of fate itself. They are beings of pure cosmic knowledge. | They do not hoard gold, but collect stories, histories, and secrets of the Sundering, believing the truth of the war is the key to shaping destiny. |
The Afterlife: The Broken Cycle of Death
Before the Sundering, the laws of death were absolute, governed by the Weave. Souls were guided to their destined afterlife (Faithbound to the gods, Lost/Damned to wander, or Rebirth). When the Weave shattered, death itself lost its order.
"Death was once a door. Now it is a shattered mirror. What lies beyond is no longer certain."
The Five Paths of the Afterlife After the Sundering
* The Forgotten Veil (The Dead Lost in Time): Souls are trapped between the past and oblivion. They may relive their deaths, or witness fragments of impossible futures. Whispers claim the Veil is a hidden prison built by the First Weaver.
* The Free Souls (No Fate, No Chains): For the first time, some mortals truly die. Their soul simply fades into nothingness, unbound by gods or destiny. This is seen by some as ultimate freedom, and by others as the worst curse.
* The Revenants (Those Who Refuse to Die): Souls reject passage by sheer, unbound will. They become ghosts, spirits, or specters, powered by their need for vengeance or unfinished grievances. They are bound by willpower, not divine command.
* The Broken Underworld (A Shattered Afterlife): The realms of the dead have physically fractured. Abandoned lands and spirit-infested ruins are ruled by dead gods desperately clinging to their lost dominion over souls.
* The Reforged (Souls Who Return, Changed Forever): Souls are returned to the living, often without memory, but bearing the physical and magical marks of the Sundering. A rare few return with visions of a cosmic truth older than the Weavers.
Who Now Rules the Dead?
With the Weave broken, the harvest of souls is now a chaotic free-for-all:
* Mortal Warlords enslave spirits, using them as fuel for their power.
* Surviving Gods desperately cling to the few souls that still worship them, fearing total oblivion.
* A hidden presence stirs deep within the Forgotten Veil—something ancient and terrifying, feared even by the exiled gods.
V. Magic System & Combat: The Shattered Weave
After the Sundering, the predictable magic laws dictated by the Weavers are fractured and volatile. Magic is now chaos waiting to be mastered.
I. Magic in a Broken World
1. Sources of Magic: Where Power Comes From
| Source | Description | Requirement/Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Innate Magic | Instinctive, unstable power from ancient bloodlines, divine lineage, or beings touched by fate's collapse. | Power is often uncontrollable and draws unwanted attention from divine forces. |
| Bestowed Magic | Power granted by Celestial Lords, Infernal Overlords, or powerful relics. | Requires absolute obedience and loyalty to the patron; losing favor means losing power. |
| Stolen Magic | Power acquired through dark pacts, forbidden rituals, or consuming divine energy/artifacts. | Corrupts the user's body and soul and often attracts swift, brutal divine punishment. |
| Forged Magic | Artificial power created through mortal ingenuity: Alchemy, Runes, War-Sorcery, or blending magic with technology. | Limited by mortal understanding and often lacks the raw strength of divine power. |
2. The Four Great Paths of Magic
Magic has splintered into distinct disciplines, each with unique risks stemming from the broken Weave.
* Aetherial Magic (Divine Power): The most powerful, but strictly controlled magic used by high-ranking celestial and infernal beings. It can bend reality and alter fate, but is entirely dependent on the divine connection.
* Arcane Magic (Mortal Sorcery): The magic of scholars and warlocks who manipulate the raw, chaotic remnants of the Weave. Includes elemental, illusion, and time manipulation, but is now highly unstable and prone to catastrophic backfire.
* Spiritual Magic (Nature & Ancestral Powers): Used by shamans and druids, drawing power from the land, ancestors, and the Spiritbound echoes. It requires total balance; angered spirits cause the power to violently backfire.
* Blood & Relic Magic (Forbidden Power): Magic gained through sacrifice and the wielding of powerful, often cursed, legendary artifacts. It is highly volatile, corrupts the user rapidly, and is universally feared.
II. Combat System: Strength vs. Strategy
In a world where gods can be killed and mortals can wield fate, combat is a complex interplay of power, cunning, and artifacts.
1. The Three Planes of Warfare
Battles are fought simultaneously across three interwoven levels:
* I. Mortal Warfare (Armies & Generals): The level of politics, resources, and tactics. Wars are won by logistics, formations, and the brilliance of mortal commanders. Key Figures: Warlords, Master Tacticians, Assassins.
* II. Supernatural Warfare (Magic & Champions): Battles fought by gifted warriors and sorcerers. They introduce elemental destruction, divine blessings, and forbidden rituals that reshuffle the balance of the battlefield. Key Figures: Archmages, Divine Vessels, Blood Sorcerers.
* III. Divine & Cosmic Warfare (Gods & Weavers): Conflicts between Celestial Lords and Infernal Kings where reality itself is the stake. These battles dictate the rules of the war on the lower planes. Key Figures: Celestial Titans, Infernal Overlords, Forsaken Prophets.
2. The Art of War: Might and Mind
| Approach | Description | Strategic Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| The Strength Approach | Reliance on overwhelming, godlike power to annihilate armies and reshape terrain. Examples: A Celestial Warlord cutting through thousands. | Power does not equal victory. A lesser foe with superior artifacts or specialized knowledge can neutralize brute force. |
| The Strategy Approach | Victory achieved by outthinking the enemy through deception, flawless tactics, or using terrain. Examples: Luring a Titan into a magic-draining trap. | Strategy is useless against an enemy too powerful to be affected by trickery or common weaponry. |
| The Hybrid Approach | Mastering both martial strength/magic and brilliant tactics. These figures shape history by leading armies while serving as legendary weapons themselves. | Even the strongest leader can be undone by betrayal, unforeseen interventions, or overwhelming, focused numbers. |
3. Forms of Combat: Mastery Over the Battlefield
* Martial Combat (Physical Mastery): The art of weapon and hand-to-hand expertise, developing techniques to cut through steel, deflect magic, or achieve supernatural speed (e.g., Celestial Bladesmen, Infernal Berserkers).
* Sorcery & Magic Combat (Wielding the Weave): Using magic to manipulate the raw forces of the shattered Weave (e.g., Elemental Sorcerers, Chrono-Warriors who use time magic to counter attacks).
* Relic Combat (Artifacts & Divine Weapons): Reliance on legendary artifacts that grant supernatural, often fate-altering abilities (e.g., Fateforged Blades, Cursed Gauntlets). These often decide the outcome of major wars.
* Divine Combat (Godlike Power): Reserved for the strongest, where the warrior can bend reality and summon cosmic forces (e.g., Celestial Titans moving mountains, Infernal Kings cursing entire nations).
4. Unpredictability in Combat
The shattered nature of reality means no battle is guaranteed:
* Unstable Magic: Spells and relics frequently malfunction due to the Sundering.
* Relic Warfare: A seemingly weak mortal may be wielding an artifact with the power to kill a god.
* Hidden Intervention: The unknown will of the missing Weavers or the secretive actions of the Forsaken may alter the course of war at any time.