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Yay, reference material.
The Cosmic Forces
Light & Shadow
Light and Shadow are the most fundamental forces in existence. Although contradictory by their very nature, they are bound together on a cosmic scale. One cannot exist without the other. Pure Light and Shadow dwell in a realm outside the borders of reality, but shades of their presence are found in the physical universe. Light manifests as holy magic, while Shadow (also referred to as "the Void") appears as shadow magic.
Life & Death
The forces of Life and Death hold sway over every living thing in the physical universe. The energies of Life, known commonly as nature magic, promote growth and renewal in all things. Death, in the form of necromantic magic, acts as a counterbalance to Life. It is an unavoidable force that breeds despair in mortal hearts and pushes everything toward a state of entropic decay and eventual oblivion.
Order & Disorder
The forces of Order and Disorder govern the cosmic systems of the physical universe. Order is more commonly perceived in reality as arcane magic. Conversely, Disorder is manifested as highly destructive fel magic. This brutal and extremely addictive energy is fueled by drawing life from living things.
The Elements
The elements of fire, air, earth, and water serve as the basic building blocks of all matter in the physical universe. Shamanic cultures have long sought to live in harmony with, or assert dominion over, the elements. To do so, they call upon the primordial forces of Spirit and Decay. Those who seek to bring balance to the elements rely on Spirit (sometimes referred to as the "fifth element" by shaman or "chi" by monks). This life-giving force interconnects and binds all things in existence as one. Decay is the tool of shaman seeking to subjugate and weaponize the elements themselves.
Elemental Duality
Many shaman cultures have discovered the elements can influence a variety of emotional states. For this reason, mortals often associate the elements with different feelings, both positive and negative.
Fire: Passion & Fury
Earth: Stability & Stubborness
Air: Cunning & Madness
Water: Tranquility & Indecisiveness
Spirit: Bravery & Naiveti
Decay: Efficiency & Ruthlessness
Realms of Existence
The Great Dark Beyond
The Great Dark Beyond represents the physical universe. It is an infinite living realm composed of innumerable stars, worlds, and mortal civilizations. Azeroth - the world of Warcraft - is merely one of the countless worlds drifting through the vast reaches of the Great Dark Beyond.
The Twisting Nether
The Twisting Nether is an astral dimension that lies in parallel with the Great Dark Beyond. The forces of Light and Void bleed together at the boundaries of the Twisting Nether, engulfing this realm in perpetual strife. At times, the volatiles magics that pervade the Twisting Nether intrude upon the physical universe, warping reality beyond measure.
The Emerald Dream
The Emerald Dream is an ethereal realm of spirits and untamed nature that exists alongside the world of Azeroth. Incredible beings known as the keepers forged the Emerald Dream to act as a map for the evolutionary path of Azeroth's flora and fauna. The two realms are bound as one: as life ebbs and flows across the physical world, the spiritual energies that saturate the Emerald Dream keep pace with it.
Although tied to the physical world, the Emerald Dream is a place most mortal minds would find alien and surreal. But some of those minds, by channeling druidic magic, can enter a state of dreaming and consciously navigate the Emerald Dream. Their thoughts can also shape and influence portions of this verdant spirit realm, but the imprint that these dreamers leave behind is never permanent.
In the dreamways, time and distance are mutable. Spirits flow like living winds through the lush tracts of constantly shifting primordial woodlands. What appears tangible one moment becomes intangible the next; seemingly impermeable landmarks transform in the blink of an eye.
The Shadowlands
Like the Emerald Dream, the Shadowlands are tangentially linked to the world of Azeroth. Yet whereas the Emerald Dream represents life, the Shadowlands represent death. They are nightmarish realms of decay, labyrinthine spiritual planes teeming with the souls of the dead who have passed from the world of the living.
The origins of the Shadowlands remain uncertain, but they have existed ever since mortal life first arose in the physical universe. Many believe that mortal souls are drawn into this dark place at the point of death, where they remain forever after. Still others hope that their souls will go on to a brighter place, rather than languish for eternity within the cold confines of the Shadowlands.
Denizens of the Cosmos
Void Lords
The void lords are monstrous entities composed of pure shadow energy. These beings are cruel and merciless beyond mortal comprehension. Driven by an insatiable hunger, the void lords seek to devour all matter and energy in the physical universe.
In their natural state, the void lords exist outside reality. Only the most powerful of these entities can manifest in the physical universe, and only for limited amounts of time. To maintain their presence in reality, the void lords must consume untold amounts of matter and energy.
Naaru
The naaru are benevolent creatures of living holy energy. They are perhaps the purest expression of the Light that exists in the Great Dark Beyond. The naaru have vowed to bring peace and hope to all mortal civilizations and waylay the dark forces of the Void that seek to engulf creation.
Titans
The titans are colossal godlike beings composed of the primordial matter from which the universe was born. They roam the cosmos like walking worlds, imbued with the raw power of creation itself. The titans use this incredible force to find and awaken others of their kind - others who still slumber within the far corners of the Great Dark.
The Burning Legion
The Burning Legion is the single most destructive force within the Great Dark Beyond. The fallen titan Sargeras created this vast demonic army to scour all creation. The Burning Legion moves from world to world, decimating everything in its path with devastating fel magic. No one knows exactly how many worlds and mortal civilizations the demons have annihilated in their unholy Burning Crusade.
The demons that fill the ranks of the Burning Legion are highly resilient. Their spirits are tethered to the Twisting Nether, making them extraordinarily difficult to destroy permanently. Even if a demon dies in the physical universe, its spirit will return to the Twisting Nether and manifest in corporeal form once again. To truly destroy a demon's spirit, the creature must be killed in the Twisting Nether itself, in places where the volatile maelstrom bleeds into mortal worlds, or in areas inundated with the Burning Legion's energies.
Old Gods
The Old Gods are physical manifestations of the Void. They are nightmares incarnate: mountains of blighted flesh and writhing tentacles that grow like cancers within the worlds of the Great Dark. These malignant entities serve the void lords, and they live only to transform the worlds they infest into places of despair and death.
Wild Gods
The Wild Gods are manifestations of life and nature. They are creatures of two realms. The Wild Gods inhabit the physical world of Azeroth, but their spirits are bound to the ethereal Emerald Dream. Many Wild Gods appear in the form of gargantuan animals, such as wolves, bears, tigers, or birds.
Elemental Spirits
The elemental spirits are primitive and chaotic beings of fire, earth, air, or water. They were some of the first sentient creatures to inhabit the nascent worlds of the waking universe. The elemental spirits appear in an almost infinite variety of shapes and sizes. Each of these creatures has a distinct personality and temperament, traits that are heavily influenced by a spirit's elemental nature.
The presence of the fifth element - spirit - also affects the disposition of these elemental beings. A world with an overabundance of spirit may give rise to native elementals who are passive and lack physicality. Conversely, a world with too little spirit may birth elementals who are highly aggressive and incredibly destructive.
Undead
The undead are former mortals who have died and become trapped between life and death. These tragic beings derive power from the necromantic energies that pervade the universe. Most undead are driven by vengeance and hatred to destroy the one thing that they can never have again: life.
The Cosmic Forces
Light & Shadow
Light and Shadow are the most fundamental forces in existence. Although contradictory by their very nature, they are bound together on a cosmic scale. One cannot exist without the other. Pure Light and Shadow dwell in a realm outside the borders of reality, but shades of their presence are found in the physical universe. Light manifests as holy magic, while Shadow (also referred to as "the Void") appears as shadow magic.
Life & Death
The forces of Life and Death hold sway over every living thing in the physical universe. The energies of Life, known commonly as nature magic, promote growth and renewal in all things. Death, in the form of necromantic magic, acts as a counterbalance to Life. It is an unavoidable force that breeds despair in mortal hearts and pushes everything toward a state of entropic decay and eventual oblivion.
Order & Disorder
The forces of Order and Disorder govern the cosmic systems of the physical universe. Order is more commonly perceived in reality as arcane magic. Conversely, Disorder is manifested as highly destructive fel magic. This brutal and extremely addictive energy is fueled by drawing life from living things.
The Elements
The elements of fire, air, earth, and water serve as the basic building blocks of all matter in the physical universe. Shamanic cultures have long sought to live in harmony with, or assert dominion over, the elements. To do so, they call upon the primordial forces of Spirit and Decay. Those who seek to bring balance to the elements rely on Spirit (sometimes referred to as the "fifth element" by shaman or "chi" by monks). This life-giving force interconnects and binds all things in existence as one. Decay is the tool of shaman seeking to subjugate and weaponize the elements themselves.
Elemental Duality
Many shaman cultures have discovered the elements can influence a variety of emotional states. For this reason, mortals often associate the elements with different feelings, both positive and negative.
Fire: Passion & Fury
Earth: Stability & Stubborness
Air: Cunning & Madness
Water: Tranquility & Indecisiveness
Spirit: Bravery & Naiveti
Decay: Efficiency & Ruthlessness
Realms of Existence
The Great Dark Beyond
The Great Dark Beyond represents the physical universe. It is an infinite living realm composed of innumerable stars, worlds, and mortal civilizations. Azeroth - the world of Warcraft - is merely one of the countless worlds drifting through the vast reaches of the Great Dark Beyond.
The Twisting Nether
The Twisting Nether is an astral dimension that lies in parallel with the Great Dark Beyond. The forces of Light and Void bleed together at the boundaries of the Twisting Nether, engulfing this realm in perpetual strife. At times, the volatiles magics that pervade the Twisting Nether intrude upon the physical universe, warping reality beyond measure.
The Emerald Dream
The Emerald Dream is an ethereal realm of spirits and untamed nature that exists alongside the world of Azeroth. Incredible beings known as the keepers forged the Emerald Dream to act as a map for the evolutionary path of Azeroth's flora and fauna. The two realms are bound as one: as life ebbs and flows across the physical world, the spiritual energies that saturate the Emerald Dream keep pace with it.
Although tied to the physical world, the Emerald Dream is a place most mortal minds would find alien and surreal. But some of those minds, by channeling druidic magic, can enter a state of dreaming and consciously navigate the Emerald Dream. Their thoughts can also shape and influence portions of this verdant spirit realm, but the imprint that these dreamers leave behind is never permanent.
In the dreamways, time and distance are mutable. Spirits flow like living winds through the lush tracts of constantly shifting primordial woodlands. What appears tangible one moment becomes intangible the next; seemingly impermeable landmarks transform in the blink of an eye.
The Shadowlands
Like the Emerald Dream, the Shadowlands are tangentially linked to the world of Azeroth. Yet whereas the Emerald Dream represents life, the Shadowlands represent death. They are nightmarish realms of decay, labyrinthine spiritual planes teeming with the souls of the dead who have passed from the world of the living.
The origins of the Shadowlands remain uncertain, but they have existed ever since mortal life first arose in the physical universe. Many believe that mortal souls are drawn into this dark place at the point of death, where they remain forever after. Still others hope that their souls will go on to a brighter place, rather than languish for eternity within the cold confines of the Shadowlands.
Denizens of the Cosmos
Void Lords
The void lords are monstrous entities composed of pure shadow energy. These beings are cruel and merciless beyond mortal comprehension. Driven by an insatiable hunger, the void lords seek to devour all matter and energy in the physical universe.
In their natural state, the void lords exist outside reality. Only the most powerful of these entities can manifest in the physical universe, and only for limited amounts of time. To maintain their presence in reality, the void lords must consume untold amounts of matter and energy.
Naaru
The naaru are benevolent creatures of living holy energy. They are perhaps the purest expression of the Light that exists in the Great Dark Beyond. The naaru have vowed to bring peace and hope to all mortal civilizations and waylay the dark forces of the Void that seek to engulf creation.
Titans
The titans are colossal godlike beings composed of the primordial matter from which the universe was born. They roam the cosmos like walking worlds, imbued with the raw power of creation itself. The titans use this incredible force to find and awaken others of their kind - others who still slumber within the far corners of the Great Dark.
The Burning Legion
The Burning Legion is the single most destructive force within the Great Dark Beyond. The fallen titan Sargeras created this vast demonic army to scour all creation. The Burning Legion moves from world to world, decimating everything in its path with devastating fel magic. No one knows exactly how many worlds and mortal civilizations the demons have annihilated in their unholy Burning Crusade.
The demons that fill the ranks of the Burning Legion are highly resilient. Their spirits are tethered to the Twisting Nether, making them extraordinarily difficult to destroy permanently. Even if a demon dies in the physical universe, its spirit will return to the Twisting Nether and manifest in corporeal form once again. To truly destroy a demon's spirit, the creature must be killed in the Twisting Nether itself, in places where the volatile maelstrom bleeds into mortal worlds, or in areas inundated with the Burning Legion's energies.
Old Gods
The Old Gods are physical manifestations of the Void. They are nightmares incarnate: mountains of blighted flesh and writhing tentacles that grow like cancers within the worlds of the Great Dark. These malignant entities serve the void lords, and they live only to transform the worlds they infest into places of despair and death.
Wild Gods
The Wild Gods are manifestations of life and nature. They are creatures of two realms. The Wild Gods inhabit the physical world of Azeroth, but their spirits are bound to the ethereal Emerald Dream. Many Wild Gods appear in the form of gargantuan animals, such as wolves, bears, tigers, or birds.
Elemental Spirits
The elemental spirits are primitive and chaotic beings of fire, earth, air, or water. They were some of the first sentient creatures to inhabit the nascent worlds of the waking universe. The elemental spirits appear in an almost infinite variety of shapes and sizes. Each of these creatures has a distinct personality and temperament, traits that are heavily influenced by a spirit's elemental nature.
The presence of the fifth element - spirit - also affects the disposition of these elemental beings. A world with an overabundance of spirit may give rise to native elementals who are passive and lack physicality. Conversely, a world with too little spirit may birth elementals who are highly aggressive and incredibly destructive.
Undead
The undead are former mortals who have died and become trapped between life and death. These tragic beings derive power from the necromantic energies that pervade the universe. Most undead are driven by vengeance and hatred to destroy the one thing that they can never have again: life.
