"Do you believe in spirits? You know, ghosts, demons, angels, all of the things that go bump in the night, the things you read about in books and see in video games? I'm sure you're probably skeptical about it, I mean if they were real, why haven't you seen them, right? Well, let me let you in on a little secret, they're all real, every single one of them, even magic, all you could ever imagine is right there waiting to be called upon. I know this might seem really crazy, but if you want to know, you just have to cross. It's not too hard, I mean, it's already begun. Us just talking to each other started the process and, soon, little by little the world you know will slowly begin to become something you could've only dreamed of. There's others like you, being pulled into this world, the Spirit World, and you'll love it, just you wait!"

The Spirit World. The unseen, the mystical, all exist on a plane of existence mirror to our own, and the myths of the world are just on this other side. There are places where the Spirit World leaks onto the material plane, known as Aethr Rifts. The first to discover this phenomenon were spirit callers and shamans, they became the world first seers, and they noticed that by spreading the word, others could see it, too, and that they could spread the power of Sight. But, knowing all too well that humanity could not bear the truth of this mystic power, they hid it away, only allowing a select few the gift.

However, recently, a group of rogue Seers known as the Illum have been granting Sight to random strangers, most of the times driving them to madness due to the visions and sights which they cannot understand. A group of young adults have begun to develop the gift because of this, and now strange things have begun to happen, things that will inexplicably change their lives forever.

Hello, everyone, my name is Ares, and I would like to introduce you to the Spirit World, an original roleplay where you play as one of these young adults who have been granted the gift of Sight, the power to view and interact with the Spirit World and the Aethr, the energy that binds the spirits of those affected to the Spirit World, by the group known as the Illum, whose intentions are as of now unknown. Events have begun to occur with the characters which will decide how their connection to the realm manifests itself. Think of this connection as a class of a roleplaying game, but before I reveal anything else, I want to see if I can muster up some interest, perhaps?

Hmm. Interested. Would like some more info though.

Would we be free to have our characters interact with various spirits as we like? Choosing to aid them in their own struggles perhaps? Or is this kore of the classic humans vs spirits school of thought?

@dee I'm going to wait a bit to disclose further information, see if we can get one more person before I start spewing details.

@Necromancy Of course, that would be up to the players, but I would rather that the players were free to choose how they interacted with the spirits. This is actually a very important detail that will be addressed when we write up character sheets, as the Manifestation I spoke of in the OP is one of the biggest interactions with a spirit one can have.

That sounds cool. Can characters have a pre-existing association with certain spirits that they were unaware of before? Or would you prefer for every PC to be very very mundane and uninteresting to spirits before they awaken to the spirit world?

The second one seems like the more favorable approach, but what do you have in mind?

It might sound kind of lame, and I will be totally cool if it gets a no, but I was thinking of something like the ghost of a lost pet lingering around it's former human. And when the human is given the sight they kind of get their pet back. Or maybe, in a just as corny fashion, a kind of animal spirit who would have acted as a totem and then becomes more of a companion.

Essentially what I am asking are these two things: Can my character have a spirit pet? And can it be a tarantula/big spider?

Huh so dealing some spooky stuff. Looks interesting.

Color me interested. This looks pretty cool.

Huh.

Could be interesting. I think I have the perfect character for this, if you'll have me~

@Necromancy that idea falls perfectly into one of the Manifestations I had in mind, I would totally accept that idea, for sure, I just need to explain what they are, and with the amount of people showing interest, it looks like I might need to make more.

But, as I promised, I'll give you at least that for now, so, here are the first 4 Manifestations, and a brief description of what it is.

A Manifestation is a person's connection to the Spirit World and they way they can manipulate the Aethr, giving them special abilities in the material plane. They consist of several types of Manifestations, such as: Avatars, Shamans, Aethrmancers, and Geomancers.

Avatars are connected to the Spirit World through what is known as a medium, an item existing in the material plane that has been infused with a being of Aethr, usually a weapon or trinket. The spirit in question is usually a famous warrior or sage, looking to find a way to continue their legacy through an Avatar. The spirit and the Avatar combine energies through the medium, performing spectacular supernatural feats of strength, speed and intellect.

Shamans enlist the aid of the spirits from the Spirit World, summoning them when they need aid, and the power of the summons vary on their level, and they range simply from being a level 1 spirit to being a level 5 or anywhere in between. Summoning a spirit usually requires a focus, an item used to call them back to the material plane, and can literally be anything, but to bind a spirit to a focus requires great will and concentration, but once bound and summoned, they can be called and expelled to provide their special abilities and skills to the Shaman's arsenal.

Aethrmancers can use their inner reserve of the Aethr to perform supernatural feats, such as summoning fire and creating clones of themselves. This is known simply as magic, and any Aethrmancer with a great amount of Aethr and willpower can cast their magic with ease. However, due to the fact that their surging with the energy of the Spirit World, they are often on the brink of madness- and tearing themselves apart with the power they hold.

Geomancers can manipulate the physical world using the Aethr around them, and can shape the world as they see fit, using a seemingly unlimited well of power, but there is a catch to the use of the power of a Geomancer; they can only create matter, not deteriorate substances as they please. This causes them to be adept healers and witch doctors, as they are usually seen, creating strange and unique brews and extracts, healing wounds, and repairing the land as they see fit.

Hey! I wanna show some interest if its not too late 8D

Well, I think there's room, I haven't actually accepted anyone yet, I'm on the verge of creating a few more roles to support a larger cast, as well as a character sheet.

Well I'll just put this down to say, Im interested. Looks like an fantastic idea

>Lurks around a little bit longer<

I've developed two more Manifestations, which will be down below, soon I'll release the character sheet and we'll move this over to OOC.

Soulsmiths can conform the energies of the Aethr into a physical form, creating constructs of Aethr infused equipment, varying from simple daggers to constantly evolving weapons and armor. The Spirit World also grants Soulsmiths the knowledge of how to use the equipment in a practical and effective manner, making the Manifested a very competent combatant.

Wardens are effectively masters of tact and wit, able to apprehend almost any foe. A Warden specializes in traps and triggers, using Aethr-infused engravings to create magical effects, such as ensnaring tentacles or mental paralysis. Many Wardens are tricksters and hunters at heart, seeking thrill in the chase, toying with their enemies, and breaking them down. They also can sense the Aethr, as all of the Manifestations can, but they have an easier time pinpointing their targets, and use this along with their skill in trapping to capture all who try to run.

Ahh, before I start writing the character sheet and add the final Manifestation, I'd like everyone to list off the top 3 roles they would like to play, as listed in the Manifestations posts here. I want each character to be unique, so, I am limiting one character per role. I'm also joining as one of the characters, but I'm not quite sure which role I want, so I will post my top 3 as well.

1. Warden
2. Avatar
3. Soulsmith

Question, would creatures from the Spirit world be mystical creatures that we already know from stories or would they be completely different than what we imagined and passed down from mouth as folktales into word as books?

(I wouldn't be surprised if the creatures changed after being passed down so many times to each new generation and be a blend of both common creatures we seen before and new creatures that we don't know. But yeah...)

{EDIT:
1. Shaman
2. Geomancer
3. Aethrmancer }

1)Shaman

1 again )Geomancer

3)Soulsmiths

These are p cool 8D

EDIT - Honestly i couldn't care too much about what one of these things i end up with because they are all honestly pretty damn nice.

DOUBLE EDIT- Actually the only one i kinda don't want would be warden, but thats just because I don't wanna make any ultra-playful-hunter kinda guy.

Oh? Ranking from least favorite to favorite...well, then.

1) Soulsmith
2) Shaman
3) Aethermancer

Definitely would want to have a Soulsmith, if possible, but I'd be fine with Shaman or Aethermacner, I suppose.

Though I do agree with Tyrant. All of them are pretty cool, so I could be flexible.

Except for Avatar. I mean, I could come up with something probably, but eh, I dunno xD

@BubbleGumKing It involves the evolved mythos of that which was passed down over generations and the spirits of the dead. In the case of Shamanic summons, dead animals morphed by Aethr are also possible.

@Rune_Alchemist It's spelled Aethr, just saying. :)

Liking what I see, but I want to see what the others would like before I post any more material.