Divinity and Magic
Gods 'kind of' exist in the world, although its better that they are thought of primeval and non-sentient. Gods take on monstrous and barely feasible forms, and most are highly animistic in thought and ideal. To most, they would seem to be a mysterious force in the universe which can create and destroy at a whim, and they are certainly not much of a race of being but rather physical aspects of various powers which mortals believe represent their own personal spiritual identities. These gods are creators, but their involved in the world was extremely limited, and rather act as harbingers of their domains rather then their builders. Gods are not truly evil or good in this sense, but are more like wild beasts which view mortals as microbes and can neither hear, answer, or care for their followers. Gods do not have personalities, and despite getting souls from spiritual pacts made by religion, they view this more as food for their kind to gain strength from without really knowing where it comes from. Gods live in their own little worlds and domains, living on planetary stars which defy laws of conventional reality and shift in and out of existence.
Angelic and demonic beings also exist, but are again, misrepresented by their believers due to little understanding for them. Angels are powerful spiritual beings which are essentially symbiotic parasites which infest living beings which grant them the magic of a god's domain, in both a negative and positive way. Those born of these great magicians made by angelic infestation become Magi, who are born with power. Magi are not as powerful as an infested being in terms of magic, but can learn all forms of magic, which is passed down usually through writing by the infested. Angelic beings die with their host, and 'devour' the host soul along with it, essentially 'adding them' to themselves. However, this process is very difficult for angelic beings and there are not many suitable candidates, and thus the process is extremely rare.
Demonic beings are actual parasites which are more likely exist in the world, but are often at extreme odds with it. Demons are aberrations, beings angelic beings who are mutated so beyond belief that they cannot provide anything to their host. Demons have an easier time entering the world, being weaker and more legalistic then their angelic counter parts. However, demons often devours their hosts, and the more they devour, the more physical they become and the more sentient. Demons however also are often at odds with virtually all monsters and horrible creatures which roam the world, and are in a constant war for their own survival. Most demonic beings do not last long in the world, and must constantly feed off the spirit. Most victims become catatonic and lifeless physically, and their conscious soul suffers what is essentially a second death when devoured and absorbed into a demonic being.
The soul is a real and living thing in the world and is crucial for survival. The soul is a conscious part of the body, and all living things have one, including mundane living things like ants, trees, and mayflies. Souls do not stay in the world unless by special means, and otherwise often move onto the realm of chosen gods, or simply the closest god from the world. Gods attract souls like magnets, absorbing them into themselves. The souls of others split whenever it is born, and is often a juicy attraction for spiritual beings like angels and demons. While the soul is a conscious immortal, that is also the most horrifying of issues. Most souls end up as spiritual slaves to the gods, or end up devoured and their conscious melded eternally into in uncaring mass of some higher being. The worst fate for a soul is being devoured by a demon, or captured by one, which devour souls in order to sustain themselves and thus 'truly killing' another. Demons also like to 'salt' souls through back breaking torture, which can sometimes last in real world time, tens of billions of years.
Magic is relatively rare, and it comes from four known sources; Being infested by an angel, being in an infested's lineage, being granted magic by a god, or gaining magic by transfer. Being infested in the simplest way to earn magic and is the boon for all magic in existence, but its also exceedingly rare. Infested can live longer then other, are stronger, and can perform magic at the highest rate without fatigue. Being in an Infested's lineage is another issue entirely. Only limited magi are produced from a lineage at any given time, and they are in the hierarchy of power the second most powerful of mages. Magi can learn any and all kinds of spellwork provided they can understand it and practice it without accidentally killing themselves with it. While the infested can exemplify one specific domain of magic with the most extreme of power, it is their offspring that can learn all forms of news spells and charms which gives them higher variety.
Magic via gift or transfer is much more difficult and it's rewards are few. Gods are very uncaring and barely sentient, and thus their most devote followers tend to ask for power is vague. Gods who grant power to their followers will do so for odd reasons, usually such as a reward for bringing them a large amount of followers or making an offering which they particularly enjoy to draw their attention, and to the gods this gift is often little more then their divine presence entering the world and drawn to the closest being they can find. These gifts can vary, such as surviving soldiers of a brutal battle suddenly getting magical power from a blood lusting god, or a water god appearing to survivors of floods, mistaking natural events as offerings. Magical gifts are not exactly powerful, and are only bound by singular domains. Magic via transfer is when any magical being decides, usually unwisely, to transfer their power onto another, reducing the quality of their magic and gifting it onto another who could only do a fraction of the magic of their granter.
Enchantment is a tricky issue, primarily because it is difficult for mages, as it requires them to be fully educated in the craft they make, and even then there are limits to this. Mages transfer part of their magic into materials, draining them of their power, but also create highly specific objects which can be of boon for others. However, enchantment can also cause huge gashing wounds from the molding of the transfer into artifacts, and more powerful artifacts often require more mages to do so. Most powerful enchanted items were often done in force and by the work of many mages who had to sacrifice much of their power and livelihood for it, and its a primary reason as to why enchanted gear is never commonplace in the armies of the world. Enchantment can vary, and can be unlimited in power, but are never invulnerable. Enchanted swords still can rot and break if not made correctly, regardless of the powerful enchantments put upon it.
Necromancery and undeath are part and parcel for those in Eae't, and is just a common form of magic like any other. Undead and other automatons are a lot like automated puppets, but there are others which can gain a soul and thus sentience. This process is very rare and limited, but it does happen enough for others to take immediate notice. However, these talking creatures are not trusted, and for the reason is for how they gain a soul, which is usually devouring and re purposing the soul to it's own creation. Essentially, these souls are tortured within their hollow forms till it is reformed into a new being of sorts, and this is done usually at the request of mages or by more advanced creatures which can exhibit this. Specters and other ghosts are fairly different, being more or less souls which had become trapped via powerful emotion or magic to the world, and 'spiritually decay' in the realm till they are devoured by the world itself. Their survival is based either on their own raw emotion or by a physical artifact which grants them continued existence.
Magic can vary, but there are only few known limits as the whole art is rarely recorded well and filled with religious propagandize, but what is generally known to all of Eae't is that time manipulation and resurrection is extremely limited, and so is all of magic itself. One can easily conjure elements easily enough, but complicated spells requires a masterwork of training which has since been lost. Time manipulation for instance is nigh impossible, and resurrection is extremely difficult and must be done swiftly before a body rots. These limitations extend to more powerful spells and abilities, and often requires multiple mages and enchanted foci to perform such tasks. While a singular mage is powerful, these powers do not always extend very well to larger bodies of work and can in fact be very frustrating to cope with.
Magi don't have an internal fatigue with their spell craft, but they do suffer from an overexertion called Mage Rot which causes their weaker mortal body to collapse into itself whenever they over use their magic or try to perform more powerful spells without proper training, equipment, or aid. Mage Rot is a lot like frostbite and is treatable and often starts at vulnerable fingers and toes, but higher overexertion causes the rot to travel through veins in a sickly blue and black glow which afflicts the whole body. Mages have been known to lose fingers, toes, eyes, and noses because of this disease, but more horrifying effects can range from the entire body exploding into a gory mess, or the entire body becoming catatonic.
