Immortality
Immortality has long been the obsession of any creature sentient of death. Some argue it is an extension of survival, that survival is to live as long as possible and immortality grants access to that path. Many would rather hell than reaper so it is that the millennia is filled with use-cases often skewed by darker means.
There are only a few types of beholders and Elder Gods (not to be mistaken as an offshoot of higher gods) that exist in horrific immortality. They are stuck in an indefinite state of birth, neither contained in the bounds of life nor magic. Birth is thought to be the state of true magical creation, which is imbued in the souls of all living things. Flowing water, sound, light, and heat are all thought to be variations of the state of birth.
Sentient creatures stuck in this state express extreme pain or unimaginable horror, which is where this type of immortality draws its name. Only a few have overcome this state's drawbacks and obtained the status of Elder Gods, but it is not known how. Elder Gods very rarely show themselves and are rarer still to speak of the states of their existence.
Elder Gods draw their magic from their own soul and do not rely on any outside forces. It seems to grow in power the older they get.
Limited immortality is immortality which dismisses only aging as a factor. It is existing in the state of life indefinitely. Some races, like elves and dwarves, naturally reach a state of suspended biology. These races lack the IGF-1 hormonal signalling present in humans which triggers deficits associated with growing old and their immune systems peak at the point of suspended biology rather than puberty, ensuring their immune system remains healthy throughout their long years.
Beings who obtain limited immortality can still be slain by external factors such as disease or violence.
There are only two methods to obtain limited immortality. The first is to be born as one of the races which have limited immortality. The second is to make a pact with a demon who can extend your life.
Suspended biology occurs when all development has been completed within the body. For races such as tieflings, they reach this point at age 25 when their brain finishes development. Monstrous races tend to favor longer developmental cycles that do not conclude until age 110. The only humanoids with drawn-out developmental cycles are elves and some elf-variants which mimic the cycles of monstrous races.
As the immune system does not finish forming prior to the point of suspended biology, races with limited immortality have high infant and child mortality rates due to sickness as compared to rates of orcs or humans.
Passive immortality is the immortality of the higher gods, the dead and the undead. Those with passive immortality exist in the state of magic indefinitely. After dying, the soul enters the magical state. Most mortals dream prior to dying, placing their souls in the Astral Plane of Dreaming. When the line back to their physical body is severed, a reaper will find the soul and guide them to the domain of a god. It is at this point they have entered a passive state of immortality. No one is sure what being in the domain of the gods is like, but religious scholars theorize souls under a god's influence exist in a state between sleeping and wakefulness, unaware of the passage of time.
Those who remain in the Astral Plane of Dreaming become reapers under The Raven Queen. This is not always the case and there are known passively immortal denizens who live in cities and towns within the Astral Plane without being reapers.
The origins and making of gods is not known. They are creatures who exist and may have always existed within their magical state. Scholars know the cycle of birth, life, death and magic can be entered at any point but must be followed thereafter.
Gods who die remain gone, lending credence to this theory, but some gods such as The Raven Queen and Bahamut began as mortals only to obtain godhood after death.
All gods created planes of the dead and tied themselves to those planes to serve as their sources of power. These planes are usually dead parallel timelines the gods snipped from the tapestry of material planes. It is in these planes they contain and hold the magic of the dead. Besides the power generated from these souls, gods serve to keep the natural cycle by preventing souls in a magical state from violating the cycle.
Undead are souls of people who died prior to entering The Astral Plane of Dreaming. This grants them passive immortality without being under the influence of gods. These include creatures such as vampires, ghosts and zombies. Passively immortal creatures with a physical body are less likely to be hunted by reapers as they pose little threat to the natural order. Reapers will still hunt them if they happen to come across one, but do not go out of their way to find them.
Creature such as ghosts, some beholders or banshees pose more of a risk to the tapestry of material planes. They can be dangerous as souls in an elastically magical state can attempt to enter a process of the natural cycle outside of its ordering. This can have cataclysmic outcomes and always results in a new parallel material plane branching from the one the creature originated in. One timeline will contain the successful change of state and its consequences while the other will be of the failed state change.
Gods and scholars are well-aware the multiverse is not boundless. Generating new timelines poses the risk of filling or bursting the multiverse bubble. No one is sure what would happen if these bounds were to be reached or broken.
The undead can only be removed from a material plane by pulling them through the natural cycle again.
Unlimited immortality only exists in theory. Those seeking it say it is to exist in the state of death indefinitely. They would not be in the constant state of pain or fear associated with horrific immortality, but not pose a risk of entering states out of natural order as those with passive immortality can. No disease nor sickness could kill them because they would already be dead and as is shown by those with horrific immortality, they would be granted the natural powers imbued in their souls at birth and possibly be able to grow their power over time.
Many have tried and failed to obtain this type of immortality, leading to the creation of many undead creatures with physical bodies in its pursuit. None have managed to properly obtain it if history is to be believed, leading to some scholarly debate that death may not be a state in the natural cycle but merely the most common way to transition between life and magic.
Horrific Immortality
There are only a few types of beholders and Elder Gods (not to be mistaken as an offshoot of higher gods) that exist in horrific immortality. They are stuck in an indefinite state of birth, neither contained in the bounds of life nor magic. Birth is thought to be the state of true magical creation, which is imbued in the souls of all living things. Flowing water, sound, light, and heat are all thought to be variations of the state of birth.
Sentient creatures stuck in this state express extreme pain or unimaginable horror, which is where this type of immortality draws its name. Only a few have overcome this state's drawbacks and obtained the status of Elder Gods, but it is not known how. Elder Gods very rarely show themselves and are rarer still to speak of the states of their existence.
Elder Gods draw their magic from their own soul and do not rely on any outside forces. It seems to grow in power the older they get.
Limited Immortality
Limited immortality is immortality which dismisses only aging as a factor. It is existing in the state of life indefinitely. Some races, like elves and dwarves, naturally reach a state of suspended biology. These races lack the IGF-1 hormonal signalling present in humans which triggers deficits associated with growing old and their immune systems peak at the point of suspended biology rather than puberty, ensuring their immune system remains healthy throughout their long years.
Beings who obtain limited immortality can still be slain by external factors such as disease or violence.
Access and Obtainment
There are only two methods to obtain limited immortality. The first is to be born as one of the races which have limited immortality. The second is to make a pact with a demon who can extend your life.
Suspended Biology
Suspended biology occurs when all development has been completed within the body. For races such as tieflings, they reach this point at age 25 when their brain finishes development. Monstrous races tend to favor longer developmental cycles that do not conclude until age 110. The only humanoids with drawn-out developmental cycles are elves and some elf-variants which mimic the cycles of monstrous races.
Drawbacks and Concerns
As the immune system does not finish forming prior to the point of suspended biology, races with limited immortality have high infant and child mortality rates due to sickness as compared to rates of orcs or humans.
Passive Immortality
Passive immortality is the immortality of the higher gods, the dead and the undead. Those with passive immortality exist in the state of magic indefinitely. After dying, the soul enters the magical state. Most mortals dream prior to dying, placing their souls in the Astral Plane of Dreaming. When the line back to their physical body is severed, a reaper will find the soul and guide them to the domain of a god. It is at this point they have entered a passive state of immortality. No one is sure what being in the domain of the gods is like, but religious scholars theorize souls under a god's influence exist in a state between sleeping and wakefulness, unaware of the passage of time.
Those who remain in the Astral Plane of Dreaming become reapers under The Raven Queen. This is not always the case and there are known passively immortal denizens who live in cities and towns within the Astral Plane without being reapers.
The Higher Gods
The origins and making of gods is not known. They are creatures who exist and may have always existed within their magical state. Scholars know the cycle of birth, life, death and magic can be entered at any point but must be followed thereafter.
Gods who die remain gone, lending credence to this theory, but some gods such as The Raven Queen and Bahamut began as mortals only to obtain godhood after death.
All gods created planes of the dead and tied themselves to those planes to serve as their sources of power. These planes are usually dead parallel timelines the gods snipped from the tapestry of material planes. It is in these planes they contain and hold the magic of the dead. Besides the power generated from these souls, gods serve to keep the natural cycle by preventing souls in a magical state from violating the cycle.
The Undead
Undead are souls of people who died prior to entering The Astral Plane of Dreaming. This grants them passive immortality without being under the influence of gods. These include creatures such as vampires, ghosts and zombies. Passively immortal creatures with a physical body are less likely to be hunted by reapers as they pose little threat to the natural order. Reapers will still hunt them if they happen to come across one, but do not go out of their way to find them.
Creature such as ghosts, some beholders or banshees pose more of a risk to the tapestry of material planes. They can be dangerous as souls in an elastically magical state can attempt to enter a process of the natural cycle outside of its ordering. This can have cataclysmic outcomes and always results in a new parallel material plane branching from the one the creature originated in. One timeline will contain the successful change of state and its consequences while the other will be of the failed state change.
Gods and scholars are well-aware the multiverse is not boundless. Generating new timelines poses the risk of filling or bursting the multiverse bubble. No one is sure what would happen if these bounds were to be reached or broken.
The undead can only be removed from a material plane by pulling them through the natural cycle again.
Unlimited Immortality
Unlimited immortality only exists in theory. Those seeking it say it is to exist in the state of death indefinitely. They would not be in the constant state of pain or fear associated with horrific immortality, but not pose a risk of entering states out of natural order as those with passive immortality can. No disease nor sickness could kill them because they would already be dead and as is shown by those with horrific immortality, they would be granted the natural powers imbued in their souls at birth and possibly be able to grow their power over time.
Many have tried and failed to obtain this type of immortality, leading to the creation of many undead creatures with physical bodies in its pursuit. None have managed to properly obtain it if history is to be believed, leading to some scholarly debate that death may not be a state in the natural cycle but merely the most common way to transition between life and magic.
Type
Metaphysical, Arcane
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