The Realms Beyond

The Realms Beyond is a collective term for the near-mythical realm of myriad of dimensions and countless of pocket dimensions, sandwiched between the upper and lower veil. It is not fully known how they came to be.
For the average citizen, they are little more than fairy tales, but they have intrigued scholars for hundreds of years.

Relatively little is known about them, due to the difficulty of accessing them. While most of them are seemingly uninhabitable and only contain raw soul-stuff. It has been documented that at least some of them does contain life, even intelligent one. But research on them have been scarce, again, thanks to the difficulty of travelling between here and there.
But it is a know fact, that whatever forces or inhabitants lives there, should not be considered benevolent and this is why travel there is often strictly prohibited and it's existence is mostly a well kept secret.

Exploration

Travelling there requires the traveller to puncture a hole into the veil large enough for a living being to cross. This in turn demands a massive amounts of energy. To achieve this, it either demands a massively strong individual, a week-long ritual to collect the required energy or a sacrifice of hundreds of souls.
Even when it is done, it is incredibly difficult to keep it open long enough for team to crossover and back. So most of the time scholars usually just hop to the other side, gather samples for few minutes and immediately come back. If the portal closes with travellers on the other side. It is nearly impossible for them to open a portal back. Even from our side, to open a portal to the exact same coordinates demands rigorous calculations to know exactly when and where to open it.
There were couple of attempts of exploration and even settling between years 1550-1570 current era. However, they were all considered failures and almost every time nearly everyone involved were lost. Due to this, all future expeditions were cancelled.

---

Below is a collection of excerpts from a salvaged diary, collected from the expedition team "Raderas" led by Star-Shaman Idav Nawarin.
"After we heard nothing from them, we forced our way there. We had to spend massive amounts of energy to keep gate open while my team searched the site. Yet we found no-one. In fact, the site was so overrun by vegetation, that it looked like it had been abandoned for years. We only managed to take few samples and the team-leader's diary before we had to jump back."
-Joran, the Master of Observatory Three

Day 1 - It is 3rd of Junal and my expedition have arrived at our destination. We have setup a camp near the rendezvous point on a small plateau near a forest. The weather is calm and temperate. While relatively hot, it is on an acceptable levels. In fact Een'Eaan'Suuth mentioned how it reminded her of her home.
I have brought with me a wonderful team of experts to study this alien world and we have approximately 2 months before the solar-cycle comes around again, and they can open the portal back to Riek. Until then, we have work to do!

Day 2 - As the morning arrived, we almost couldn't believe our eyes, the colors here are astonishing! Everything, the ground, the plants and even the sky are so remarkably "bright" -overwhelming even. I have never seen anything so, vibrant. It is a such a sensory overload, that it has a straining, even nauseating effect to it. In fact, Valken threw up after a while. Anaïs soon came up with the idea of using sunglasses to filter out most of the excess visual load.

Day 7 - The gravity here doesn't seem to make any sense. Some areas barely has any and some feel like it is doubled. While facinating, it could pose a threat. Iliana had the idea of using a long stick to try the grounds before continuing onwards. Curiously, the local wildlife doesn't seem to care, as if doesn't even affect them. It is almost like they live in another plane of existence all together. We need to do some more observing.
Ps, I accidentally scratched my leg on a little blue plant. I'm going to take some antiseptics, just in case.

Day 14 - We found some native flora that lived in a very dark cave, yet it had the vibrant colors of one living in an open field. How? And then later, when we arrived back to the camp. We spotted a deer, very much like those in Eastern Ardean. But as it moved, we saw a series of after-images and then it just disappeared. This has left us baffled and has raised so many questions.
Also, the scratch is getting really itchy and there seems to be some kind of blueish rash. Was the plant poisonous or am I just allergic to it? I have to ask Cechin to come up with a lotion for it.

Day 16 - We lost Anaïs today. A floating, -yes, floating boulder that we were studying, suddenly fell down on her. There was nothing we could have done. Or at least that's what the team keeps saying to me.
Later, when we were trekking back to the camp, a large insect-like beast attacked us and managed to take her body with him. This clearly has affected my team's morale. Okchav also mentioned that he has heard a faint clicking sound. I will have look into that.
Ps, The lotion seemed to have worked. The rashes in it seem to have spread, but the itch is completely gone. I also put a bandage with antiseptics on it. Cechin can look at it tomorrow, just to be sure.

Day 22 - Valken disappeared from the camp and Iliana lashed out and blamed me for some reason. This place is clearly getting under our skin. I ordered everyone to search for him and while there, to collect more samples.
Later during evening, we witnessed something curious. For about a minute, the sky flickered and we saw a faint outline of an upside down coastal area in the sky. Een swore that she recognized it as an area near Saah. But how can that be? The Veil is not suppose to be that thin here.

Day 25 - For the past three days, I, Cechin and Een have been analyzing a series of samples from the soil, plants and water. But we have found nothing that would point to hallucinogenics. Then all these sightings must be of Xhaagi origins. Then it also means that these readings of actual physical, even molecular mutations in fauna and flora must mean that somewhere in here is a massive rupture in the Veil. Een theorized that this realm's boundaries are a so thin, that the raw soul-stuff is constantly leaking in here. But if that was the case, then nothing should be living here, at least, not in a physical form. We agreed that we will need some kind of protection.

Day 30 - Today Iliana attacked Cechin, severely wounding her. After we managed to restrain Iliana, she became hysterical. Screaming and yelling about violet colored mists and voices telling her the truth about us all? It must be the stress. Right?
We managed to calm her after giving her some of Cechin's medicine. She is being held in the storage-shack.
Thing are getting out of hand here. I need to do something to uphold the morale.
I found myself working more and more. I have now collected a wide array of local flora, all neatly organized and ready to be taken back home. Yet, I cannot put myself to actually pack them away. Something about them just keeps mesmerizing me. That stupid itch is also back.

Day - 31 Cechin passed away during the night.
We had known each other since the we were children.
I keep thinking that what I'm going to say to her parents and I don't know. I insisted that she should come and now this. Even writing this is difficult, why do my hands shake so much?!
I, I don't know what I'm going to do now.

Day 33 - We found Valken's body today, it looked like he had started to eat his own arms and legs. What can drive a man to do that?
Now it's just me, Okchav, Een and Iliana. Although she has stopped speaking all together. How did this happen? Why? Do the gods really hate us that much?
After I removed the bandage, I was surprised to see some sort of fungal growth coming from the rashes. I should be worried, terrified even, yet I almost feel glad about it. And even the thought of removing it churns my stomach. I'll just make sure that no-one sees it.

Day 36 - I'm slowly starting to appreciate the beauty of this place and it's lifeforms. I have collected even more plants for my collection.
Even if I'm now forced to work on the floor, but that's a small price for beauty. Also the itching is gone and I feel pretty good. Maybe we'll actually survive this?
Although, I when went to give Iliana some food, it felt like she was actually afraid of me? Poor child, huddled in he corner like that. She really has lost it.

Day 45 - We found Een hanged. Okchav says that it was a suicide. Why would she do that? Why is she trying to sabotage my mission! Maybe it's better this way! Or maybe it's Okchav who did it? I better keep my eyes on him. Also, has he done something to his skin, did is always have a purple hue to it?
I need to ask my flowers about this.

Day 49 - Iliana has stopped eating. She just keeps staring me with her empty eyes. Those eyes, those cursed eyes, I truly hate them..
Okchav is also constantly speaking to someone and he doesn't want to reveal to whom, why is he not concentrating on his work?! He is getting even more apathetic than usual. No, I don't care if your teeth are falling, I don't care if you keep hearing things! Get your shit together and do your job! You really can't trust anyone anymore huh? At least my flowers won't lie to me.

Day 50 - After the purple mist came, I hear them even better than before. Their songs are so beautiful.

Day ? - Yes! They asked if they could see my work! And I know how. That traitor won't need them anymore I say.

Day ? - Day? I don't care anymore - But hear me! Ha-ha! I did it! That bitch won't ever look at me again! It was all worth it to go through all that blood!
The eyes, now they have eyes and they will see us all!

Although that bug-eyed bastard Okchav tried to stop me and actually chopped off my arm with his sword! The bastard! But the thing is, I don't feel a thing! I've never felt so alive!
The cursed thing himself then ran away to the forest and I haven't seen him since. And I don't even care!

Day ? - The mist, the spores, the flowers. They can all see me now!

What have I done? Oh, my friends... NO THEY DESERVED IT
Those
Bastards

I No No No They see me now

FlowersyouHetoldmepleaseplease
pleasegivethembackpleasepleasegods.

(After this, the text becomes incomprehensible. Shaman Idav or none of the other team-members were never found")

Alternative Name(s)

Yaa'Nai'Gis'Aalan, Extramural Domains, The Veil-Worlds

Type

Dimensional plane