Discourse on the Metaphysics of Theah

The following text is written to answer some of the fundamental questions about the reality of the
Theah universe. It is written in the classic discourse style of the ancient Arene Candide region, but
the vast majority of this is not information that any person in Theah would ever know, not even the
most learned scholar in the most esoteric of disciplines.
What is Theah?
Theah is the name given to the continental landmass that is thought to be the largest on the planet
of Terra. Although this does cover the nations of the Crescent Empire and Cathay, many people
tend to use the word (and also Thean) to refer mostly to those that reside in the western nations.
Are there other continents?
The ancient Numans were aware of other lands far away to the west and south, but this knowledge
has been lost to modern Theans. There is a number of islands that have been explored, including
the massive Midnight Archipelago but ships are only now starting to head to the far west again.
The main reason for this was an ancient Barrier put up by the Razdhost and their Syrneth allies
during the great war of the ancient races. This prevented most ships from sailing to the other lands
from Theah, although its main purpose was to protect Theah from the actions of Syrneth races
trapped outside.
To the west lie two great landmasses, connected by an artificial land-bridge. These lands are home
to a number of cultures that have been shaped by centuries of exposure to the Syrneth and their
Great War. The sea around them are filled with smaller islands, most of which are barren and
inhospitable and referred to as the Broken Islands.
In the south is the great continent of Tar-netjer, a land of giant beasts and dark skinned people. It
was known to the ancient Numans, but the seas between Theah and this land are treacherous, with
great swaths of entangling sea plants and becalmed waters. The Barrier of the Razdhost cuts the
landmass in half, with a great rift valley of violent storms having previously prevented travel to the
southern half.
What of the planet Terra?
Terra is known by scholars to be in an elliptical orbit around a yellow sun that is called Solas. It is
the third planet in distance from the star, with the smaller spheres of Velme and Amora being
closer. Further out are much larger planets, in order being Guer, Re and Volta. Most of the planets
have been positively identified by scholars, through amazing advances in astronomy in recent
years. The other planets besides Theah are all named after gods from the ancient Numan
pantheon.
Measurements by scholars have proven that Terra itself is almost a sphere of approximately XX
miles in diameter. It rotates about a point somewhere north of the Vendel islands, taking 24 hours
to complete one revolution and a year to completely orbit the sun.
How was Terra created?
Through Gnostic beliefs, an all-powerful creator created the world, this being the one who most
Theans refer to as the concept of Theus. The primary creator is unknowable and the entire of
creation is in effect a puzzle that through being studied brings the scholar closer to an
understanding of the creator.
What is Theus?
Theus is the name that the Vaticine church gave to the creator force that they attribute with the
formation of the universe and all life. Nearly every society that has existed had developed a similar
belief system, although the name of the supreme power has changed. The ancient Numans had a
polytheistic religion, with a pantheon of gods overseen by a father figure called Re who was the
ultimate power, attributed with creating or siring many of the other lesser gods.

Although the beliefs of the Vaticine church about Theus cannot be proven and some are in fact in
error, there does exist this creator being that formed the known universe. This Theus is not a
Syrneth or alien or any form of life as that term would be defined by rational scientists.
Did Theus create all life?
Theus the primary creator created one sentient lifeform, the ancient race known as the Razdhost.
This race in turn created all other life, including all the other Syrneth races, animals and also
humans. Because of the fact that mankind was created not by the primary creator but by the
Razdhost, referred to in some Gnostic philosophy as the demiurge, it is inherently flawed and
imperfect. Theans are completely unaware of the role of the ancient races in their creation,
although there is some evidence of this in sites across Theah, such as the one below Numa
cathedral.
What was the Great War?
After the Razdhost created all life they became disenchanted with the Syrneth who continued to
fight against each other and destroy what they had spent so long creating. The most ancient of
races decided it was time to leave Theah and so created a giant portal on the island of Cabora. The
other Syrneth races felt that they were being abandoned, in particular the war-like Thalusai, and
acted to prevent the exodus. The war that followed led to the destruction of most of the Razdhost
that had not fled and major changes across Theah. In a last step, the Razdhost erected the Great
Barrier, which isolated the continent of Theah from the rest of the planet, to try and give humanity
as their last and least powerful children a chance to survive.
In the wake of the revolt, the Thalusai were the strongest of the races left on Theah. This was not
to last as the Sidhe race came through to this world from their alternate reality that they call Bryn
Bresail. The Sidhe were not created by the Razdhost and are not native to Theah, but their power
was greater than the remaining Syrneth races who they exiled from Theah behind the Barrier know
by the Kreuzritter. Over time the Sidhe withdrew from most of Theah and the nature of most of the
ancient races passed into myth and legend.
Who are the Bargainers?
The Bargainers are the Syrneth races that were defeated by the Sidhe and trapped in another
existence behind the Great Barrier. Other native races and creatures already existed there although
little about that plane is known to any in Theah. The main race of the Bargainers is the Thalusai,
who were the greatest losers from the Great War, having defeated their parent race of the
Razdhost but lost to the outsiders.
What is the nature of the Bargain?
In the dying days of their rule, the Thalusai laid plans for their return to Theah should they be
defeated by the Sidhe. This included ways to return to Theah or contact them in the plane used by
the Sidhe to trap their enemies. The Senators of the old Numan Empire uncovered one of these
methods of communication and made contact with the Bargainers. The Thalusai used their
knowledge of the creation of the world to teach the Senators to unlock sorcerous powers, knowing
that the use of these powers would weaken the Great Barrier and hasten their return.
Mankind in accepting the power of the Bargain basically took a short cut in their development,
gaining powers that they should not have been able to unlock without outside intervention. This is
in essence the Thean equivalent of Original Sin, marking those that came after with the
repercussions of the ambition of the few.
How does Shamanism and Sorcery differ?
Those strange powers that are referred to as Shamanism, such as Kanuban Opah, the Rose & Cross
vow and certain other abilities, are inherent powers of the human race that have been unlocked by
certain knowledge and dedication. They are the true legacy of the Razdhost and their plan for the
development for humanity, which in turn could be thought of as part of the puzzle of Theus.
In comparison all Sorcery is a granted power, given to humanity by some outside force. This is the
easy path that leads away from the true potential of mankind for the quicker gratification of power.

No matter where the power comes from, be it the Bargain, the Sidhe or Matushka, it comes with a
price as it serves the agenda of the ancient race that has unlocked this ability.
Is Sorcery evil?
This is a cornerstone of Vaticine dogma, which castigates sorcery as a mortal sin. While the
churchs attitude towards sorcerors has varied over the year between tacit acceptance to
persecution, the moral line has always existed. The treatment of sorcerors also differs among the
nations, with Montaigne under the Empereur being a notable case. In Vodacce, the sorte strega are
an inseparable part of society and since the power of the Merchant Princes rely on them they are
treated with guarded courtesy. As a contrast in Castille the rare Fuego sorceror is linked with the
old Castillus royal line and so treated with great suspicion and perhaps violence.
All forms of sorcery are a bargain for power and have a toll to pay in the long run. In the past
nobles had to make a conscious decision to attain the power, while now people are simply born into
the bloodline with the ability. This makes painting all sorcerors as evil very difficult, since few have
chosen this burden they carry. Certainly though the existence of sorcery in the world has caused
great tragedy and may lead to the destruction of all life, so it cannot be argued that it is a force for
good. Most pragmatic scholars would argue that it is the actions of the sorceror that make them
good or evil, although the temptation of their abilities all to often lead them to take the darker
path.
Which Shamanism is the correct one?
All powers that are referred to as Shamanism come from within the person, as opposed to being
granted by another entity. There is no one that is superior to the others, their differences
representing the various paths and philosophies that have led to this potential being unlocked. In a
similar way to the argument over sorcery, shamanism cannot be said to be inherently good, since
someone can still use the power it grants to commit a great wrong. However, unlike sorcery, the
power of shamanisms tends to be more subtle and also takes a considerable amount of time and
dedication to attain. This lack of instant gratification means that it is rare that a truly evil person
will work towards this goal, so there tends on the whole to be less figures of evil through history
that have used these powers to serve their goals.
What are the Sidhe?
The Sidhe are the only truly alien race to Theah, coming as they do from their alternate reality that
they call Bryn Bresail. It is unknown what attracted them initially to the world at the time of the
Great War, it is possible that they could sense the powers that were at work or even that their
appearance was part of Theuss plan to deal with the errant Syrneth.
The Sidhe are beings of extreme power, able to warp and change reality around them. For all this
power, they are not creator beings like the Razdhost, their illusions are temporary and tend to be a
perversion of nature rather than a part of it. They are also unique in lacking a true sense of
emotion, although they try to mimic the emotional responses that humans make. On top of this
they are amoral, with no real sense of good or evil. This comes mostly from their power, since
philosophers would argue that the concepts of morality are difficult to apply to beings that have no
equal in power. The distinctions of the Sidhe into seelie and unseelie camps, is more a political
concept than anything else. The seelie are at times just as dangerous to a human as the most
violent unseelie creature.