Introduction to Entreating

 

Entities and Entreating

 

Extradimensional entities are often spoken of as gods in the Multiverse. A god is a being with a longer life-span and greater physical powers than human beings, whose kinsmen or self has once been worshipped by humanity.

 

I would place another requirement on godhood as the ability to instill others with divine or entreated spells, allowing ones followers to call upon a portion of your own power.  This would draw a marked line between merely powerful beings, and true deities.  I myself could gather a cult about myself and declare myself a god otherwise, as I have already outlived the majority of my entire homeworld.

 

Some races of gods, such as the Olympians, are for all practical purposes, immortal. All races of gods now dwell on some extradimensional world, although they may have lived on Earth in ancient times. There seems to be a special connection between the gods who were once worshipped on Earth and Earth itself. See the Dimension section for Asgard, Heliopolis, and Olympus.

 

When a character wishes to perform some spell that is not clearly defined, a god (which we will call as entity from here on) is usually entreated. For a magician to perform such a task requires a successful use of an entreaty dimensional spell.

 

Many entities are given which can be entreated under the dimensional spells, but certain additional spell effects are possible. If a magician with dimensional spell skills wishes to create a new spell, he should understand what these entities are and what it has been indicated that some of them are capable of doing or granting. This section is included for this purpose.

 

Entities

 

"I grow weary of claims of godhood from every extradimensional entity who manages to gather a few Earthly followers." –Belasco DiMera Giovanni

 

Entities, as used in the text of these books, are extradimensional beings, places, or things that wield, contain, or otherwise possess great mystical energies.

They are considered here because their energies can sometimes be tapped by Earthly mages to provide energy for their magical spells.

 

Because these entities have so much more power than the average being they are sometimes referred to as gods (or demons if they have degenerated), and many are even worshipped by cults as the source of their spells and knowledge.

 

Entity Intervention

 

"Some gods die; others but slumber, and in their dreaming wait for a dawning hour and movers prime, and the opening of a gate." -The Thanatosian Tomes. From a 1623 translation by the Marquis De Rais…

 

Make no mistake of it; all powerful mystical entities are interested in the balance of the cosmos. This is how they are assured of the maintenance of their spells.

 

Entities that are considered good, "white", or striving for Order are interested in maintaining the balance. The other entities, dedicated to evil, "black", or Chaotic philosophies and given to dreams of conquest and increased power are constantly trying to usurp new domains and unbalance the universes.

Because mortal worlds seem to be a nexus for so many dimensional apertures, and because so much magic interacts there, the status of these locations is of great interest to most entities. Many are the time a demon has attempted to conquer an Earthly dimension, and many are the entities that are successfully entreated to provide energy for spells to fight these would-be conquerors.

 

A few entities are completely neutral, but those are rare. Because mankind can sometimes be as greedy, petty, or megalomaniacal as these demons, it is often easy for a demon to recruit new Earthly followers and believers to his cause.

 

Cults spring up constantly, dedicated to this entity or that, and sworn to the takeover of their dimension by that being. It is up to the mages and sorcerers of these worlds to help keep the balance of the cosmos by opposing these chaotic cults, magicians, and entities in whatever way they can, whenever they can.

Equally dedicated are the entities that are benevolent and wish to assist these mortal wizards in their fight against Chaos by answering their entreaties.

 

Entreating an Entity

 

All entities can be considered malevolent, benevolent or neutral. Of course, their attitude depends on whether a character is good or evil himself (Dormammu might seem quite benevolent to his worshippers, while everyone else would see him as a malevolent demon). But no matter whether the entity is chaotic or not, he can usually be entreated by a magician of any belief and will answer. This subject has been covered in the use of Dimensional Energy in this Book, but it should be reiterated that entities do not take the time to peruse every single entreaty.

 

They sow their favors like seeds, and hope that they take root in soil of their liking. If an entreaty is stated for a specific purpose that is obviously opposed to the entity's desires, he will usually just ignore it, though he may choose, at other times, to punish the entreating party for offending him.

 

Many times in the past I have called on an entity whom I do not fully understand to help me with an enchantment, only to later find that entity is opposed to everything I believes in (I once even called on the energies residing in the Book of the Vishanti, a tome dedicated to Order in its absolute form). Usually I never contact them again, at least not as a regular source of spell. Once recognized as an enemy, it is very unwise to contact an entity again.

 

Some entreaties are actually methods for focusing the desire or purpose of a mage. By calling upon his dead master or his personal belief in a god to help him, a sorcerer reminds himself of what he stands for and what he must do to stop an opponent. Usually, though, entities are extradimensional existences.

 

Demonic Creatures and Extra-Dimensional Evil

 

The word "demon" is used to refer to evil beings of mystical origin. Demons have greater mystical powers than normal human beings, and usually dwell upon extradimensional worlds. While most demons are born as demons, it is possible for a god to physically degenerate into a life-preying demon.

 

Demons usually sustain themselves by preying upon lesser creatures (generally astral forms or life essences). Demons often attempt to prey upon the life essences of humans, and also use humans as pawns in schemes to increase their own power.

 

There appear to be three major types of demons.

 

The first type appeared on Earth before the dawn of humanity. These demons, sometimes called the Elder Gods, were at one time closely associated with the Earth itself. The Elder Gods, most of whom were not humanoid in form, later degenerated into preying upon their own kind (since humankind had not yet been born).

 

The Elder Goddess Gaea was the only one who did not degenerate, and she gave birth to Atum, a god who destroyed most of the elder demons. Chthon and Set were among those who escaped the demon-purge by fleeing Earth's dimension.

 

Gaea infused her essence into all living things and became the goddess known as Mother Earth. (The Druid and Faerie schools of magic often invoke her name in their spells.)

 

Long after the departure of the elder demons, a second type of demons arose.

 

These demons posses vast mystical power and dwell in (and sometimes rule) extradimensional realms. To this day, these demons use human beings as pawns or subjects.

 

This class of demons includes Mephisto and Asmodeus. In dealing with humanity, these demons sometimes falsely claim to be the incarnation of absolute evil, in order to exploit humanity's belief in such a being. All such claims are only elaborate deceptions.

 

There exists a subclass of messenger and servant demons who serve the rulers of the demonic realms. These beings derive from the same origin as their masters, but are of lesser power. Demons in this category include Dagoth, lkthalon, Sligguth and veritable hordes of lesser known creatures.

 

The third type of demons is also of extradimensional origin, but is non-humanoid in form and alien in motivation. Some of these demons have appeared on Earthly realms at some point in their existences; others remain in their own realms and seldom deal with humanity.

 

Demons in this category include Shuma-Gorath, an enormous multi-tentacled slug-like creature that preyed upon humanity in prehistory, the N’garai, a race of demons who are the extradimensional spawn of one of the elder demons who escaped Atum's demon purge, and the Undying Ones, another race of demons who originated extradimensionally.

 

There are also a number of extradimensional mystical beings of an evil nature whose origins are so shrouded that they cannot be classified as true demons of any of the previous three types.

 

Some are rulers of their own dimensions, like Nightmare, and may be evil gods. Some live in interdimensional space like the Dweller in Darkness, a powerful being who induces fear as a weapon. Others are simply extra-dimensional beings such as Zom, Dormammu, and Umar, or mortals like Tiboro, Xander, or Shialmar.

 

All of the major demons and sorcerers discussed above can grant dimensional energy for spells and all of them are linked with evil and chaotic magic (except for Gaea who is neutral). Invoking one of the evil entities is extremely dangerous, since they are merciless and regard humans as pawns at best and prey at worst. The major demons, when in their own realms, are more than a match for all but the most powerful of sorcerers.

 

Regardless of their power, all true demons are irrevocably evil and destructive and should be regarded as monsters.