Magic and the Bright Gulf
From Aparsus
Contents |
The Bright Gulf
Very few in the mortal world speak of the Bright Gulf - most aren't ever taught of its existence and many deny that it is real. Only those with a gift for magic can even see the brilliant, blue-white vortex that is the Bright Gulf, hanging in the sky above the world, and even they can only see it at night. It is for this reason that the Bright Gulf is sometimes called the Sorcerer's Moon.
Understandably, very few people have been able to study the Bright Gulf. Those that have often must do so with the help of demons, for the Bright Gulf lies on the border between their world and the world of mortals. Those that have studied it believe that it is the font from which all magic emerges, the great wellspring of psukhe that suffuses the world with the power of sorcery. Beyond that, very little is understood about the Bright Gulf, and nothing is known about what lies beyond its farthest reaches, for that is a journey that can only be made once.
The Bright Gulf and the mortal soul
The Bright Gulf has a unique connection to the souls of mortal beings. This connection arises from the fact that every mortal soul is given shape from psukhe, and when a mortal dies, their soul - if it is not taken by one of the Demon Princes for their own purposes - returns to the Bright Gulf and passes through to the other side. Some believe that it dissolves in the course of this passage, returning to the mortal world as the fuel of magic, while others say that souls are reborn from the Gulf into new bodies, and still others claim that the Bright Gulf is the domain of the gods. No one knows for sure, however, as no one has ever ascended into the Bright Gulf successfully while still alive, and so the mystery remains one whose answer can only be guessed at by sorcerers and expounded upon by the faithful.
The Dwellers in the Gulf
Though no one knows what, if anything, lives beyond the Bright Gulf, it is known that creatures of some kind live within the Gulf itself. These creatures, known as the Gremayrkyn, appear to be - in many ways - similar to demons, but are mostly a mystery to those who would study them, for they are ephemeral, flighty beings with mischievous, deceitful natures and, though they are easy to summon from the Gulf, they are difficult to control. It is said that the breeds of Gremayrkyn that are known in the world of mortals are the weakest of their kind, and that the strongest may create in the Bright Gulf a domain, similar to the realms of the Demon Princes, and rule over her fellows thereby. If this is true, there is no knowing, for only the lesser Gremayrkyn are known in the mortal world, though they are seen commonly - for the passage between the Bright Gulf and the mortal world is much simpler than crossing over from the Evernight.
Some claim that the Gremayrkyn are the masters of magic, and it's true that their intuitive grasp of the manipulation of psukhe is impressive, to say the least. Those who make this claim often go on to say that a mortal can learn the secrets of magic from a Gremayrkyn, for a price. What that price might be is never stated outright, and the truth of this claim is often suspect, with no more truth to it than the rumour that Gremayrkyn steal children and whisk them back to the Gulf, replacing them in their cribs with one of their own.
Magic
Magic is the study and manipulation of psukhe, the energy of the soul, which enters the world through the Bright Gulf. Those who study and use magic are known as sorcerers, and the actions that are within their power are nearly limitless.
