The Hitchiker's Guide to Other Realms

These are just a few random notes concerning a few of the realms I've visited astrally. Sometimes there are advantages to traveling as a "ghost" reather than taking your hole body along. (It's much safer this way, and it's much easier to return the the place you started from!)

I don't know the "official" names of most of these places, or what the natives call themselves. Anyone having more information about any of this is welcome to correct or supplement these notes.

-Amanjaku

The Astral Realm

by Amanjaku

There is a spot I've been to in what I believe is the "astral" realm. It is an easy place to reach from "earth", as it is only one dimension or so over from here. At any rate, this place is a huge forest that stretches for miles and miles. In a clearing of this forest stands a tree that is taller than all the others. He is a sentient tree, who in fact has links to other planes besides the astral.

There are people who live in a small village near this Tree. They are a fairly simple folk who draw their water from wells, live in small thatched houses, and generally lead fairly simple lives. One of the village's tasks is to tend the Tree - water and prune him, and make sure that all is well with him. In return, he watches over the forest and the vilage and gives advice when he feels like it.

There is a city called Oral Tanis near the edge of the forest. This is a rather big city in which mages live and take apprentices and share a rather large library. The local government is also seated within the city. Honestly, I don't know much about Oral Tanis because I haven't been there often. I can tell you, however, that there is a singular, highly honorable titles position in the city called "Lord (or Lady) of the Wills". The title always falls to a great sage. After a sage has served this position for long enough to be truly tired of it, s/he steps down and becomes a part of the sentient tree in the forest to preserve their knowledge for generations to come. And that, you see, is why the tree is sentient.

Tir Nan Oc (?)

by Amanjaku

I assume this is the name for it. It is a sidhe homeland, is warm of climate (and therefore not Aelfheim), and is only a couple of dimensions away from earth. Due to the natural cuclic fluctiations of the Tir and Earth, they are sometimes actually closer together - most notably during the period around October 31st.

Since I've written more about Tir Nan Oc in On Elves and Sidhe, I will not go into a lot of detail here. I will, however, add a couple of things that didn't make it into the other essay. First, it is essentially a land of forests and fields (or at least, the places I remember are). Sidhe are certainly not the only sentient race to inhabit the Tir. There are also fauns, nymphs, catfolk and other beings - some of which have never been encountered by humans. Also, I can tell you about a certain place called the Field of Endirisha. This is a very larhe field with a large, black standing stone on the middle of it. The Field of Endorisha is commonly used as a gathering place when people want to have meetings with lots of people.

The Chaos

by Amanjaku

Anybody out there read Mercedes Lackey's "Serrated Edge" books? This is the place she called "the Unformed", and it is very much as she described it. There is a lot of smoky, grey mist, and not much else at first - if you're lucky. If you begin to concentrate on something in the Chaos, it begins to form out of the mists. If you let your mind wander, there's no telling what will begin to form. In this realm, if you dare to chance going there, it is a MUST to keep your imagination under control. Only people who know exactly what they are doing should attempt it - prefferably with supervision of some sort

The Land of Music and Light

by Amanjaku

I know that sounds cheesy, but I don't know what else to call it. I've never seen a reference to it in human literature. This is one of the stranger places I've been to. The fabric of reality here is made up of music and light. It is a bit difficult to translate it into terms that people on earth can relate to, but here goes:

When you first arrive here, you will notice that there is a constant background music. Different visitors hear this music differently; I do not really know the reason for this. But that background music quickly becomes ignorable once you start looking at the major groupings of sound and light that are cities; Yes, there are actually people who live in this reality. They sort of translate as musical notes - I suppose if you've ever heard the theory that matter is held together and affected by sound, and that each person has a resonant note that defines them...well, these people are those notes. They comunicate though a complex manipulation of musical notes that is only like speech as we understand it in that it is a manipulation of sound

The city I visited was actually quite the metropolis, with thousands of people going about their daily business, going to and from their jobs (at least, I suppose that's what they were doing), and living with their family groups.

This realm is several steps away from earth, and it is a bit tiring to stay in, but it is indescribably beautiful, and I do recomend a visit. As always, be polite to anyone you meet - you are a visitor, after all.

A Science Realm

by Amanjaku

Again I don't know what else to call it. This is a place rather like earth, but the fabric of reality is denser. It is difficult to to more than simply look at things here; If you go here, expect to be a ghost that no one notices. Howecer, you will witness marvels of technology.

Suppose that earth had focused much more of the energy spent on religion into developing technology. Or simply thing some of the futuristic visions that sci-fi writers have conjured or for us: aerial cars, major computer matrices that control cities, and archologies, to name just a few. Those are the sorts of things you will find if you explore this place.

I confess, I spent very little time there. The tech was interesting, but the whole realm just has an "anti-magick" feel to it, which gave me the creeps. I very much get the feeling that even if any of the people in this place could sense you, they would quickly dismiss it as imagination. I would even go so far as to call this place, to use White Wolf Games terminology, a "techocracy wet dream". It appears to be very rational, well-ordered society with little use for mystical things.

The Dragon's Tears

by Amanjaku

This is the only realm of which I am certain of the name. It is just a skip or two past the Tir, but be wary before deciding to come here. The dominant species of the place is draginkind.

The entire planet is dotted with islands, which is why it is reffered to as "The Dragon's Tears". Only a couple of islands are of any real size, and there are none approaching the size of a continent. These islands are divided up amongst the dragons; They are very teritorial, just as you've heard in the legends. Some archipelagos are so small that one dragon controls several islands, while the largest islands are actually just big enough to be shared by two or maybe three dragons.

Again I caution: Be very wary. There are smaller, possibly humanoid people living here, but they often serve as fodder for the dragons. Same goes for the animals, such as the huge herds of bison. Even the waters are not safe, for there are aquatic dragons. There may possibly be a sentient race thriving under the waves, but I am not certain about this.

Dragons are not cute and cuddly. I cannot emphasize this enough. They may also not consider you to be sentient, depending on the individual dragon. Do not count upon starting a conversation with one; they don't tend to be very social creatures. They do, however, have their own culture and their own primal rules and laws of society. If you every have the good fortune to actually make friends with a dragon, consider yourself fortunate; they are a fascinating race.

Yyl'Nector

by Silverfox (previously known as Adara)

As a quick forenote: I have oftentimes tried to decribe Yyl'Nector, but many words that I wish to use in the description either do not exist here, cannot be explained well or I do not remember. For me it just seems like something that one *has* to go see to properly experiance, as even in my memories do not seem to capture the whole effect of it's beauty nor it's magnificance. For me to simply describe it I would have to say "Paradise". Nothing I would say here would give it justice and those that had visited agree with me on that point.

My Homeworld has a lot of names, probably from the many people that either live there and those that come visit. It is known as Yyl'Nector, Yyl'nectaar and by my family it has been called Nectaar and Nector (could be nicknames or used when speaking informally:).

The one thing that I remeber most vividly about it and something almoast everyone remembers once they have been there is the way the air smells, as if there were a thousand flowers growing all the time, giving the breezes there an almoast heavenly scent. What causes the air to smell like that I do not know, but there do seem to be a lot of flowers, at least in the places where I dwelt. The Land is green and very alive, the stars at night plentiful. There were Mountains, of an enourmes size, and green lush valleys where people dwellt. There were forests and hills, lakes and oceans probably too. Yet there was something Unique about Nature there, about everything there, it was as if everything had its own shimmer, it's own glittery effect as if sparkling by some unseen force. That caused everything to look magnificent, and I do not know the cause for it.

The Magic there was higher then here, it made it easear for me to breathe in the air, it made me feel more alive, it felt so different that I lack the words.

Sadly I do not remeber a lot about the culture there, I do remember that as a people we were very formal and Family seemed to have been very important. As family was important I got to spend more time with them there many children do here. I know they loved me, their love is one of the things I miss the most, my loving mother with her shapeshifting ability. My Father had always been strict and he was very determined to get the best for his little girl:), yet even if he seemed cold to the outside observer he cares so much that even a war and worlds of seperation do not deter him from what he wants.

There also seemed to have been some contact with earth at least, for there were many of our teenagers/younger people who were into the earthen cultures/ways. I am certain that we may have picked up one or two traditions from here from that period of time:).

The Government of Yyl'Nector is a Monarchy. There is I guess the Equivilant of a king and a Queen, but I think that the are not excactly the same as here on earth. Succession is by blood as far as I know. I do not know if there are any councils, etc, but I think there may have been people that advised the ruling family. Ruling as many things there was more looked upon as being a family duty, where every member of the Royal family helps, not Just the current Ruler. His Mate/wife (Unsure if the realtionships there are the same or not), and even the children help out. The most wellknown residence is a large crystal palace, where the Royal family lives and where court is held. Everyone that has visited, mostlikely has either seen it or heared of it at some point of time.

There was lots of networking, mainly through trading. As we had many races living there, and many gates to other worlds there were many diplomatic relations with other races/worlds. These Gates were linked to Places like Krenar (a draconian world), Earth and maybe Olympus as well as the Tir. Our relations include but are not limeted to the Charonish Empire, Krenar and a fae race.)

There were Unicorns in Yyl'nector as well. yet unlike in legends here they were not just of white color, but also in brown. There may have been black ones too, and even others, but a brown one is all I remeber seeing, with reddishbrown fur, a black mane and tail and a white star upon it's forhead where the horn was at. I donot recall the color of the horn.

For the Achitecture crystal was used as building materials...at least at the main palace, yet it was not a common. I Do not remember what common material was. The buildings seemed larger more spacious.

This is unfortunatly all I remeber for now, I will write more when I remeber it.