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Denizens

Denizens are beings of the Second Creation that do not quite belong in the Realm of Strife, and are sometimes referred to as outsiders or realm dwellers. It is believed that Denizens come from one of the many Realms of Origin, possessing little similarity of substance to one another, but all highly marked by the spiritual energies of their home realm. Typically summoned or lured away to the Realm of Strife, Denizens cannot permanently exist outside their home Realm unless they are somehow anchored to the Realm of Strife.

This is a complex area of study in and of itself, that has led to volumes of literature written on the nature of summoning Denizens. Most scholars are divided into two camps; one claiming that these beings are summoned from a parallel or overlapping Spirit world within the Realm of Strife while the other camp believes they are summoned directly from Realms all their own. This second theory has largely led to the development of the theories surrounding the Realms of Origin and the Creation in Three Parts.

The Codex of Creation separates Denizens into several Metagroups, each with common characteristics:

Elementals


Elementals are spirits comprised almost wholly of other worldly energies and substance. They can only exist outside of their Realm of Origin for a limited time, losing some of their energies and substance with each passing day. Even outside of their home realm they can be immensely powerful and are often summoned by spirit users as valuable spell casting allies. Shamans in particular rely heavily upon the power of elemental spirits, even going so far as to learn the elemental tongue in order to commune with them on  a regular basis.

By sheer force of will some of the more powerful Elemental spirits can maintain their existence outside of their Realm of Origin but this has its limits, and a Resolve test is required at the end of each day spent outside their home realm. If failing this Resolve test the elemental spirit immediately drops one rank (i.e. a Middling Elemental would become a Lesser Elemental). If passing, they maintain their current rank until the end of the next day when they must test again.

If an Elemental is able to absorb sufficient sources of energy that also have some tie to the elemental realm from which they came, they can ignore the resolve test for that day (i.e. a Fire Elemental absorbing the heat from an active volcano). As such, when Elemental Spirits are found in the Realm of Strife, it is likely that they do not stray far from some source of elemental power.

Elemental Spirits come in a variety of breeds, each with its own unique form and natural abilities. The many elemental breeds can be broadly categorized into four main groups, with a fifth group for a lesser form of elemental spirit called an Elemental Imp. Read more…

True Elementals – Fire, Water, Earth, Air Elementals

The most common type of Elemental spirit is essentially the pure breeds, each comprised of the most stable form of spiritual energy from one of the four Elemental Realms of Origin.

Volatile Elementals – Acid, Frost, Metal, Storm Elementals

Less common, and arguably more dangerous, are the Volatile elementals. These are true elementals that have wandered too far inwards towards order (Water and Earth elementals) or outwards towards chaos (Fire and Air elementals) in each of their respective elemental realms. The exposure to the volatile energies found in these areas within their realms have fundamentally transformed them from their original form. In some cases it seems possible for them to revert back to true elementals, however the exact particulars of this process are unknown.

Crossbreed Elementals – Steam, Cloud, Dust, Lava Elementals

Crossbreed elementals do not naturally exist in any realm but are instead created through mad experiments and forbidden magics that attempt to bind Elemental Spirits together. This can be done with some measure of success, provided the polarities of the two Elemental Spirits cancel each other out and achieve balance. However such practice is highly offensive to Elementals as well as the typically well meaning Shaman’s that serve them.

Unstable Elementals – Mud and Smoke Elementals

Though largely theoretical, there are also thought to be two breeds of Unstable Elementals. By fusing water and earth elemental spirits, one could create a mud elemental, however there is no balance maintained in this fusion as both are of ordered polarity, making the binding difficult if not impossible to maintain. Likewise, fusing fire and air to create an smoke elemental would be highly unstable due to the combining of two chaotic polarities

Elemental Imps

Elemental imps are a form of lesser elemental spirits that can be found throughout the elemental realms, and the border realms between them. They are generally of evil alignment, however this evil manifests more in the form of a cruel mischievousness, rather than pure malevolence. While not particularly dangerous on their own, they tend to congregate in packs and grow bolder as their numbers increase.

Primals


Primals are Natural Spirits that are similar in many ways to Elementals, however they originate from the Natural Realms of Origin. Regardless of origin, they too are outsiders to the Realm of Strife and must likewise pass a Resolve test at the end of each day if they wish to remain there. The consequences of failure are different for Primals, one of many things that sets them apart from simply being Natural Elementals.

Primal Spirits are thought to be comprised of two distinct species or breeds, known as Treants and Celestials. Read more…

Treants – Ents and Hourns

The Primal Spirits of Eden are the Treants. In their truest form they are referred to as Ents or Tree-Herders. Ents that fail the daily resolve test begin to lose their sentience, and are said to being falling asleep, passing first to a stage of partial sentience known as the Huorn. In this form they are more tree than Ent, possessing only a simplistic intellect and all too often foul temperament. Though they can remain a Huorn for many years, sometimes even being roused from their partial slumber to become Ents once more, if slipping further they will fall asleep for good and become like any other tree.

Eden’s regenerative influence is prevalent in the Realm of Strife, found anywhere that plants grow and thrive, but especially so in the heart of the forest. This makes it relatively easy for Ents to absorb the necessary natural energies to maintain their sentience. As such Ents very often grow to be ancient beings, with long memories and even longer stories for those with the patience to hear them. In the deepest parts of the most ancient forests it is even thought that perhaps some Ents have existed since the very beginning of the Realm of Strife, stranded there when Creation was shattered by the subversive will of the Demons.

Certainly many Ents find their way to the Realm of Strife like any other spirit, summoned by a practitioner of the spiritual arts to fulfill their own goals. Similar to Elemental Shamans, Wild Shamans have learned the Primal Tongue of Treants and typically treat them with reverence and respect.

Celestials – Celestial Beings and Constellations

Little is known about the Primal Spirits of the Cosmos, generically referred to as Celestials or Celestial beings, but more often known by their individual names as Constellations. This is simply because above all Spirits, they struggle the most to survive in the Realm of Strife, requiring vast amounts of energy to maintain their form. While the Cosmos is thought to completely surround the Realm of Strife, clearly evident when gazing upwards at a clear night sky, it seems to be the most removed of any of the Realms of Origin, with sources of Celestial energy few and far between.

While astronomers can list the names of a near infinite number of constellations, the only ones that can claim any true understanding of the Primal Spirits of the Cosmos are the Celestial Shamans, and these are as rare as a fallen star.

Unlike other Shamans, Celestial Shamans must typically commune with the Celestials at a distance,  for the very presence of a celestial is said to cause mysterious maladies and even death. Yet what the few recorded interactions with Celestial Spirits can say with certainty, is that these beings are immensely powerful and not to be trifled with. But to gain their favor, that is a undeniably powerful boon.

Arcanids


Genies


Titans


Codex of Denizens


The Codex of Denizens is the master list of all Denizens available for encounters and roleplaying for Realm of Strife GMs. While the framework for all known and theorized Denizens exists, not all entries are currently complete. The Codex of Denizens continues to expand as designers create new entries.

If you are looking for a Denizen that does not appear in this list please contact us and request that an entry be added to the codex and we will endeavor to publish your request in a timely manner.