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The Abyss -
The Eidolon -
The Anima -
The Hollow -
The Vortex -
The Eternum -
The Dictat -
The Silence
The Abyss
The Abyss is a realm of darkness and shadows, of hedonistic pleasures and self-service, but one that is entirely free of any restraint and inhibition. Veilwalkers have described this realm as one where one walks in shadows and an eternal red twilight, but where the senses are constantly overwhelmed with seductions and allure. Demons shape themselves based on the wants and needs of those who come into contact with them, attempting to entice and seduce the unprepared into their schemes perfectly. The Abyss takes a central role in the history of Aloria, once having been called the Void, because of the cyclical Void Invasions during which Demons poured out to end all life on Aloria. After the Cataclysm, as the Abyss was more thoroughly explored, the term was changed.
The Abyss is the anti-realm of the Eidolon, where the perfect ordination and divine planning strongly chafe against the ultimate freedom and lack of restrictions inherent to the Abyss. The Abyss is the ally-realm of the Vortex, due to their common themes of unrestricted need, of change, and of evolution. The Abyss has two unique Schools of Magic called Blood Magic and Shadow Magic. Abyss Magic has traditionally been thought of as seductive and hedonistic and thus been considered corrupting, but has more recently been re-evaluated as eternally liberating and gratifying, freeing those who use Magic to overcome oppressive systems at the cost of their own discretion and wearing their desires and wants on their sleeves for all to see.
The Eidolon
The Eidolon is a realm of perfect tranquility, of divine ordainment and harmonious design, but one where dogma is all powerful and deviancy is repressed. Veilwalkers have described this realm as one where perfect geometry and divine design in repeating patterns and shapes create beautiful harmony, but where any changing of this perfect order is harshly punished. Demons shape themselves based on the principles of design and order, attempting to induce any trespassers into compliance, so that peace and harmony may be restored. The Eidolon takes a central role in the history of Aloria, because it was their violent subjection by the Seraph, that caused their anti-realm to venture into Aloria, and start the cyclical Void Invasions to also wipe out the Eidolon.
The Eidolon is the anti-realm of the Abyss, where chaotic lack of restraint destroys all semblance of harmony and divine ordainment as found in the Eidolon. There is of course also the fact that much of the Eidolon was destroyed from the repeat Abyss Invasions on Aloria, forcing Eidolon Demons to hide often to avoid the same fate. The Eidolon is the ally-realm of the Eternum, where the eternal stability and stasis of never-changing essentialism corresponds with the Eidolon's design. The Eidolon has two unique Schools of Magic called Chrono Magic and Light Magic. The Eidolon has traditionally been thought of as spiritual and tranquil realm due to its support of traditional virtues, but always narrow-mindedly represses anyone who acts outside of its desired "normal."
The Anima
The Anima is a realm of the Fae, of an abundance of life and vibrancy in colors and experience, but one where the trickery and deceit of the Fae causes forever-war between the four cardinal courts. Veilwalkers have described this realm as one of natural beauty very similar to Aloria, with vast wetlands, vibrant swamps, glacial cathedrals, and summer-warm flower fields. Fae and Demons are one and the same, in the Anima realm vast societies of immortal Fae exist that constantly wage war on each other, and conscript mortals and Veilwalkers from Aloria to fight meaningless battles to amuse the Fae. Out of all the realms, the Anima is the most Aloria-like, and the Fae are the most recognizable to Alorians as people in the way they are understood in Aloria.
The Anima is the anti-realm of the Hollow, where the permanent death and absence of vibrancy of life clashes with the abundance in the Anima. The Anima is also the ally-realm of the Dictat, where knowledge hoarding and spoken truths are equally used to trick and deceive. The Anima has two unique Schools of Magic called Evergrowth Magic and Moxy Magic. Anima Magic has traditionally been thought of as whimsy and fantastical, but this often forgets the underlying trickery that the Fae are prone to, and that appearances can be very deceiving. The Anima is dangerous despite having the largest population of Veilwalkers living in it, because the Fae are so adept at hiding their inhumanity and insane politics, with whimsy and flair.
The Hollow
The Hollow is a vast necropolis realm where life has left few imprints, but where death is explored beyond mortal understanding. Veilwalkers have described this realm both as a horror of death, but also of beauty in finality and tranquility in the absence of suffering and pain or the indignity of death as there is no such thing as a living being that can die. Demons in the Hollow are often a coin toss between wanting to consume the souls of the living out of hatred for their condition or seeking to be perfect agents of the cycle of life and offering closure and a peaceful passing to those who are close to that threshold. The Hollow has had a history of negative interactions with Aloria due to powerful necrotic beings having declared a crusade against the living, becoming enemies of the Dragons of Aloria.
The Hollow is the anti-realm of the Anima, where the vibrant expressions of life and vitality repulse the denizens of the Hollow. The Hollow is an ally-realm of the Silence, as both represent an ideology of finality and death, one of living beings and the other of thoughts and ideas. The Hollow has two unique Schools of Magic called Necrotic Magic and Specter Magic. The Hollow frequently has war waged upon it by forces in Aloria and the Anima, especially in the living city of Kur, due to the Hollow's constant interference with Aloria. This desire to inflict constant death is not consistent, however, while many in Aloria know the great horror of the Malefica from the Hollow, few know the rebels in its ranks who are less obsessed with extinguishing life, and more with extending deathly peace and ending suffering.
The Vortex
The Vortex is a realm of constant and obsessive change, a realm where nothing is allowed to stay the same, and everything must constantly evolve for the better or worse. Veilwalkers have described this realm as an undulating storm of lights, shapes, and realities, where even the simple act of blinking can result in totally new landscapes appearing before one's self. Demons from the Vortex are agents of an imposed and constant chaos of trying out new things, being new people, looking different, and feeling otherly. The Vortex is loved for its immense capacity to impose change in rigid structures and refresher the old, but often activates a knee-jerk reaction to resist change. Its desire to see change is so unrelenting and without seeking consent, that some have come to fear the chaos it brings in its wake.
The Vortex is the anti-realm of the Eternum where the safety and comfort of an unchanging world, chafes with the constant imposed evolution of the Vortex. The Vortex is an ally-realm of the Abyss, because their constant desire and need to experience something different align while they both revel in chaos. The Vortex has two unique Schools of Magic called Flux Magic, and Genos Magic. The Vortex is generally more enigmatic than the other realms, due to its constantly changing and evolving nature, making comparing its denizens and forces to the other realms, and recognizing them incredibly difficult. The Vortex itself is also much more difficult to navigate for Veilwalkers, due to its existing landscapes constantly changing location, causing some to consider the Vortex the most dangerous realm to enter.
The Eternum
The Eternum is a realm of opposition to change, of finding peace of mind and stability in the familiar and resisting forceful imposition from the outside. Veilwalkers have described this realm as comfortably familiar, a land frozen in time with unmoving clouds and celestial bodies without orbits. Yet, all this pathfinding familiarity hides the danger that is inherent to wandering where one is not expected. Demons from the Eternum act like obsessive enforcers of eternity, seeking to correct anything that does not belong or to resist upheavals, change, or advancement. New ideas are conformed to the familiar, and any progress or alterations are reverted to the past. Many fail to look past this narrow-mindedness to refuse change, failing to see the durability and resilience of the Eternum, and the unfading beauty.
The Eternum is the anti-realm of the Vortex where the constant change and evolution wears down the durability of the Eternum. The Eternum is the ally-realm of the Eidolon, because of their design-based ideologies perfectly aligning. The Eternum has two unique Schools of Magic called Stasis Magic and Inertia Magic. The Eternum is sometimes thought of as an incredibly boring place where nothing new ever happens, but it also plays on themes that are common in mortal societies, fear of growing old or fading beauty, concern over the passing of time, sorrow at the decay or rotting or rusting of beloved objects. The Eternum offers peace of mind to all of these things, which for some can even be extrapolated to their dream of an Empire everlasting, with all the horrors that come with that possibility.