Immortals, Religions and Worship
by Giulio CarolettiThe specular conformation of the Nightmare Dimension in relation to the Multiverse could lead people to believe that there are also Immortals here, and that clergy, religious matters and worship are ruled by laws similar to those Primes know so well.
However, any scrupulous reader will by now know that the things are not as similar as they seem...
For the first, there are NO corresponding Spheres of Power in the Nightmare Dimension. Thus, there are NO Nightmare Immortals. "Clerics" of the Nightmare Dimension receive their powers only from the Elemental Forces of the Dimension. So it could be said that there are "clerics" of Blackflame, Vischor, Nightmare and Terro. These "clerics" are called materialists. Other ways to receive clerical powers is to worship the Outer Beings.
The worship of Elemental Forces is the most common "faith" of the Nightmare Dimension. To Nightmare creatures, they represent the roots of life and all existence, embody the primary principles from which their universe has been formed. Depending on their inclinations, beliefs, and ideals, diaboli and Nightmare creatures worship more or less one Element, from which some of them are able to draw powers similar to those of Prime Clerics. To diaboli and other Nightmare creatures, religion is an individual matter. There is no clergy, no religious institution: everyone is alone with his beliefs. Particularly reverent Diaboli, who devote their life to fulfil their existence as embodiment of their Element, may become Materialists, the equivalent of specialty priests in the Prime.
Materialists:
Terrists: To feel Terro as one's guide element is especially common among diaboli. Terro is the most chaotic element of the Fifth. The followers of Terro believe that the ever-changing nature of the Terro reflects the belief that life and ideals are ever-changing. It would be of no use to devote oneself to a cause forever, because life can change and thus everything may change- in any situation. Terrists are unpredictable, but inherently good, because they are not scheming nor organized enough to believe that an end needs to be fulfilled at any rate. Tolerance for the others is also typical, as no absolute truth is believed to exist, and thus there is no need to impose an idea to another.
Spheres of clerical spells: All, Animal (Nightmare), Chaos, Creation, Elemental (Terro), Plant (Nightmare), Travellers.
Airists: Less chaotic of the Nightmare creatures are followers of Nightmare, as they believe it to be the less changing of the four forces. Airists are generally firm in their beliefs, steady in their opinions. They are not much tolerant, and often their alignment is evil. They believe in the maintaining of rules and the total reduction of reality in simple and understandable terms. Logic and physics and philosophy are their sciences, and they try to impose their views on others. They are particularly opposed to Terrists, whom they whole-heartedly hate, finding that they are fools without any form of organisation. Airists are common among diaboli who have left the Fifth, as they have sought Law in the hands of Prime Immortals.
Spheres of clerical spells: All, Astral, Combat*, Divination, Elemental (Nightmare), Guardian*, Healing, Law, Numbers*.
Blackists: The followers of Blackflame are the most reflective of the creatures of the Nightmare dimension. They are cold in their feelings, and little emotional. They too are often lazy, or refuse to act because they feel nothing is really worth the strife. They are pondering creatures with an inherently destructive attitude toward things: to act is to consume, to live is to consume, and thus everything is ultimately destined to death and destruction. Blackists feel their role is destroy to prepare the ground to new life, and there are two means to reach the end: destroy what is decaying, and help what is growing; thus they are gloomy, often of neutral alignment, and somehow related to Prime Druids.
Spheres of clerical spells: All, Elemental (Blackflame), Guardian, Necromantic, Protection, Sun (all with reversed effects), Wards.
Vischists: Vischor is the element of life. Vischists think that life is activity, flowing eternally, and maintaining itself resistant to the ever-changing nature of Blackflame, and the destructive efforts of Blackflame. Vischists want to spread new ideas and beliefs, but without destroying what is old; they would like to have a completely new creation, creating from nothing, and not changing the old. They are obsessed with activity, beginning thousands of new activities, and trying to keep them all going on. They are full of fantasy, believe in violence as a mean to create the new (although they fear the destruction this can cause), are curious and somehow similar to Terrists.
Spheres of clerical spells: All, Chaos, Combat*, Creation, Elemental (Vischor), Healing, Summoning, War*.
Immortals and the Nightmare Dimension
A creature from the Nightmare Dimension may become an Immortal if it moves to the Prime and enters service under one of the Immortals of the Spheres. However, no Immortal may grant spells to followers in the Fifth, so a Nightmare Immortal is destined to have very few followers there. This explains the fact that Nightmare creatures are found in the Prime and decide to settle there more often than vice versa. This is, as an example, the case of diaboli followers of Harrow.
Prime Priests in the Nightmare Dimension If we sum up what we said, we arrive to this simple conclusion: Priests cannot cast spells on the Fifth, because they are cut off from contact with their Immortals. However, with time on their side, they can become "connected" somehow to the Nightmare Dimension, and thus become able to cast spells of their