Elemental Courts

The Courts
At the mid-point of the Spires, a host of magnificent Realms unfold to the Astral traveler. From paragons of beauty to rotting pits, these so-called Courts provide homes for the higher orders of Urn brood the Preceptors and Lords of Hermetic terminology who embody the old gods, the elementals who incarnate the forces of nature, and the demonic and angelic hosts who personify the ultimate evils and goods. Several "independent" Urn brood also make their homes in these labyrinthine corridors, carving out Realms which resonate in Awakened folklore: the excruciating playgrounds of the Hestilics, the jeweled gardens of Samantha, the floating steeples of Aelida, the Gneech King's Court of Cormanth, and so many others. Most Courts have permanent portals leading from their halls to Chantries on the Horizon, or occasionally even to Earth. The elemental domains send small gateways to the material world through large fires, deep waters, caves, forests, storms or molten metals. Thus, an astral traveler who meditates before an inferno can pass into the Realm of Fire if he has the skill. I knew an Akashic who set himself on fire to visit Huo the Flame lord, preserving his mortal form with advanced magicks so that he'd have somewhere to come back to when he returned. lady Aelida brings her visitors to her sky-Realm by pulling them through whirlwinds, so I'm told, and the mermaid Seline lures paramours into her undersea boudoir by diving with them into deep pools or oceans. Any way you go, it's easier to reach a Court through an Earthly portal than through the Spires.

The various Umbral Courts are far too extensive a subject for this book. We tried to fit them in, but could not do them justice within this small yet comprehensive guide. A friend of mine named Hapsburg claims to be working on a more detailed treatment of the Umbral Courts (tentatively entitled The Mad Masque), but aside from referring you to the extensive Hermetic libraries on the subject, Dindaine and I cannot explore the various Courts in as much depth as we would prefer. Sorry, folks! (:-) Even so, I can offer a few brief glimpses into the Courts I've heard about. They're not as extensive as I would have liked, but they're enough to give an Umbral explorer some idea of where he's going and what he'll find when he gets there.

The Elemental Domains
There's a lot of debate as to whether true elemental Courts exist at all. While Hermetic writ and traditional folklore describe the Court of the Fire Lord, the Sea Queen's Domain and other such Realms, the tales disagree about the details. I'm inclined to believe that there are regions set aside by certain elements and shaped by their influence; within these areas, powerful elementals and other Umbrood set up shop and declare their Realm "the Court of the Five Winds," or something like that.

Cosmologists debate whether the elemental Courts "belong" in the High Worlds or the Middle ones. A case can be made for either distinction; although it's hard to reach these Courts from the Umbra, it can be done, so they probably occupy that fringe area I mentioned earlier. You know, the one with the Pattern Webs and the Mythic Realms? Good, good. Okay, now, although the four Western elements seem to occupy larger regions than the Eastern Courts of Wood and Metal, each type of element -except Ether, which frankly bugs me -holds some sway in the High Umbra.

Each elemental domain radiates immense power, hewn from the prime essence of that region. The Fire Courts crackle with walls of flame; breathing here can blister your lungs unless you take precautions. The Air Domains ride on clouds, with walls of wafting mist as solid as steel to outsiders but ephemeral to the native spirits. In the caves of Earth (which may lie in the Shade Realm of Matter for all we know), the air itself seems alive with dust; visitors here feel the weight of solid stone bearing down on them, even in the largest caverns. The Metal lands have a similarly claustrophobic atmosphere, but the air here tastes of molten iron, and cold steel clanks beneath your boots. I'm told the wood Groves are just that -endless forests decorated with Chinese calligraphy and Indian batik, dotted here and there by harmony gardens. Beneath a bottomless ocean, the Water Courts present a problem to any visitor without diving gear or advanced life talents. Seaweed and shaped stone guide currents of water into "rooms" where elemental spirits drift lazily. All in all, the elemental Courts are exciting, if a hassle, to visit.

The following roll of important elemental spirit lords and Preceptors comes from an anonymous source inside Horizon's Archives. It's not complete by any means, but can serve as a road map to travelers in the elemental regions:

Air: Aga the Storm King, Bojjiro, Hekka No, Hebil of the Million Eyes, Pipasha, Zephra

Earth: Brunjah the First Child, Lord Gorm, Gortak, Hagga Hath, Tazgool the Insane, Tsuchi

Fire: Amma the Just, King Umo, Hakka, Huo the Flame Lord, Hi-Nagi, Salmander, Unm'ad, Zelya of the Cold Smoke.

Metal: Eiliah the Wise, Kamali Kayasa the Iron Lotus, Shiyu Kwan, Tetsu Ri, Lady Yablin

Water: Bahari, Lady Persephora, Nepenthe, Kroshhak the Devourer, LoChinn, Seline ofthe Emerald Scale, Ushaai

Wood: Gyani Chaya, Hon So the Wooden Dragon, Lady Kath, P'eng Tsu of the Peach, Quiang Shouberi

umbrood Realms
Various beings and races live in the astral layers. The homes they create have more to do with their essence than with a visitor's expectations. Like Horizon Realms, these Umbrood palaces are worlds unto themselves, with a fairly static appearance and certain laws they operate by. Note that these laws don't necessarily have anything to do with Earthly physics; in fact, most of them get pretty damned weird. Water running backward, reverse gravity (or none at all), detachable body parts, that sort of thing. He who makes the Realm makes the rules.

Many powerful Bygones escaped from Earth to the High Umbra during the end of the Mythic Ages; a few of them have been here longer than recorded human history. Some cultures called them gods while they walked on Earth, gods who disappeared as the classical pantheons arose some 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. Ch'shrinn the Bloated One and Sobk the Eater of Sins are some notorious examples. Other cultures know them as demons on the verge of the senses -Hestilics, Akaa and much worse. The mass exodus of the High Mythic Ages brought other refugees dragons like IkThazai, entities like Aelida, and many others. These powerful beings took shards of preexisting Realms and shaped them to their needs. Floating castles, spires made ofsolid color, gardens decked with human limbs... anything that might suit the discerning Umbrood can be found here.

Most Umbrood Realms either overlap into other territories, like Mythic Realms or elemental regions, or establish portals or gateways that pass directly to Earth. Reaching such Realms through the Spires is pretty difficult, though I've heard it's been done. If you’re planning on crashing some spirit's dinner party, though, just imagine the kind of reception an angry U umbrood Lord can cook up to make an example of trespassers. And speaking of receptions (pleasant and otherwise) ....