Final Fantasy: Spirits Beyond

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Within the shadows and under our nose, a world of the fantastic lives and breaths. The unawakened remain blissfully ignorant, their mind writing off jarring incidents as illusion, mistaken identity, or simply not what it was. But those that are awakened? They see our world for what it truly is or, in the case of a few, what it is to become.

Earth is a hub of sorts. Things associated with myths live here, forging new lives away from their homes. For as long as man has existed, mystical creatures have, as well, and a few men have been able to harness powers from beyond. Galahad, Tesla, Rasputin, Joan of Arc... all were able to interact with the beyond and used this for good or evil.

Crystals power the Earth, although most are unaware of them. They drive everything, allowing us to have clean water, a burning sun, fertile grounds, and breathable air. Continents formed around the crystals, they operate under close guard. Should the crystals' power be manipulated, the bridge between Earth and the beyond could be shattered or, even worse, made obsolete.

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Setting a place right now for a campaign setting I'm going to start building up to, hopefully, run through next summer when I'll have a lot of time to dedicate to running it with actual people! I basically was thinking of a modern day fantasy setting and, playing Final Fantasy V, I figured it couldn't hurt to just use the crystals in a similar method and call it Final Fantasy. Considering running this as d20 Modern, so we'll see where that goes.

As I've been writing this, I've decided to cut the ties with Final Fantasy, at least from a names and places perspective. Mostly because I don't want to write about Moogles and shit.

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Table of Contents

I. Earth
It really does look the same as what we've grown accustomed to. Rolling mountains. Endless seas. Great nations building and destroying empires. It's a land humanity has made, but not one for humanity to tear down.
a. Florida
b. Maine
c. Alaksa
d. California
II. The Beyond
Millennia ago, Earth and the lands beyond struck up something of a deal. You see, they both need one another to survive. Well, they need one another like a roach needs a wasp. Earth houses the Beyond's crystals, assuring that both worlds will be able to live in some kind of harmony. The Beyond needs the Crystals' energies to survive and the Earth needs to not be obliterated.
a. Races of the Beyond
b. A Brief History of the Beyond
III. Agents of Light
Four heroes. Every generation has them, but not every generation needs them. However, there are others that help the heroes. They come in different forms, but are always present. Hopefully.
IV. Agents of Darkness
We lie in wait, but are not dormant. We can be slowed, but not stopped. We are eternal and we will persevere.
V. The Crystals
Terra, Fire, Air, and Water. Each one gets its power through a Crystal. These Crystals, creating the bond between Earth and the Beyond, allowing Earth the power it needs to survive while giving the Beyond a place to store and guard the Crystals. Their power is immense and many have tried to harness it for their own needs, but few have succeeded. Those that succeed have brought great destruction to both worlds and those that fail pay with their lives.

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Earth is very much like the one we live in. A not-too-distant future, affording some slightly higher technology than what we currently have, but without the absurdity of mass-produced energy weapons, robots, and the like changing our overall world climate. Some have accessed these technologies, but they are few and far between. The general Progress Level is a high 5, placing the world still in the Information Age, but not far from the Fusion Age.

This game takes place primarily in the United States, although particularly enterprising players could make their way to other parts of the world. Perhaps an ancient axe used by a hero of the past lies frozen in ice in the Russian tundra or a pendant was hidden in Mexico that grants certain immunities to its wearer. This guide, however, will only detail parts of the United States. Specifically, the parts of the country where the four crystals are housed.

There are various creation myths to the United States. While it is true that the nation was formed due to ideological differences with England, the differences didn't happen only because of personal liberties. Before the crystals were in the United States, England had been abusing the powers granted by the crystals. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington, the Heroes of their generation, managed to acquire the crystals and bring them to the new world.

After the War of 1812 showed the Americans that keeping the crystals in one location was a dangerous idea, the American leaders decided to spread the country from sea to shining sea, placing one crystal in each corner of the country. The Air Crystal, wet and hot, rests in Florida. The Fire Crystal, hot and dry, rests in California. The Terra Crystal, dry and cold, rests in Alaska. The Water Crystal, cold and wet, rests in Maine.

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Every child grows up hearing tales of great knights slaying fierce dragons or wise wizards bending the forces of nature to their will, however few people believe these extend any further than the pages of storybooks or the tongues of orators. It's as though the ability to reason eliminates the ability to believe. Once children begin to hold a better grasp on reality, of the world around them at least, they begin to see these as mere myths and legends. This, of course, is where mankind is gravely mistaken.

While the great Heroes of the past have had their exploits exaggerated over the years, the adventures certainly did happen. Hercules really did slay the Lernean Hydra, Moses really did part the Red Sea, and Abraham Lincoln really did end the reign of vampires in the United States (well, that story's only starting to pick up steam). These legendary monsters come from what humans have named, showing every bit of their creativity, the Beyond. Then again, from a race that calls the vast eternity of the cosmos "space," this might actually be a step up.

It's not that the Beyond is a place of only monsters and evil. Indeed, these things are no more common there than they are on Earth. However, as with any encroaching force, the malevolence of the Beyond is the part that intends to extend its grip further. Warlords seek new lands and conquests, not diplomats. So the occasional Beyonder will come live on Earth, but to the unsuspecting Human, a Goblin is just a squat, ugly man. An Elf has almost inescapable beauty. A Dragon is a corporate CEO. These creatures come to Earth for new beginnings and a new spread of influence.

Earth's relationship with the Beyond is my real purpose in writing this section, as there are sub-chapters to come and detail the races of the Beyond with much more specificity. Earth is something of an anomaly in the grand scheme of things. By no means is it a powerful world. Its natives are weak and corrupt, more so than the natives of other planets, but have managed to survive and prosper due to some kind of precognitive intuition. There's nothing supernatural about Humans, but they have a certain, violent sense of free will that drives their actions. Even those that live in more oppressed lands have a leg up on the other races of the cosmos. There's a strong power from Earth's core that feeds its Humans and gives them life. This is what drew the Beyond to it in the first place.

The Beyond gets its power from the four Crystals, but the Crystals are more of a battery than a generator. What power they have is great, but never permanent. Some say that there were many more than four Crystals before the Beyonders discovered Earth, although this speculation has never really been confirmed. It's hard to conceptualize what other core elements could have formed the worlds when we live in a time that's evolved so much around only Air, Water, Fire, and Clay. The Crystals were rapidly depleting, but a brilliant alchemist by the name of Ray Harnsborough discovered Earth and created a means to siphon its energy as a fuel source.

This backfired at first; Earth was drained of its energy and sent into a bleak ice age for some time. While the Beyonders lived happily with the Earth's energy, they soon needed another charge. Amazed by Earth's ability to regenerate its internal energy, Harnsborough reasoned that the Crystals could constantly suck energy from Earth. Taking just enough to remain active, Earth would not be sent into oblivion again and the Beyond would remain intact.

This symbiotic relationship went on for some time. Beyonders occasionally traveled to Earth to explore, some leaving their own forms of graffiti while others taught the early Humans valuable lessons. It wasn't until both sides became too confident that things became violent. The Beyonders and the Humans realized their need for one another, specifically their need for one another to remain alive, and have since stayed in a state of mutually assured destruction. While rogue Beyonders will enter Earth in hopes of stealing the Crystals' strength, this is a rare occurrence and, whenever it happens, the Heroes will awaken and quell the threat.

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The Beyond is populated by a number of races, but the most commonly encountered are the Goblins, Elves, Dwarves, and Dragons. These races have worked their way through the Beyond and have forged their own communities and kingdoms. More importantly, these races have also made their way into Earth and have started their own settlements there.

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Goblins
The Goblins of the Beyond are a shifty folk, known for their cunning and resourcefulness. Of the races of the Beyond, the Goblins have come up from the least and paved the biggest path for themselves, giving them a kind of arrogance unmatched by many of the other races. They've built an almost isolationist empire for themselves, living primarily in the trees of forests and jungles in the Beyond, shunning outsiders unless they have something to offer. That said, the Goblins are not a particularly violent folk when unprovoked. Their climb to power has given them a sort of twisted sense of honor, showing them the power of an individual within a group and not wanting to stunt anybody's personal growth.

Physically, Goblins are less than appealing. Their skin is fleshy, dry, and loose hanging off their bones, very pale in color due to their life under the canopies and out of the sun. They have large, bat-like ears that usually hang down to their shoulders and hooked, often broken, noses. They have the teeth of an omnivore despite being a race that has a culture of vegetarianism and beady black eyes that allow them to see in darkness. Goblins stand, on average, about 4'8" but are rarely taller than 5'. They tend to cover their skin in dirt and mud as a means of moisturizing when in direct sunlight and, as a result, it is rare to encounter a clean Goblin.

On Earth, Goblins are hard to come by. Having worked so hard to secure their position in the Beyond, they rarely try to push their luck by overreaching. Those that have come to Earth tend to be mistaken for adolescents, either short teenagers or tall pre-teens, due to their height and awkward appearance. Humans often see their ears as smaller than they are (but still large for a person of their perceived height and age), but have a hard time missing the mud flakes and gangly hair. Goblins that have lived on Earth for long enough start to take on more Human traits, sometimes cross-breeding and taking the best of both worlds.

Notable Goblins in Earth include basketball player Muggsy Bogues and politician Renato Brunetta.

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Elves
Elves have been the dominant race of the Beyond for as long as all but the Dragons can remember. As the top of the food chain, they've lived a relatively peaceful existence and have been able to spend their long lives pursuing more intangible things than interest the others. While the Goblins fight to maintain their land, the Elves simply take advantage of having the Beyond at their fingertips. Elves are obsessive and compulsive, perfectionists to the end, and grow weary of those that prefer to behave in ways that contradict the habits they've already developed. Often writing others off as unintelligent or less worthy, the Elves have developed a well deserved reputation of being stand-offish and rude. Most let them do what they want, which keeps them in their position of power but also keeps them out of others' hair.

Elves have a certain noble beauty that no race has managed to match and, likely, never will. They are tall and lithe, yet have bodies with the ability to build strength and muscle unmatched by few. Their hair glows under the suns of the Beyond, the glow changing color depending on anything from the Elf's mood to personal fancy. Naturally, an Elf's hair color is similar to a Human's, but a purple or green haired Elf happens about as frequently as a red-haired Human. An Elf's eyes almost always match their hair in color and their skin, very sensitive to sunlight, tends to change color depending on the sun's intensity. While indoors, Elves have almost pure white skin, but this can change to coal black under direct summer sunlight.

Elves have made a habit of coming to Earth for vacations and trysts, although the conditions on Earth tend to tone down their natural beauty. It's a common fact amongst those in-the-know that almost all fashion models are actually Elves, which an incredibly frustrating reality for those who don't know and aspire to find work in the field. After all, even when their beauty and grace cannot come to full power on Earth, Elves are still remarkably beautiful and only a rare Human is able to match them. Elves on Earth have the ability to choose their skin tone, as the Earthen sun's rays have very little impact on their skin, but they lose control over the color of their hair, only able to change it by returning to the Beyond. An Elf would never consider stooping low enough to breed with any race other than their own, Humans included.

Notable Elves in Earth include Milla Jovovich and Fabio Lanzoni.

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Dwarves
Dwarves are an interesting breed in the Beyond. Creatures of the mountains and darkness, short and stocky with powerful features and dour faces, it's not unsurprising that Humans have seen Dwarves as stoic and stern. This, of course, is very far from the truth. Human interaction with Dwarves is rare, as most Dwarves prefer to remain in the Beyond, so those that have seen Dwarves usually exaggerate and change things. Dwarves of the Beyond are jolly and frivolous, taking great joys in practical joking and fine ale. A sober Dwarf after the suns have set is a rare sight, indeed. Dwarves act on impulses and take to adventure like it's second nature. And, in a sense, it is. Dwarves have been on the go since the Dragon Age, creating new settlements as far as the maps reach, which has kept them under the radar from the more ambitious races.

Dwarves have a great variance in height, but usually are no shorter than 3'8" and no taller than 4'6", with the more active Dwarves on the taller, stockier side of the race and the homebodies tend to be shorter and more plump. All male Dwarves take great pride in their beards, although it's a common misconception that Dwarves all grow them out to great lengths. It's just as common to see a Dwarf with a finely groomed beard as it is to see one with braids reaching the ground.

Dwarves on Earth tend to be hard to identify once one has been awakened. They're more likely to shave their beards as an attempt to blend in with the Humans, although most are unhappy about this truth. Dwarves usually stay away from Earth because, due to their build, they tend to get shoehorned into menial labor which, while exciting initially, becomes a boring routine very quickly. Dwarves look like small Humans, but are never mistaken for children due to their large features.

Notable Dwarves in Earth include Jason Acuña and Zelda Rubinstein.

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Dragons
An ancient race, existing in the Beyond for as long as time has been recorded, the Dragons have always held a strong seat of power. They're arrogant and would describe themselves as such, but nobody dares to question their authority. The only time any group has tried to overthrow the Dragons was during the Elven Uprising, which was quite successful, but only because the Dragons allowed the Elves to ascend to power. The Dragons remain behind the scenes, using their power to influence the happenings of the Beyond. This is not to say that all Dragons are evil creatures. In truth, they're a race as varied as any other. The problem, of course, is that an evil creature with the ambition, influence, and strength of a Dragon is incredibly potent and needs much less help to get its desired results.

Dragons look very much like the Dragons of Earthen myth. They are large, lizard-like creatures with leathery wings and horned skulls. Some Dragons, much like dinosaurs, are covered in feathers with colors ranging across the entire spectrum. While dragons vary in scale color, this is as cosmetic to them as hair color is to a human. Dragons in the same lineage tend to be the same color, but it isn't unheard of for a black Dragon to have a green hatchling. Not all Dragons breathe fire, but magic comes naturally to the race and, as a result, it's a skill most acquire. Dragons also have an ability to take a second form, shape-shifting into another creature. While not bound to one secondary form, most Dragons prefer to pick another identity to assume and do not stray from that. This form can be anything, but most Dragons prefer Elves and Dwarves, allowing them to easily navigate the Beyond without drawing suspicion.

On Earth, Dragons will always be in Human form. Their ambition skyrockets, as they see themselves as vastly superior to any Human, even more so than they see themselves as superior to the races of the Beyond. A Dragon takes many forms, but cunning politicians, shrewd businessmen, and corrupt CEOs are, very frequently, Dragons. Only in rare instances will a Dragon show its true form on Earth and, when it does, the Humans usually try to reason it away as something else. At least, the Humans that survive the Dragon's reveal.

Notable Dragons in Earth include Rick Scott and Oprah Winfrey.

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Scrapping the entire Race stuff and redoing it entirely, with none of the fancy "fantasy races" present. Truthfully, I included them only to include them and that's a terrible reason to include something as potentially flavorful as a new race.

Instead, I'll be working on developing a few kingdoms for The Beyond that will reflect various cultural differences within the people there. Races will all be human, but defined by their kingdom's cultures.

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Long before Humans existed on Earth, even before Earth existed, the Beyond blinked into being. It was a shapeless mass, an object of chaos. It was both infinitely small and infinitely large; infinitely massive while lacking any substance. However, chaos cannot exist without order, so the Beyond began taking shape until a perfect equilibrium of chaos and order was met. Whether it's merely random happenstance that the Beyond bears a striking resemblance to Earth is even more speculative than the actual formation of the Beyond, but the similarities are definitely there.

The first intelligent creatures to exist in the Beyond, or at least the first ones to document themselves as existing, were the Dragons. There were very few of them, but they were powerful and held a strong command over the Humans that began to evolve around them. Intelligent beyond belief, wielding magic as naturally as breathing, the Dragons were the supreme beings in the Beyond.

It wasn't until the Battle on Elmin Mound that this changed. The Dragons, powerful as they were, were a viciously proud race of creatures. Even the most noble Dragon viewed all others as vastly inferior and his command as nothing more than charity work for the less fortunate. Dragons with a weaker moral compass, however, were a force to be reckoned with.

Seven of them sought to steal power for themselves, using one another to take down the other Dragons. While under alliance with one another, there was no real trust present. The Seven all wanted the power to themselves, but none was strong enough to win it single-handedly, so they needed one another in order to have any success.

The resulting conflict was bloody, creating a schism in Humanity, taking many Humans and bringing them into the fold with the Seven. A handful of these people were mutated by dark magics and given aspects of the Dragons, serving as generals in the Seven's armies. The descendants of these people are said to have been killed off, but a number of people believe otherwise.

The Seven ultimately lost the conflict and were banished from the Beyond. This marked the first real, violent conflict and presented reason for the ruling Dragons to manufacture the Crystals. With the Beyond's power divided into four parts, the Beyond's safety would be much more difficult to compromise. This breaking of the Crystals also caused the landscape to change drastically. The Fire Crystal was the first to break off, its dry heat covering the world in arid desert. The Water Crystal, next, chilled the world and broke up the land. Where ice formed and melted, seas developed. Water nourished the land and gave rise to plant life. While these Crystals made land, the others created life. The Terra Crystal allowed life to flourish in even the coldest regions, nearest to the Water Crystal. Plants and animals of the cold were nurtured here. The Air Crystal allowed for life in the hottest regions, bringing wetness from the Water Crystal into the otherwise unlivable heat. Rain forests and swamps developed, giving rise to a multitude of strange creatures and cultures.

It was around these Crystals that the Human kingdoms of the Beyond began to develop, although the Humans had no knowledge of the Crystals. The Dragons, having done their part to secure the Beyond, took the magic that overflowed from the Crystals and used it to create their own world. This world became Earth. The Dragons led a prosperous life on Earth until a catyclsm occurred when the Humans of the Beyond first stumbled upon a means to enter Earth.

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I kind of stumbled upon the idea of the Crystals representing the land and the life. I've been trying to come up with a way for them to interact with one another, creating an ecosystem that works, but it was a hard sell when using the classical elements. I didn't want to just have a generic "fire is volcanoes, water is the sea, etc" approach and, instead, went with the Hellenic physics.

Ultimately, I came to realize that Fire (hot and dry) and Water (cold and wet) were in direct contrast, but both represented the shape of the land. Barren land is either and and dry (like the deserts) or cold and wet (Antarctic desert; while dry from a precipitation standpoint, is still almost entirely covered in a sheet of ice). The lands begin to develop support of life when you add elements of the other. Earth is cold and dry, the tundra and taiga, the cold biomes that still support life. Air, conversely, is hot and wet, much like the rain forests and swamps.

Obviously, this isn't exactly a perfect or even completely accurate breakdown of how ecosystems work, but it's science fiction/fantasy for Christ's sake. :]

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Alright, I'm starting to leave the Beyond for now to focus more on stuff on Earth. I've been getting to thinking that the happenings on the Beyond probably won't take place too much in a game. Much like The Shadow in d20 Modern, the Beyond exists and is fully there, but the likelihood of players travelling into the Beyond is slim. And if they do, it'll probably be much more like the few episodes in Angel where they went to Pylea, an isolated demon world, but came back after their work was finished. If you really want to play an extended game in a higher fantasy swords/sorcery kind of setting, maybe you should be playing D&D or Pathfinder, yeah?

The first things I'll be working on in here will be my treatment of the Moreaus and a large, multi-national organization that kind of acts as the nemesis for heroes. I will note that, while I did have the idea of a multi-national Beyond-affiliated organization being a big part of the setting, watching Angel and seeing how they handle Wolfram & Hart has definitely helped me visualize the concept more vividly.