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Description
Introduction
Aethos is a magical hell-like dimension that consumes and feeds off of living matter from a source world (SW). Aethos' name derives from the Latin "Modes of Persuasion" more specifically Ethos: Credibility & Ethics. A negative prefix "A-" is then added, resulting in "Aethos," meaning "The place without Credibility or Ethics".
Aethos overall is a dimension that feeds off of multiple SW's resources to survive. Though Aethos has some its own natural resources they are insufficient to keep the denizens healthy, especially when considering that the dimension has problems with overpopulation and no sun to provide energy. To solve for this issue, Aethos frequently makes rifts in the Breach to suck in resources from SWs. These rifts suck in everything from water, to air, to light, to living things, but most importantly they suck in living energy or "souls" which are a greatly improved food-source, resource, and currency to Aethos' native options. Natural Resources on Aethos are extremely hard to come by. Most of them, including light, energy, safe-to-eat food or water, have already been drained to near absence, resulting in a very barren and rocky environment.
Aethos is a moving interdimensional world with a negative charge, attracted to the positive charges of other worlds. Consider the following metaphor: You place metal magnetic balls in a container with water, the water is the empty space between dimensions, and the magnetic balls are the healthy worlds. Aethos is like a viscous liquid metal added to this container, equally magnetic, that reaches out and wraps around other the worlds, draining them until they lose their magnetic charge before moving about the container from one magnetic surface to the next.
Geography on Aethos is comprised a lot like the ocean, with vast horizons and with various levels of depths. Biomes are often classified by their depth in the world with deeper regions becoming increasingly dangerous. Overall, Aethos looks a lot like a massive cave or termite mound, with layers above and below seemingly endlessly. However, people who reach the bottom will be greeted by the final layer which is a literal void of nothingness from which nothing that enters returns. There is a constant current of airflow as the void sucks in air particles through the breach, causing a relatively optimized ventilation. As air passes down channels and nears the void it heats up, causing the volcanic layer to be a consistently blistering temperature.

01. The Breach
The Breach is the highest altitude layer of Aethos, it's also the coldest, and the only way to leave the dimension. The Breach is the closest to other dimensions, so close it causes frequent rips in the fabric between realities, called "rifts". These rifts are like doors that can be stepped through to return home or enter Aethos, however, since Aethos may be connected to multiple worlds at a time, passing through them with the intent to go home can be tricky. To make matters worse, the air currents are the strongest in the breach. This current can drag in objects from source worlds as well as significantly raise the risk of falling down to lower levels. That makes this level particularly hazardous on an environmental scale. Aethonites do not spend time around this layer unless they intend to leave, resulting in the lowest permanent residencies. This is in part due to the chaotic nature in which rifts open, which could destroy homes or any kind of civilizations. To make matters worse, if a rift happens to open where someone is standing, the force can rip the lifeform in half, making extended stay extremely risky.

02. The Summit
The Summit is the prime real-estate of Aethos. It has the softest and most pliable materials, which results in a lot of tunneling to avoid the falling debris that comes down the main channels on its way to the Barrier. The temperature is the best regulated, though a bit on the chilly side, its easily remedied with fur or fire. The air is the freshest, though because it is unfiltered, there is an increased risk of viruses or other micro-organisms from other dimensions causing sicknesses and mutations. To combat this, Plantoid demons are shipped up from the common grounds to try and filter the air in Aethonite homes. Because the location is so ideal, it is the most technologically and socially developed layer. Home to the most powerful upperclass demons. Very few feral or plantoid demons make their way up to this layer without being purposefully transported by these higher status individuals. It has multiple fully functioning cities and towns, complete with rival gangs and blood feuds. If one sticks only to the main channels, its easy to avoid the summit's population and carry on to the barrier, with the only concern being running into an occasional patrol. The cities themselves are very dangerous to outsiders, or anyone without a gang, however the demons in the summit are perhaps the most reasonable, as they have the freedom to do more than simply survive, and can often be reasoned with or bartered with as a result.

03. The Barrier
The Barrier is an important pinching layer in Aethos. It catches large debris the fall through the breach, and filters dangerous particles or viruses out of the air that could kill the weaker demons below with less evolved immune responses. The channels become increasingly more narrow as they reach the Common Ground, and the rock becomes much harder, condensed, and more difficult to dig through. It has a reputation among Aethos of being both the world's dumpster and prime scavenging point, making it a favorite location for all Aethonites capable of mobility. Because the barrier collects all manner of objects from other worlds, it serves as a prime nutritional outpost, or learning stimulus to the intelligent and curious. This constant pillaging keeps the location from overfilling.
Competition in the Barrier is beyond fierce, so very little Aethonites can afford to camp in the location due to constant ongoing territorial feuds. A first-time traveler may at first be inclined to stay at the barrier, due to its bountiful surplus of supplies and food, but will soon be overrun with aggressors and other competitive demons just as eager and desperate to reap the rewards. The location is primarily occupied by cave-like biomes, with rocks that are sharper, and form more chiseled points due to their constant beat downs. Carbon and other raw elements which are sucked into the barrier are compressed by the ongoing pummeling, turning into diamond or other extremely hard composites, attributing to burrowing difficulties. Upper-class demons enjoy using the barrier as a checkpoint to demand a toll from lower class demons to allow passage between the summit and common grounds. The barrier is also frequently used as a trap to catch other demons or lost travelers and elicit them into slavery or as void sacrifices.

04. The Common Grounds
Also referred to by locals as the Spawning Grounds, the Common Grounds is the most ecologically diverse location in all of Aethos, harboring all manner of creature from all varieties, and the most diverse array of biomes. The temperature is stable, but continues to get hotter as one descends towards the volcanic layer. The air is filtered once it reaches this layer and so the air quality is at its highest. Plantoid and feral demons have their roots planted deep in this layer, turning it into a fierce jungle-like tangle of violence and death. Lesser and common demons are the primary sentient dwellers, making their own towns and settlements, often referred to as "Slums". These settlements vastly outsize those in the summit, with a population more than quadruple the size. While the environment itself is perhaps one of the most safe parts of Aethos, the sheer volume of Aethonites results in this being the most dangerously populated location in the dimension. Death is a constant here, with many dreaming of one-day escaping to the summit.

05. The Volcanic Layer
Second to the bottom, the Volcanic layer lives up to its name, comprised of brimestone and fire with grand rivers of molten magma that cool and form shelves that many fire or heat dependent Aethonites take great luxury in living upon. This is one of the most dangerous places in Aethos. The heat alone is too much for most creatures, especially as one nears the void. By the time a creature enters the Volcanic Layer, the filtered air has become very hot and dry, affecting ones ability to breathe properly. Active magma results in an ever changing and drifting landscape, with multiple resulting possible biomes, such as sulfur lakes, or brimestone caves, magma pools and other heat based formations. There are no cities or vast settlements here due to the ever-shifting terrain, but there may be small family groups. The location is predominantly full of active Plantoid or Feral Demons, with the occasional common or lesser demon lurking about.
Additionally, the area is known to be littered with sleeping legendary-status demons who burry themselves under the shelves in order to enjoy the heat while they hibernate. These creatures have catastrophic levels of world-ending power, and anyone with half a brain cell knows to leave them undisturbed. Some creatures, like the Fire-Imp have even developed a light-weight biology to reduce the risk of waking them. (See the Hierarchy Chart for more information on Legendary demons.)

06. The Void
The Void is the very last layer in Aethos, and the most dangerous. It sucks in all manner of objects, as well as gas and light. This layer is only comprised of one biome, a rocky, lifeless, lightless, swelteringly hot, and crumbling plateau that drops off sharply into the void itself. The Void is solid anti-matter that destroys any other matter that passes through it. If a person stuck their arm in the void, it would feel cold and numb, and upon pulling their arm out, they would find the arm completely missing from their body. Understandably, Aethonites don't like living here, the environmental hazard is too great, so there are no permanent residencies. It is rumored that Aethonites can be born from the void, but none that enter seem to return, so this is highly speculative. Some highly specialized feral demons will prowl this biome, and common/lesser demons with a sense of religion may make their way to the void to worship and offer sacrifices or tributes.

Can I use this?
-You are welcome to use this lore in roleplay games. This is an open setting. Join us on Toyhou.se for more information.
-No Aethos lore or species may be used for any kind of monetary gain; be that for "fake" or real currencies.
-You may not repost or redistribute this sheet. References should be done via linking back to the original.

Aethos Setting, Characters, & Lore © Soals 2021
Do not Redistribute. Link-backs only.

Description
Introduction
Aethos is a magical hell-like dimension that consumes and feeds off of living matter from a source world (SW). Aethos' name derives from the Latin "Modes of Persuasion" more specifically Ethos: Credibility & Ethics. A negative prefix "A-" is then added, resulting in "Aethos," meaning "The place without Credibility or Ethics".
Aethos overall is a dimension that feeds off of multiple SW's resources to survive. Though Aethos has some its own natural resources they are insufficient to keep the denizens healthy, especially when considering that the dimension has problems with overpopulation and no sun to provide energy. To solve for this issue, Aethos frequently makes rifts in the Breach to suck in resources from SWs. These rifts suck in everything from water, to air, to light, to living things, but most importantly they suck in living energy or "souls" which are a greatly improved food-source, resource, and currency to Aethos' native options. Natural Resources on Aethos are extremely hard to come by. Most of them, including light, energy, safe-to-eat food or water, have already been drained to near absence, resulting in a very barren and rocky environment.
Aethos is a moving interdimensional world with a negative charge, attracted to the positive charges of other worlds. Consider the following metaphor: You place metal magnetic balls in a container with water, the water is the empty space between dimensions, and the magnetic balls are the healthy worlds. Aethos is like a viscous liquid metal added to this container, equally magnetic, that reaches out and wraps around other the worlds, draining them until they lose their magnetic charge before moving about the container from one magnetic surface to the next.
Geography on Aethos is comprised a lot like the ocean, with vast horizons and with various levels of depths. Biomes are often classified by their depth in the world with deeper regions becoming increasingly dangerous. Overall, Aethos looks a lot like a massive cave or termite mound, with layers above and below seemingly endlessly. However, people who reach the bottom will be greeted by the final layer which is a literal void of nothingness from which nothing that enters returns. There is a constant current of airflow as the void sucks in air particles through the breach, causing a relatively optimized ventilation. As air passes down channels and nears the void it heats up, causing the volcanic layer to be a consistently blistering temperature.

01. The Breach
The Breach is the highest altitude layer of Aethos, it's also the coldest, and the only way to leave the dimension. The Breach is the closest to other dimensions, so close it causes frequent rips in the fabric between realities, called "rifts". These rifts are like doors that can be stepped through to return home or enter Aethos, however, since Aethos may be connected to multiple worlds at a time, passing through them with the intent to go home can be tricky. To make matters worse, the air currents are the strongest in the breach. This current can drag in objects from source worlds as well as significantly raise the risk of falling down to lower levels. That makes this level particularly hazardous on an environmental scale. Aethonites do not spend time around this layer unless they intend to leave, resulting in the lowest permanent residencies. This is in part due to the chaotic nature in which rifts open, which could destroy homes or any kind of civilizations. To make matters worse, if a rift happens to open where someone is standing, the force can rip the lifeform in half, making extended stay extremely risky.

02. The Summit
The Summit is the prime real-estate of Aethos. It has the softest and most pliable materials, which results in a lot of tunneling to avoid the falling debris that comes down the main channels on its way to the Barrier. The temperature is the best regulated, though a bit on the chilly side, its easily remedied with fur or fire. The air is the freshest, though because it is unfiltered, there is an increased risk of viruses or other micro-organisms from other dimensions causing sicknesses and mutations. To combat this, Plantoid demons are shipped up from the common grounds to try and filter the air in Aethonite homes. Because the location is so ideal, it is the most technologically and socially developed layer. Home to the most powerful upperclass demons. Very few feral or plantoid demons make their way up to this layer without being purposefully transported by these higher status individuals. It has multiple fully functioning cities and towns, complete with rival gangs and blood feuds. If one sticks only to the main channels, its easy to avoid the summit's population and carry on to the barrier, with the only concern being running into an occasional patrol. The cities themselves are very dangerous to outsiders, or anyone without a gang, however the demons in the summit are perhaps the most reasonable, as they have the freedom to do more than simply survive, and can often be reasoned with or bartered with as a result.

03. The Barrier
The Barrier is an important pinching layer in Aethos. It catches large debris the fall through the breach, and filters dangerous particles or viruses out of the air that could kill the weaker demons below with less evolved immune responses. The channels become increasingly more narrow as they reach the Common Ground, and the rock becomes much harder, condensed, and more difficult to dig through. It has a reputation among Aethos of being both the world's dumpster and prime scavenging point, making it a favorite location for all Aethonites capable of mobility. Because the barrier collects all manner of objects from other worlds, it serves as a prime nutritional outpost, or learning stimulus to the intelligent and curious. This constant pillaging keeps the location from overfilling.
Competition in the Barrier is beyond fierce, so very little Aethonites can afford to camp in the location due to constant ongoing territorial feuds. A first-time traveler may at first be inclined to stay at the barrier, due to its bountiful surplus of supplies and food, but will soon be overrun with aggressors and other competitive demons just as eager and desperate to reap the rewards. The location is primarily occupied by cave-like biomes, with rocks that are sharper, and form more chiseled points due to their constant beat downs. Carbon and other raw elements which are sucked into the barrier are compressed by the ongoing pummeling, turning into diamond or other extremely hard composites, attributing to burrowing difficulties. Upper-class demons enjoy using the barrier as a checkpoint to demand a toll from lower class demons to allow passage between the summit and common grounds. The barrier is also frequently used as a trap to catch other demons or lost travelers and elicit them into slavery or as void sacrifices.

04. The Common Grounds
Also referred to by locals as the Spawning Grounds, the Common Grounds is the most ecologically diverse location in all of Aethos, harboring all manner of creature from all varieties, and the most diverse array of biomes. The temperature is stable, but continues to get hotter as one descends towards the volcanic layer. The air is filtered once it reaches this layer and so the air quality is at its highest. Plantoid and feral demons have their roots planted deep in this layer, turning it into a fierce jungle-like tangle of violence and death. Lesser and common demons are the primary sentient dwellers, making their own towns and settlements, often referred to as "Slums". These settlements vastly outsize those in the summit, with a population more than quadruple the size. While the environment itself is perhaps one of the most safe parts of Aethos, the sheer volume of Aethonites results in this being the most dangerously populated location in the dimension. Death is a constant here, with many dreaming of one-day escaping to the summit.

05. The Volcanic Layer
Second to the bottom, the Volcanic layer lives up to its name, comprised of brimestone and fire with grand rivers of molten magma that cool and form shelves that many fire or heat dependent Aethonites take great luxury in living upon. This is one of the most dangerous places in Aethos. The heat alone is too much for most creatures, especially as one nears the void. By the time a creature enters the Volcanic Layer, the filtered air has become very hot and dry, affecting ones ability to breathe properly. Active magma results in an ever changing and drifting landscape, with multiple resulting possible biomes, such as sulfur lakes, or brimestone caves, magma pools and other heat based formations. There are no cities or vast settlements here due to the ever-shifting terrain, but there may be small family groups. The location is predominantly full of active Plantoid or Feral Demons, with the occasional common or lesser demon lurking about.
Additionally, the area is known to be littered with sleeping legendary-status demons who burry themselves under the shelves in order to enjoy the heat while they hibernate. These creatures have catastrophic levels of world-ending power, and anyone with half a brain cell knows to leave them undisturbed. Some creatures, like the Fire-Imp have even developed a light-weight biology to reduce the risk of waking them. (See the Hierarchy Chart for more information on Legendary demons.)

06. The Void
The Void is the very last layer in Aethos, and the most dangerous. It sucks in all manner of objects, as well as gas and light. This layer is only comprised of one biome, a rocky, lifeless, lightless, swelteringly hot, and crumbling plateau that drops off sharply into the void itself. The Void is solid anti-matter that destroys any other matter that passes through it. If a person stuck their arm in the void, it would feel cold and numb, and upon pulling their arm out, they would find the arm completely missing from their body. Understandably, Aethonites don't like living here, the environmental hazard is too great, so there are no permanent residencies. It is rumored that Aethonites can be born from the void, but none that enter seem to return, so this is highly speculative. Some highly specialized feral demons will prowl this biome, and common/lesser demons with a sense of religion may make their way to the void to worship and offer sacrifices or tributes.

Can I use this?
-You are welcome to use this lore in roleplay games. This is an open setting. Join us on Toyhou.se for more information.
-No Aethos lore or species may be used for any kind of monetary gain; be that for "fake" or real currencies.
-You may not repost or redistribute this sheet. References should be done via linking back to the original.

Aethos Setting, Characters, & Lore © Soals 2021
Do not Redistribute. Link-backs only.