Ithelak is only one of three worlds. The other two are Alronia and Cordime. They do not exist in the same plane, in fact, they are each in separate spiritual dimensions, so to speak. The name of all three together is still being created (it isn't a... regular word), so for now I will call it IAC.

When one is born in IAC, he is born into Ithelak, of two parents, like in Earth. He lives, he learns, he dies (generally he dies, though there are a few exceptions).

When he dies he enters the Wraith-Realm as a wraith, he travels to Alronia (or lingers for a time in Ithelak, as the situation goes). Then he selects a new body, a dwelling place for his spirit. He exits the Wraith-Realm and enters Alronia fully then. He lives, he learns, he dies.

And he again enters the wraith-state to travel on to Cordime. He enters Cordime and finds his Name. Once he discovers/learns/creates it, he ceases to become a wraith and enters the life of Cordime. In Cordime he lives, he learns, he dies.

When he dies this time he has finished his course of mortal life and goes on to the spiritual world, his wraith and his bodies being left forever behind him as his spirit goes to either join God in heaven, or to be banished from His presence in eternal torment in hell.

That is the overview, there are many more details, of course.

Please understand that this is not a system of reincarnation proper: it is merely a segmented life. Imagine a person who lives his youth in America, gets married and moves to Africa, then in his old age after his children move out he goes and lives in Asia, where he finally dies. This is like that. Each 'death' is merely the passing of the person from one part of IAC to another. One must still be saved, and one can do it any time during his entire life-span in the three worlds.

Each of these three worlds has their own cobha, and their cobhas are interweaved or founded upon each other (not in the same way as Triterrus, though).

I will write another thread on the differences between their cobhas and how they relate to each other. This thread is focused on the Path of Life.

What are the exceptions to dying in this world? Are there immortal beings there or something else?

Interesting post! I enjoyed reading it!

Bethany Faith

Well there are miraculous exceptions (like Enoch and Elijah in Earth), who go on without dying. And of course the Zheighor and Wizards don't die, because they are immortal.

Then in Alronia there are the undead, who aren't technically immortal because they will die when the world ends. But they don't die normally and go on to Cordime except in certain circumstances. But I'll have to go into a whole thread on them I think...

Ah, sounds interesting.

*is excited because she finally knows how this works*

Do they keep their memories from each realm, or do they have to start over when they move on to a new dimension?

This is a fascinating idea... I can't wait to hear more about it!

I was gonna ask something but I sorta forgot... Oh yes! Do their bodies stay for someone else to use, or do they sit there and decay like on earth? Are they born into new families on A and C, or are there no babies on this planet?

Been waiting a while, have you?

Yes, they keep their memories to a large degree. Some things might be lost, but the deepest things will remain, such as their salvation and their loves. In Cordime things are very different on that level, though. People can lose almost everything by simply stepping through a portal into another dreamworld, and then get it back as if nothing happened a few months (or years or seconds) later.

Alrighty.

The bodies stay and decay, like on Earth. And in Alronia, babies can be born if someone chooses to be born as a human. They can choose to become a naiad or a rock faerie or something else though, in which case they would have no parents, and would instead be bound to the thing they chose to bind themselves to.

Well, I saw you mention it a couple times... and I was always very curious.

Cool! I figured it would something like that. And Cordime sounds very interesting.

Cordime is the mind-world, the dreamworld. It is... confusing, but I am getting it figured out.

Do the three worlds know of the existence of each other?
Is there ever any kind of travel or communication between them?
How does being immortal work? Are you trapped on whatever world you became immortal on? (I'm sure I've got my understanding of immortals all wrong, but I don't think it's crucial to understand the Path of Life.)

Yes, in general. They are, of course, controversial, and different religions have different beliefs on the number of worlds, and how they work, etc. Some people on the various worlds deny the existence of the others (writing off previous memories as hallucinations and whatnot).

It is sometimes given to people to travel between them, yes.

Yes, you are trapped on it until you either relinquish the immortality, are killed (even Tolkien's elves could be killed), or the world ends.

* grins * Thanks Brendan! (I wonder why I didn't notice this reply until now...)

1&2) I need to write separate threads on these, but here is an overview.

On Alronia it is kind of like an epic fairy tale with extra dimensions of sensation. Everything has a song, and it is woven into everything like color is. In Ithelak, your beliefs, your goodness/evilness affects you physically after a while, but in Alronia it affects your song. Which of course is just as noticeable to them.

In Cordime... it is more confusing. Each dreamworld is different, although Meanings and Names stay the same. Those have various manifestations in the different dreamworlds. So it depends.

3) Yes, there are such anomalies, though they are very rare, of course. And some people have the ability to travel from one to the other, or are carried there by wizards (i.e. angels if you know your Ithelak lore, haha).

4) Good question. I am not entirely sure on that, actually. I think sometimes at least, yes they do. But probably not all people and probably not all the time. More Cordime than Alronia, because Alronia is more connected to Ithelak in a daydream sense, rather than a sleepdream sense. So you would be more likely to 'visit' Alronia or experience it while awake in an epic setting like a mountain or a battle or something. Cordime would be more likely to be seen or glimpsed while asleep.

How are marriages effect by this death/regeneration cycle?

I am still exploring that question, actually. Any suggestions are welcome.

Actually, I found it quite a conundrum and hoped you would have some brilliant explanation.

I suppose you could say that, since your characters remember themselves in the next worlds, they could also remember the significant figures in their life, and thus, eventually, rediscover their partner? Or, of course, you could say that marriages don't exist in the latter two worlds, since they aren't under threat of depopulation, with a fresh crop of dead people coming in every day an all.

*thinks* Yeah, I think that makes the most sense.

(I finally got to your sub-forum Jay. )

Ah, thank you for posting, Suiauthon. I forgot about this convo in here.

Thing is... in Alronia at least, people do get married. In fact, when a wraith chooses to become a human again, he also picks his family and is born as a baby. In Cordime things are different.

The fact is, though, that they are still one flesh, even across the borders of death. I don't think it would be unreasonable to assume that a spouse who dies would wait around in wraith form, watching over the one left behind, until they could go together. Not everyone would of course, just like not everyone stays married on Earth (bleah). But it makes sense anyway.

In Cordime the same kind of thing is quite possible as well.

Your welcome.

*nods* That also makes sense.


Since there are no babies in Cordime, what is the purpose of marriage there?

Marriage is far more than making babies. But for what a marriage is like in Cordime... you really have to understand it's cobha, which I haven't elaborated on yet...

True, but it is a big part.

Then you'll just have to elaborate.

It's in my list.

Awesome.