The Twisted Kingdom is the hinterlands between reality and madness. A place where gods and monsters stalk the mist, where dreams and nightmares define reality. For most, it is the grayness of shock at tragic news. For others, the thin line of lucidity as they plunge into the abyss. Some, though, some lucky few manage to land there, balanced precariously on the razor edge of sanity. The rest? Well, they're born there.

Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust--or mist, as the case might be. Most denizens of the mists are made of the mist. Expelled fully formed from its depths to live their allotted time separate. In some cases whole, in others... not. Some of these fantastic creatures banded together, forming packs, then tribes, and in time grew to cities and kingdoms. Carefully tending the land their dreams made, they defended themselves from the nightmares, organized religions, made machines, and learned to live beside that which gave them life--that which will, someday, take it away.

They grew old, their children and grandchildren matured, and eventually, returned to the mists from which they were born. And that is where you find yourself, thrown into the lucid illusion, or born there, or merely passing through on your descent into madness. There are gods you may pray to, if you think it'll help. It probably won't. The gods are sometimes more trouble than they're worth, but they certainly make life interesting.

The gods are, as a rule, stand-offish. They don't generally interfere directly with the workings of the mortal realm at large, nor do they have any control over the hearts or minds of mortals. Gods are a special form of mist-born. They have absolute and total control over mist, and thereby, reality. They come into being through the complete faith of many, many people over many, many years. They gain in power as they gain in followers. At a certain point, consciousness is born and they become separate beings, no longer as deeply affected by faith. They each have their realms of influence, things that they bother themselves with, or are interested in. Their effect in the world is generally nil, normally unfelt save by the faithful and those who seek them out.

However, they can and do manifest themselves, or their power. This comes about in a couple of ways. Whim is the most often cited. If something is going on in the world of particular interest to the deity, they may watch it closely, perhaps even touching it slightly. Or they may go dormant, remaining silent for years or even decades, on some whim or for some purpose that even their most faithful Chosen may not be able to explain.

The other way gods manifest is through prayer. All mortals may pray. However, only those with points in faith, the favored, and the mist-born may pray directly, at any time. Other mortals must be on sanctified ground to pray, and then can only pray to the god that ground is sanctified to. Although there are certain places in the world where all gods may listen, they are not easily come by.

Please note that if you are participating in some role-play, or are otherwise doing something you think a certain god would be particularly interested in, and don't mind (or wish for) the chance that they'll manifest, you should page or send mail to the god of your choice, explaining in OOC terms what is going on, or will be going on.

When the mist-born and the faithful pray outside of a temple, all gods hear them at the time that the prayer is uttered. If no gods are online, it is assumed that their prayer was for naught. If any gods are around, they may decide to act on the prayers of these special mortals. They do not always act as the mortal wants them to, however. They all have their own ideas and agendas. To pray only to one god, you must be on the holy ground of that god. The prayers of the favored will only be heard by the god who has Chosen them, no matter where they are.

There are two sorts of prayers. The first is long-term, or 'lasting' prayers. These can only be done in temples, and therefore can be made by any mortal. These prayers last for as long as the gods decide to keep them (Meaning each god has a laptop-o-prayers that will keep track of prayers that can be answered, or ignored, at the god's leisure). These prayers are useful whether a god is online or not.

The other sort are momentary prayers that only the faithful, the favored, and the mist-born may do. These are spur of the moment prayers, generally uttered in stressful or urgent circumstances. The midst of battle, for example. If no gods are online, the prayer will not be seen, and is therefore assumed to be unsuccessful. If gods are online, however, the prayer is heard the second it is uttered, and any on-going action will pause until the players hear back from a god on whether or not anything happens. If they are idle, or do not answer in a reasonable length of time, it is also assumed that the prayer fails.

Mortals asking for trifling things or otherwise wasting the god's time are likely to anger the very gods they're asking help from. To become favored by a god requires role playing. Contact the god you're interested in, and set up a good time to interact with their priests, or with them directly through prayer.

You can get help on praying by typing pray #help, and pray using pray. To pose your prayer, simply prepend your message with ':' like any normal pose. Please note that prayers are broadcast to the room you are in, unless you choose to do a silent prayer via pray #s.

Every story needs a foe, every dream needs a story, and every mystery needs a dark truth. That is Turael, the god of dreams. His realm is one of fantasy and strangeness. His children are dreams, particularly beautiful or creative humans, and assorted strange creatures that may amuse him or who may hold some use. It is said that he is both loving and horribly cruel, granting favors and punishments to his children on incomprehensible whims, and yet many cling to his side with the hope of having their dreams made real.

He is blamed for the abduction of children, for nightmares, and for sudden madness. Yet his name is invoked on the tongues of those seeking adventure, those who wish to dream brightly and vividly, and those seeking some sort of muse. Sometimes villain, sometimes benefactor, sometimes even the hero... His alliances change on a whim and his motivations are as twisted and mysterious as the dreams he is said to create.

Turael is depicted most often as a humanoid with some faerie features, long flowing white hair, a thin delicate face, swirling robes, and a finely crafted wand held in his hand as though he were some great orchestra master.

A single point of light in the darkness creates more shadow than illumination. And in shadow, secrets hide.

The moon sees into every shadow cast by her pale light. She sees the secrets tucked away in your own shadowed places and urges them forth, breathing life into them with her starlit breath. Shadows require darkness, as the moon needs darkness for her soft light to be perceived. But she is always there, always shining. Even when her light is eclipsed by the brightness of the sun, you can still sometimes catch a glimpse of her in a clear daytime sky, watching knowingly and waiting for the quiet shadows of night to fall once more and reveal that which daylight hides.

So too is Iluna always there, nurturing darkness and dark desires; casting more shadow than light. Dark creatures are drawn to her, including those which once sought out Sedna's embrace, but the Goddess of Temptation draws out the darkness in everyone. Some say that kindling the secret darkness which hides in the heart of the good can be even more satisfying to her than feeding the hunger of the evil. Personal sacrifice is the best way to get her attention, it is said, and the faithful know better than to pray without offering up something that is difficult for them to give. It is said that even blood may not impress her if it is too easily spilled.

May you get exactly what you deserve. It can be a curse or it can be a blessing, but to the denizens of the mist, it is always a prayer. Nemesis was once the inevitable conclusion to all thoughts, the inescapable consequences of all actions, and the unavoidable end to all roads. She was balance, justice, law, and the ultimate judge of our lives.

Revered by some as Justice and Law, she graced the courtrooms blindfolded and holding aloft her scales. Seen by the people who favored this aspect, she was silent and wise, beautiful and compassionate, strength tempered by mercy.

Others saw her as vengeance, poetic justice, and the punishment of over-confidence. Seen variably as the trickster waiting to trip the prideful, the punisher with her mighty sword and whip, or the darkly beautiful irony of someone's come-uppance. Her voice was heard in the thunder from a clear blue sky. Her hand was seen in the broken sword of the wicked. Her eyes watched silently from the shadows as men were destroyed by their own creations.

Always she is pictured as beautiful, battle-scarred, and silent. Though her direct presence is long gone, some believe she still watches us, judges us, and ensures that in the end, we will get exactly what we deserve.

Grimnir was the god of wisdom, powerful knowledge and hidden secrets. His followers also held that he guided the worthy dead through the afterlife, in what they considered to be the final mystery. Grimnir did not favor scholars and teachers who bury themselves in libraries searching for knowledge, but rather those who were willing to pay a price for it.

Grimnir's wisdom never came cheap, always requiring a sacrifice that, more often than not, turned out to be self-sacrifice of some sort. He is said to have hung himself from a great ash tree for nine days and nine nights, sacrificing himself to himself, a god sacrificed to a god. He rose from the dead, gaining knowledge of nine spells and eighteen charms beyond the kin of mortal man.

Frequently depicted as a dusty traveler in a black coat and a wide brimmed hat, he is always shown with a gaping socket where his left eye once was, a sign of his personal sacrifices for great wisdom.

Grimnir was also a god of death, which his followers consider the greatest mystery. Worthy souls were shown great secrets and given great understanding. Those who are not are said to be cast into the mists, to wander for eternity. However, for all his wisdom and knowledge, Grimnir was not a kind god. He is said to have caused some of the most devastating wars in history, carried out by leaders desperate to provide fitting sacrifice for his knowledge. He was known to be sly and manipulative, orchestrating vast plots in the world of man for reasons unknown, and with results that were almost always unpleasant for those involved.

Perhaps more than other gods, Grimnir once seemed to take an active interest in the lives of mortals. Seekers of knowledge who make great sacrifices, be they intentional or unintentional, were sometimes visited by a wandering traveler, or shown the way by an exceptionally large, black raven. Warriors who praised him in battle were sometimes gifted with a blind berserker rage, or visited by sudden visions of upcoming battles, providing great tactical advantage. These soldiers almost always died a glorious death, atop huge piles of slain enemies with the sign of Grimnir on their corpse. It is as if they were a clear message from the Gallows Lord: "Knowledge is never cheap." Now, however, the One-Eyed God has gone silent, his temple abandoned and his chained souls gone. Only his gallows tree remains, and a couple of freed souls who stand sentinel over his former holy ground.

Sometimes known as Sedn-Kali, Sedn-Ka, or The Dark One--was commonly regarded as a corrupting influence upon the lands of mist. Her name was more often muttered as a curse than in reverence. At other times she was a story to frighten children with or brought up as a counterpoint, an antagonizing force to one of the more benign gods. When she was called upon, it was more often a tearful request to withhold her "blessings" than to offer them. When depicted in art, she is a pallid, gaunt female figure with two long, black braids and dark, empty eyes. As actual appearances of any avatar of the Dark One were usually regarded as nothing more than the tales of drunkards or lunatics, it is hard to say whether her common portrayal is accurate.

Among her followers, she was Queen of the Darkness, she who granted power and stealth to the predators of the night and to the creatures in the deepest, blackest depths of the sea. Her children looked to her not for wisdom or guidance but as a dark force to be emulated, a state of being devoutly to be reached for. Hers was a chillingly cold refinement touched throughout with primal, sensual predatory arrogance. She was said to regard the undead, lycanthropes, and dark magi as her children, though not all of them were eager to accept the honor.

The devout followers of Sedna were a wonder and a terror to behold. Among the highest echelons of the dark ministry, many of the priests were incredibly long-lived, while a similar proportion are remarkably long-dead. Prayers to the Dark One were never offered without an accompanying sacrifice, except by the naive. Rarely was anything but animal slaughter offered, with the worth of the sacrifice corresponding to the significance of the favor asked. Greater favors required greater sacrifice; on dark nights, foaming and gargling human screams sometimes arose from the temples of the Dark One, while some even spoke of fledgling vampires being chained to the altar and burned alive to preface a particularly important prayer.

Sedna died in a great sacrifice for the mists and all of its people. This goddess of death and darkness gave her existence to the forces of chaos as a sacrifice to appease them and stop them from destroying the mists as a whole. Some of her creatures have sought out Turael's nightmares or Iluna's darkness, but those who remember still pay homage to Sedna's memory. Some even still worship and follow her out of respect for her ultimate sacrifice.