The Sundering of the Skies

The Schism of the Soul

A Tale of Balance Broken, and the Birth of the Seven Hells

The Father — Zephyren, the Skyfather

First of the Aarakocra
Seen as the embodiment of patience, freedom, and perspective
Held an unshakable belief that all races, even those that grew fast, had purpose

The Son — Aspharion, the Reckoner of Flame

His firstborn son, brilliant and perceptive, a watcher of patterns
Saw the imbalance in the rate of reproduction of the races:
- Within 1,000 years:
  - Humans would outnumber elves 500:1
  - Halflings the same
Believed this imbalance would lead to domination, cultural erasure, and eventually the death of true balance

The Founding Fracture

Aspharion brought his fears to his father and the other first beings.

They all said the same thing: "It is as the Weave intended."
But Aspharion saw a truth they refused to admit:
"If the Weave left us free, then we too may make mistakes."

In time, that certainty curdled into isolation, and then obsession.

The Forbidden Research

Driven by desperate clarity and righteous fury, Aspharion buried himself in:

Divination – to see what futures may unfold
Necromancy – to understand the soul's tether
Transmutation – to explore what the soul could become

Eventually, he discovered what he thought was the perfect balance:

"Let the dead choose. Return to the earth… or fight for balance."

But in his anger, his abandonment, and his emotional instability, something changed.

His spell worked—but the souls were reborn twisted.
They remembered what they had lost, what they didn't finish.
They were filled with regret, resentment, and rage.
Their bodies shifted into devilish forms, their minds warped to crave control and justification.
Aspharion himself began to change—his form subtly shifting with each spell, his soul burned by the very balance he craved.

He named his creation:

The Order of Eternal Equilibrium

And forged a plane where his army could grow:

The Depthrealm of Flame and Obedience — the First of the Seven Hells.

The Philosophical Cataclysm

This wasn't just a rebellion. It was the shattering of everything the first beings believed:

That the Weave granted freedom, and that freedom would lead to growth.
That balance could be maintained through patience and adaptation.
That mortals could accept death as part of life.

Instead:

"Now the soul hesitates. Now it asks: 'Must I die?'"

The Father's Awakening

Zephyren saw what his son had done—and knew no mortal army could stop it.

He gathered the First Beings once again.

They realized:

Magic this powerful must be watched, studied, and eventually governed.
A new order must be formed—Weave Watchers, trained to sense spells that twist the laws of balance.
And more than anything:
"The soul must have another choice."

Together, they forged a second path for the soul:

A new plane—crafted through harmony, unity, and burden-sharing.
The Dawncradle, which would become the Celestial Plane.

Here, the soul could become:

A guardian of hope
A protector of beauty
A warrior of light
Or simply... a restfully shining part of existence

They were not bound. They were not reborn as slaves.

They were free, still.

The War of Heaven and Flame

The two armies met.

Aspharion, now a near-demonic archlord, led legions of regretful, fiery souls.
Zephyren, shining like the last light of the sky, led humans, halflings, celestials, and elves.

They fought in the skies, between planes, in soulstreams, and through dreams.

In the end, the Dawncradle won—but not before Zephyren fell, his body mortally wounded.

But he did not die.

"If my son is bound to the flames, then I shall be bound to the stars."

His soul became the first to ascend fully—and Zephyren became:

The First God
Guide of the Weave's Spirit
Protector of the Path Between Life and Death

Legacy

1. Two Paths at Death

Return to the earth and rejoin the cycle.
Join the light as a celestial being.
Or be tempted by Aspharion's whispers—and be reborn as a devil in his infernal legions.

2. The Weave Watchers

An elite global order trained in:

Detecting destabilizing spells
Reading deep magical leyline activity
Preventing soul-warping rituals before they fully awaken

3. Prayer Begins

People begin praying to Zephyren—not for miracles, but for:

Wisdom
Guidance
Strength in grief
Protection against temptation

His divine magic now:

Grants safe access to the very schools his son corrupted: Divination, Necromancy, and Transmutation ...but always with restraint, clarity, and community.

Aspharion Today

He still speaks.

In the minds of power-hungry rulers.
In the dreams of warriors who die with regret.
In the pages of forbidden grimoires that detail soul anchoring, demonic rebirth, and the Equilibrium Doctrine.

He promises:

"Serve me, and you will never be forgotten. You will never again die in vain."

And some still listen.

The Whispered Paths of the Soul

The Default

"Most souls return to the earth."

If someone dies at peace, having lived a full life or resolved their purpose, their soul naturally disperses.
Their essence returns to the world—into the soil, the rivers, the wind—continuing the cycle.
In some rare moments, they may live on in ancestral memory, or even as Weave-echoes in places of strong attunement.

This keeps the world grounded in the Weave's original philosophy: freedom, neutrality, and balance.

The Son's Whispers – The Seven Hells

"You were wronged. You were unfinished. You could still matter."

Those who die in despair, bitterness, ambition, or resentment become vulnerable to the Son's whispers.
They don't always intend to choose evil—many think they're choosing a second chance.
Once accepted, their soul is reshaped by the hells—burned, bent, but also strengthened.
They become devil-kin, demons, hellbound lieutenants, or soul-bound soldiers in the Son's vision of Order through Dominance.
Rank and power can be achieved… but at a cost that twists who they were.

"The soul enters thinking it will do good. But once reshaped, it forgets what good ever meant."

The Father's Whispers – The Celestial Plane

"You died before your time. But your light still burns."

Some who die too early—in sacrifice, service, or virtue—are touched by the Father's light.
He offers them a place among the stars, in the Celestial Plane.
They don't serve him like worshippers. They become guardians of grace, protection, healing, and hope.
But even here, some refuse. Not all good-aligned souls accept that path. Some still return to the earth.

The Mystery of Death

This approach gives everything:

Soul's State at Death	Possible Outcome
Peaceful, content, fulfilled	Returns to earth
Noble but died early or unjustly	Might hear the Father's whisper
Tormented, hateful, selfish	Might hear the Son's whisper
Conflicted, unsure	May hear nothing
Exceptionally attuned	Might be drawn into something stranger—the Feywild, reincarnation, the Weave itself

This means:

Not all good people ascend.
Not all bitter people fall.
And not all souls get any whispers at all—which keeps the mystery strong.