The Imaginary World
The Imaginary World is the vast and infinitely complex inter-dimensional society that exists within our own, ever present but inexplicably separated from the Real World. Its many communities include those things which mankind views as “imaginary” and collectively chooses to turn a blind eye towards rather than believing in them. Many places, cultures, and beasts have joined the Imaginary World throughout the centuries as humanity has relegated them to the status of mythology, folklore, and childish gullibility. Some species have even voluntarily chosen to join this unseen world, slipping into obscurity by convincing the Real World that they are either urban legend or have gone extinct. The yetis, the Loch Ness Monsters, and the dodo birds are all examples of such creatures to have achieved this feat. Though the inhabitants of the Imaginary World are free to and often do interact with the real world, most of their actions are ignored or credited to lazily explained natural phenomena.
Among the theoretically infinite communities that make up the Imaginary World, the most prominent are: the Imaginarium, the Mythos, the Dreadnaughts, and the Anonymous Court. It is from these four sects, at least as far as interaction with the human world is concerned, that the Imaginary World is most influenced.
The Imaginary World is not strictly confined to Earth. Each world throughout the cosmos is split between the Imaginary World and the Real World. Countless planets have been divided from the Imaginarium. And, just as it is possible for a human to learn to see through the Shroud that divides the worlds, so too can the likes of Martians and djinns.
Make no mistake as there is also a great number of humans who have seen through the divide between what is real and what is imaginary. Though, admittedly, that number has dramatically dropped in modern days. There are a few secret societies and fanatical cults like the Noble Order or the Court of Sacred Fire who raise their young and train their newly initiated to see through the Shroud, but there are many others who play critical roles in the Imaginary World.
First and foremost are children. All children are born with such a pure innocence and unlimited imagination that they naturally see through the Shroud and into the Imaginary World. It is only after the wearing of time that most lose touch with the Imaginary World and begin to doubt what they once believed to be real. It is from children that imaginary friends come, being pure imagination and some of the most revered class of beings within all of the Imaginarium.
Second are the wizards. Wizards are a very rare natural phenomenon in which a human is born with an overtly powerful Godly Spark, through which they have the power to rewrite existence and shatter timelines. Legend says that the wizards are more Godly Spark than they are human. Fabled to be chosen by the Imaginarium itself, wizards command many powers and live for many lifetimes. Told of their true nature on their thirteen birthday by the Vigil - a trio said to be the first three wizards blessed with immortality and charged with the duty of seeking out young new wizards - it is said to be the destiny of a wizard to defend the natural order and to fight for freedom, for truth, and for love. Many have played key roles throughout human history, offering wisdom and support when needed. That said, not all wizards have remained pure of heart.
Next are the sorcerers. Unlike wizards who are born with their powers, sorcerers must learn how to draw energy from the Imaginarium and use it o make, as many know it, magic. Much of a sorcerer’s life is in study. In fact, there are several schools throughout the world dedicated to the study of the imaginary arts. though their numbers have declined within the last century, every country maintains a form of government to oversee magical affairs, defend their territories from imaginary and inter-dimensional threats (both magical and non-magical), and maintain traditions critical to both the culture and schooling of their communities.
Following this would be witches and warlocks. Much like sorcerers, they must learn the mystic arts and are not born with powers. Unlike sorcerers, however, they do not pull energy from the Imaginarium. Referred to by many as the Dark Arts, they instead draw imaginary energy from living things. They are masters of potions, combining the imaginary and life forces within plants and animals into powerful elixirs. Witches adamantly believe that all magic should come at a cost and the constantly strive toward keeping balance among nature. The greatest among them was the Babylonian witch Hecate. Believed to have been born as the demigod daughter of the goddess Asteria and a Babylonian priest, Hecate’s lust for power led her down a dark path, eventually transforming into the eternally revered Queen of Witches and bringing about the fall of Babylon. Legend says that her wicked reign in the ancient world was eventually ended when the god Osiris himself rose from Elysium to imprisoned Hecate in crystal, splintering her power and scattering them across the globe. To this day, witches and warlocks revere these empowered crystals when found as divined relics of their dark goddess.
Next are the prodigium, and their existence is a living curse. They are those forcefully thrown into the Imaginary World by becoming monsters. Werewolves, vampires, wendigos, zombies, and many others are damned to this living Hell without choice, sometimes even after coming to the very brink of death.
Finally, there are the daydreamers. Daydreamers are regular, everyday people who have learned to see through the Shroud, many times by their own choice or, at times, due to actions and interference of an individual refers to as a Catalyst.
Catalysts are individuals already part of the Imaginary World whose actions incite another to see through the Shroud. It can be as simple as sharing stories that the would-be daydreamer believes or as complex as a violent and deeply traumatic event. It is said that the single greatest and most influential Catalyst throughout all of history (if Percy Maelock is to be believed) is Percy Maelock himself, whose stories and adventures have drawn countless individuals into the Imaginary World, earning him the title of Chief Catalyst.
Long before Percy, however, another Maelock is said to have claimed the prestigious honor of Chief Catalyst. Born nearly 500 years before his storytelling descendant, Sir John Horace Maelock was and remains to this day one of the Imaginary World’s most honored and respected daydreamers.
