THE PRECURSOR REALMS
 
Expository Document by Bitter
 
 
PURPOSE
 
"The Precursor Realms" (henceforth simply "the Realms"), much like "The Bittersweet Realities", is a setting template for vore stories. The two templates share a great number of similarities, for good reason: they are actually connected to one another, and together create a single overarching setting. The Realms act as a sort of prequel setting to the Realities.
 
The tone of the Precursor Realms is darker than that of the Realities, though by how much exactly remains to be seen. The Realities are worlds built to be unabashedly vorish; as was mentioned in the world data for that setting, the world is "self-admittedly fictional". The Realms, in contrast, are more grounded in reality (which, again, should not necessarily be taken to mean that they are, in fact, realistic). Most people outside of a few deviants treat the idea of being eaten alive with the appropriate degree of horror. People spend most of their lives in settlements, and adventurers exist only so much as they are necessary (to carry messages, to hunt for food, to fight wars, and so on).
 
Much like the Realities, the original intent in the design of the Realms was to provide a setting for a Roguelike. The Realms are an intentionally stripped-down version of the Realities in order to reduce the amount of content that has to be implemented initially.
 
 
BACKGROUND
 
The Bittersweet Realities share a common origin point in their history, which is documented in "Bittersweet Realities: General". To summarize, a world existed before the given Reality did. Humankind grew powerful and discovered an awesome magical power to reshape reality. Conflicting forces attempted to use that power to their own ends, ultimately destroying the old world and replacing it with a new one somewhere between everyone's designs. The Precursor Realms are these predecessor worlds that existed before the apocalyptic "Recreation".
 
Since the Recreation has not yet taken old, there exists only one form of sapient life in the Realms: humans. Any creature that creates towns and cities, possesses a culture, and in other ways behaves in a human-like manner with, in fact, be human. This does not preclude the existence of demi-humans such as mermaids, minotaurs, and other creatures that the Realities would classify as "monstrous humanoids". Some of the creatures that are sapient in the Realities also exist in the Realms; however, their human sides are much less pronounced. For instance, while "naga" exist in the Realms, they are not the cleanly-divided human-snake chimeras that they are in the Realities; they are more akin to snakes that happen to have a chest and arms. A cat-man, similarly, would be more like a bipedal tiger than the human with cat ears coming out of their head. In terms of survival, it is very much humans against the rest of the world.
 
The primary setting in the Realms, chronologically, is a pseudo-medieval period. Humans have a good foothold in the world but are hardly the top of the food chain. Vast tracts of wilderness exist between human settlements, and monster attacks are fairly common. Animal wildlife tends to be larger than it is on earth, making humans a strange combination of predator and prey. Teamwork is mankind's best survival option.
 
 
PHYSICS
 
The physics of the Realms can be best described as a dilute form of the physics of the Realities. The Realities extend vorish abilities to anyone willing to use them; in the Realms, developing the requisite muscular flexibility for whole swallowing is an incredible feat for a human. It's possible, but unlikely.
 
Acids in the Realms work much more like they do on Earth than they do in the Realities. The fundamental process is the same as the Realities, where the acid must saturate an area before the material loses cohesion, but the saturation point is much lower in the Realms than the Realities, resulting in the expected behavior of dissolution on contact. For that reason, digestion tends to be a painful process for the prey. There's no accounting for taste, but most people know this and avoid getting eaten at all times (as mentioned above).
 
 
MAGIC
 
As a fantasy setting, the Realms must address the question of magic. Magic is more subdued in the Realms than it is in the Realities. In the Realities, "ether" is abundant and the primary limiter on a creature's capacity for magic is the strength of their soul. In the Realms, the same system of a plane of ether behind the physical plane is in effect, but the amount of available ether is much lower. Living creatures can cause changes in the ether through force of will, but actual physical manifestations such as flame and lightning cannot be produced through magic. Magic's effects in the Realms are generally subtler, such as affecting the mind or changing physical properties in subtle ways. Some magic has traditionally destructive effects, but it is nowhere near as common as such things are in a more high-magic setting and it takes the form of a simple force emission.
 
Because there is so little ether in the Realms, magic users must channel their energy before they can produce a spell. Unlike in the Realities, where a spellcaster can simply toss off a bit of magic with a whim, a caster in the Realms must make a significant effort to keep the ether they've placed into the spell under control. Channeling entails extruding ether from the caster's own spirit into the atmosphere, where it can then be shaped into a spell. However, great concentration is required in order to keep the atmospheric ether under control. If the caster becomes distracted before the spell is complete, they may lose control of the ether and wind up producing no effect. Any mana channeled into the spell before the loss of concentration is spent without return.
 
There is one exception to the "thin ether" rule. Magical ley-lines criss-cross the surface of the earth, radiating outward from a central position. In regions above the ley-lines, ether tends to be much denser and more readily available. Unfortunately, while these regions make excellent grounds for the use of magic by humans, they also make an excellent habitat for magic-using monsters, which, having more innate talent for magic than humans do, tend to overpower even humans with magical capabilities, to say nothing of perfectly mundane humans. Areas along the ley-lines are extremely dangerous and generally unsettled.
 
There are four major schools of magic: sorcery, enchantment, illusion, and alchemy. Sorcery is destructive magic; magic that crushes with bludgeoning force, shatters things with explosive power, or burns with raw energy is sorcery. Enchantment is magic that affects the mind, making creatures friendly or hostile, charming or dominating them, and rewarding or punishing them for various thoughts. Illusion magic changes appearances and creates visible effects; illusionists have been known to use flashes of light to blind their enemies, create body-doubles to bewilder their foes, or even turn completely invisible. Alchemy, rather than being a "true" magic, is the manipulation of ether through controlled reactions. An alchemist might not be able to use any magic of their own, but they can create a wand or a potion that produces the magical effect that they want if they have the right reagents.
 
 
ECOLOGY
 
Being closer to earth-like than the Realities in its physics, the ecology of the Realms is similarly closer to Earth-like. In the Realities, whole swallowing is the standard paradigm for any creature larger than a decomposer, and creatures which could not swallow a particular prey whole are likely to simply ignore it. In the Realms, however, consumption by parts is entirely viable. Whole swallowing is preferred since stomachs are still more damage-resistant than on Earth, but predators will tear up their prey if necessary and all creatures will make sure that their prey is incapacitated before attempting to eat it.
 
In the Bittersweet Realities, humans rely on butchery out of habit more than necessity. In the Precursor Realms, most humans are incapable of swallowing anything larger than an Earth human would be. The difference between Earth humans and Realms humans is in potential. With training, humans of the Realms can eventually gain the ability to swallow things that are much larger than normal food, eventually reaching the point of the more common human-on-human vore scenarios. However, such training is rarely undertaken and usually limited to more primal societies in which physical strength is emphasized. "Possible, but rare" is the key point here.
 
Owing to a common creative origin and their narrative link, many of the monsters that appear in the Realities also appear in the Realms. Evidently the concept of "giant, man-eating animal" was sufficiently stable to survive the Recreation.
 
 
THE FOUR GODS
 
The Realms' greatest divergence from the Realities, which are atheistic universes by definition, is the presence and dominance of a pantheon. The Realms are presided over by four gods, always the same four and with a unique instance for each individual Realm. To clarify: a Precursor Realm is defined by the existence of four specific gods; the gods are a component of the Realm, as opposed to agents who preside over the Realms from without.
 
While the influence of the four gods is undeniable, their exact nature and composition is unknown. While the four gods are treated as having human personae, this is largely an imposition of the human consciousness. That is, humans treat the gods as if they were people, talk about them as if they were people, and describe their actions as if they were directed by human thought patterns. This is not actually the case; the gods are better described as fundamental forces with a consistent pattern of influencing and being influenced by human behavior. There is a significant chicken and egg problem about the Realms' gods, philosophically: do the gods exist because people believe in them, or do people believe in the gods because their influence was so undeniable? There is probably some infinite recursion at work here, but such matters are trivial compared to the end result, which is this: the gods certainly exist, and their behavior is predictable.
 
All cultures worldwide recognize the same four gods by the same names. As a result, the name of any particular god has a cross-cultural meaning, depending the domain of that god. Simply speaking the god's name is enough to convey a significant amount of meaning regardless of whatever language barriers may exist. Of course, many cultures interpret a particular god's domain differently, and the most recognized meaning of the god's name in one culture might not necessarily be the same as the most recognized meaning in another. However, in broad, overarching terms, the meaning is the same for everyone.
 
Because it is nearly impossible to divide everything in the world into only four categories, the gods often preside over contradictory or overlapping domains. My only advice for resolving such conflicts is not to think about it too hard.
 
The gods are much likelier to act in a significant way when invoked in the presence of an effigy in their own image. There is no single "correct" image of any given god; so long as the artist's intent was to create an image of that god, the image will act as an effigy. The finer the craftsmanship and the closer to the theorhetical "true" image of the god, the more powerful the effigy will be. A grand statue bearing many symbols of the god's domain will have great power, while a small carving that only vaguely resembles the god (or a highly abstract holy symbol) will only offer a tiny connection to the god's power, if any.
 
The meaning of the word "priest" bears description. In the Realms, a "priest" is not necessarily a mere acolyte. Some people receive more attention from the gods than others. Though the gods may listen to anyone's prayers, these select few have a far more personal connection to their deity. A priest with strong faith is an avatar of sorts; they carry their god's power with them and spread it throughout the world. For this reason, most priests of notable power are itinerants. Rarely do the gods' favored souls stay cloistered.
 
The four gods are Theri, Istath, Quorah, and Hanoch. Each will be described in its own section.
 
 
THERI
 
Theri is one of the two sister Goddesses, and is often regarded as the oldest. Theri is the goddess of motherhood and fertility; paradoxically, she is also the goddess of virginity and youth. Theri is most often symbolically associated with the sun. This representation coincides with many of the properties ascribed to Theri, most importantly her relationship to Istath. It is said that Theri is continually reborn, first arising from the earth, shining brightly on all the world, then falling into the horizon, where she is devoured by her sister goddess Istath. Contrary to what most people might expect, this is not considered an antagonistic relationship. Theri is the goddess of being devoured and of sacrifice; a key teaching of most cults of Theri is that all life will one day be consumed to produce new life. It might be expedient to characterize Theri and Istath as yin and yang rather than God and Devil; they are opposites which recognize the necessity of the other's existence rather than an absolute dichotomy in which one must destroy the other.
 
Theri is the goddess of healing, renewal, hope, and plenty.
 
As closely associated as she is with fertility, Theri is often honored for her sexual prowess. Though typically described as female, many cultures (particularly those which are less prudish or more primitive) depict Theri as a hermaphrodite. Regardless of what equipment Theri is shown to possess, it is generally exaggeratedly large. A common saying in many cultures used to shoot down people who seem to be proud of their endowments is "Theri's is bigger!"
 
Priests of Theri are well-accepted nearly everywhere they go. Good fortune seems to follow in their footsteps. Again with the chicken and egg problem, most priests of Theri are highly feminine-- if a woman, then exaggeratedly so; if a man, then difficult to determine as such unless his pants are down. They have a certain sexual magnetism that draws people to them, leading to a saying: "If you have any marriageable virgins when a priest of Theri arrives, you won't have any left when he leaves." The female version of this same saying goes, "When is a priestess of Theri not pregnant?" "Trick question." You might think that a medieval society would revile them for being the cause of so much adultery, but the children of Theri's priests have very similar powers to the priests themselves. They may not have the sort of miraculous abilities that the priests themselves have, but they do seem to have a aura of good luck.
 
A priest of Theri's primary abilities involve healing magic (a rarity in the Realms). They are resistant to disease and poison and may have the ability to remove them from others. They can recharge their mana through sex; some of their partner's energy is leeched off of them. In rare cases, a priest of Theri can turn this into a form of unbirth: they convert their victims into pure mana and absorb them in their entirety. Even if they are capable of doing so, they generally only do this in the direst circumstances, and only with the permission of their prey. (And, I'd point out, the process is incredibly pleasant for the prey, which acts as an incentive.)
 
As avatars of health and fertility, priests of Theri tend to run afoul of things that want to eat them. The same aura of desirability that draws people to them draws monsters to them as well, and a key aspect of Theri's domain is being consumed. Part of what draws people to a priest of Theri is the knowledge that they might well not be around tomorrow.
 
Priests of Theri completely lose their powers during the night. This is likely due to Theri being so closely associated with the sun. If the sun is no longer shining on the land around them, they have no powers. Note that this does not rob a priest of Theri of their powers if they are indoors or underground. So long as the sun is in the sky above them, they have Theri's blessing. Questions like "What happens if they follow the sun all the time?" and "What happens to a priest of Theri's powers if they're at the center of the earth?" are so abstract and unlikely ever to be relevant that I choose not to answer them.
 
As a word, "Theri" cross-culturally means peace and goodwill.
 
 
ISTATH
 
Istath is one of the two sister Goddesses, generally considered younger than Theri but for all intents and purposes the same age. She is often regarded as the Other Goddess of the Belly. Istath is the mirror image of Theri. She is the god of the stomach, of acid and entropy and chaos. All that Theri creates, Istath eventually consumes and digests, including Theri herself. Despite the apparent antagonism between the two goddesses, both they and their followers have a peaceable relationship. If Theri were unchallenged, then eventually there would be nothing left with which to create; the world would freeze, unable to change. Istath is the force of destruction that takes the old and decomposes it, creating new base materials to build with. Istath is the god of predators and will always favor a scenario that ends with the prey in the predator's belly. She is the god of death and decay, and also the passage of time. She is the god of darkness and the earth, in contrast to Theri's stewardship over the light and the sun. Owing to Istath's influence, night is a very dangerous time; many of the world's most terrifying monsters make the night their home.
 
Despite all this, Istath is generally revered in the same way as Theri is. While not necessarily clung to in the same way as Theri (you will never get humans to think better of anyone than a god of sexuality), Istath is generally seen as a necessary force. Istath does not punish those who submit themselves willingly to her embrace; people who find themselves devoured and resign themselves to their fate often find their digestion easier to bear than those who fight to the very end.
 
Priests of Istath are not treated badly, but are usually kept at arm's length. People will give succor to a priest of Istath if only to avoid the goddess's wrath. The best-known ability of priests of Istath is the ability to swallow and digest very large objects; very few priests of Istath have any reservations about eating people. The goddess directs them on this matter; whatsoever Istath compels them to eat, they must (or be punished). The arrival of a priest of Istath is generally a bad omen-- your village is going to have some disappearances-- but that's a more tolerable fate than winding up with a plague of man-eating monsters. Priests of Istath can withstand ingested poisons and diseases easier than other people can.
 
The supernatural powers afforded to a priest of Istath inevitably lead to the digestion of their target. They gain incredible bodily elasticity, extremely fast-working digestive systems, and some bizarre ingestion techniques (Kirby, anyone?). The price they pay for such power is an incurable hunger; to say that priests of Theri eat quite a bit is a severe understatement. Priests of Istath are among the few human warriors who use eating their enemies as a main combat tactic.
 
Like most predators, a priest of Istath's powers are stronger at night. Unlike priests of Theri, however, their powers are unaffected by daylight.
 
As a word, "Istath" cross-culturally is a threat. Claiming Istath is to claim that you are stronger than the one spoken to.
 
 
QUORAH
 
One common creation myth holds that Quorah festered in Istath's feces, rose up, and tore open Theri's belly. Hanoch fell out of Theri's womb, took up a sword, and repaid Quorah by cutting open his belly as well.
 
Quorah is the god of evil. His name is so synonymous with ill will that most cultures use euphemisms to describe him rather than his true name. The most common of these is "The Eviscerated"; Quorah is often depicted as a man with his entails eternally spilling out of him from a wound he received from Hanoch. Quorah is the god of flight (that is, fleeing) and escape; he is eternally running from Hanoch's judgment. Where his blood falls, calamity ensues. Though Quorah is the god of prey, he delights in suffering and offers no mercy to those who would beg it of him. Quorah prefers to see suffering and death, and will take any available opportunity to create more of them.
 
It is important to note that invoking Quorah always results in a net negative. No exceptions. Some rare and lucky few profit by Quorah's influence, but their gain is nothing compared to the losses they inflict on others. Even if you seek nothing but destruction, invoking Quorah is not safe; Quorah's best (and some would say only) talent is proving that humans have farther to fall than they think. If one were to swear revenge an enemy in Quorah's name, he might give them the power to take revenge by transforming them into a hideous monster. Or, worse still, he might take them up to the very brink of obtaining their revenge, only to make them fail at the last second and see their enemies lifted even higher up.
 
Such an openly malevolent deity is unlikely to have any willing followers. However, Quorah does still have priests; in most cultures, they are called the "Marked". A Marked has a symbol on their forehead, clearly visible, as though tattooed on them but not removable by any means. The symbol has no predictable shape, but evokes a certain sense of horror in the viewer even if they don't know exactly what it means. Bitter fortune follows the Marked. Unnatural monsters are ever at their heels, people refuse them shelter to avoid gaining Quorah's notice, and, most pitifully, they cannot even mend themselves. Their wounds do not close easily, food barely sates them, and the ether is even less willing to flow around them. The Marked only gain a reprieve by causing more suffering than they themselves feel. If they are not destroyed by the trials they face, then they are likely to snap under the pressure and go insane.
 
Anyone may become one of the Marked at any time, but it becomes more likely for doing anything that would draw the ire of Quorah, such as lending aid to the Marked, defacing his effigies, or indeed even praying in his name.
 
Quorah offers only one benefit to his "followers". Quorah is the god of roads and the wilderness, and therefore his Marked gain a certain mental agility if they did not already possess it. The Marked learn quickly and without focus. They master skills in days that would take normal people years just to grasp. They have to.
 
As a word, "Quorah" is a warning against danger and an explicative.
 
 
HANOCH
 
Hanoch is the brother god of Quorah, born of Theri when Quorah tore him out of her womb. Hanoch is the god of law and justice, war, and hunting. He is eternally in pursuit of Quorah, seeking the only foe who has been able to elude him. Hanoch is typically depicted in armor, with a helmet completely obscuring his face. Hanoch is typically shown holding a sword, but other weapons of war aren't unheard of and vary by region.
 
It is important to understand the distinction between Hanoch and Quorah, because while they are opposites the axis on which they are symmetric isn't the one that might initially come to mind. Quorah is the god of senseless suffering; Hanoch is the god of justice. The invocation of Quorah is always bad; the invocation of Hanoch will always lead to justice. This does not necessarily mean that good will come of it for any given party. When Hanoch moves, he creates moral correctness-- this is often painful. A man who begs Hanoch to help him avenge his family's death might find himself with great strength and a bloodlust for the murderer's family. Justice will be served, after a certain Hammurabian interpretation of the notion. Our theoretical avenger might find himself emotionally broken after exacting the blood price with his own hands. Soldiers who call out to Hanoch before a war will receive the valorous battle they ask for: devastating losses on both sides. Hanoch makes peace through mutually assured destruction.
 
Despite this intimidating lawfulness, Hanoch is still much better liked than Quorah. Quorah, when invoked, simply destroys; under Hanoch, any pain you suffer is certainly deserved. Hanoch's faithful, therefore, are strictly moral and generally peace-keepers. An itinerant hero might help out your village; a priest of Hanoch will, always. Priests of Hanoch tend to take on the image of their god moreso than other priests do; they are known for tramping about in full-body armor and concealing their face if they're forced to be less protected. Hanoch's power lends them supernatural strength and endurance; if they encounter an enemy which is stronger than they are, somehow they manage to break even. At the same time, a priest of Hanoch never seems to overpower their enemies by a great deal. Hanoch loves a fair fight and an uncertain result.
 
Prey types, be they humans menaced by monsters or thieves attempting to break into a house, are well advised to call out to Hanoch rather than Quorah. Though he serves justice, Hanoch also enjoys a good hunt, and hunting loses its interest when the prey falls too quickly.
 
As a word, "Hanoch" can take several meanings depending the tone. Used neutrally, it represents non-concern; used violently, it is a call to battle.
 
 
THE TOWER OF VORE
 
This is where it all comes together. In a central location in the world, where the ley-lines converge, there stands a stone tower one hundred stories high. The stones on the outside bear indecipherable glyphs on the outside; the inside of the tower is a mystery. The tower is not literally known as "The Tower of Vore"; to the inhabitants of the Realms, it is simply "the Tower". Tower with a capital "T". Everyone knows about it, but few know what it actually is. Situated as it is at the meeting point of all the world's ley-lines, it is the single most dangerous position on the surface of the earth, and only the bravest and strongest dare approach.
 
Explorers will find a single hemispherical entrance to the tower along its bottom. Visible in this hemisphere is what appears to be a freestanding globe of water. But beneath the surface of the water is a natural environment of some kind, which changes every so often. Those who pass through this portal will indeed find themselves in whatever sort of natural area was depicted, with no apparent means of return. Whether intentionally or not, the poor fool has embarked on the challenge of the Tower: to survive to the top. Each "floor" of the tower contains a self-contained miniature reality, set in an environment resembling those found across the earth. These environments are populated with the most powerful predators found within them. An adventurer's goal within the Tower is to find the next portal, which will take them on to the next floor of the tower. At the top of the tower, above the hundredth floor, is the Lord of the Tower-- a title that changes hands quickly. There can be only one Lord of the Tower; to hold the title, the Lord must defend the top of the Tower from anyone who arrives. Anyone who defeats the previous Lord becomes the Lord of the Tower, and the cycle begins anew.
 
There is no leaving the Tower once it's been entered. Not even reaching the top will free someone from the Tower's grasp.
 
 
THE RECREATION
 
Over time, humanity gains a stronger position in the global food chain and learns to use the high-ether regions that lie along the ley-lines. This gives rise to an age of magic that roughly corresponds with the Industrial Revolution; magical knowledge rapidly advances and carries the Realms off in a completely different technological direction than our own universe. This culminates in an understanding of the fundamentals of the universe; the true nature of the gods is revealed, comprehended, and finally controlled. The various warring factions each attempt to use the power of the gods to reshape reality as they see fit, and the resulting catastrophic magical backlash produces one of the Bittersweet Realities out of the Precursor Realm that came before it. Strangely, the Tower of Vore is the only landmark that survives the Recreation.