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The Mana is considered the highest form of existence among the other "Paths" as taught by Her race. The others are, from highest to lowest, Ascended, Celestial, Mortal, Hollow, Animal, Wraith, and Demon. Each is or was a race of people, with the exception of The Mana itself as an energy. Sei'koh was crafted to be the soul through which all other races would interact with said energy - She interprets the will of the caster and helps to better form the spell they wish to cast.
=== Vices, Virtues, and Paths ===
;Path of The Ascended, Aspect of Water, Virtue of Discovery, Vice of Ignorance
Contained in the left hand, this Aspect is the remains of The Ascended race. As the source of all souls, the original users of magic, The Ascended were the pilgrims of power and balance. Their discoveries were more than simple curiosity; they truly believed themselves to be the universe beginning to understand itself. They practically feared lack of knowledge, and especially hated the rare individual who would shut their eyes to the truth. This Aspect is clouded in the same manner - refusing to learn and grow, believing there is nothing left to learn. The vice is depicted as a figure covering its eyes with its left hand, blinded. The virtue is depicted as a figure with its left hand shielding its eyes from the bright sun, forging ahead.
;Path of The Celestial, Aspect of Wind, Virtue of Equality, Vice of Arrogance
Contained in the right hand, the Aspect of Wind and its associated Tower evoke The Celestial race. Some of the original descendants, indeed the only ones that remain besides Mortals, of the Ascended Hollows who believed themselves above all others. Theirs is a story of learning one's place in the world. The vice is depicted as a figure shaking the right fist at head level, asserting superiority. The virtue is depicted by a figure with the right hand over the heart, understanding and conceding one's lot in life and the universe.
;Path of The Mortal, Aspect of Light, Virtue of Cooperation, Vice of Pride
Contained in the right foot, the Aspect of Light exemplifies the greatest strengths and weaknesses of humans and their variants. Almost all the souls that were once Ascended Hollows have settled at this level, where control and impulse can find balance. A soul who insists that they alone can rule or change the world is the weakest of all. The vice is depicted as a figure with hands on its hips, feet apart, to stand stubbornly alone. The virtue is depicted as a figure with hands outstretched at hip level, heels together to humbly request aid.
;Path of The Hollow, Aspect of Earth, Virtue of Selflessness, Vice of Selfishness
Contained at the hips, this Aspect is deeply rooted in the language of The Hollows, six-armed humanoids who created the system of writing many subsequent civilizations used, until the knowledge was lost to the world when Mortals created theirs. In their language, "lust" and "selfishness" and even "vice" could be the same word. While the other Paths were translated accurately, The Hollows and their wild emotions often ascribed complex metaphysical denotations to their ideographs, which made it difficult on future generations. Under The Mana's teachings, after all, intense emotions, even anger, are not a vice. This vice is depicted as a figure with its hands on its hips, thrust forward, prioritizing self-satisfaction. The virtue depicts a figure with palms forward at hip level, offering service.
;Path of The Animal, Aspect of Life, Virtue of Bravery, Vice of Fear
Contained in the head, the Aspect of Fear Life speaks to the primal, base instinct mortals have inherited from their bestial brethren. As one descends further from The Mana, creatures become more beholden to their impulses and emotions. -->Animals are the progenitors of all higher races via Hollows, who distinguished themselves as true souls by their passions and agency. Some believe them to be made of shards of souls too small or weak to form personality, others believe they are how souls are punished. Regardless of the truth, a frightened animal cares little for virtue, while bravery and valor must be a conscious choice. The vice of Fear is depicted as a figure shrinking in fear, shielding its head with its arms. The virtue of Bravery is depicted as one with balled fists and bare teeth, facing danger. Some carvings also depict a defiant wolf for the virtue. ;Path of The Wraith, Aspect of Darkness, Virtue of Generosity, Vice of GreedAnother difficult translation, this aspect is contained in the stomach, and has more to do with want for physical objects than metaphysical concepts such as in Selfishness and Lust. If a Hollow struggles to think of others and their feelings or wants more than its own, a Wraith believes that each object it desires is already under its ownership, with difficulty seeing value in aiding others by giving. Wraiths are listless, unfulfilled spirits, seeking to fill the void in their souls with possessions and status. Hoarding in this way creates scarcity without need, slows the growth and progress of societies, and stunts the heart. The vice of Gluttony is depicted with a figure holding something to its stomach, protective, while the virtue of Generosity shows a figure with hands upturned in offering. ;Path of The Demon, Aspect of Fire, Virtue of Righteousness, Vice of PersecutionContained in the left foot, this Aspect tells the strangest tale of all. History remembers Demons as vile creatures, bent on oppression of all other creatures, enslaving even their own kind, and the severance of The Mana from her bond with Mortals. In reality, Demons have also been some of the greatest allies to the other races, and have warred with their own kind to uphold balance and root out evil. The most kind of their number were healers and lawbringers, fair judges and understanding rulers. These examples, however, are lost in the numerous atrocities committed by the Demons, including the brief periods when they ''did'' rule the world, until their oppression bred the very power needed to resist them. The vice of Persecution is depicted as a figure with the left foot on a stone, or a curled statue of another. The virtue is depicted as a figure on its left knee, level with those downtrodden and powerless.
== Clergy and Temples ==
There are two sets of nine temples, one on each continent, across the planet from one another. The temples, matching the Paths, are Death, Water, Wind, Light, Earth, Life, Darkness, and Fire. Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind are in cardinal directions, with the others being the combinations of them; Death is between Fire and Earth, Darkness between Earth and Water, Life between Water and Wind, Light between Wind and Fire.
Each temple on the island continent, where the other set was copied from, was once the home of a race of its own. Demons resided in the Sanctum of Fire, inside a volcano. Wraiths took a ruined mortal City of Darkness as their home. Animals thrived in and around the Grove of Life. Hollows , origin of all sentient life, burrowed deep and built high to protect their Gallery of Earth. Mortals created a Palace of Light in honor of an ancient queen, descended from Hollows who abandoned Pride to work together. Celestials presided over the others in a Tower of Wind, tightly gripping Pride until it turned to Arrogance. The Ascended, origin of Celestials and Hollows, resided in the oceans and skies, leaving behind the Plaza of Water when they committed themselves to a cycle of rebirth, leaving behind Sei'koh and a single guardian for the temple. The Mana's temple was created last: an Undercroft of Death made by worshipers as a place to visit the recently departed and confront the many faces of a mortal end.
Adherents to The Mana's teachings are, in truth, following the wisdom of The Ascended race. Virtues naturally benefit oneself and others, while vices invariably make things worse overall. Each vice and virtue pair tells the story of each Path, and offers a way for any sentient being to gain strength within themselves and through social and worldly connections. Those who truly follow these teachings, however, are few and far between. During The Age of Agony, She was greatly limited, but even before and after, She rarely took matters in Her own hands. Followers of The Mana know this, and so seek their own strength and virtue rather than rely on Her intervention. "Worship," then, is too strong a word for their practice, and there are no priests of The Mana. Instead, martial artists who seek enlightenment, who have lived a thousand months or more, act as the height of any sort of hierarchy within the temples. These "Thousand Moons" then choose a "Grand Moon" from among them to lead the temple.
==Additional Content==
If used in Dungeons And Dragons, 5th edition, She should be considered Lawful Good. Subclasses relating to Her are in progress, such as a[[Mana_Patron_The_Mana_(5e_Subclass5e_Otherworldly_Patron)| Patron for Warlocks]], a [[Virtue_Domain_(5e_Divine_Domain)|Domain for Clerics]], a [[Way_of_Enlightenment_(5e_Monastic_Tradition)|Monk Tradition]], and [[Oath_of_Virtue_(5e_Sacred_Oath)|a Paladin Oath]]. To be an Aspect, there is a chain of feats, detailed here (pending).
For events later in the history of Her world, see the [[Soulbringer_(5e_Class)|Soulbringer class]] and Her mortal form (pending).
