Sea of Thought

The Sea of Thought is a realm beyond the physical world. It's a limitless and dynamic place composed entirely of imagination and memory — terrifyingly full of possibilities. You visit the Sea of Thought when you dream. When you think. When you reminisce. When you invent. When you cast spells. The Sea of Thought is known by many names. The "astral plane." The "dream world." The "realm of the mind." The "higher consciousness." Some minds are better suited at navigating these waters than others.

Mana

All mana comes from the Sea of Thought. When a mage sleeps, he dreams, so he drinks from the water and replenishes his own well of mana. When a mage casts a spell, he focuses his mind on the outcome and surrenders some amount of mana. Bound by the laws of the universe, an elemental manifests to collect the mana, siphon power from the Sea of Thought, and activate the effects of the spell. The mana one finds in physical form throughout the Mortal World are in actuality tiny amounts of a pure element from the Sea of Thought that have leaked through into our reality. Crystalline mana is a hunk of earth, ice, or metal. Liquid mana is a swig of water or slime. Gaseous mana is a wisp of fire, air, or electricity. A mage with solid, liquid, or gaseous mana in hand can replenish his own well without making the trip.

Elementals

Elementals themselves hail from the Sea of Thought. An elemental exists as a sentient consciousness, capable of thought, reason, and free will just like any humanoid, but without a physical body or an eternal spirit. They can manifest in the Mortal World under one of three scenarios. First, they can be summoned temporarily by a mage. Second, they can be tasked by one of the Immortals to carry out some purpose. Third, they can be drawn toward a high concentration of their associated element to guard, observe, or assist it. Since they maintain a connection to the Sea of Thought, manifested elementals can cast spells at will without the use of mana.

Travel

A talented mage, mystic, psychic, oracle, sage, or scholar might be capable of projecting their own mind into the Sea of Thought and leaving their own world for a spell. Over the course of history, the Sea of Thought has served for countless minds as a meeting place, a sanctuary, a prison, and a library. The minds of sentient creatures in the Mortal World border the Sea of Thought. When a mage detaches his consciousness from the Mortal World, he projects an avatar of his mind into a place called the vestibule, where he finds himself staring at his own body and its surroundings. The vestibule is a figment of the imagination that represents the way home. As he strays from the safety of the vestibule, he opens the doorway into the Sea of Thought. This connection to limitless magical power sustains his body and places it in a state of suspended animation. When he returns, he will be just as hungry, thirsty, injured, and tired as when he left. If fatal harm befalls the mage's body while he's navigating the Sea of Thought, his mental avatar vanishes.

Geography

The twelve elements that combine to form the Mortal World are also part of the Sea of Thought, except they are much more concentrated and pure there. Light and verdance emanate from above, where an infinite space of radiance and energy dwells. Dark and ruin emanate from below, where an empty, lifeless, and bottomless hole lies. These four elemental forces influence all the others which reside in the center. Bordered below by darkness and decay, a vast ocean of water angrily churns and roils. The crushing depths are teeming with secrets, forgotten ideas, and deceased elementals. A daring explorer of the Sea of Thought might be able to recover one of these. Above this sea flies a spacious expanse of air that streams whimsically under a crown of illumination and life. In the vaulting heavens far above the clouds, ideas are created, elementals are spawned, and inspiration originates. Sprawling islands and continents rest steadfastly on the surface of the ocean, stretching into its shallows and towering into the sky. This is the realm where memories linger. Air, water, and earth are continually pressing against each other, so the vicinity around these borders are places of constant activity and home to other elements. Slime is found in the water, especially near land. Ice is found where water borders air, especially since the sky eternally steals from the ocean to form clouds — its favorite playthings. Bereft of its water, the ocean repeatedly angers and retrieves it in violent fashion. The battle between them incites electricity to dance through the sky and rivers to flow across the earth. Fires ignite and volcanoes erupt along the border of earth and air, just as metal is found where fire and lava touch the earth. The heavens and the depths both exert their power on the air, water, and earth.

Combat

There are countless types of elementals, and each one may manifest with or without a body in the Material World. Those without a body gain the incorporeal condition while manifested.