From Beginning to End

[Mr.Bubbles_Esquire]

A more refined version of this is located just below this post. I thought about replacing it outright, but I'm like nasa, I hate to get rid of anything.

In this setting there is a power gauge that can be used to judge the strength of various characters.

To begin with, typical people, be they humans or otherwise, only have power in numbers. And that's not a metaphor, literally the more people focus their minds onto a single event or result, the more they can influence that event and result. Religions are built upon this concept and designed around giving the leadership of said religion the power to ascend to higher power.

The next step up are Magi, which are defined as individuals that manipulate Aether through force of will. Literally anyone can be a magi with the right training, as the fundamental nature of existence in this setting is built around force of will as the drive behind everything else.

A step above the Magi are Archmages or archemagi, whichever pronunciation you choose. These are Magi who have honed their abilities to such an extent that they have become extremely powerful, to the point of being seen as Gods by some. Entities such as Zeus, Odin, Thor, Buddha, etc. would all be considered Archmagi by the definitions of this setting.

Even further beyond Archemagi are beings referred to as Godkin, Elders, Ancients, Ascended, etc. The catch all term referring to this group is "outers". The Outer is essentially an Archmage who has, through their understanding of the nature of the cosmos, achieved a form of immortality. They have essentially discarded the need for a physical body and have essentially become a being of Sentient Will. The Bibilical god, holy ghost, etc would be the closest example of this level of power. They do not require a physical body, but may sometimes manifest a physical avatar to serve as a tool to achieve their goals. This is specifically because an Outer's power is so great that they can no longer interact with material sphere directly, in the same way that it is essentially impossible for a human to directly interact with individual cells without specialized tools.
Furthermore, due to no longer requiring an organic body, an Outer is the only type of being that can freely traverse through the different layers of the cosmos.
It is important to note that while it is possible to, through study and practice of Magic, become an Outer, they also come to form naturally within some of the other layers. It is only in the Material Sphere that an Outer may find themselves safe from others of their kind, though oft only because of significant distance.

And the last step beyond outers is one that cannot be achieved normally, the Eldritch. These are, in short, beings of pure willpower akin to the first ones from the beginning of the cosmos. The Harmony is composed of such beings, and their forms are equal to planes of existence all their own. Liken these to "great Old ones" from bloodborne or even Chaos Gods from WH40k. They are fundamental forces of power, alien in their existence, the truest "gods" mortals like us will ever know.

Having said that, there are new Eldritch being formed in this setting. In truth the entire reason behind the establishment of the Firmament, and the core and reality as it is in this setting is dedicated solely to the formation of new Eldritch, for it is all but impossible for these beings of power to produce children or offspring, they cannot make new versions of themselves without great effort.
But that is the entire point of the cosmos and the Harmony. For ever so rarely, the chaotic possibilities within the firmament will give rise to what is called a Sorcerer

Now, Some other settings may confuse people on the difference between a Magi and a sorcerer so I'll set it straight here, but it's also set straight in the index of terms as well.

A magi, as stated, is a person who manipulates Aether through force of will. Their powers are limited by their knowledge of the cosmos and the interactions between various forces. Pretty much anyone and everyone can be a Magi, as it only requires study and learning.

A sorcerer is a person who rewrites reality at their whim. Their powers are limited ONLY by their imagination and determination. Sorcerer's are so rare that entire galaxies can be born, grow, and die without even ONE Sorcerer coming from it. Being a Sorcerer requires a unique quirk of willpower that cannot be cultivated, grown, or trained. You are quite literally born with it, or you do not have it.

Some of you reading this may have already come to the conclusion: The way a sorcerer operates is exactly the same as how the Eldritch created the firmament, simply by willing it so. This is the point and purpose of things, a Sorcerer is essentially a newborn Eldritch, and given time they will grow in power, ascending through all the stages to eventually become Eldritch on their own, but by their very nature they will find no aid from other Eldritch. And in fact some Eldritch will actively seek to destroy a sorcerer before it can grow in power.

There are other differences, but those are the key ones. For the most part, Sorcerers and Magi function essentially the same, the only difference is the end point.

[Mr.Bubbles_Esquire]

From humble beginnings

Throughout the scattered realms there is a clear and definitive means to measure power. The nature of the cosmos is based on the strength of an individuals will. Anima, the fundamental substance the cosmos is composed of, is the medium of willpower. As words travel through the air in the form of vibrations, willpower travels through Anima in whatever form chosen by the bearer of that will. The stronger the will, the greater the possibilities.

Since Anima composes all of reality, the only limits to ones power is the strength of their will and their understanding of the cosmos.

And this makes it easy to recognize different levels of power. They are described as follows

Base

At the base level, a species only has whatever strength and power it is born with naturally. In the case of humans, this largely only meant a powerful intelligence and pack bonding mentality.

There is a phenomenon that occurs however, collective belief. While each individual member of a species may lack enough willpower or understanding to truly manipulate aether and anima, They are able to amplify the power of an individual or concept through this phenomenon. The more members that share a collective belief or idea, the stronger the resonance of that idea, and the more it solidifies.

Interestingly, the more any individual comes to understand the workings of the cosmos, the weaker this phenomenon is. For this reason, many individuals that rely on this ability to enhance their own power go out of their way to leave their loyal followers in the dark.

Magi

Any individual that comes to understand the basic concept of Aether or Anima has the capacity to become a Magi. Magi are individuals who have unlocked the potential for manipulating Aether and Anima through the Ritual of Awakening.
Magi use the strength of their wills to manipulate Aether, enabling them to achieve many remarkable things, though what exactly they become capable of is dependent on their personality.

Due to their abilities, it is not uncommon for Magi to be labeled as Heroes, Gods, Demons, and other such things.
Notable human Magi: Zues, Odin, Merlin, etc.

Ascended

Given enough time and practice, a Magi will eventually come to the realization and acceptance that even their own physical body is composed of Aether. And those that are strong enough will realize they need not be bound by it, shedding their physical forms to become entities of living willpower. Ascended are commonly seen as true gods, a fact further reinforced by the eventual understanding of their own power. Once you've shed your own physical form, it actually becomes particularly easy to understand how to create life.

Many Ascended make use of this fact to create or alter existing life, before establishing themselves as god of their created people. Sentient beings are capable of producing the Collective belief phenomenon, which can further enhance and strengthen the Ascended.

Besides the ability to create life, Ascended may at times chose to create and then control an Avatar. They do this for the same reason a normal person will use a scalpel to perform surgery. While an ascended has enormous power, this growth reduces their ability to perform actions that require more dexterity, hence the use of an avatar.
While the avatar's power is roughly half that of the actual Ascended, it is still more often than not significantly greater than any normal Magi.

The Closest Analogy for an Ascended would be a figure like Jesus Christ or Buddha. In the case of JC, You may consider the "holy ghost" to be the Ascended, and JC himself to be the Avatar.

Outer Lord

An ascended who is able to grow in power significantly enough will eventually understand the nature of what we call reality, the nature of the firmament itself. Traveling beyond the material sphere is such a difficult task, that overcoming that hurdle intact is enough to be called an Outer Lord

Outer lords grow in power the further out they travel, and those on the shed often claim one of the deterioriating islands as their own domain. By the time they reach that place, it is a trifling matter to sustain such an isle, no matter how far out into the Astral Sea it may drift. Such outer lords are seldom referred to by their titles anymore, rather having earned a singular place as legends that can only be referred to by name in reverence.

Sorcerers and Eldritch Gods

The purpose of the formation of a reality in the Astral Sea by the Harmony is quite simple, but perhaps because of that simplicity it is also overwhelmingly difficult.

As it is known, before there was anything else, the Astral Sea was home to a great many Eldritch Creatures. Among them were those known now only as gods. C'thulu, Nyarlothep, The Man in Yellow, Amon'Dalae, etc. These are but a handful of the eldritch beings that are known to have contacted reality as we know it. None of these are part of the Harmony, but the harmony itself is in fact a collective of Eldritch Gods.

Each Eldritch God is singular in nature, no two are alike, though some may have similarities. Perhaps it is part of their nature, but this facet of their being does nothing at all to prevent them from the one desire all living things have regardless of circumstance.

This is the purpose behind the formation of reality. It is a container designed for the purpose of allowing chaos to be channeled, ensuring every possibility may be explored and tested, all for the sole intention of creating the perfect circumstance to bring forth a child of Eldritch Descent.

Sorcerers are living beings born in the exact right circumstances, though what those circumstances are or what they change about a person is impossible to understand. Each sorcerer is, much like the eldritch gods they will become, distinct.

They are marked by a will that does not yield under any circumstances, but more importantly is the effect they have on their surroundings. Magi must understand the fundamental nature of whatever power or phenomenon they seek to bring forth with their willpower, such as knowing how molecules vibrating faster generates heat, or how a magnetic field can be alligned in a metal object. Sorcerers neither need this understanding, nor do they require the actual phenomenon or connections to enact their will.

For example, a magi may call forth a flame by vibrating air molecules and exciting them until they are heated enough to take the form of fire. A sorcerer may call forth a flame simply by wanting.

Or perhaps to more clearly demonstrate the difference. While a Magi can bring back the dead by reviving their corpse, or reconstruct a spirit through an understanding of their soul, A soul that has been destroyed cannot be recovered, as it's destruction erases all trace of the soul from existence.
However, a Sorcerer may, in simple terms, Reject that possibility entirely. Simply by refusing to forget, or even refusing to accept the souls destruction as a possibility, a Sorcerer may prevent or undo the destruction of a soul.

Other, less extreme examples, involve how the very rules themselves may be changed by a sorcerer, which of it's own accord makes them infinitely more powerful than a Magi.

Put simply, a Sorcerer is the closest thing to a true "god" as any living being will ever encounter.

And eventually a Sorcerer will awaken, with or without the ritual, and grow in power continously until they ascend to true divinity, shedding their physical bodies and adopting a form matching their personality as an Eldritch God.

This of course means they shall shift into the Astral Sea, and once they have departed they shall never again be able to return from whence they came, as their very nature as an Eldritch God precludes their presence in a lesser reality. But like a person casting a shadow over an anthill when the sun is angled properly, the former sorcerer may spread their influence over a realm when the circumstances allow it.