Esterskald
LIBRA05 - No. 2
Geography
The highest plane of the lower half of the Otherside, Esterskald, is a land consumed and controlled by flora and fauna. From lush forests to dense jungles, almost every inch of Esterskald is overgrown, tangled, and twisted in an endless sea of greenery. All structures and dwellings in Esterskald are organic and intertwined with nature. It is theorized by some that the flora and fauna of Esterskald are still directly tied to the flora and fauna of the Flipside. As such, it is further assumed that this mysterious connection between the Esterskald and the Flipside commonly leads to weak spots in the boundary lines and the formation of most organic portals, such as “Fairy Circles.”
While the Hauntaurskald is often thought of as the largest plane of the Otherside, the Esterskald is not far behind in terms of size. There are five distinct regions of Esterskald, The Everwoods, The Thorned Tangle, The Emerald Shore, the Buzzing Plains, and lastly, The Hollow. Though there are also many local sub-regions, such as the Hypha Campus, the Mosslands, the Cliffs of Bloat, and the Cruor Cloister.
The Everwoods is possibly the largest region of Esterskald, encompassing a seemingly endless forest spawning the circumference of Esterskald. The forest is not homogenous and varies between temperate, tropical, and boreal areas. The Everwoods is also the second most inhabited area of the Esterskald. Next, The Thorned Tangle can be found deep in the southern region of the Everwoods and, as the name suggests, contains countless thorns and twisting, tangling vines. It is often home more to the various human witches of the Esterskald. To the north of the Everwoods, near the cusp between Esterskald and Hauntaurskald, are the Buzzing Plains. A hot, dry grassland with scarce trees but a nearly endless supply of flying insect Cryptids and exiled Demons. The glimmering tropical Emerald Shore is to the far south of the Everwoods at the cusp of Esterskald and Mayda. The Emerald Shore is named as such due to the sparkling green bioluminescence, which keeps it alight.
Lastly, there is The Hollow. The second largest city in the Otherside and the location of Beelzebub’s throne. The Hollow is located entirely inside a massive tree at the approximate center of the Esterskald. The inside of The Hollow is broken up into various layers of the tree, with the “low” Demons inhabiting the roots, the “middle” Demons inhabiting the core of the tree, and the “high” Demons inhabiting the top and branches of the tree. This is as complicated as the Esterskald Hierarchy gets, and often upward mobility in the Hollow is limited only by how much you provide to the Hollow’s never-ending feast. While all are welcome to the feast, if one were to steal or otherwise tamper with the feast, they would almost certainly be banished to the Buzzing Plains to be consumed by the incessant fly-beasts.
History
At the creation of the Otherside, then known only as the singular Skald, Beelzebub was there as the second child of the Devil and Eve. He was granted control over the Skald and all that it would encompass. And Beelzebub kept the Skald well, allowing life in all forms to flourish and engage in the grand circle of life, feasting and festering. However, this all changed when his younger brother, Satan, split the Skald in half, creating a distinct Hauntaurskald and Esterskald. In the moment of the great skald split, Beelzebub’s Key to the Gates of Hell, Voracity, manifested.
Following the Soul Accord, Beelzebub was granted dominion over any human who died by an act of nature. While this may seem vague on the surface, it relates to the mysterious and inexplicable connection between the Esterskald and the Flipside. Say a tree falls on a human; unless the tree itself chose to fall, it is not considered an actual act of nature. In addition to the souls of all humans who die by acts of nature, Beelzebub was granted the majority of non-human souls, filling his plane to the brim with Otherside flora and fauna. However, a major stipulation of the Soul Accord was that any reincarnated non-human soul, commonly referred to as Cryptids, are free to move through the Otherside as they please. Even with this stipulation, most Cryptids tend to stay in the wild and untamed Esterskald indulging in the never-ending feast.
Inhabitants & Rulers
The ruler of the Esterskald is and always has been its simulacrum, Beelzebub, the Demon Prince of Gluttony. Beelzebub, along with Levithan and Lucifer, is often considered the more benevolent Princes of Hell. As such, Beelzebub does not often leave his Hollow as he is content to rule his Plane in peace. However, Beelzebub often contends with invading Boogiemen of the Hauntaurskald, and even Esterskaldian demons converted to Satan’s ranks.
The Esterskald is overflowing with Cryptids and has its fair share of Demons too. Though the Cryptids and Demons of the Esterskald vary greatly and can range from Mr. to Mrs. and even Miss. Some examples of customers from Esterskald include Mr. Frederick, Mr. McDaniel, Mr. Paker, Mr. Patterson, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Cheesman, Mrs. Doerr, Mrs. Herbert, and Miss. Eden. The Cryptids and Demons of the Esterskald take on prominent animal or plant-like qualities.