This world can be considered an "urban fantasy" in which Entities exist as myths and legends to a modern world much like ours, with the present day being the same as ours. That said, while religion still differs from culture to culture, Entities (Angels and Demons, mostly) feature prominently in superstition and it is common for even the most secular to have a sense that there is something supernatural in the world.
Angels spend much of their time and come into existence in the Plane of Light. There is an Angelic "city" called Lux, a place of abstract towers of light and white and gold among soft, white clouds.
Demons spend much of their time and come into existence in the Plane of Darkness. The "city" of Darkness is Umbra, full of abstract arches and other constructs of a black, lightless material. What little light there is in Umbra often varies from bluish to purplish hues.
The Ecliptic have a home in the Plane of Twilight. Though there is no major "city" like those of the Planes of Light and Darkness, there is Vespertine, the Nexus of Twilight.
All Entities can enter any plane, but Angels have difficulty entering the Plane of Darkness and Demons have trouble entering the Plane of Light.
Angels and Demons have formed separate but interlocked societies that eventually came to cooperate in an attempt to help mortals ascend their souls or reincarnate if they are unsatisfied, and to find the corrupt/malignant souls to be consumed and thus destroyed. Some individuals are very trusting and cooperative, while some are wary of others.
Angelic, Demonic, and Ecliptic factions each have their own rules and ways of enforcing order, though many enforcers collaborate across factions. There are cases of rogue Angels inflicting mass destruction and rogue Demons making deals or otherwise tempting souls into their grasp, but overall the system works fairly well.
The Ecliptic tend to be fairly independent; they stand out in contrast to both Angels and Demons, after all. Typically, they will spend more time interacting with other Ecliptic beings, but they may interact with anyone they wish.
For specific roles in each society, you can see Lore Roles.
In each aether plane is a Nexus, a central structure where Entities congregate.
Lux is the central "city" of Angels. It is composed of abstract towers of light and white and gold among soft, white clouds. There are numerous clusters of the abstract towers where Angels congregate, with the largest cluster and the largest towers forming the Lumen, a central area for Angels.
All Angels have a slight connection with each other, given their shared source. To some extent, they can understand each other's thoughts and intent, though they are able to shield this connection. In the towers are Resonance Chambers where the connection can be enhanced, however, allowing all Angels in resonance to experience a cohesive, connected existence—sharing all their thoughts and emotions. Typically, only Ordained Angels and Ecliptic take part in the Resonance.
The Angelic order is maintained by the Luminous Council, a group of Angels who maintain a degree of Resonance even beyond the Resonance Chambers. With their collective will, they decide on matters of society and order, not requiring any open debate.
Umbra is the central "city" of Demons. It is structured around bottomless chasms with towering spires of shadowstone, a black, lightless material. What little light there is in Umbra often varies from bluish to purplish hues, though Angels and those who rely on vision would have trouble navigating. The most towering spire is Obscurum, a central area for Demons where the Abyssal One resides.
Umbra is full of pools of a deep black liquid. A Demon can resonate with these pools to peer into the metaphysical threads of the universe, allowing them to seek out the traces of corrupt souls.
The Demonic order is maintained by the Shade Conclave. Leaders arise through a mix of pure power, combat, and effective leadership. The Demon that leads the Shade Conclave is referred to as the Abyssal One, and the position cycles between a number of incredibly powerful Demons that more or less take turns ruling and going out to hunt souls. The Abyssal One carries a metaphysical stigma, marking them as the ruler of Demons.
Those who once held the position or are reasonable contenders are referred to as the Shadows. Shadows can challenge the Abyssal One at any time, though the Abyssal One tends to have a court of several powerful Demons to ward off pointless challenges while they try to maintain order. If the Abyssal One dismisses their court, it is a signal that they are ready for their turn to end.
The Abyssal One essentially makes executive decisions for Demonic society, though their stigma carries a degree of noblesse oblige—they must heed the wills of Demons who wish for their voices to be heard. Every now and then, they call an Assembly, where Demons can attend or resonate remotely through a pool made of their magic. There, Demons can speak all the words they wish to convey to the Abyssal One, who will be able to hear and understand them all with the influence of their stigma.
The Plane of Twilight is a realm of eternal dawn and dusk extending to the infinite horizon, spotted by clouds and structures of dark stone. There is no major "city," but Sekriel and Bellat constructed Vespertine during the early Eclipse Era; it is a decently large complex of structures consisting of interconnected sanctuaries and gathering spaces, built of both crystalline light and shadowstone. These materials intertwine in impossible ways, creating structures that seem to exist in a state of perpetual transition between light and dark.
At the heart of Vespertine lies a pool of liquid twilight—neither light nor shadow, but something in between—that allows Ecliptic beings to peer into the metaphysical threads of the universe. Unlike the pools of Umbra that reveal corrupt traces, or the Resonance of Lux that connects Angels, the Twilight pool offers visions of both Light and Dark, allowing Ecliptic to perceive the full spectrum of souls' journeys toward ascension or corruption.
The Ecliptic maintain order through Confluences, gatherings where any Ecliptic may attend and share their thoughts. During these meetings, attendees enter a state of partial resonance—less complete than the Angels' Resonance Chambers, but more directed than the Demons' Assemblies. In this state, they can share their perspectives while maintaining their individual identities, reaching agreements through understanding rather than authority.
These Confluences often result in loose coalitions of Ecliptic who agree to work together toward common goals, whether that involves mediating between Lux and Umbra, guiding souls, or maintaining balance in the mortal realm. Unlike the rigid structure of the Luminous Council or the hierarchical rule of the Abyssal One, the Ecliptic's organization remains fluid.
An Entity's alignment describes how they align with the principles of their society. In lore, these are labels that Ordained Entities may use to describe other Entities. Meta-wise, an Entity's alignment can guide the sorts of roles they can play in Entity society and what kinds of relationships they tend to have with others of certain alignments.
Their alignment can change over time, though it is a general characteristic of personality and behavior, so a drastic change is not common.
For more info, see Lore Roles.
Ordained Entities are those who are strongly order-aligned, following and/or enforcing the established systems in Lux and Umbra. They may play a part in changing existing systems through negotiation and peaceful methods as well. There can be Ordained Ecliptic, participating in Confluences and taking on various duties.
Ordained Entities tend to work in more formal roles, acting as negotiators and ambassadors, enforcers, and more. When they become involved with mortals, they follow the principles set by their faction as best as they can.
Autonomous Entities work within the framework of order but maintain their independence. They might respect the structure or not want to cause conflict, but prefer to handle matters their own way. While they may not follow the principles of their faction to the letter, they do not violate them egregiously, either.
An autonomous Angel, for instance, may take on the role of a religious idol for a religion or cult and directly teach and guide them towards ascension. An autonomous Demon might strike deals with corrupt souls to have some fun with them instead of reaping their souls as soon as possible.
Rogue Entities are those who disregard order. They leave their societies and act independently, violating the principles of their original faction. They are not necessarily corrupt, but a defining trait of rogue Entities is that they violate the agreed universal principles of all factions.
Rogue Angels might, for instance, unleash their Angelic power to cause mass destruction, perhaps with the goal of sending an irredeemable society to their next reincarnation. Rogue Demons might coerce or tempt mortals into deals, whether they are corrupt or not, to give up their souls.
These are the general principles established by each faction. Ordained Entities follow these closely, while autonomous Entities may bend the principles, perhaps directly violating secondary principles. Rogue Entities violate even the core principles directly.
Core Principles:
Do not kill mortals who have the possibility of ascension
Guide souls toward ascension, not corruption
Honor each soul's path to self-actualization
Secondary Principles:
Use the gentlest touch needed to illuminate the path
Do not interfere where self-discovery is possible
Share knowledge among the worthy
Maintain harmony with all Light
Core Principles:
Hunt only the truly corrupt
Do not deliberately lead souls into corruption
Consume corrupt souls before they can spread harm
Secondary Principles:
Do not cause unnecessary suffering to those undeserving
Respect power but do not abuse it
Honor challenges and transitions of authority
Maintain the balance of Darkness
Core Principles:
Honor both Light and Dark in equal measure
Guide the uncertain without forcing a path
Consume corrupt souls only when redemption is impossible
Secondary Principles:
Protect those caught between Light and Dark
Mediate between extremes of Light and Dark
Share wisdom while preserving independence
Maintain harmony in the spaces between
Each faction maintains its own force of specialized Entities who handle rogue and corrupt members of their society. These are generally referred to as Enforcers. While each group has its own methods, they often collaborate on particularly dangerous cases, especially when dealing with corrupt Entities.
The Luminous Council maintains order through the Wardens, Angels who specialize in rehabilitation and containment. Wardens seek out Entities who have gone astray, revealing the hidden thoughts and motives of those with corruption and defiance of order growing within them. The corrupt they smite without mercy, severing them from existence. For rogue Entities, depending on the individual, they might use forceful methods or their words to bring them to Lux for a decision from the Luminous Council.
Wardens use the Resonance Chambers to monitor their charges and attempt to guide rogues back to the principles of Light. For more severe cases, they can implement Light Binding—the Angels in Resonance impose a connection to the offender to bind their abilities to varying degrees.
Under the authority of the Shade Conclave, Soulhunters track down rogue and corrupt Demons. Those seeking the corrupt use the black pools of Umbra, monitoring for traces of corruption and pursuing those who violate the Stygian Precepts. The Soulhunters are known for their relentless pursuit of corrupt Entities, often working in groups to overwhelm powerful targets. They tend to subjugate rogue (but not necessarily corrupt) Entities by force, dragging them to Umbra to present them to the Abyssal One, who will decide what to do with them. Only the most powerful Soulhunters work alone.
The Arbiters emerge from Confluences, taking their mantle by choice and agreement of the other Ecliptic. They use the Twilight Nexus to perform deep soul-reading of rogues and are particularly skilled at identifying and handling corrupt Entities. Their methods vary greatly depending on the individual; some aim for rehabilitation in one's current existence, while others take the path of another chance through reincarnation.
The factions have found that containing powerful rogues in opposing Planes can help weaken and control them. Lux maintains specialized chambers for containing powerful Demons, while Umbra houses facilities for dangerous Angels. The Plane of Twilight serves as neutral ground for containment when necessary.
When dealing with truly corrupt Entities, multiple Enforcers must work together to sever the bindings of their souls. While Angels and Demons can only force these souls into reincarnation as mortals, the Ecliptic possess the unique ability to consume and scatter corrupt Entity souls completely.
Depending on the severity of their violations, rogue Entities may face various consequences:
Confinement in specialized chambers within the Planes
Assignment of an Ordained Entity as a guardian and mentor
Restrictions on their abilities through magical bindings
For corrupt Entities, forceful severance of their soul's bindings, leading to either reincarnation as mortals or complete dissolution of the soul (only an option when handled by the Ecliptic)
For less severe cases, Enforcers may implement rehabilitation programs:
Mandatory participation in Resonance Chambers for Angels
Supervised soul hunting for Demons
Partnership with Ordained Entities for guided redemption
Imposed incarnation into a mortal form (usually human), living out a lifespan under some supervision by Enforcers
While each faction maintains its own Enforcers, they often work together on complex cases. The Wardens, Hunters, and Arbiters may form temporary alliances, combining their unique abilities to handle particularly dangerous situations. These collaborations have led to the development of shared protocols and mutual understanding between the factions, strengthening their ability to maintain order across all planes.
The world and society of mortals is much like our mundane modern society. Religion still differs from culture to culture, but Entities (Angels and Demons, mostly) feature prominently in superstition and it is common for even the most secular to have a sense that there is something supernatural in the world.
Most individuals live a mundane life, never knowing of the supernatural. However, some may encounter or be influenced by Entities, with or without their knowledge.
There are also some human organizations that gather those who are capable of magic. They may simply be organizations for arcane study or even just for solidarity and protection. Some may collaborate with the Demonic (including Demons and Ecliptic) to hunt down corrupt souls. Some may collaborate with the Angelic for insight on how to better the world or such.