The Immortal Spirits are the deities of the Tulaki and other adherents of the Path of Tulak. Their role is to act as an example and source of inspiration to the peoples of the Dominion, and encourage them to perform tremendous feats in their chosen field. It is thought that the Immortal Spirits favour those who follow the path they trod in life, and are the source of the superlative feats of Tulaki Heroes.

The Path of Tulak teaches that when a mortal being dies, their spiritual essence leaves their body and passes into another realm of existence - a dimension of pure spiritual energy, where its strength and resolve is tested by the other inhabitants of that place. Those who strove for excellence in life, and forged their spirit in the fires of competition and struggle are mighty in this realm of spirit. These powerful spirits can carve a place for themselves in one of the hierarchies of the spiritual realm and become powerful Immortals. The greatest of mortals, whose deeds are hewn deep into the bedrock of history, will rule in the spiritual realm for as long as their legend reverberates in the physical one. This is the goal of all who walk the Path of Tulak.

It is also held by the ecclesiocracy that the Immortal Spirits retain their strength through the power of memory - the memory of those in the physical realm. This connection encourages the Immortal Spirits to keep watch over mortals, to offer guidance and support and to reaffirm their memory in those who would follow them afterwards. If an Immortal Spirit rejects their mortal followers, then they are abandoned, and lose power, becoming weaker and finally fading into the mass of voiceless, nameless spiritual energy. It is to this background energy that the slovenly and weak-willed return to, and from which the spirits of new mortals is born. This cycle of struggle, death, reward and rebirth encourages the people of the Dominion to respect those who have gone before, and look to their guidance and example to carve their own place in the realm of spirit. It also teaches them to respect those who would follow after, so that others do not bear grudges against them or that their deeds are picked apart as illusions and falsehoods, all to protect their memory from being undermined after their death.

It is possible for mortals to become Devoted to one of the Immortal Spirits with the help of a priest performing a Devotion Ceremony. This draws the attention of the named Immortal Spirit to that person, with the expectation that they are declaring themselves willing to follow that Spirit's path, and accept their guidance on how to achieve greatness in a similar manner. Devotion is the first step towards becoming a Hero.

Although there are countless Immortal Spirits acknowledged by the Dominion ecclesiocracy, each with their legend and purview, twelve stand out as the most well-known and cited by priests. It is believed that these Immortal Spirits are all heads of their various hierarchies, the greatest known masters of their art or discipline. The priests of the Dominion hold these twelve as the pinnacle of what a mortal can be, and use them as their prime examples to guide the Dominion as a whole on its path to expansion and greatness. Many of these Immortal Spirits were named as the Tulaki became a united, purposeful people, and began their expansion outward - similar conditions of struggle have been hard to replicate as the civilisation of the Dominion advanced.

The Codifier of the Path
Domains: Philosophy, thought

A legendary thinker who gave purpose and unity to those who would become the Tulaki. Her philosophy and insight gave structure and coherence to the proto-religion that became the Path of Tulak, but only came after many decades of striving for knowledge, travelling across the world of Origin and debating with hundreds of scholars, politicians and cult leaders. It is believed that her singular insight allowed her to receive guidance directly from the Immortal Spirits without being Devoted.

Domains: Diplomacy, Mediation

Renowned for negotiating peace with the first few alien species encountered by the Tulaki, and allowing the Path to be spread by directing the first xeno-missionaries. Wesrix's adaptive doctrine for missionary work proved extremely effective, modifying the way the Path was presented to mesh with the pre-existing beliefs of each new world. The greatest challenge for Wesrix was the dogmatic refusal of the ecclesiocracy at the time to allow for variation, and Wesrix is often cited as an example when the Path establishment is seen as becoming overly dogmatic and calcified.

Domains: Leaders/Visionaries

A poorly-understood figure who united the Tulaki on their home planet, and began the push for developing FTL travel and crusading outwards to spread the Path. True accounts of their life and deeds are fragmentary and poor, but enough to point to their existence and name. It is thought that prior to gaining an understanding of how memory affects the spiritual realm, a schismatic reactionary element within the priesthood sought to annihilate all records of Enki the Unifier.

Domains: Athletics, Physical Prowess

A heroic figure, an early disciple of Tulak, who sought physical perfection through honing the body. Akal never refused a challenge, and was renowned as a superlative wrestler and athlete even into advanced age.

Domains: Terraforming, Farming

Renowned for re-routing a moon into orbit around her home planet, Nosk-Teket to induce tidal activity, and later coordinating the extensive cultivation of its wild hinterlands into productive farmland. Nosk-Teket is now one of the great breadbasket worlds of the Dominion, and Dekal is credited with astonishing feats of genius engineering and science, as well as leadership and inspiration. to forge her vision into a reality.

Domains: Hunting, strategy

A legendary hunter, who crossed the entire homeworld, seeking out the fiercest and deadliest prey to challenge their skill. From before the time of Tulak, she was one of the historical figures Tulak referenced as having become Immortal Spirits.

Domains: Protection, family

Domains: Politics, the Law

Kalila is credited with forging early Tulaki colonies and the first few alien species they encountered into the Tulaki Dominion, with the explicit mission to spread the Path of Tulak to the entire galaxy. Her political acumen was able to reconcile the competitive Tulaki spirit with the alien mindsets and goals of those species they had discovered. She was able to communicate her grand vision of a single political entity with a united purpose, and coordinate the fractious priesthood into a ruling body that remained at enough distance to prevent friction.

In addition to the list above, feel free to create your own Immortal Spirits that are important to your group. Important things to consider when creating a spirit include its name and title, its area of expertise, what known factual knowledge exists about its life, and any miracles or prominent individuals that may have been associated with. We may involve prominent Spirits in the game, but may make alterations to them for plot and story purposes.