On a metagame level, all the great dieties are part of an infinite consciousness that is the universes creator. This consciousness, however is so alien and unreachable that for the most part it doesn't have an effect on the game. On a more subtle scale, this consciousness is present in the subconscious of every greater diety, and as a result at times this greater consciousness will exert itself, and each diety will react to this deep desire to act in their own way. At times this can cause great cooperation, and at times this will cause strife.

The great dieties ruled over all the races so that all creatures could understand and identify by what would otherwise be unfathomable to most. These dieties relationship to the great consciousness could be viewed as light as it passes through a prism and is separated into many distinct colors. Each color is a separate consciousness fractured from that one beam of light, with a will and motivation that is very different than the other colors. Even then, the great dieties were too complex for most people to commune with, so each diety in turn was served by many Wards, each one encompassing an aspect of their parent diety. The best way to represent this is to presume the sum of a dieties power as a gemstone, and each Ward represents a facet that can represent a particular aspect of that stone. They don't fragment the diety into smaller pieces, but are part of the whole. They do not share the consciousness of the diety. Rather, they are aspects of power for the diety and represent the diety's presence in a realm.

Each Diety and Ward is still a very complex creature, and over time each culture gains a different relationship and understanding with that diety or Ward. Most races will see each diety or Ward in their own image and race as well, as the dieties and Wards have grown beyond their physical and racial limitations.

In some cases, the Dieties rule from distant outer planes, known as the Unreachable Realms, shut out from the Inner Realms by the etherial barrier made long ago. While the Dieties are capable of travelling wherever they wish in the Unreachable Realms, they can only project their powers in the prime material plane through willing Avatars, conscious physical projections into this realm that are a vehicle of the Diety or Wards power. Worshipers of such dieties are sometimes infused similarly with the dieties power to a much more limited extent, and are known as clerics. Other worshipers, while perhaps never capable of becoming vessels of power, join their bretheren in death if their faith was strong enough and they pass into the Unreachable Realms where they serve their respective Dieties in the eternal struggle.

Other Dieties and Wards (primarily those of nature) are bound to the prime material plane and are one with aspects of the land. The Ward Diana, for instance is Goddess of the Moon, and is in fact is the moon. Unike her counterparts in the Unreachable Realms, Diana cannot move beyond her form as the Moon, but like her counterparts, she can project her consciousness as an Avatar in both the Inner and Unreachable Realms.

Dieties cannot exist without their counterparts, as the Great Consciousness always seeks a balance. It is true that in the beginning of the reckoning of time, that two of the great Dieties (Xotli the chaotic evil Diety, and Illios the lawful good Diety) destroyed each other in combat. However, death in its true form cannot exist for such a being. Instead, The energy is transmuted. In both cases, most of the energy from the fallen Diety's were transmuted to their Wards, where some Wards gained enough power to ascend as a Demigod, and in other cases the Wards fell, not having enough power to sustain their new existance, or even create an Avatar on their own.

Of Gods and Wards...
The true gods of this world are restricted from entering the world of men due to a barrier that was placed long ago by the gods themselves so that their wars and conflicts do not destoy the arc of time and end existence as we know it. The true gods do not concern themselves to much in this realm, except to garner followers so that in death the souls will belong to the patron god in the next realm. Since there is a need for stability and representation, the gods have delegated their power in mortals that have ascended and become something near-immortal. These avatars can serve many stations, some as messengers, some as caretakers. The most important role of a follower can be that of a Ward. A Ward is a protector and guardian to a gods power in a specific sphere, and serves the interest of the true god in granting powers and abilities to priests and clerics in this world. A ward of combat would know limitless power of the sphere of combat, but would need to still request abilities of healing from a Ward over Healing as any other cleric. When a cleric prays for spells from a god, they must satiate the needs of each ward they pray to. In many cases this is simply not an issue, as a follower of the true god usually gets what they want. But sometimes the aspirations or idealls of wards tend to conflict, and a dutiful servant will get caught in the middle. A wonderful example is a worshipper of a Lathandar, Ward over Nature who wants healing spells in the winter, which is ruled by Lathandars nemesis, Shakak. Since Shakak is dominant in the winter, death sphere spells are easy to find, but healing may be refused.. Again, since Shakak is weak in the spring and summer, death and destruction spells are at a premium and may not be granted.

All of the true gods have retreated to the outer planes but one, Bel-Tyr. This god remained behind to heal the world and gave life to a number of creatures that are known as spirits and not souls, including gnomes, elves, and dwarves. Bel-tyrs wards are the seasons, the earth and moon, and the druids and clerics that follow Bel-Tyr respect the life in all things, from trees to mountains and lakes. The other gods have all retreated to their respected planes and struggle continually for dominance in the afterworld.

Of the etheral barrier...
The etheral barrier is actually the barrier created by the gods out of need that they can no longer pass through. Simply put, beings of great power can not pass through the etheral barrier nor affect the material plane. The etheral barrier is timeless in that time tends to pass at its own whim. It is without bounds and encompases all of the material planes and can be used to move to the outer planes of the afterworld and subplanes of the elements. Creatures that walk both in the etheral and material plane simultaneously are spectral creatures that are wholly unnatural, more likely a cursed soul or foul creation of the gods. Moving through the etheral plane is very hazardous, space itself has no meaning. A person can simply travel by moving about and manipulatiing the terrain to be what they expect it to be. If they wish to travel to the far places of the material plane, they only need know what it looks like exactly, and slowly change the environment around them to be what they would see if they were there. The smallest errors can lead a traveller into the demi planes of shadow never to see the material plane again. At the very least the traveller would need to be very intelligent and wise before attempting travel here, or use amgical guides.

There is a region of the etheral plane known as the gray waste. This void area has no ground, nor sky, and is utterly featureless. Trapped creatures spend an eternity here going mad. It is said that this waste borders the material and planes of death and life, and that worthy souls can find the path to their realm in the afterlife.

On the subplanes of Fire, Air, Earth, and Water
Each subplane is a component of the material plane, and only differs in that it lacks the element of the other plane. Fire opposes Water, and Air opposes Earth. Traveling to the plane of Fire requires powerful magics to protect the being or spirit of an individual while removing elemental water from the being. Such a transition transforms the being to an elemental state, where they can enter that realm, in this case the plane of elemental fire, home of the Djinn. These planes have their own gods and laws.

On the demiplanes of Shadow.
Even the plane of Fire has its own elementals. Earth, and Water, and Shadow Elementals. If one were to recast the spell to travel to Elemental Earth while being a being of elemental fire, he is then twice removed from the Prime Material Plane. A being thrice removed becomes a being of pure Elemental Fire, and only Shadow Elementals are known. If again elemental Fire is removed, then you are on the plane of shadow, and noone has returned from there to witness the world contained within it. Shadow beings are truly monstrous, able to drain the life force from planar creatures. They are known as wraiths, wights, and ghosts.

On teleporting...
It is not possible to just teleport in my world. Only elves have been able to open up gates within this plane, but the most common form of travelling quickly is through the etheral planes.