So, is the "stuff" of your campaign's material world "from an evil source", "from a good source", "from an other than good source", or just stuff?
Evil source examples: A world made from the bones/blood/etc. of a Big Bad Nasty Thing that the gods or pre-gods conveniently slaughtered. The world in some forms of Gnosticism, made by an evil demiurge to trap true life (souls).
Good source examples: A world made by a good deity or deities from their own substance, from the selfless sacrifice (or merciless slaughter) of a good being, or simply by the word/will of said deity/deities.
Not Good source example: The world in some forms of Gnosticism, made by a demiurge who isn't evil, merely ignorant or foolish.
Just stuff: Just there, no primordial "moral" quality.
Tolkein had an interesting mix. Arda was primarily of a good substance (the Song--revealed in the Silmarillion), but it had an evil substance mixed in (the evil substance was gold, the essence of Morgauth--this was revealed in one of his Letters, I think).
Evil source examples: A world made from the bones/blood/etc. of a Big Bad Nasty Thing that the gods or pre-gods conveniently slaughtered. The world in some forms of Gnosticism, made by an evil demiurge to trap true life (souls).
Good source examples: A world made by a good deity or deities from their own substance, from the selfless sacrifice (or merciless slaughter) of a good being, or simply by the word/will of said deity/deities.
Not Good source example: The world in some forms of Gnosticism, made by a demiurge who isn't evil, merely ignorant or foolish.
Just stuff: Just there, no primordial "moral" quality.
Tolkein had an interesting mix. Arda was primarily of a good substance (the Song--revealed in the Silmarillion), but it had an evil substance mixed in (the evil substance was gold, the essence of Morgauth--this was revealed in one of his Letters, I think).
