The World of Khanesh

[Nebuchadnezzar]

(Magic in Khanesh)

The components of magic (somatic, verbal, material, focus, and divine focus) are collectively known as the Language of Magic, often refered to simply as the Language. Spells are called Words of Magic, refered to simply as Words. A spellcaster uses the Language in such a way that he creates Words. Casting a spell is called Speaking a Word. The first ever Word was Creation, a Word uttered by the gods themselves. Words are extremely complex and difficult to comprehend, a mortal mind may only hold a limited number of Words. The greater the spellcaster's knowledge of the Language, the greater the number of Words his mind may hold.

Words can be either arcane or divine, the difference being the origin of the magic. Arcane magic is the very foundation of reality, the building-blocks of existance. As such, practition of arcane magic is the art of manipulating reality. Indeed, arcane magic is reality, and only through reality does arcane magic manifest itself. The majority of arcane spellcasters are called wizards and they channel magic from external reality. External reality is what anything not of yourself is made of. Only a few arcane spellcasters are gifted with the ability to channel magic from internal reality. These individuals share an intimate bond with magic since the magic they channel comes from their own being. Casters who channel magic from emotional internal reality are called bards while those who channel magic from physical internal reality are called sorcerors.

Both bards and sorcerors differ from wizards in how they store Words. Wizards always put their Words to writing, and spend hours dedicating a written Word to memory. This process is called memorization. It requires a sharp mind to maintain the Words in memory, the less able wizard can often simply forget a Word before he Speaks it. But all wizards instantly forget a Word they just Spoke, as the memory of the Word is erased and projected into reality where it becomes manifest. As a wizard gains expertise in his craft, he learns how to memorize more and more potent Words. Sorcerors and bards do not write down their Words, they instead search themselves to unlock new Words. As a Word is unlocked, the sorceror or bard can to a certain extent Speak that Word as he pleases. The number of times the Word can be Spoken each day depends on how strong connection the Speaker has with his internal reality. As he grows more experienced, his connection strengthens thus allowing him to Speak the Word more often each day. In addition he also discovers new, more potent Words.

Divine magic, no matter which source, always originated from the gods. Whereas arcane magic is the building-blocks of reality, divine magic is the stuff gods are made of. Gods are composed of the purest divine magic. One might ask, when arcane magic is the stuff reality is made of, should not gods be made of arcane magic instead? This is not the case, for the gods are not real. Reality is defined as everything not divine. Divinity is in a metaphysical sense beyond reality. The two are also antagonistic: where there is reality, there cannot be divinity. In theory this would mean that if one of the gods were to enter reality, reality would instantly cease to exist. But there are two exceptions to this rule. During Creation the gods gifted certain creatures with a soul of their own. The gods infused these souls with a small portion of their power. Thus the soul is divine of nature, and not real. The bodies gifted with the souls were not divine however, they were real. So a human being is both divine and real, but still able to exist. This is why human beings (or any soul-gifted creatures) are said to be dualistic. The gods however grew impatient, for they often felt the need to extend their existence into reality, so that they could be closer to their Creation. However, as mentioned above, this would result in reality's destruction. The gods found a solution in making nature dualistic. Sharing divinity with the internal reality of nature allowed nature's external reality to host a divine presence. This presence had to be limited though, lest it would tax nature's dualistic balance and risk it's destruction. The soul given to nature allowed it to uphold the passing of seasons and time.

The soul functions as a portal to the divine from which the gods can grant divine spells. But it is also a small divinity in and of itself. Soul-gifted creatures can draw upon an external or internal divinity. Divine spellcasters who draw upon an external divinity receive their Words from a chosen deity. In exchange, the spellcaster worships and revers the deity, while protecting the deity's interests on Khanesh. The souls (and thus future worshipers) were indeed created by the gods because they felt a strange need to populate reality with creatures able to acknowledge their own existance, and thus view the world much like the gods themselves do. These divine spellcasters are called clerics. Before the Divine Silence they were the most numerous divine spellcaster in Khanesh, but now their existance is dubious at best.

The two main types of divine spellcasters who draw upon an internal divinity are called soulweavers and druids. Soulweavers use their divine souls not as portals through which divine energy can flow through, but rather they harness the power of the soul itself. The soulweaver grows more powerful with practice, and unlocks more potential through meditation and self contemplation. Druids connect with the soul of nature, and the interaction between it and the druid's own soul creates a manifestation of magic utterly unique. They gain the ability not only to speak Words, but to assume shapes of animals and elementals. Considered vile pagans in old Mardukia, they were mostly found in the deep confines of Myrewood. After the Divine Silence their powers were still intact and many pilgrims came to their sylvan sanctuaries hoping to escape from the troubles of Mardukia. Although there are many evil druids on Khanesh plotting to destroy civilization, most druids are benign to those who treat nature with respect. The druids are also the only individuals on Khanesh who can prevent the world from becoming a barren wasteland as deserts and badlands spread like wildfire across Mardukia.

The paladin and ranger are sub-categories of the soulweaver and druid, respectively. Paladins maintain their magic due to their zealous belief in the codes of law and good. After the Divine Silence most paladins were lonely, forsaken warriors who wandered across Khanesh seeking word of their divine masters. Since then new generations of paladins have emerged, paladins who do not cling abidingly to any specific deity, but instead fight chaos and evil wherever it might surface. Rangers are the masters of the wild, and like druids derive their Words from the interaction between their souls and the soul of nature. Rangers are often found together with druids, as they aid each other in saving Khanesh from environmental disaster. But rangers are far more common than their druidic counterparts. Rangers operate wherever there might be wilderness, whereas druids favour forests.

 

[Obelix]

And now, several days later, we are still waiting

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Khanesian Lore: The War of Fiends

In 154 M.R., the ecliptean priest-king Dachan II fell in battle against the heretics of Syth Spire. His successor as priest-king was the high-priest of Corsentius known as Devhorian. During the inauguration ceremony in Bel-Marduk, Devhorian vowed to avenge Dachan II by slaying the denizens of Syth Spire. Ecliptea was thus once again preparing a military campaign against the sythian heretics. As the armies were moblized and the weapons forged, Devhorian's heart grew even darker with hate and vengeance. His zealous devotion to Corsentius made him loathe heretics who would denounce the gods and instead worship vile demons or practice forbidden dogma.

This hatred was fueled by an event early in Devhorian's life in which his mother was converted by a sect dedicated to a strict philosophy of hedonism. She engaged in blasphemic acts of sex and violence, which again led her to the worship of the demon prince Socothbenoth. Devhorian found the will and faith necessary to report her own mother to the proper authorities, she was found guilty of heresy and flogged to death. As Devhorian's father already had perished in the great plague of 147 M.R., the church of Corsentius embraced the orphean as one of their own and gave him an upbringing suitable to a future cleric of Corsentius. For many years Dachan Dauth, he who would later become Dachan II of Ecliptea, served as Devhorian's personal mentor and taught the aspiring cleric much of Corsentius and his clergy. Dachan even came to harbour fatherly love towards the young orphean, who in return cared deeply for his mentor. Devhorian's strong feelings when Dachan was killed by the heretics of Syth Spire does not seem so unreasonable in the light of these events.

The ecliptean army led by Devhorian himself marched towards Syth Spire and attacked with great ferocity. This time the ecliptean army had been bolstered by clerics from Bel-Marduk and steel from Khawum. The clerics conjured forth their allies from the planes, primal creatures composed of either fire, water, earth, or air, and exalted celestials who made many heretics repent and beg for mercy by their presence alone. The fanatical heretics were poorly trained and no match for the routine of the ecliptean soliders equiped with khawumian steel. Heretics who surrendered were slain where they stood, neither children nor elderly were spared from Devhorian's wrath. This time there was no battle, only slaughter.

After the conflict, Devhorian led a group of inquisitors and sages into Syth Spire to collect knowledge of the enemy. Even though the sythian heresy had been destroyed, there were still many other heretics and pagans throughout Mardukia. Devhorian was shocked to find widespread evidence of demonic taint. As the priest-king and his inquisitors braved the halls of Syth Spire, a horrible creature emerged out of a hallway and attacked. It stood nearly eight feet tall appearing like a cross between a large human and a vulture. It charged screeching into battle, slashing with wicked, sharp claws and releasing spores which pierced into the skin of nearby inquisitors. The creature drove its claws into the eyes of an inquisitor, tearing off parts of his face. Devhorian and his entourage quickly spoke Words of healing to aid the fallen comrade, and continued with Words that blasted the vulture-like creature with holy fire. The creature's grey feathers were schorched black and fell to the cold, damp floor. In addition to the screeches emitted by the creature, it pounded the minds of Devhorian and the remaining inquisitors with screams. Although capable of communication with telepathy, this creature just kept sending high-pitched screams, growls and moans. As the creature bitt off an inquistor's hand, Devhorian severed its head with one massive swing of Tuvuth, an ancient magical greatsword. With the monster defeated, the company healed their wounded and continued through the hallway.

The chamber they entered contained bookshelves filled with tomes describing how to summon demons with black magic. As the inquisitors gathered the books for burning, Devhorian was filled with purpose: not only had demons been behind the corruption of his mother, these very people he now had slain was also tainted by demonic influence. His realized his hatred had been misplaced, the heretics he once despised so much were victims of an even greater evil, perhaps the greatest of all. Dachan II had not been avenged by the destruction of the heretics, the demons who whispered seductive blasphemy into the ears of the weak-willed were unharmed. Thus Devhorian left Syth Spire with renewed purpose, his appetite for vengeance had not been sated.

To be continued ...

 

[Sidran]

As far as having no clerics how about instead say that the clerics work off of faith in their god/ godesses

I have written up some faith rules that work really well for what I want. I to didn't want a ton of gods in my campaign and clerics that run around with healing powers everywhere so I created Faith Healing which still does the same such as lay on hands, but it is iffy doesn't always work, and it takes hp from the "faithful" and gives it to the injured.

Other than that cool beans I like your world. Question what do you guys use for stating up Kingdoms since we cant use the Living Greyhawk Gazateer.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

As far as having no clerics how about instead say that the clerics work off of faith in their god/ godesses

Well, I don't know. The entire point is to show that the gods have abandoned the people of Khanesh by not letting the clerics receive spells. It would defeat the purpose of the campaign-hook. But the idea is still good though, just not in this campaign.

Other than that cool beans I like your world. Question what do you guys use for stating up Kingdoms since we cant use the Living Greyhawk Gazateer.

I appreciate that you like my world. I haven't stated kingdoms yet, but I will do so soon though. Why can't you use the Living Greyhawk Gazatteer's format of kingdom-statting?

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Four entries from the Khanesian Gazetteer

Aerlond (Large City, 13,984): Once known as Armoth-Tur, it became Aerlond (meaning freedom in ancient hafling) when the haflings rebelled against their masters during the collapse of the Mardukian empire. Haflings from across Mardukia joined their kin in proclaiming Aerlond on the ruins of old Armoth-Tur while the Mardukians fled towards Heedsan. Aerlond is a grim city, surrounded by enemies and innhabited by haflings whose paranoia is only surpassed by their xenophobia. An oligarchy rules the city; the patriarch from each of the seven greatest clans commands a seat on the city-council. Subject of discussion recently has been how to deal with the flocks of skeletal birds harassing farmers and patrols around the city. The latest rumour in town speaks of how Aerlond has attracted the attention of evil druids capable of controlling and turning into undead animals. These druids are said to lair in Khorwood, a forest which in truth has grown increasingly twisted and dark in the past few years. Though few Aerlondians believe this tale, they all give Khorwood a wide berth.

Halls of the Eternal: A sprawling necropolis, the Halls of the Eternal are the tombs and crypts of Mardukia's priesthoods and nobility. When common folk died, their corpses where simply dumped in huge massgraves. According to Mardukian beliefs, a proper grave and burial would enable the deceased to enjoy certain privilages in the afterlife. Thus the nobility and priesthoods enacted a law which read that only servants of the gods and men of noble blood would receive a proper burial. This was to ensure that those who rule on this world would also rule in the afterlife. Considering this, it comes as no surprise that tomb-desecration was a major felany in old Mardukia. Most tombs, crypts, and mausaleums were (and many still are) both trapped and guarded.

The Halls of the Eternal is a huge ziggurat constructed of mud bricks with the terraces being covered in baked bricks. It is known as the grandest building in all of Khanesh. Three large staircases on the front of the ziggurat leads to a gate on the second level. Each staircase has over a thousand steps. There are nine levels above and one below the second level. The eleventh level is a temple dedicated to Bhawasti, the Mardukian god of the dead and the dying. In Mardukia people were not thought to be alive; one was either dying or dead. Needless to say, a society so fixated on death held the priests of Bhawasti in high regards. Indeed, it was the priests of Bhawasti who were the caretakers of the Halls of the Eternal. The common clergy lived in a small village not far the ziggurat, while the high-priests had their living-quarters within the ziggurat itself. Today the village is in ruins and the Halls of the Eternal abandoned. But it has not been left unguarded. Manlike constructs made entirely of clay still stand guard within the ziggurat, and the myriad corridors are heavily trapped. But the most powerful creatures protecting the Halls of the Eternal are those called "The Guardians Everlasting". These are spirits capable of possessing both the clay-guardians and the legion of corpses within the ziggurat, enhancing both with strength, magic, and cunning. If their host is destroyed, the spirit is but released and may seek another host. These spirits also protect the corpses from turning into undead, making the ziggurat free of such horrors.

But this freedom may not last. Recently an undying wizard of horrible power and ill intent has laid siege to the Halls of the Eternal with an army of undead. This wizard calls himself Nabusar the Third and claims he is the rightfull heir to the ziggurat. Every day hordes of rotting zombies and skeletal-warriors equiped with ancient, rusty armour, assault the ziggurat so that Nabusar might have his heirloom. So far they have been repulsed, but not without destroying several guardians. It is only a question of time before the undead horrors seize the ziggurat, and thus gain access to great magic buried with the old priest-kings, and an endless supply of corpses for necromantic animation.

March of Roses: The Marsh of Roses is a stretch of land infamous for its morbid beauty. Across the entire marsh are the remains of people buried from the waist and down in the dreaded mud. On these corpses bloom the wonderous Marshrose, a flower unique to this place. Marshrose is the deepest red of colour in moonlight, but blacker than Oviezyr's heart in sunlight. The flower has strange properties which conserves the corpse on which it blooms. It halts decomposition and preserves a life-like appearence which could fool anyone in thinking that the corpse was actually alive or only recently dead. The cheeks blush deeply and the skin is rich in colour. The fact that the Marsh of Roses is littered with corpses and Marshroses creates an incredible tableau of colours, especially during sunrise when all the flowers change colour from red to black. It is a sight of which bards have written countless tales. The most popular is the tale of how a lovestricken man chased his suicidal lover into the marsh and drowned in the mud before the visage of a sunrise. It is said that his ghost still searches the marsh, forever calling the name of his lovelorn sweetheart into the silent landscape.

The Forest of White Shadows: The Forest of White Shadows, located north of Ecliptea, is one of the most dangerous forests in Mardukia. Ever since the War of Fiends, the forest has been a sanctuary for devils and demons alike. The fiends have brought the eternal conflict between their respective races with them to the forest. The forest is now (and has been for a long time) a battleground between demons and devils. All the creatures of the forest have sided with either the demons or the devils, including a group of evil druids who call themselves the Claws of Eavyra. These druids have awakened all the animals of the forest, using them as servants and soldiers. This makes the forest as bizarre as it is dangerous. The forest has twisted the minds of the animals, rendering them insane and hateful of people from the outside (as they call any man not of the forest). At first the animals keep themselves hidden from visitors. They then begin to whisper amongst themselves, sharing taunts and mocking the outsiders. The birds of the forest are especially infamous for their cruelty. They poke out the eyes of weary travelers who have fallen asleep and cackle taunts so spiteful they could unnerve a demon.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

An entry from the Khanesian Gazetteer

The Hollow Hills: Often invoked to scare children into obedience, even grown men refuse to visit the greenless mounds of gray earth which is the Hollow Hills. It is a place of many grotesque tales, and strangely, it is known that children always have nightmares when they go to sleep after having listened to, or even told, a story of the Hollow Hills. A recurring character in these nightmares is a gaunt old women, with long, black hair covered with filth. Nearly always grinning, her teeth are yellow and sharp. Her eyes are as dark as the bottom of the sea, and when she speaks the small hearts of children stop beating. Often the nightmares end when this creature speaks: "come unto me, little children" and the child dreaming suffers a small heart-attack. Most of the time these attacks are painful, but harmless; the hearts stop for but a few seconds before resuming a normal beat. However, there are children who suffer a truly horrible and painfull heart-attack, causing them to die in their sleep. It is infact a crime in most villages and cities to tell tales of the Hollow Hills. The Hollow Hills is located in the northwestern corner of Mardukia, not far from the Grieving Forest. Adventurers have seen apparitions of hanged children dangling from the branches of the gnarled, leafless trees which litter the area.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

An entry from the Khanesian Gazetteer

Uburu-Nahkt (Metropolis, 38,321): Few places in Mardukia provoke as much disguist as the vile City of Decadence, Uburu Nahkt. Cultists of Socothbenoth, the demon prince of sexual pervertion, seized control of the city many years ago after corrupting the various noble houses. Many fled as the cultists unleashed incubi and succubi unto the streets, but thousands were seduced by the promise of satisfying their most secret sexual desires. The noble houses had before the coming of the cultists been followers of Trinia, the Chaste Goddess. Sex was considered a necessary evil, and laws were enacted so that the people of Uburu-Nahkt would not defile their souls by engaging in banned sexual activities. After several years, the people grew discontent and the cult of Socothbenoth grew in power. Infiltrating the noble houses did not prove difficult, as many nobles longed for the freedom they had enjoyed before the coming of Trinia's faithful. In but a single night the clerics of Trinia were slain, as were many nobles who remained loyal to them and would not convert to Socothbenoth. The rule of Lust had begun. Now demons walk the unhallowed streets, copulating with the city's innhabitants as they please. Thousands are drug addicts, and at the mercy of the cultists who control the trade. Once every week there is a "Festival of Ecstacy" in Uburu-Nahkt. This is the time when the innhabitants commit horrible sexual atrocities against each other. Allied cultists of Noctula also awaken animals which stalk the city's streets during the festival and participate in pursuits of the flesh. A great army is marching from Heedsan to crush the City of Pagans once and for all. The demons and cultists of Uburu-Nahkt are aware of the legion marching toward the gates of their city, and are preparing to marshall every demon they can bribe or subdue into service. It won't be many days before a great battle is fought, a battle which will determine the fate of both Uburu-Nahkt and Heedsan.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

An entry from the Khanesian Gazetteer

Khorsabad (Metropolis, 44,234): Known as the City of Chains, the moans of toiling slaves are ever present in Khorsabad. Thousands of slaves, primarily dwarves and haflings, work the fields around the city. Lady Lilith is the mistress of the slaves and ruler of Khorsabad. She is also the matriarch of a strange sisterhood of which little is known. Lilith is loved by the aristocracy due to her tendency to throw lavish parties and carry with her a jovial demeanor. The citizens love her as well; taxes are quite low by mardukian standards and food is plentiful. Khorsabad maintains good relations with Heedsan as the True Pantheon is openly worshiped in the City of Chains. Lilith is hated by the slaves though. They loathe her and her slavers who stole them away from their homes and families, but they also fear her due to the nocturnal disappearances. Often at night a few slaves will be taken away by guards. The explanation given is that Lilith can reward slaves who have worked well with freedom, but no slave thinks that to be the case. They believe the lady is hiding something, either of herself or the enigmatic sisterhood. Khorsi slavers roam Mardukia searching for slaves, often attacking entire villages and carrying away hundreds. Many of these slaves are bound for work on the fields, but many are also sold to other city states, mainly Heedsan. This trade has made Khorsabad extremely wealthy. The only thorn in Khorsabad's side are the haflings of Aerlond. Aerlond declared war on Khorsabad because of the large number of hafling slaves working in the City of Chains. It has launched several raids on Khorsi slavers and even the city itself. Lilith is mobilizing the Khorsi army to deal with this threat, but the haflings are so subtle and stealthy in their attacks that many fear Khorsabad must accept Aerlond's terms or risk countless dead soldiers and citizens.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Cosmology of Horror Vaccui

The multiverse is sircular like an eyeball, in the centre rests the prime material plane which connects to the four elemental planes, Hell, Heaven, and countless demiplanes. The Astral Plane is the space between everything within this sircular multiverse, or a road, if you will, that goes everywhere. Surrounding the multiverse is the Void, infinite stretches of black nothingness where the souls of the dead linger. They peer into the multiverse and cling to the barrier between the place of the living and the place of the dead. The multiverse is like a glowing lightbolt in a sea of darkness.

Heaven: Derelict and abandoned, nearly every celestial of Heaven vanished along with their divine lords. The few celestials that remain know nothing of where their kin has gone. Many angels mourn the dissapereance of sisters and brothers, lovers and companions. But Heaven is not open for all to pillage and loot, however. Two archangels of awesome power guard the gates of Heaven, repelling fiend and mortal alike. Most celestials have given up the conflict against evil now that so few warriors of light remain to wage the war. Although the natives of Heaven are inherently good, despising cruelty and vice, no longer do they seek out evil to destroy it. There are exceptions though: The Exalted is an organization of celestials and their allies who devote their existance to the destruction of fiends. They especially seek to curve fiendish influence on Khanesh. Every celestial has his or her own purpose and goal. Some remain in Heaven, tending to its decaying beauty. Several walk the earth, dwelling on the Prime Material Plane alongside mortals. Others relocate to Hell, either to observe, fight, or join their evil counterparts. The most renowned celestial on Khanesh is Corsentius, ruler of Heedsan and the deity Abdeshum's former right-hand. Having gained the faith and devotion of nearly thirty thousand worshipers, Corsentius is the first angel with the ability to grant divine spells to his followers. He strives to reinstate the theocratic empire of old Mardukia when every creature of the land awed and respected Abdeshum. With time Heaven will become a sort of museum, a place where the relics of Light linger without any caretakers, just two silent guardians intent on not letting anyone or anything into the exhibition halls.

Hell: The fiends of Hell exist for one purpose only: to corrupt all that is good. Such is the nature of fiends, and they take great pleasure in doing so. This pleasure they gain from spiritual corruption is physical - and extremely addictive. Younger fiends are far more driven by this pleasure than their older kin. This is why fiends encountered on the Prime Material Plane are likely to be quite young and weak compared to the ancient creatures lairing in the deepest reaches of Hell. Fiends lose the ability to gain physical pleasure from corruption as they grow old, just like humans lose sexual ability and potency with age. These elder fiends are able to question why they must corrupt good. And they do so for untold millenia. After nigh an eternity, these ancient fiends become desperate and ridden with the loss of purpose. All are driven into an intellectual corner: when nothing in the multiverse can offer meaning to an ancient fiend, only death is left with the ability to answer why. This is torture to fiends, for their kind can never die like a creature of the Prime Material Plane. They are simply reborn in Hell as a younger version of themselves and are again driven by the instinct to enjoy the exstacy of corruption. Killing themselves or being killed by another is not a solution for these elder fiends. In the end, they find no answer, no meaning, they cannot destroy themselves, making Hell their Hell. Many sages believe Hell to be a place where fiends torture the souls of mortals. How wrong they are: fiends are both torturer and tortured.

The Elemental Planes: Primal planes old as time itself, the Elemental Planes represent the building blocks of the multiverse. They are the essence of that which set the multiverse apart from the formless nothingness of the Void. The Elemental Plane of Air is a place of huge clouds and howling winds. The Elemental Plane of Fire is all flames and fire, always burning, though there is nothing to burn. The Elemental Plane of Earth is a solid plane of earth with neither water, fire, or air. Likewise the Elemental Plane of Water is an endless ocean without a bottom or surface. Denizens of these planes are called elementals, and they are often summoned to Khanesh by the magic of a priest or wizard.

The Demiplanes: Scattered across the multiverse are thousands of demiplanes created by deities and individuals gifted with awesome magic. These demiplanes differ from ordinary planes in that their lifespan is limited: demiplanes can exist from anywhere between a day and a thousand years, as designated by its creator. A demiplane can never be endless, they are usually quite small compared to Heaven and Hell. Most demiplanes were created by deities, and though these deities have either died, been forgotten, or simply dissapeared, their homes linger on in the multiverse. When a demiplane dies, it slowly fades away, and so does anyone and anything native to it. While some demiplanes are nearly empty, others teem with life and many strange, wonderous things. The demiplane called Zenith, created by the vanished deity of mankind, Abdeshum, is home to many creatures. Humans brought over from Khanesh dwell there, as do thousands of guardian-creatures which protect Abdeshum's relics from looters. It is said each passing of a year heralds time's end for a single demiplane. In that case, demiplanes are slowly dying out. As there are no known deities left in the multiverse, and with magic in Khanesh becoming less powerful, demiplanes will all wither away within the next eight hundred years.

The Void: Little is known of the Void. Despite what many priests and religious followers claim, it is the place where the souls of the dead freeze in the chill of nothingness. The Void is thought to be infinite. Nothing made of fire, water, earth or air can exist in the Void. There is no way to enter the Void without dying - magic cannot grant access to it, though it can bring a soul back to its corperal body. Undying things draw their power from the Void and are attached to it in a manner no living creature ever could be. Mortal, celestial and fiend alike dread the Void. During the time of gods, even the most powerful deity quivered before the Void's nothingness. There was a pact between the gods that even the most chaotic and impulsiv god swore to uphold: Never communicate the Void's existence to a mortal. If a celestial or fiend imparted such forbidden knowledge unto mortals, then both the mortal and outsider in question were to be destroyed. The deities did this to protect the greatest lie of all: that of eternal life. Priests and followers were promised eternal life with their chosen god, their soul would reside in the divine home of gods. The promise of a heavenly afterlife drew hundreds of thousands to cults and churches, swelling the ranks of a god's faithfull. But there never was an afterlife. The Void is the soul's destination, not Heaven. As the Divine Silence struck the multiverse, fiends saw an opportunity to cause untold havoc in Khanesh. They told of the Void and the gods pact to protect their lie. Nearly a million lives perished in the chaos that followed the Divine Silence - entire empires fell apart and the elves commited suicide in an event later known as Ulialume's Wake.