What's your campaign world's cosmology?
- Thread starter blackshirt5
- Start date
Andrew D. Gable
First Post
One upper plane (Xanadu) which encompasses bits of all the standard ones and is seperated from the Prime by the Ocean (Ethereal). At its peak is Rythlor, the Golden Throne, where Empirion rules. One lower plane (Arjidan) which does likewise and is seperated from the Prime by the Ocean Umbral, or Shadow Plane (Arjidan is most like the Abyss, with the standard lower planes being present as either single layers or groups of layers). On the bottom layer (the 666th, gotta love 1e 
) is the Palace of Thorns, where the Queen of Hell herself, Ardanael, rules.
Tartarus is off by itself, an island isolated in the Ocean Primordial (Limbo/Astral). It has a Purgatory-like section (which is actually Ravenloft) and a dungeon level for the real rabble-rousers, including Akkad, the ancient Satan figure. On the "other side" of the Ocean Primordial are the four elemental worlds, with the Plane of Fire being the sun and the Plane of Water the moon.
Beyond the elemental planes is found the remnants of the Great Void, Ginungagap, and on the other side is a great adamantine wall, called the Veil of Paroketh or simply the Veil. This is patrolled by a hyper-advanced solar called Paroketh. Beyond this are the Netherwells, a primal section of Ginungagap tainted by chaos (the Far Realm).
) is the Palace of Thorns, where the Queen of Hell herself, Ardanael, rules.Tartarus is off by itself, an island isolated in the Ocean Primordial (Limbo/Astral). It has a Purgatory-like section (which is actually Ravenloft) and a dungeon level for the real rabble-rousers, including Akkad, the ancient Satan figure. On the "other side" of the Ocean Primordial are the four elemental worlds, with the Plane of Fire being the sun and the Plane of Water the moon.
Beyond the elemental planes is found the remnants of the Great Void, Ginungagap, and on the other side is a great adamantine wall, called the Veil of Paroketh or simply the Veil. This is patrolled by a hyper-advanced solar called Paroketh. Beyond this are the Netherwells, a primal section of Ginungagap tainted by chaos (the Far Realm).
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I make no difference in plane.
I have an infinate number of alternate reality planes, some very simular to the one known by the pcs, some wildly different.
Each plane is just as real as any other. And no plan is anymore more the Prime than any other
there are of course hell plans and heaven planes, many of them of course, but they are just other world that happen to fit the description.
the elemental planes are out there somewhere in the same way
I have an infinate number of alternate reality planes, some very simular to the one known by the pcs, some wildly different.
Each plane is just as real as any other. And no plan is anymore more the Prime than any other
there are of course hell plans and heaven planes, many of them of course, but they are just other world that happen to fit the description.
the elemental planes are out there somewhere in the same way
Chronosome
Explorer
Let's see...I had a variant cosmology in my now semi-retired campaign world (I now only run things for my little bro here and there--my main camp's over):
Lots of regrouping things. Instead of a great wheel, I had the "good place" (Ascendance) and the "bad place" (Hell) with "buffer" planes between the Material and them. The Shadow Realm (a lot different than the MotP Shadow Plane) was the thing that kept demons, devils, etc out of the Material Core. Similarly, the Spirit Realm kept Material Core denizens out of Ascendance.
Ascendance and Hell had their own "branches" or subplanes created by deities and powerful planars.
Law and Chaos had Order and Chaos, and were part of the Energy Core--the fuel for magic, nature...life. Positive and Negative are there, too..."revolving" around a single elemental plane (like MotP's Limbo in some places and the standard Elemental planes in others--Order's and Chaos's influences.)
The Astral Conduit is nothing like the standard Astral Plane...it's rough to define, but basically it was defined as the Plane of Sentience...the Energy Core "filters" through that to form the Material Core...it was basically a giant rainbow tube...and if you fell asleep in it, you'd be in the "Dreamstorm"--the other side of Sentience, or the Subconscious. A dangerous place...wild, unpredictable. (See Dragon's "Alternate Dream Planes" article for my inspiration on that one.) The big question was...who's dream was the Dreamstorm? And since you couldn't fall asleep in the Counduit, there were no settlements within it...
Anyway, I've babbled on enough about this...here's a map, if you're interested:
Lots of regrouping things. Instead of a great wheel, I had the "good place" (Ascendance) and the "bad place" (Hell) with "buffer" planes between the Material and them. The Shadow Realm (a lot different than the MotP Shadow Plane) was the thing that kept demons, devils, etc out of the Material Core. Similarly, the Spirit Realm kept Material Core denizens out of Ascendance.
Ascendance and Hell had their own "branches" or subplanes created by deities and powerful planars.
Law and Chaos had Order and Chaos, and were part of the Energy Core--the fuel for magic, nature...life. Positive and Negative are there, too..."revolving" around a single elemental plane (like MotP's Limbo in some places and the standard Elemental planes in others--Order's and Chaos's influences.)
The Astral Conduit is nothing like the standard Astral Plane...it's rough to define, but basically it was defined as the Plane of Sentience...the Energy Core "filters" through that to form the Material Core...it was basically a giant rainbow tube...and if you fell asleep in it, you'd be in the "Dreamstorm"--the other side of Sentience, or the Subconscious. A dangerous place...wild, unpredictable. (See Dragon's "Alternate Dream Planes" article for my inspiration on that one.) The big question was...who's dream was the Dreamstorm? And since you couldn't fall asleep in the Counduit, there were no settlements within it...
Anyway, I've babbled on enough about this...here's a map, if you're interested:
Attachments
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Kesh
First Post
The cosmology of my world isn't very well known to the general public. Scholars know of two "near realms" - the Astral and the Etherial. However, those are considered part of the world itself.
Beyond that are three primary realms: the Positive/Heavenly, the Negative/Underhells, and the Void/Shadow (outer space).
All of the Inner & Outer planes are collectively in the realms of Heaven & the Underhells. The Void is, effectively, empty (as far as the scholars know) with the exception of the world.
Oh, and the Elder Gods. Which formed the gods of this world.
Basically, the people of my world are more concerned with survival than in planar travel. Souls actually go to a kind of pocket realm where one of the two local gods reside: one for those who are good, one for those who are evil. Both pocket realms are in the Void surrounding the world, not part of the overall planar cosmology.
Heaven and the Underhells are where angels, demons and other beings 'come from'. Not somewhere mortals want to go.
Beyond that are three primary realms: the Positive/Heavenly, the Negative/Underhells, and the Void/Shadow (outer space).
All of the Inner & Outer planes are collectively in the realms of Heaven & the Underhells. The Void is, effectively, empty (as far as the scholars know) with the exception of the world.
Oh, and the Elder Gods. Which formed the gods of this world.
Basically, the people of my world are more concerned with survival than in planar travel. Souls actually go to a kind of pocket realm where one of the two local gods reside: one for those who are good, one for those who are evil. Both pocket realms are in the Void surrounding the world, not part of the overall planar cosmology.
Heaven and the Underhells are where angels, demons and other beings 'come from'. Not somewhere mortals want to go.
Jürgen Hubert
First Post
Here's what I use for Urbis:
"The most commonly accepted theories of the planes of existence state that the Astral Plane holds all the planes together. At certain locations in the Astral Plane the so-called cosmic forces or cardinal points can be found - these (or so it is thought) embody some of the fundamental concepts of reality. As far it is known, it is impossible for living beings to enter these points and return, for the nature of these forces would instantly overwhelm even the strongest magical protections and consume the unfortunate creature utterly. Ten cosmic forces are known to exist: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Good, Evil, Law, Chaos, Positive Energy (also known as Life), and Negative Energy (also known as Death or Undeath). Each force always has a force in opposition to it: Fire versus Water, Law versus Chaos, and so on.
These forces exert a "pull" on large regions of astral space, similar to the pull a sun exerts on its planets, or a whirlpool on ships. Planes of varying sizes can exists inside of this region, but the "closer" the plane in question is relative to the cosmic force, the smaller and more unstable it will be. However, none of these planes is truly stable (with the exceptions described below), and all will break up into smaller planes eventually. Similarly, small planes will form and grow in size as they absorb other planes within the same region. The planes orbiting the cardinal points of Fire, Water, Earth and Air are often collectively referred to as the Elemental Planes. Each of these planes is "surrounded" by its own Ethereal Plane, which some sages speculate serves as a protective layer for the plane itself.
It should noted that terms like "close" and "far" aren't to be taken too literally when applied to the Astral Plane. While a visitor to the Astral sees it as he would see three-dimensional space, this is an illusion created by his mind - the Astral Plane does not have the same dimensions as the Material Plane does. Rather, "close" and "far" should be taken as metaphors - as a gauge of the affinity any given plane has for the cosmic forces. While planes orbiting a specific cosmic force usually do have a three-dimensional geography, they do not have any regions that are closer to the cosmic force than others - rather, the affinity of the plane for the cosmic force is equal everywhere. While certain magics or the force of will of certain creatures can make a part of such a plain hotter or more evil than others, this is only the result of individual meddling, and does not alter the plane itself in a fundamental way.
There are certain locations in astral space where the pull of two cosmic forces is equal, but in opposite directions. Most of these locations are unstable, which means that any plane at that location would soon be pulled in one direction or the other. However, there is always one (and only one) location between two cosmic forces that aren't opposed to each other which is stable. At these locations, large and stable planes form that contain elements of both of the cosmic forces, but are ultimately dominated by neither. These are practically worlds in their own right, and are host to a variety of creatures. For example, the devils hail from a plane balanced between the cosmic forces of Law and Evil, while the demons breed on a plane that hangs between Evil and Chaos. There are 40 such planes, one for each pairing of non-opposed cardinal points.
Other stable planes exist as well. These are mostly the realms of various deities, who can prevent their dissolution through their godly willpower alone. The realms of weaker deities can often be found in the vicinity of one or several of the cosmic forces, which allows them to siphon off some of their energy, but having a realm in such a location would be too limiting for the more powerful deities, and consequently their private planes are far away from any of the cardinal points. This might help to explain the general tendency towards neutrality among the most potent gods. Some sages speculate that these gods might actually attempt to transform their portfolio and themselves into an entirely new cosmic force. While this hasn't happened in recorded history, it doesn't mean that this cannot happen...
It was thought that the Material Plane exists at the "center" of existence and is "equidistant" to all the cardinal points, but new research suggests that this is true only for Rothea. It seems that other planets have their own Astral Planes (reachable from Rothea only through Epic Spells), and their own unique sets of cardinal points. The world of Yethrod, for example, seems to lack a cardinal point of Fire, but has an additional cosmic force of Sound. This revelation threw earlier theories in question that suggested that the cosmic forces were the wellspring of all creation, and made many scholars wonder how necessary the "cosmic forces" are for the actual cosmos.
Research is continuing to this day."
But wait - there's more. Not only are there other planes to visit in Urbis, but other planets as well - something I am missing from many traditional fantasy world (with the exception of spelljammer). After all, why not use those funky teleportation spells to get somewhere really far away?
"Other planets can be seen circling in the night sky above. Sometimes, mighty archmages have visited them, bringing back tales of strange and fantastic places if they bother to tell about their exploits at all.
And sometimes, the inhabitants of these far-off worlds come to visit this one.
Magrith
A hot and wet world covered by dense jungles and deep oceans.
Known inhabitants of this planet include carrion crawlers, chuuls, digesters, ethereal filchers, ettercaps, fungi, othyughs, phantom fungi, purple worms, shambling mounds, spider eaters, stirges, and tendriculous.
Rothea
The home world of humanity and many other intelligent races besides. Its geography and people are detailed elsewhere. Its solitary moon, Uluth, appears lifeless to the naked eye, but explorers who braved its airless surface tell of creatures of elemental earth who have made their home there. Some tales tell of vast underground cavern complexes with thriving ecosystems, but these reports must be considered apocryphal at bet.
Also noteworthy are two large rocks with a length of approximately one hundred miles each that are located at the points where the gravitational pull of Rothea and Uluth cancel each other out. These are commonly called "Uluth's Herald" (or "the Herald") and "Uluth's Servant" (or "the Servant), and appear approximately four hours before (in the case of the Herald) or after (in the case of the Servant) Uluth in the sky. Some diviners have reported seeing structures on the surface of these moonlets, pointing to inhabitants, but the truth behind this remains a mystery.
Yethrod
A wet world with a dense atmosphere, Yethrod is perpetually shrouded in mist. Yethrod has almost no natural elevations like mountains that break through its dense cloud cover. Instead, it has massive plants that are many miles high and that have been dubbed "world trees" by explorers, whose upper surface reaches beyond the clouds and hungrily drinks all the surface it can get. Its massive seeds float as well, thanks to lighter-than-air gases that accumulate in its interior. The seed trails a long root behind it that reaches all the way to the ground. When that root finds a locale that is suitable as a base for the world tree, it fixes itself to the ground and grows until it becomes the massive trunk of an adult world tree.
Below its cloud cover, the atmosphere of Yethrod has a very low visibility. This has caused the animals of this planet to have underdeveloped visual organs - indeed, eyes are often entirely absent. On the other hand, they have a keenly developed sense of hearing, and most beings orientate themselves by sonar. Some beings have developed their sonar to such a strength that they can even rend flesh with it, and use it for hunting.
Know inhabitants of this planet include destrachans and yrthaks.
Surtus
A large, cool and dry world without any major bodies of water. Its wind-swept surface has a high content of iron, which gives the entire planet a rust red color.
Known inhabitants of this planet include ankhegs, basilisks, behirs, bulettes, delvers, displacer beasts, frost worms, manticores, remorhazes, rust monsters, and umber hulks.
Calturus
The outermost planet in the solar system, Calturus presents a cold, airless surface to the observer. Its interior is still heated by volcanic activity, however, and all kinds of loathsome and slimy creatures thrive in the wet, subterranean cave systems.
Known inhabitants of this planet include aboleths, cloakers, darkmantles, gray renders, gricks, mind flayers, and ropers."
"The most commonly accepted theories of the planes of existence state that the Astral Plane holds all the planes together. At certain locations in the Astral Plane the so-called cosmic forces or cardinal points can be found - these (or so it is thought) embody some of the fundamental concepts of reality. As far it is known, it is impossible for living beings to enter these points and return, for the nature of these forces would instantly overwhelm even the strongest magical protections and consume the unfortunate creature utterly. Ten cosmic forces are known to exist: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Good, Evil, Law, Chaos, Positive Energy (also known as Life), and Negative Energy (also known as Death or Undeath). Each force always has a force in opposition to it: Fire versus Water, Law versus Chaos, and so on.
These forces exert a "pull" on large regions of astral space, similar to the pull a sun exerts on its planets, or a whirlpool on ships. Planes of varying sizes can exists inside of this region, but the "closer" the plane in question is relative to the cosmic force, the smaller and more unstable it will be. However, none of these planes is truly stable (with the exceptions described below), and all will break up into smaller planes eventually. Similarly, small planes will form and grow in size as they absorb other planes within the same region. The planes orbiting the cardinal points of Fire, Water, Earth and Air are often collectively referred to as the Elemental Planes. Each of these planes is "surrounded" by its own Ethereal Plane, which some sages speculate serves as a protective layer for the plane itself.
It should noted that terms like "close" and "far" aren't to be taken too literally when applied to the Astral Plane. While a visitor to the Astral sees it as he would see three-dimensional space, this is an illusion created by his mind - the Astral Plane does not have the same dimensions as the Material Plane does. Rather, "close" and "far" should be taken as metaphors - as a gauge of the affinity any given plane has for the cosmic forces. While planes orbiting a specific cosmic force usually do have a three-dimensional geography, they do not have any regions that are closer to the cosmic force than others - rather, the affinity of the plane for the cosmic force is equal everywhere. While certain magics or the force of will of certain creatures can make a part of such a plain hotter or more evil than others, this is only the result of individual meddling, and does not alter the plane itself in a fundamental way.
There are certain locations in astral space where the pull of two cosmic forces is equal, but in opposite directions. Most of these locations are unstable, which means that any plane at that location would soon be pulled in one direction or the other. However, there is always one (and only one) location between two cosmic forces that aren't opposed to each other which is stable. At these locations, large and stable planes form that contain elements of both of the cosmic forces, but are ultimately dominated by neither. These are practically worlds in their own right, and are host to a variety of creatures. For example, the devils hail from a plane balanced between the cosmic forces of Law and Evil, while the demons breed on a plane that hangs between Evil and Chaos. There are 40 such planes, one for each pairing of non-opposed cardinal points.
Other stable planes exist as well. These are mostly the realms of various deities, who can prevent their dissolution through their godly willpower alone. The realms of weaker deities can often be found in the vicinity of one or several of the cosmic forces, which allows them to siphon off some of their energy, but having a realm in such a location would be too limiting for the more powerful deities, and consequently their private planes are far away from any of the cardinal points. This might help to explain the general tendency towards neutrality among the most potent gods. Some sages speculate that these gods might actually attempt to transform their portfolio and themselves into an entirely new cosmic force. While this hasn't happened in recorded history, it doesn't mean that this cannot happen...
It was thought that the Material Plane exists at the "center" of existence and is "equidistant" to all the cardinal points, but new research suggests that this is true only for Rothea. It seems that other planets have their own Astral Planes (reachable from Rothea only through Epic Spells), and their own unique sets of cardinal points. The world of Yethrod, for example, seems to lack a cardinal point of Fire, but has an additional cosmic force of Sound. This revelation threw earlier theories in question that suggested that the cosmic forces were the wellspring of all creation, and made many scholars wonder how necessary the "cosmic forces" are for the actual cosmos.
Research is continuing to this day."
But wait - there's more. Not only are there other planes to visit in Urbis, but other planets as well - something I am missing from many traditional fantasy world (with the exception of spelljammer). After all, why not use those funky teleportation spells to get somewhere really far away?
"Other planets can be seen circling in the night sky above. Sometimes, mighty archmages have visited them, bringing back tales of strange and fantastic places if they bother to tell about their exploits at all.
And sometimes, the inhabitants of these far-off worlds come to visit this one.
Magrith
A hot and wet world covered by dense jungles and deep oceans.
Known inhabitants of this planet include carrion crawlers, chuuls, digesters, ethereal filchers, ettercaps, fungi, othyughs, phantom fungi, purple worms, shambling mounds, spider eaters, stirges, and tendriculous.
Rothea
The home world of humanity and many other intelligent races besides. Its geography and people are detailed elsewhere. Its solitary moon, Uluth, appears lifeless to the naked eye, but explorers who braved its airless surface tell of creatures of elemental earth who have made their home there. Some tales tell of vast underground cavern complexes with thriving ecosystems, but these reports must be considered apocryphal at bet.
Also noteworthy are two large rocks with a length of approximately one hundred miles each that are located at the points where the gravitational pull of Rothea and Uluth cancel each other out. These are commonly called "Uluth's Herald" (or "the Herald") and "Uluth's Servant" (or "the Servant), and appear approximately four hours before (in the case of the Herald) or after (in the case of the Servant) Uluth in the sky. Some diviners have reported seeing structures on the surface of these moonlets, pointing to inhabitants, but the truth behind this remains a mystery.
Yethrod
A wet world with a dense atmosphere, Yethrod is perpetually shrouded in mist. Yethrod has almost no natural elevations like mountains that break through its dense cloud cover. Instead, it has massive plants that are many miles high and that have been dubbed "world trees" by explorers, whose upper surface reaches beyond the clouds and hungrily drinks all the surface it can get. Its massive seeds float as well, thanks to lighter-than-air gases that accumulate in its interior. The seed trails a long root behind it that reaches all the way to the ground. When that root finds a locale that is suitable as a base for the world tree, it fixes itself to the ground and grows until it becomes the massive trunk of an adult world tree.
Below its cloud cover, the atmosphere of Yethrod has a very low visibility. This has caused the animals of this planet to have underdeveloped visual organs - indeed, eyes are often entirely absent. On the other hand, they have a keenly developed sense of hearing, and most beings orientate themselves by sonar. Some beings have developed their sonar to such a strength that they can even rend flesh with it, and use it for hunting.
Know inhabitants of this planet include destrachans and yrthaks.
Surtus
A large, cool and dry world without any major bodies of water. Its wind-swept surface has a high content of iron, which gives the entire planet a rust red color.
Known inhabitants of this planet include ankhegs, basilisks, behirs, bulettes, delvers, displacer beasts, frost worms, manticores, remorhazes, rust monsters, and umber hulks.
Calturus
The outermost planet in the solar system, Calturus presents a cold, airless surface to the observer. Its interior is still heated by volcanic activity, however, and all kinds of loathsome and slimy creatures thrive in the wet, subterranean cave systems.
Known inhabitants of this planet include aboleths, cloakers, darkmantles, gray renders, gricks, mind flayers, and ropers."
SableWyvern
Hero
The following is an excerpt from my current Rolemaster world setting.
COSMOLOGY & AN OVERVIEW OF THE GODS
The Nature of the Universe
Kalharun is part of a solar system that mirrors our own, with Kalharun itself in the same position as the Earth. All the bodies within the solar system are real, physical entities analogous with those from the Real World.
Beyond the solar system, however, distant objects are as much metaphysical as real. Stars, galaxies and planets outside of the solar system do not necessarily follow the same physical laws. Some are devoid of life, while others contain entities ranging from insignificant through to powerful beyond imagining. In general, the further from Kalharun one goes, the older and more potent the beings that are found. Agothu, Pale Demons, Chaos Demons, Ancient Gods and beings of unimaginable power dwell in distant realms. It is the faint emanations of some of these beings that mortals call Essence.
The Nature of Kalharun
The Kalharun solar system, to the casual observer, appears perfectly mundane by Real World standards. It is, however, made up of several distinct realities, with the Prime Reality (that in which mortals dwell) being the point at which all others merge.
The Elemental Realities
The Elemental Realties form the basic building blocks of physical matter in Kalharun. Everything in the Prime Reality is formed of one or more of the basic six elements, earth, fire, water, light, air and ice.
The Spirit World
The Spirit World coexists with physical reality. It provides the basic spiritual energy that makes life and conscious thought possible. Without the Spirit World, there would be only dead, unchanging, physical matter.
The Realm of the Dead
The Realm of the Dead is technically part of the Prime Reality, but is more heavily influenced by the Spirit World than the Elemental Realities. While it exists physically, deep beneath the earth, it does not support the presence of consciousness in a physical body. Any living thing with true physical form that remains for long in the Realm of the Dead will soon find its soul separating from the physical self (ie, dying). Souls of the dead dwell here eternally, watching the world and sometimes interacting with each other. Generally, a soul in the Realm of the Dead is at peace, and has no desire to return to the world of the living. Even if it wishes to return, however, this is quite difficult (this matter will be discussed later).
The Nature of the Gods
The essential nature of religion in this world setting differs from the standard found in many RPG settings. The gods do not gain power from worshipers. They have no real agendas amongst men, and thus do not require followers to carry out tasks for them. They are, however, a proud and arrogant lot; so much so that they gain a great sense of their own importance when they are worshipped.
Essentially, the gods grant magic to true believers to help encourage mortals to stroke their egos. They rarely have any true feelings of love or compassion for their followers, nor is there any true need for worshipers, beyond that created by their egos.
The Coming of the Gods
Why the gods originally came to Kalharun is as unknown as where they came from. Certainly, they originated from some distant star or galaxy, but only they know from which one, and why it was they left. Perhaps they fled from enemies, or a dying reality. Perhaps they were explorers, and perhaps even there are more who will eventually follow them.
They arrived when the peoples of Kalharun where young; before men, elves or dwarves had formed true societies. It is for this reason that some now-days believe that the gods were creators, for few natives of Kalharun realise that there was a time before the coming of the gods.
There are eleven known gods that arrived in the solar system and decided for their own reasons to settle there. Each god found an astral body that suited its basic mentality, and took up residence upon that body.
The following list shows each astral body of relevance, its Real World equivalent, and the spheres of influence of its resident god.
*Kasdas is the only god whose name is not the same as his planet.
It is entirely possible, even probable, that lesser planetary bodies, such as moons other than Kalurusa, are also home to gods; however, if this is the case, they seem to have little interest in Kalharun. It is supposed by some that lesser cults, such as those of the Snake and Spider, may take their power from such lesser-known gods.
Gods Through the Eyes of the People
The preceding information is truth – but it is also a well-veiled truth. Each culture has its own view on who and what the gods are. Very few people understand their true nature. Instead, individuals and societies have formed their own frameworks and belief structures around their circumstances. When a particular belief finds similes with the actual nature of a god, that entity has generally made his presence known to the believers, accepted their actions as worship, directed its newfound followers, and provided the most devout with magic.
Thus Kalharun has myriad of cults and pantheons, often worshipping various aspects of one god, but identifying that god in a different fashion, and usually with differing trappings.
COSMOLOGY & AN OVERVIEW OF THE GODS
The Nature of the Universe
Kalharun is part of a solar system that mirrors our own, with Kalharun itself in the same position as the Earth. All the bodies within the solar system are real, physical entities analogous with those from the Real World.
Beyond the solar system, however, distant objects are as much metaphysical as real. Stars, galaxies and planets outside of the solar system do not necessarily follow the same physical laws. Some are devoid of life, while others contain entities ranging from insignificant through to powerful beyond imagining. In general, the further from Kalharun one goes, the older and more potent the beings that are found. Agothu, Pale Demons, Chaos Demons, Ancient Gods and beings of unimaginable power dwell in distant realms. It is the faint emanations of some of these beings that mortals call Essence.
The Nature of Kalharun
The Kalharun solar system, to the casual observer, appears perfectly mundane by Real World standards. It is, however, made up of several distinct realities, with the Prime Reality (that in which mortals dwell) being the point at which all others merge.
The Elemental Realities
The Elemental Realties form the basic building blocks of physical matter in Kalharun. Everything in the Prime Reality is formed of one or more of the basic six elements, earth, fire, water, light, air and ice.
The Spirit World
The Spirit World coexists with physical reality. It provides the basic spiritual energy that makes life and conscious thought possible. Without the Spirit World, there would be only dead, unchanging, physical matter.
The Realm of the Dead
The Realm of the Dead is technically part of the Prime Reality, but is more heavily influenced by the Spirit World than the Elemental Realities. While it exists physically, deep beneath the earth, it does not support the presence of consciousness in a physical body. Any living thing with true physical form that remains for long in the Realm of the Dead will soon find its soul separating from the physical self (ie, dying). Souls of the dead dwell here eternally, watching the world and sometimes interacting with each other. Generally, a soul in the Realm of the Dead is at peace, and has no desire to return to the world of the living. Even if it wishes to return, however, this is quite difficult (this matter will be discussed later).
The Nature of the Gods
The essential nature of religion in this world setting differs from the standard found in many RPG settings. The gods do not gain power from worshipers. They have no real agendas amongst men, and thus do not require followers to carry out tasks for them. They are, however, a proud and arrogant lot; so much so that they gain a great sense of their own importance when they are worshipped.
Essentially, the gods grant magic to true believers to help encourage mortals to stroke their egos. They rarely have any true feelings of love or compassion for their followers, nor is there any true need for worshipers, beyond that created by their egos.
The Coming of the Gods
Why the gods originally came to Kalharun is as unknown as where they came from. Certainly, they originated from some distant star or galaxy, but only they know from which one, and why it was they left. Perhaps they fled from enemies, or a dying reality. Perhaps they were explorers, and perhaps even there are more who will eventually follow them.
They arrived when the peoples of Kalharun where young; before men, elves or dwarves had formed true societies. It is for this reason that some now-days believe that the gods were creators, for few natives of Kalharun realise that there was a time before the coming of the gods.
There are eleven known gods that arrived in the solar system and decided for their own reasons to settle there. Each god found an astral body that suited its basic mentality, and took up residence upon that body.
The following list shows each astral body of relevance, its Real World equivalent, and the spheres of influence of its resident god.
- Asular (Sun): Sun, Fire[/*]
- Marculan (Mercury): Smith, Metalcraft, Stonecraft[/*]
- Levulas (Venus): Love, Fertility[/*]
- Kasdas* (Earth): Sea, Disease, Revenge, (Insects)[/*]
- Kalurusa (Moon): Genius, Fortune, Trickery[/*]
- Narom (Mars): War[/*]
- Dumere (Jupiter): Justice, Order[/*]
- Tarasis (Saturn): Wisdom, Fate, Time[/*]
- Tulura (Uranus): Nature, Chaos, Hunting (Horses)[/*]
- Depter (Neptune): Water, Sleep, Dreams[/*]
- Geilas (Pluto): Cold, Dark, Death[/*]
*Kasdas is the only god whose name is not the same as his planet.
It is entirely possible, even probable, that lesser planetary bodies, such as moons other than Kalurusa, are also home to gods; however, if this is the case, they seem to have little interest in Kalharun. It is supposed by some that lesser cults, such as those of the Snake and Spider, may take their power from such lesser-known gods.
Gods Through the Eyes of the People
The preceding information is truth – but it is also a well-veiled truth. Each culture has its own view on who and what the gods are. Very few people understand their true nature. Instead, individuals and societies have formed their own frameworks and belief structures around their circumstances. When a particular belief finds similes with the actual nature of a god, that entity has generally made his presence known to the believers, accepted their actions as worship, directed its newfound followers, and provided the most devout with magic.
Thus Kalharun has myriad of cults and pantheons, often worshipping various aspects of one god, but identifying that god in a different fashion, and usually with differing trappings.
Psion
Adventurer
Well, I have always used the great wheel, so tossing it now would be out of the question. Not to metion I like it.
I have, however, made some tweaks and adaptations inspired by the MotP, Mongoose's and Green Ronin's shamans books and AEG's Fortunes and Winds as well as a few throw-backs.
Basically, the Astral Plane and the Great Wheel "outer planes" are as-written in the MotP.
The ethereal plane exists as written in the material plane, and the upper outer planes, each as essentially isolated planes.
However, each ethereal plane connects to the spirit world, which touches the positive plane and provides a pathway between the ethereal planes associated with the material planes and those associated with the upper planes.
The shadow plane connects with the material plane, extends through the negative material plane, and extends to the lower planes.
The elemental planes exist as they did in 1e/2e, i.e., there are para and quasi elemental planes which you can travel between.
Faerie worlds are anchored demiplanes that touch the material, spirit, and/or shadow planes.
I have, however, made some tweaks and adaptations inspired by the MotP, Mongoose's and Green Ronin's shamans books and AEG's Fortunes and Winds as well as a few throw-backs.
Basically, the Astral Plane and the Great Wheel "outer planes" are as-written in the MotP.
The ethereal plane exists as written in the material plane, and the upper outer planes, each as essentially isolated planes.
However, each ethereal plane connects to the spirit world, which touches the positive plane and provides a pathway between the ethereal planes associated with the material planes and those associated with the upper planes.
The shadow plane connects with the material plane, extends through the negative material plane, and extends to the lower planes.
The elemental planes exist as they did in 1e/2e, i.e., there are para and quasi elemental planes which you can travel between.
Faerie worlds are anchored demiplanes that touch the material, spirit, and/or shadow planes.
Here is mine - The barrier is transit plane where that the dead has to cross over to the Wheel of the Gods, each god has their own realm.
