Cosmology

Creation

First there was just the Nothing. Then there was thought and awareness in the Nothing and the Gods coalesced and WERE. With their Being came the first Place - the Astral Plane. With thought and awareness came a willingness to DO. With their Doing came the passage of Time.

Fenast thought deeply and created the first Magic. He shared his gift of Magic with the other gods, so that they may do with it as they will.

Sarracino thought and created Air, Fire, Earth and Water, separated them and held them in place, thus creating the Elemental Plane. There, Umilja created the first Life.

Chaenth created Death and took a part of the Astral Plane and made The Afterlife, with its Heaven, Asphodel Halls and Hell.

Zumar thought and made Luck, so that Life would be stimulated and always have Hope.

Sarracino then took the inner part of the Elemental Plane and created the Material Plane and, in it, Bercairn created the Starsphere, with its Sun, Moon and Asteroids and Stars.

Laurendi, Marilsasta, Grumock and Gruwold together created the world of Pelagia and set it spinning within the Starsphere. Bercairn then set the sun, moon and stars to circle it. When they were done, Umilja gave the Starsphere and Pelagia an abundance of Life.

Chaenth thought again and created his Paths along the Astral Plane, linking the Material and Elemental Planes with them so that the Dead may find safe passage to the Afterlife. He entrusted Jador to be the Protector of his Paths.

Rhianna and Idira watched them all as they worked. Rhianna created Beauty and Idira created Artistry and Music. Together, they wove their creations throughout the Cosmos so that it was a wonder to behold.

Fenast then wove his Magic throughout the entire Cosmos, so that its potent energies bound it together and made it stronger.

Thus, the Cosmos had been created, but the gods were not finished yet.

Tanusto vowed to keep the purity of the Cosmos intact.

Idira created her Five Gifts, so that Life could appreciate the Cosmos about it and find joy in its being.

Kotuzin, inspired by Zumar and her Luck, created Challenges, so that Life would be further stimulated and grow.

Mikolas, in his wisdom, created Memory so that Life could learn from its mistakes.

Rhianna frowned and created Love and Mercy.

Sarracino gave the knowledge of creating and controlling fire to the sentient beings so that they may have heat and light.

Paliel thought and gave the sentient creatures his Laws to live by so that they may become Civilized.

Mikolas then created Writing and Numeracy and gave these gifts to the Civilized beings.

Daireen gave the gift of Healing.

Verec used some of Zumar's Hope and gave the gift of Protection.

Finally, the gods, well pleased with what they had done, retreated from their work and created Paradise in which to rest.

Key Terminology

The Structure of the Universe

When the gods coalesced from The Nothing and were, they had to be somewhere. Thus, the first planes of existence - The Astral Plane and Temporal Planes - came into being simultaneously with the gods. When the gods created the Cosmos, they created the materials to make it from - the Elemental Plane - and a framework for it to sit within - the Material Plane. Later, powerful magic users were able to create Demi-planes and the Great Cataclysm created the Ethereal Plane. Thus, our universe consists of a network of interlinked planes or dimensions.

The Planes

There are 5 true Planes or Dimensions in the Pelagian Cosmos, as well as an infinite number of Demi-planes.

The Nothing

[13 in the Diagram of the Pelagian Universe]

This is the infinite nothingness beyond the Cosmos. Nothing exists here - no energy, matter or even time. It has always been this way and always will. It was there before the gods and it is from there whence the gods came. The Nothing makes up the majority of the Universe. No one knows if it is finite or infinite in size. Many argue that The Nothing should not be classified as a Plane, as how can nothing be something? For the purposes of this explanation - the understanding of the structure of the Universe, it has been included here.

The Astral Plane

[1 - 12 in the Diagram of the Pelagian Universe]

The Astral Plane is the plane of thought, memory, and psychic energy. There was a time before it existed and it sits within The Nothing, thus it has a finite scope and size. It came into being simultaneously with the Gods and the Temporal Plane. There is no solid matter here. It is coincident with the Temporal Plane, and layered with the Elemental, Material, Ethereal and Demi- Planes.

The Temporal Plane

[1 - 12 in the Diagram of the Pelagian Universe]

This plane consists only of the Dimension of Time. It sits within The Nothing and therefore it has a finite scope and size. It came into being simultaneously with the Astral Plane and the Gods. It is coincident with the Astral, Elemental, Material, Ethereal and Demi- Planes. Physical travel within this plane can result in time travel - though this is extremely difficult to do.

The Elemental Plane

[5 - 8 in the Diagram of the Pelagian Universe]

When Sarracino made the Cosmos, he first created the four elements. These are Air [5], Fire [6], Earth [7] and Water [8]. Each elemental pocket within the Elemental Plane is distinct from the other by their very nature, yet they lie together within the Plane in an uneasy harmony. Where the pockets touch, they may mix slightly, forming tiny pockets of unique elements - such as Lightning (Air, Fire, Water), Magma (Fire, Earth, Water), Steam (Fire and Water) and Salt (Earth and Water).

Out of these raw elements, Umilja created the first life, thus we have the Elementals and other creatures of this Plane.

The Elemental Plane is coincident with the Temporal Plane and layered with the Astral, Material and Ethereal Planes and Demi- Planes.

The Material Plane

[1 - 4 in the Diagram of the Pelagian Universe]

This plane contains all solid matter, free-standing energy and living creatures. It is finite in scope and size. The Material Plane is coincident with the Temporal and Ethereal Planes and layered with the Astral, Elemental and Demi- Planes.

The Ethereal Plane

[1 - 4 in the Diagram of the Pelagian Universe]

The Ethereal Plane was created at the time of the Great Cataclysm. The Ritual affected the entire Cosmos in many ways - too many to discuss here - and it almost destroyed the Material Plane. Fortunately, it survived, but the magical backlash had separated it into two. The Ethereal Plane is an insubstantial echo of the Material Plane. There is no solid matter here, but there is free-standing energy and living creatures.

The Ethereal Plane exactly matches the Material Plane, thus it is finite in scope and size. It is coincident with the Temporal and Material Planes and layered with the Astral, Elemental and Demi- Planes.

Demi-planes

Demi-planes are minor planes of limited size, most of which are artificial. Demi-planes are commonly created by extremely powerful magic users for a variety of reasons - including simple storage. Artificial demi-planes are usually constructed to resemble the Material Plane. Naturally-occurring demi-planes are extremely rare and these are mostly just fragments of other planes that have somehow split off from their parent plane. Demi-planes are coincident with the Temporal Plane and layered with the Astral, Elemental, Material and Etherial Planes.

The Realms

A Realm is a particular area (or areas) within the Pelagian Cosmos which a specific god (or gods) takes interest in. These areas are usually unique in their nature.

1: The Lands Below

Everything beneath the surface of the world of Pelagia is known as The Lands Below. This includes natural caves and passages, as well as dug mines and shafts. This is the Realm of the god, Grumock. He has a palace in the very centre of the planet.

The Lands Below exists in the Temporal, Material and Ethereal Planes. Demi-planes may be created from here.

2: The Land

The surface of the world of Pelagia is known as The Land. It is a bit of a misnomer, for much of the surface of the planet is actually covered by water. Thus, the gods primarily concerned with this region are Gruwold (dry land) and Marilsasta (bodies of water).

The Land exists in the Temporal, Material and Ethereal Planes. Demi-planes may be created from here.

3: The Sky

The atmosphere of the world of Pelagia is, of course, known as The Sky. This is the Realm of the god, Laurendi.

The Sky exists in the Temporal, Material and Ethereal Planes. Demi-planes may be created from here.

4: The Starsphere

This is a strange place - consisting primarily of a dark void in which float the sun, moon and stars, all circling the planet of Pelagia. The Starsphere is the Realm of the god, Bercairn, who has a palace on the moon. Many creatures, collectively called Outsiders, live in the Starsphere.

The Starsphere is not a peaceful place, as there are many battles between the various Outsiders, each fighting for dominance. Sometimes these battles can be seen from Pelagia as wondrous aurora, showers of falling stars, comets and colourful night sky nebula that blossom and then fade away.

The Starsphere exists in the Temporal, Material and Ethereal Planes. Demi-planes may be created from here.

5, 6, 7 and 8: The Plane of Elements

A number of the gods take interest in the Elemental Plane. Sarracino is concerned for the entire plane, of course, and so it is also commonly known as Sarracino's Realm. However, Marilsasta naturally takes interest in the pocket of Water, Laurendi in Air, and Grumock and Gruwold in Earth. Jador has a strong interest in the pocket of Fire, as does Idira.

Demi-planes may not be created from here.

9, 10, 11: The Afterlife

This is the Realm of Chaenth. It is the place where all souls come when their physical form dies. There is a Heaven (9) for Good souls and a Hell (10) for Evil souls and the Asphodel Halls (11) for those who were not particularly good nor evil. Only souls of the deceased and the gods can enter the Afterlife.

All the other Realms are linked to The Afterlife by Chaenth's Paths - the paths by which the souls of all deceased may find the way to their eternal resting place. These Paths were disrupted by the ritual that caused The Great Cataclysm.

The Afterlife and Chaenth's Paths exist only in the Astral and Temporal Planes. Demi-planes may not be created from here.

12: Paradise

The Realm of the Gods. This is the first and true home of all the Gods of Pelagia. The souls of the extremely devout deceased come here to be with their gods. Some of the gods, such as Bercairn and Grumock have more or less moved to be within their own Realms.

Paradise exists only in the Astral and Temporal Planes. Demi-planes may not be created from here.