An Introduction to Planar Cosmology

An Introduction to Planar Cosmology
Excerpted from “Planar Metaphysics”

Penned by Tobias Khrognen, Gnome Sage

Index of Contents

1. Overview
2. The Multiverse
3. Gods, Demigods and Planetars
4. The Outer Planes, or the Planes of Order and Discord
   1. Aetheria, the Celestial Plane
   2. Rixx, Plane of Afterlife
   3. Sonos, Plane of Truth
   4. The Excaleris
   5. Aeternia, the Infernal Plane
   6. Krypta, Plane of Everdeath
   7. Velys, Plane of Lies
   8. The Umblat
5. The Inner Planes, or the Planes of Influence
   1. Plane of Time
   2. Plane of Dreams
   3. Plane of Nightmares
   4. Plane of Power
   5. Plane of Peace
   6. Plane of the Hearth
   7. Plane of Love
   8. Plane of Hate
6. The Core Planes, or the Planes of the Arcane
   1. The Astral Plane
      1. Essence Plane of Elements
      2. Essence Plane of Force
      3. Essence Plane of Music
      4. Essence Plane of Nature
      5. Essence Plane of Health
      6. Essence Plane of Disease
      7. Essence Plane of Fortune
      8. Essence Plane of Thought
   2. The Ethereal Plane
   3. The Plane of Shadow
7. The Plane of the Material
   1. The Demiplanes

Overview
For many millennia, the inhabitants of Aelyria have observed the nature of their existence and their universe with a degree of understanding that far surpasses that of other civilizations. Yet, it was only recently through the direction of the planar theorist Jade Ashald, in collaboration with the Academy of Magic Sciences in Aelyria Prime, that specific observations could be measured and recorded, presenting for the first time a clearer understanding of the Multiverse. Cosmology is the study of the skies, and its term has been derived from the ancient practice of stargazing. The word’s meaning is erroneous, however, when applied to the study of the Cosmos of Existence. Cosmology in the Aelyrian Empire is a detailed examination of the alternate planes of existence and their relationship to one another. The latter case serves a particularly important significance, for each plane exerts its own force upon Aelyria and its understanding is central for self-determination.

Aerysia
The World of Aelyria and the universe in which it exists adheres to a specific set of physical rules and stipulations; such a set of circumstances is known as a plane. Each Plane of Existence has its own laws of interaction creating in effect a reality relative to its inhabitants. Those who exist in other planes may find the laws of any certain plane foreign or unrealistic, or, alternatively, very familiar. Variance in the planes is dramatically large, and as a consequence one can never be certain just how different a plane can be from native experiences. The Multiverse is the aggregate sum of all planes, and the complete totality of all existences has been called by the ancients a single word: Aerysia. Yet navigating Aerysia, the Multiverse, has never been a simple task, for breaching the barriers that divide the planes often require titanic undertakings or incredible sources of power.

The organization of the planes in Aerysia can often be imagined as a series of concentric circles (“Circular Theory of Planar Distribution”) with the sources of power and influence in the periphery, and those planes beholden to these influences in the center. An alternative interpretation of the organization of the planes revolves around the notion that the planes are sorted into super planes and demi-planes (“Planar Theory of Hierarchical Tiers”), with an intricate web of relationships and impact. Regardless of the perspectives one may hold on planar organization, it cannot be denied that some planes have a greater significance than the others.

Gods, Demigods, and Planetars
Most of the denizens of the planes are passive subjects bound to the will of the plane itself, living their lives and forced to adhere to the laws of interaction set forth in those planes. But some creatures of immense power have varying capacities to toy with the rules of physics. The mightiest of these are the gods, who are attuned to the plane and can harness its awesome power to impose their will upon the denizens of the native plane, and quite possibly on other planes, as well. Lesser gods, or demigods, have a limited ability to operate periodically outside of the boundaries of the laws of the plane, but are not attuned to the heart of the plane’s power in the way that gods are. They often serve the ruling gods of the plane.

A relatively new phenomenon in planar metaphysics has emerged, and though the idea was widely considered foreign to the basis of cosmology, it has begun to gain acceptance given the growing body of evidence and scholarly work surrounding it. Some creatures derive their power not from the plane that they inhabit, but instead from the worship that they receive from denizens of other planes. Known as planetars, these powerful beings channel the power of worship to create planes of their own imagination, entirely bound to their existence and sharing their fate. However, their ability to influence other planes is severely limited by the amount of worship that they themselves receive.