The Cosmology of Tierra

This article addresses all of the big philosophical questions mankind has pondered through the centuries—at least within the context of Tierra.

The Essential

The Essential is what all energy and matter are made out of.

The Essential Furnace

The origin of all matter and energy, the Essential Furnace is eternally churning out new planes.

The Ethereal Planes

Planes in which there's only energy, no matter.

The Material Planes

Planes that contain matter and energy, also known as "normal universes."

The Abyss

A material plane that attained consciousness and, recognizing its own mortality, found ways to pierce other material planes and drain them of their Essential. The Abyss is always reaching towards the Essential Furnace in order to capture it and ensure its own existence in perpetuity. The Abyss manifests itself in the form of demons.

The Outer Dark

The Outer Dark is the collection of material planes drained of all Essential by the Abyss.

The Hells

Dimensions that have been breached by the Abyss and invaded by demons. Hells are usually places of chaos and destruction.

The Summerlands and the Winterlands

Twinned material planes, home of the sidhe. The Winterlands were invaded by demons millenia ago, triggering the Sidhe-Demon Wars.

The Diabolical

A Hell where the demons have rebelled against the Abyss and practice self-rule. Devils (residents of the Diabolical) sometimes make war on demons of the Abyss.

Jieh

Jieh is a powerful demon, created by the Abyss to sow chaos. Either by design or mistake, he is insane and the other demons judged him too dangerous to be around. So, they tricked him into invading a mostly-empty material plane and tethered him there. He inadvertently created a universe there and thus was Tierra born.

Li Stardancer

Jieh's maybe-wife, maybe-enemy, Li Stardancer was born of star-stuff and danced with Jieh across the stars. She came to Tierra, married Yan the Starsinger, and had three daughters with him. Eventually, she returned to the stars.

The Gods

Tierra has many gods, descended from the three daughters of Li and Yan. They can empower clerics and paladins.

The Boon Companions

Before she returned to the stars, Li granted immortality to the Boon Companions, friends of hers and Yan's. They acts as conduits for prayer and can grant Li's blessing to clerics and paladins. Also known as saints.

The Stardancers

Demigods of the arts of war, they followed Li to do battle with Jieh. They acts as conduits for prayer and can grant Li's blessing to clerics and paladins. Also known as saints.

The Chaosborn

Beings of great power, created by Jieh to find Li when she ran from him. Dragons are lesser chaosborn. The chaosborn don't normally empower clerics or paladins, but they often make deals with mortals using power as their currency.

The Ascendant

The ascendant are mortals who have, through some means, reached godlike powers. They are immortal, but can't empower clerics or paladins.

The Sunstone Ascendant

Mortals who have found fragments of the Sunstone and impressed themselves onto those fragments, the sunstone ascendant aren't immortal, but they are full of Essential and can attune clerics and paladins to their sunstone fragments.