The Cosmology of Tierra
Contents
- 1 Summary
- 2 The Essential
- 3 The Ethereal Plane
- 4 The Essential Furnace
- 5 The Material Planes
- 6 Essential Tethers
- 7 The Abyss
- 8 The Outer Dark
- 9 The Hells
- 10 The Summerlands and the Winterlands
- 11 The Court of the Cait Sidhe
- 12 The Diabolical
- 13 Spirits
- 14 Jieh
- 15 Li Stardancer
- 16 The Sumpfgotten
- 17 The Gods
- 18 The Boon Companions
- 19 The Stardancers
- 20 The Chaosborn
- 21 The Ascendant
- 22 The Sunstone Ascendant
- 23 Administrative Notes
Summary
This article is the summary. It addresses all of the big philosophical questions mankind has pondered through the centuries (at least within the context of Tierra) and everything in it is true (from one perspective at least.) Tierra also has a rich mythology of things that are less true.
The Essential
The Essential is what all energy and matter are made out of.
The Ethereal Plane
The Ethereal Plane is the stage on which all existence plays out. It is an endless emptiness with no beginning and no ending.
The Essential Furnace
At the center of the Ethereal Plane (as well as an infinite multidimensional space can be said to have a center, lies the Essential Furnace. It's the source of all matter and energy in existence. The Furnace is constantly generating new planes and spitting them out into the ether in all directions
The Material Planes
Planes that contain matter and energy, also known as "normal universes."
Essential Tethers
Essential Tethers are tendrils of matter and energy that material planes sometimes exude in order to pierce other material planes. They make travel between worlds possible.
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 plus the Abyss itself.
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 fae, including the sidhe. The Winterlands were invaded by demons millenia ago, triggering the Fae-Demon Wars.
The Court of the Cait Sidhe
Not a plane of its own, but a series of permanent and semi-permanent passageways between material planes, the Court of the Cait Sidhe is home to the Cait Sidhe.
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.
Spirits
Spirits are manifestations of natural phenomena in which will and sometimes intelligence has arisen. Many types of spirits exist from the strange, massively powerful void spirits to spirits of a single tree.
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 Sumpfgotten
Worshiped by humanity before the sidhe came and made modern men of them, the Sumpfgotten are dark, powerful elder gods. They are all-but-forgotten in the Thalassan Sphere, although some cults still worship them.
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. Noble 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.
Administrative Notes
This section is current as of 615 DB.
