Tartarus (outer plane)

One of the Lower Planes of Existence [placeholder].

Notes:

• Egyptians proposed the regenerative cauldron called the Lake of Fire. The lake is explicitly related to Tartarus. The underworld contains many rivers and lakes that are viewed as perpetually burning, some which are used to immerse, yet the Lake of Fire is the final purgation of sins. The original myth envisioned the Egyptian God Ra being swallowed by a serpent at the end of every day, causing night; come morning, Ra would pass through the Lake of Fire (dawn) and be reborn as the sun. In the structure of the Lower Planes, the dead who are expunged of malevolence in Hell are led from hell into the Abyss, and thence down into Tartarus, where they are eventually plunged into the Lake of Fire where they are able to come out clean and able to return to Earth (reincarnated).

See Mythology

Prime Material (inner plane)

Technically, the visible universe that includes the Earth at its center, though only the Earth itself is known to have been explored by adventurers or communicated with by the gods. Called "Mother Earth" by the polytheists, or pagans, it is believed by the inhabitants of the Prime Material that Earth is also the center of the great tree Crann Bethadh, and that it emerged from the womb of creation (the roots of the Tree of Life) like a child being born from its mother. It is believed that the races upon the Earth emerged, one by one, directly from the Earth, given birth by the first great goddess, variously known as Ana, Anat and Anath. Likewise, it is believed that all the gods were also given birth by Ana, so that everything in existence, not just the Prime Material, came forth from her womb.

For most who have no religious convictions, the Prime Material simply "is" ~ all other planes of existence are largely imaginary, impossible to reach or the stuff of legends. "Reality," therefore, is Earth.

It must be understood that the laws of physics and all the principles of science can be counted on only to apply to the Prime Material Plane ~ and that magic, in all its forms, is a way that the counter-realities of other planes "leak" into the Earth sphere of reality. It is possible to travel from the Prime Material to other planes ~ but as the laws governing other planes often contravene what is familiar to most Earth creatures, it is generally considered dangerous to seek intra-planar travel.

See Mythology

Pandemonium (outer plane)

To the Christian mind, this is the "Home of All Demons," to which every non-Christian deity was consigned because the Church claimed all gods and goddesses of heathen pagans were devils. During Rome's long decline, almost the last thinking believers in the old gods were their Christian enemies.

In truth, the plane of Pandemonium exists as a high plateau, looking down upon Hell [placeholder] and the Lower Planes [placeholder]. It is occupied only by gods and divine beings, most notably the High Lord Satan and his peers, who dwell in a palace from which he can see all that occurs in the Lower Planes. From Pandemonium, the plane of Olympus [placeholder] is visible above and in the distance, appearing as an enormous mountain. Pandemonium functions as a meeting place and an enormous market, with access to all the outer planes, where the gods come to parley, debate, purchase souls and seek comfort among peers. For this reason, pandemonium has come to mean a place of uproar, a wild, lawless confusion.

See Mythology

Gehenna (outer plane)

A part of the Lower Planes of Existence [placeholder], a place of punishment, created by the sacrifice of thousands of children in the Valley of Gehinnom outside of Jerusalem, beginning some ten thousand years ago. As the children died upon burning pyres and began to enter the underworld, then no more than a place of dust, a shelf of icy rock was made manifest against the side of a mountain, amidst a great ocean, under an open sky, and there the dead children were left to wait, their feet frozen into a cake of ice that stretched out into the water. But this place had no name, not as yet.

Within the second millenia BC, the mountain above Gehenna began to grow upwards to the clouds, until the top of the mountain was lost forever ... and for seven times seventy years thereafter, others began to arrive at the mountain's shore, carried by upon a boat that was sent by the angel Arsiel, who came to call the land around the bottom of the mountain Gehenna. Arseil then sat upon a throne there, calling himself the Prince of Gehenna, and thereafter it was he who judged the dead who came there. The people who descended from the boats were Hebrews from the Fertile Crescent. They looked upon the suffering children there and wept, but could not help them, for they were take by demons to the other side of the mountain, where there were fires waiting.

These Hebrews were kept in the fires for a year, then they, too, were allowed to climb the mountain.

Some Hebrews were set aside, however, and told to climb the mountain, to the place where they would find Eden. And these Hebrews went and still the children remained.

But it came to pass that after 490 years, Moses landed upon the shore of Gehenna, having passed away upon the banks of the river Jordan. Arseil was waiting for Moses and said to him, "These children are ready to be led up the mountain." And so Moses broke the ice from around their feet and led the children to Eden.

Gehenna grew, until Christians began to arrive, whose thoughts had changed the mountain above them. Now there were tiers upon the mountain, which was now called Purgatory [placeholder] ... and now to climb the mountain required penance and suffering, as the soul within the dead was burned clear before they could climb to Eden, and from Eden thence to Paradise [placeholder]. The Christians, however, were left upon a different beach ~ and it is said that while some Christians wait in Gehenna, which they call "ante-Purgatory", for 30 times the length of their lives spent in the Prime Material Plane, still the Hebrews wait only a year before they begin to climb.

Still there is a shelf of ice that reaches out from Gehenna ~ and those that will cross it may find there a place where the Abyss yawns before them, the edge of the eternal pit. Upon the edge of the pit dwells the serpent-angel Apollyon, or Abaddon, who is the keyholder of the Abyss and the guardian of Tartarus. Among the dead who are brought to Gehenna are those who have committed an act of great sin in the moment of death, who may or may not be honest despite this act. These are ordered by Arseil to present themselves to Abaddon, who will judge them; and those who are judged good may be allowed to pay the price by climbing Purgatory; others who are judged malevolent will be cast into the Abyss.

See Mythology

Four Elements

On each of the inhabited continents, the same four elements were distinguished as building-blocks for all the substances that could be observed: earth, air, fire and water. Within the game world, it is accepted that these four elements exist, and that they represent the Four Elemental planes. However, science indicates clearly, even in the Dungeons and Dragons world, that science dictates the existence of many more elements than four, and that tradition practices as followed in Earth's history were a load of rubbish.

To be sure, to retain the effects of magic and the presence of elemental beings, both science and elemental theory must be true ~ with the latter explaining many of the magical effects that science cannot explain. Examples of elemental influence on reality would include the following:

• Many of the monsters in the game are too massive to survive; they ought to collapse under their own weight. However, we may postulate that these creatures are composed of "earth" in a manner that enables their structure to retain integrity while the creatures remain active.
• Numerous creatures are composed of materials that science would consider impossible; yet they generate heat, have both physical and non-physical properties, sometimes intermittently, and are able to move in ways that belie an internal structure of an kind, such as oozes, jellies, ghosts and many other undead, creatures composed of water or air, creatures unaffected by the fire they breathe or having immunity to the elements themselves ~ all of these things suggest that earth, air, fire and water can be transmuted to make both scientific elements and forms that cannot be explained by the periodic table.
• The manipulation of magic, too, implies effects that are explainable by an elemental system of reality but not by science. Magic proposes, also, that each elemental form exists both in a "real" capacity and in a "magical" capacity. For example, "real fire" vs. "magical fire" ~ which possess many of the same qualities but also possess qualities that are distinct in their effects upon other things. magical fire does not always have heat, for example (see Faerie Fire); magical fire may be kept from spreading and may be adjusted to move from place to place without necessarily setting the ground ablaze.
• It may be postulated that there are also other examples of this: magical earths may explain many healing substances and magical ointments, paints or malleable structures, such as boats that can fit into a player's pocket. Magical waters may be the basis of potions and also of the birth of monsters, since it has always been held in mythology that all creation arises from the combination of earth and water. Finally, magical air remains an uncertain substance: perhaps the basis of the astral plane or gates between the planes? Perhaps that which keeps impossible things afloat, such as castles, islands, air ships and so on?

We may presume that alchemy, as opposed to scientific chemistry, with which it will bear many similarities, is a means of mixing elemental "humors" ~ which may in turn have influence from the gods, many of whom are set in authority over the various elements: gods of fire, gods of air, gods of earth and gods of water. The process of "fixing" magic into items may very well be much more complicated than merely collecting a bunch of ingredients and pouring them together. It may be more a matter of isolating the various essences, or spirits, of each element, of which there may be hundreds. I suggest "spirit" because the end product may very well be a portion of the eternal substance from whence comes the outer planes: the corporeality of the gods, the material of all the planes, not just the elemental planes, and even The One Tree that comprises all things. The will of these beings and places may come into play. Additionally, as the elements are ruled by the tempo of the seasons, by the configuration of the spheres in their orbits, by the refraction of light and endless other possibilities, time may also be relevant in when or how a spirit is obtained. The comprehension of the elements and therefore the creation of magic is an incomprehensibly difficult thing ~ which is why most spellcasters just keep using what they learned from their mentors.

It isn't just a matter of throwing money at a problem. The players must obtain vast amounts of knowledge and then juxtapose that knowledge with further investigation, a matter we call adventure. But while the scope of the problem may be enormous, it should also be realized that the potential for anything to be possible is also most certainly there.

See Mythology

Elysium (outer plane)

Also called the Elysian Fields, one of the Higher Planes of Existence [placeholder], commonly mistaken for paradise. According to Homer, the Elysian Fields were located at the western edge of the world beyond the great ocean that encircled the world. It is thought by some sages that it is possible to journey to Elysium by sea. The legend tells that, at the correct latitude and longitude, and depending upon the season, that the Astral Plane [placeholder] forms a boundary between the Earth and Elysium; and that the living can sail across this boundary.

This fits with the description of Elysium, which describes the plane as a deep swirling ocean, within which there are two islands: the Fortunate Islands. Philostratus described the islands as westward of Mauretania; Sertorius said that they were a few days sail from Hispania. These descriptions have led many to believe that the Fortunate Islands are one and the same as the Canary Islands, but no, that is incorrect; Elysium, obviously, exists as its own plane.

The islands abound in fruit and birds of every kind; the earth is eternally grain-giving and rich in honey, where no toil is needed to dwell there. The ground itself is a bed of surpassing comfort, the water as rich as wine without ill effect, with flowers that grow abundantly and make the land smell sweet and wonderful. It is populated only by those who were heroes in life, who live in no fixed place but happily wander upon the hills to see each new beautiful valley and blissful meadow, until they lay themselves down before venturing forth again. It has been told that heroes may continue their adventures as they did in life, taking up sword and pipe as they will, to clash with monsters of every kind, who come forth when beckoned.

There is a path from Elysium to Hades [placeholder], though it is difficult to find and guarded by Cerberus; the dog will allow those from Elysium to pass, but will not give way to those dead of Hades. There is also a route into Heaven, or Paradise [placeholder].

Some tell that there is a third isle of the Fortunate Islands, that is more distant: this is Avalon [placeholder], the apple-isle, where King Arthur was taken and where it is told that the elven dead rule.

See Mythology

Eden (outer plane)

More precisely the Garden of Eden, also the Garden of Delight, often mistaken for Paradise. Eden is a separate plane that serves as the conduit between the top of the mountain of Purgatory [placeholder] and Paradise's First Sphere of the Moon. Eden is also joined with the Earth at several places of notable beauty, notably the Garden of Gethsemane, the Vienna Wood (or Wienerwald), Baofeng Lake and Olduvai Gorge, which was once a garden spot and is no longer.

Eden is generally accepted as the birthplace of Adam and Eve, who are believed to be the children of God and the progenitors of the chosen people (separate from other humans, who are variously seen as the children of Lilith or merely born of other cultures and origins). Much of the explanatory detail of how Adam and Eve emerged from Eden, and where, is conflicting and confusing to peoples of the Prime Material Plane. Many believe the story to be thoroughly mythological.

The "Tree of Knowledge" that is said to grow within Eden is surely a branch of the One Tree of Life, Crann Bethadh.

See Mythology

Crann Bethadh (the one tree)

Also called the Tree of Life, that grew from the womb of the center of all creation. Among the Norse, the tree is called Yggdrasil. The tree exist outside the Prime Material Plane, and in fact enfolds all planes of existence: the outer planes, the astral and ethereal planes, the elemental planes and the negative and positive planes. Crann Bethadh exists as the axis mundi that supports all the planes and whose branches interweave between the planes and create passages from one plane to another.

Though there are hundreds of planes of existence, conceived of by every culture, both in the Prime Material and elsewhere, Crann Bethadh encapsulates them all. Most cultures vastly underestimate the interconnectivity of the nodes: the Norse envisioned nine worlds, or planes, that the tree connected; the Jewish Kabballah envisioned ten. The truth is that there are many, many more than those.

It is generally believed, and some will claim to have proved it, that the tree can be entered from select points on every plane; these points are called "gates." Once a gate is passed through, the tree ~ which appears to be actual, growing wood, variously describes as a yew tree or an ash ~ can serve as a conduit along which creatures can travel. All branches slope, so that a traveller can move "down branch," towards a limb and ultimately towards the trunk, or "up branch," towards its ends. It is possible to leap from the end of one branch, across a gap, to another branch, and thus potentially gain access to anywhere. However, rarely would a traveller have a map that would enable them to know which branches to leap to ~ and it would be very difficult to return along the same path, not knowing for certain which branch was leapt from.

The wood, bark and leaves of Crann Bethadh have value to alchemists, but are only ever collected (or needed) in small amounts, no more than an ounce. There is danger that any more and the local tree will "shudder," throwing off any who are standing on its branches, potentially to fall forever into nothingness if not successfully catching hold of a random leaf or twig.

It is acknowledged among many pagan religions that the late-comer Christians, embracing the Latin and Celtic crosses, were really just adopting an earlier symbol meaning to depict the Tree of Life. Thus members of underground pagan sects in the middle east and central asia continue to use the cross as a symbol, though it has nothing to do with the crucifixion.

See Mythology

Abyss (outer plane)

A misunderstood plane of existence, one of the lower planes associated with malevolence and evil, incorrectly judged to possess 666 layers (the number of layers is infinite). The structure of the abyss is chaotic and beyond the perception of intellect, often described as twisted cliffs overlooking a plunging chasm without bottom. It is, effectively, the downward drain of the multi-universe; the surging water-deep of Judaistic mythology. It is that part of the universe whose creation was unfinished ~ and that is why the number of layers are infinite.

The upper levels are best known and are described in various mythologies. Often Earthly scholars will claim that some part of the abyss is ruled by prince-gods or that parts of the abyss exist as “realms.” In truth, the abyss is truly chaotic, without logic or arrangement. It is populated by cruel demons to move remorselessly and arbitrarily through the layers, and souls who have drifted from other lower planes into the Abyss, or who have been discarded in the abyss after their souls have been burned clean in Hell. Geographically the entrance to the Abyss is found beneath Tartarus, behind a gate that is held by Apollyon, the Keyholder.

Common souls of mortals exist as manes, but more powerful demons include vrock, hezrou, glabrazu, nalfeshnee, marilith and balrog, the names of which serve both as singular and plural when described. The number of demons is Legion, a name known to Christians as representative of an infinite number, like the planes they occupy.

Demon lords and princes move freely through all the planes, occupying themselves with pure hedonistic pleasures, never tiring of causing agony, unhappiness, the crushing of hope and the making of fear among the lesser demons who inhabit the Abyss.

See Mythology

Mythology

A growing account of all things mystical, magical and supernatural in the game world, including the nature of religion and religious iconography, the presence of gods and their minions and the planes of existence, establishing the nature of the "unknown universe" that is outside the scientific and perceptible, or ordinary universe.

Abaddon, Keyholder of the Abyss
Abyss
Angel
Avalon
Brisingamen
Chidambarum
Crann Bethadh
Demonic Culture and Origins
Demonic Possession
Devilish Culture
Eden
Elysium
Four Elements
Gehenna
Grigori
Higher Planes of Existence
Jannah
Lower Planes of Existence
Outer Planes
Pandemonium, one of the Outer Planes
Paradise
Prime Material Plane
Purgatory
Tartarus*
Thought Made Manifest*
War in Heaven
Wild Magic, magic that manifests without direction or purpose