Cosmology

Everything that is, was, and ever will be exists within the Cosmos. Within this infinite expanse exist individual Realms, each distinct from the other, separated by the Void.

Observations suggest that somewhere outside the known Realms lies a mysterious source of cosmic winds that carry magic and redistribute it throughout the Cosmos, referred to as The Origin. These winds are theorised to be the single shared cause of a great many events, from the changing of seasons to catastrophic, world-altering shifts of energy on a planetary scale.

Realms are described both as infinite planes of existence and as visible objects within the Cosmos. Each is attuned to a distinct element, formed by it in all its forms. Their observed behaviour and various sources match both seemingly contradictory interpretations, but as they are near impossible to reach directly the validity of these reports is difficult to confirm or deny.

There is, however, evidence to support the Realms being continually eroded by contact with the Void. Sometimes pieces of Realms separate from their parent, creating similar yet distinct "minor dimensions," or splinters.

The other Realms, splinters, and especially the Void itself exist completely outside time and space as it's known in Istaria, with each Plane further being governed by its own internal laws. While time is linear on the Prime, outside of it it can move faster, slower, loop, stand still, or happen all at once. This effect takes considerable psychological toll on souls who, through various means, find themselves outside their intended reality.

Main page: The Void

The space between Realms, known as the Void, is extremely hostile to matter, magic, and the mind. It is the emptiness in which the Prime and other Realms exist.

By its very nature, the Void attempts to revert anything that enters it — be it matter, thought, soul, even different types of magic — into pure, unfocused Potential, which is then redistributed throughout the Cosmos by the cosmic winds.

Despite this hostility, Dryads reported seeing strange, nightmarish, incomprehensible beings lurking beyond the barriers that protect their city of Palmyra, situated within a particularly small Nature splinter anchored to the Prime with ancient magics, the secrets of which are protected by the Dryad Matriarchs themselves.

The edge of the Prime, continually eroded by exposure to the Void but still sufficiently shielded from its effects, is known as the Rift. It is a hazy, cold, alien landscape of infinite canyons, ash, and ghosts of memories, only ever seen by a precious few.

Realms, also known as Planes, are a collection of distinct realities, each associated with a different element. A Realm is the physical manifestation of its corresponding magic in all its purest forms, said to be in tune with it, and is believed to be its original source.

There are, in total, 19 major (or "true") Realms, those being The Prime, 8 Inner Realms, and 10 Outer Realms.

The known Realms orbit around a shared central convergence point — the Prime — in co-centric rings on a 2D plane known as the Planar Plateau. It is theorised there may be many other Realms beyond the Planar Plateau, too distant or indistinct to observe and reach. As major sources of magic, the Realms' distance from — or outright contact with — the Prime can induce significant changes, such as extreme weather.

The Planar Plateau is generally split into an Inner and Outer ring. The eight Inner Realms' magic directly mingles at the center, giving rise to a ninth type, Primal, while the ten Outer Realms move on inconsistent orbits and interact with it only sporadically.

The Realms can be seen as faint, colourful nebulas in the night sky, with the Inner Realms being more visible than the Outer. The Planar Plateau itself is visible at night as a line of colour spanning horizon to horizon, and it slowly rotates throughout the year — the Realm visible at the zenith is the one exerting the most influence over the Prime.

Main page: The Prime

The Prime is the Realm within which the world of Istaria exists. It was historically considered the centerpoint of the Cosmos — a concept called into question by modern scholars — and the convergence point for all energies of the Inner Realms.

It is by far the most varied Realm. Aspects of numerous other elements are present, sometimes even giving rise to new, unique ones, like Mind and Nature. Despite so many different energies interacting all in one cosmological point, it exists at an equilibrium, as directly opposing types of magic are stabilised by their adjacent ones.

However, in case of one Realm exerting greater influence on the Prime, this balance can be shifted with possibly catastrophic results. The most well-known and recent example is the Invasion of the Withered Aegis and the accompanying influx of Blight, but also periods of increased volcanic activity due to the presence of the Realm of Fire, or ice ages as a result of the Realm of Ice's influence. Some scholars speculate a close alignment of the Inner Realm of Life and the Outer Realm of Nature — possibly a once in tens of thousands of years event — might've been the initial spark that led to formation of first living things in Istaria.

Cosmic winds, or currents, create a flow of energy throughout the Realms and the Cosmos at large. As the Prime is surrounded by other Realms, whatever direction the current flows it will pass through them and bring with it an influx of their corresponding magic. When a Realm is aligned with this current, it directly influences the Prime.

The most important and easily observable example is the changing of the seasons. Some also believe that the Realm under which one was born influences their soul and fate, though there's little empirical evidence to support the concept.

Top-down view of the planetary model of the Inner Realms, with their associated months and seasons. Verdean marks the beginning of the Istarian year.

Also known as the Prime Ring, the Inner Realms are those eight Realms that touch the Prime directly. These are the Realms of Life, Earth, Ice, Blight, Spirit, Air, Flame, and Energy. They're considered the oldest and most stable of the Realms, orbiting the Prime at a constant distance and rate. They're the source of eight major types of magic found on the Prime, and their mixing gives rise to a ninth type, Primal. They can be faintly seen as colourful nebulas aligned in a faint streak across the night sky.

The great Towers of Magic constructed on magical nodes across the world act as conduits, allowing spellcasters and researchers to tap into Realms to channel purer magic and in larger amounts than is normally possible.

For the Living Races, Earth-associated spells fall under the umbrella of Nature, whereas Air is most often associated with Primal. Consequently, they don't have corresponding Towers. Both elements are drawn upon by animals (such as birds and insects to support their flight) and elementals (golems).

The Outer Realms are Realms that reside far from the Prime and often have irregular or inconsistent orbits, making them difficult to see at times, let alone reach. They're thought to be much younger than those of the Inner Ring. Known ones are the Realms of Nature, Storm, Bounty, Expanse, Order, Chaos, Light, Shadow, Dawn, and Twilight.

It's possible, if not likely, there are many more distant Outer Realms the Living haven't yet been able to observe with current technology.

Due to their distance and disconnect from the Prime there's very little known about them, and what is is almost entirely mythology.

Splinters are self-contained slices or pieces of other Realms that have separated from the original Realm and drifted closer to the Prime. In many ways they are near identical to their parent Realm, but still distinct, often affected by their proximity to the Prime or other Realms. They can be tapped into or accessed through magical means, or the use of a portal.

Splinters are observable and detectable, particularly if they drift close to the Prime. Their distance, size, and internal structure can vary, and some particularly small splinters that have been observed over the centuries later disappeared, possibly destroyed by the Void or absorbed into a different Realm.

For the Living, the most relevant splinters are the Fiery Rift, where Dragons pilgrimage for their Ancient Rite of Passage, Palmyra, the ancient city of the Dryad they transported to the Void to escape the Aegis centuries ago, and the Crossroads, a splinter of the Realm of Energy responsible for the Gift.

It is possible to travel to other Realms, but the process is difficult and known to few. One of the last known Living able to create transdimensional portals was the Dragon Karvanoth, who opened a portal to the Realm of Ice and succumbed to the creatures within during the Long Winter of 28-29 A.R.

The oldest known portal in the world, supposedly first built by the Dragon-God Drulkar himself when he first led his people, the Dragons, to the Prime. All Dragon gates were originally built by reverse-engineering the Gate of Embers.

While standard portals work by attuning souls to a location, the Gate of Embers itself has to be attuned to a Realm to transport a Living. This is done by targeting constellations, individual stars, or other celestial bodies associated with a given Realm. These can be constellations surrounding the Realm in the night sky, or stars of the Realm itself visible from the Prime.

Although the Gate of Embers is a powerful artifact, it is closely guarded by the Council of Elders, the leaders of Dragon society, and only those worthy are allowed to use the Gate. Its very existence is kept secret from other Races, although the knowledge has inevitably leaked, and an experimental replica was constructed by the Gnomes following the Peace Accords. Unlike the original Gate itself, the replica — constructed in the volcanic Char region itself — is only able to align with the Fiery Rift.

Main page: Magic: Channels and Conduits

Nodes are naturally occurring areas amplifying the local concentrations of magic. They are distinct from essence condensation zones, as nodes are always aligned with a Realm, including the Outer ones.

Nodes had been identified by ancient cultures and were used as places of worship and rituals, even as sources of power battles were fought over. They vary in size and may move around over thousands of years, with particularly large and powerful nodes, like the one under Char, inducing large-scale changes in the geology, climate, and ecosystem.

The proximity of nodes to Realms, described as a "thinning of the veil," makes them viable locations for both sourcing pure elements and directly opening conduits to the Realms.

Main page: Towers of Magic

Towers of Magic, constructed at the beginning of the Age of the Sorcerer in 300 B.R., were built atop some of the largest known nodes in the world. They were each designed specifically to act as conduits of one element, and the channels they create are tightly regulated to maintain stability and security of both the Tower and its occupants. They have been primarily used as research facilities by both arcanists and mysticists.

The Tower channels could, in theory, be opened wide enough to allow a person to cross into the connected Realm. However, this influx of pure magic is dangerous and could quickly get out of hand, even without considering the risk entering a different Realm would pose for a Living.

In 196 B.R. Torrin Macalir used the Tower of Blight in the east to open a portal to the Realm of Blight, marking the beginning of the The Lament.

Little is known about other Realms in terms of appearance, as the vast majority have never been visited by the Living.