The Unworldly

It is natural for thinking creatures to wonder if anything exists other than “this”. Does the known world exist alone in nothingness, or is it surrounded by millions of other worlds where people are asking the same questions. Many are satisfied with the idea that the question is a philosophical one that doesn’t require a definitive answer. There are also those who study the subject more closely and in discovering that “this” is not the only “here”, wonder further at the extent of the possible cosmology.

Most agree that there is more than one world. Any stargazer might see the moon worlds of Mamra, Wōd or even distant Nūlēun on a clear night with a good scope, all crossing the darkness along ancient pathways. At gravesides, clergy speak of after-worlds where Mortal souls might find Immortal peace, or torment. The faithful of Sūdul tell their children of a Dreaming realm where they may roam while their bodies sleep. Ethereal ghosts and demonic denizens of the Nether crowd the stories of all cultures. But despite all of this, the world resists all attempts to cross between. This cosmography was compiled by ancient and mysteries sources: the writings of the ancient Sha’al and the crazed scrawling of adventuresome magicians who ventured too far.

Generally, there are three accepted regions, or Creations. First and foremost is the Visible or Waking World (i.e. Zarátam). The Zarátam includes all the known spheres (e.g., Life, Moons, Outer Worlds, Stars, Heavens, Creation). Ancient definitions made no distinction between the Moons and Outer Worlds. Though the Heavens and Creation are not “visible” per se, their influences are strong on the Visible World and have earned them a place within it. The second Creation is the Ethereal. The third Creation is the Nether.

Later cosmographers have suggested the existence of a fourth Creation, known as the Outside Lands (not to be confused with the Outer Worlds). The nature of the Outside Lands are not well understood. Some have suggested that the Outside Lands are not true Creations, but fragments of older worlds that exist by grafting themselves to the surviving Creations. This theory suggests that other Creations might exist or may have existed in the past. Serájarim sages hypothesized that the existence of these fragments were proof that all Creations were temporary and that the even the Twilight World was doomed to Unravel, one day. This Third Age apocalyptic scenario has since been adopted by many Cults around the world. Support for the idea of Outside Lands originated in Tassèrus where a number of groups had begun experimenting with Leðùra.

Leðúrēa is a pocket of the Sphere of Moons (attached to the Visible World). Students of Inkàðura believe that all worlds somehow fit into one of these four “lands”. Much that is known of the planes is suspect, because there are so few reliable sources to reference.

Dreaming

Some believe that Dreaming is a complete Creation, but it is not. Dreamings are pockets that exist within one of the three Creations. These pockets are accessed with a Dreaming Cord, which is a weaker variant of the Celestial Cords that fetter World travelers.