COSMIC MODEL
OF
THE NARYAN PLANESCAPE
The exact nature of the universe, due to its impossible and infinite scope of both time and space, is impossible for the minds of mortals or immortals to comprehend. The best scholars of Narya have managed to, with the help of holy and unholy scripture, correspondence with the gods and other outsiders, and direct experience through inner and extra planar travel, managed to put together maps that explain the relationships and nature of the known universe. The irony is that, via this research, the picture they have of the universe is simultaneously smaller and more complex than their understanding of astronomy: they know more about this world, the material and immaterial, than they know about the nearest planets.
With so much to discover so near, why would they waste resources on discovering the rest of the universe? The gods dissuade interest beyond the subject of the world of Narya because space, that is to say the rest of the universe outside of Narya's planescape, holds threats that only the gods can comprehend and nearly tore this planescape apart during the Wyrd Wars. The chaos of those millenia nearly flattened, tore apart, and/or imploded the planescape and only through the intervention of the gods, led by Grimnir Bluecloak, has the planescape taken a shape that is unnatural orderly.
The understanding of the planescape begins with the material plan and works inward/outward.
MATERIAL PLANE
NARYA:
ANARYA & UNARYA
The world of Narya has changed over the two epochs since the Mother created it. Some even theorize that Narya was once spherical and traveled around the Sun. But, as far as the gods know, the world has always been flat, stationary and the Sun & moons rotate around Narya.
The planet resemble two world-size discs, each 40,000 km from edge to edge, with a slightly smaller disc sandwiched between them. The surface wolrd of one disc is called Anarya and the other Unarya. The surface edge of the disc between them is called Ginungagap.
Gravity, polarity, atmospheric pressure, horizon lines, weather and other complex physics that affect the world are controlled by a combinations of divine meta magic and natural forces.
Since Grimnir took the wheel of time into his hands, the Sun rotates around the world every 25 hours, taking 6 hours to travel from the edge of disc before slowing for an hour over the center and then traveling another 6 hours to the other edge before disappearing over the horizon. The moons follow a similar pattern but their visibility varies. Each year is 400 days long and dictated by the cycle of the four seasons, each 100 days long, and made up of 4 months. Each week is 10 days and each day references of the week is named after a meta plane except for the 10th day which is dedicated to the work of the gods called the Holy Day.
Each world, Anarya and Unarya, are divided between regions based on geography and culture.
ANARYA
Clockwise from North
Sublanarya. The realm of Sublanarya is an especially diverse region that has been dictated by conflict and, most recently, the actions of Queen Tytanya of the iaurdin elves. Her alliance with Red Typhon and the evil dragons of Smolder, called the Tytanyan Pact, has set the aging empires and squabbling kingdoms of man on alert as it dominates the east. In the north, the human kingdoms of Thule are modernizing and uniting into nation states. In the south, the Hamutian empires of Ptah- and Raj-Hamut try to play the other powers in the interests of their ancient rivalry. In the west, the Holy Imperium, crusaders from Xalhotecca, struggles to maintain their foothold between these conflicts and the threats that lie in the chaotic expanse of The Hold.
Xalhotecca & Matal. The smaller nation of Xalhotecca is dedicated to the cult of the Nameless God, the creator of humanity, and the ultimate goal to conquer the world and purge it of magic to bring about the return of their lost god. Matal is an expansive continent made-up of jungles, rainforests, deserts, mountains, and other wild environments and home to ancient empires of sophisticated Matal people that have built their civilizations to survive, using magic and technology, in each of these exotic biomes. The Xalhotecca have committed countless atrocities against Matal in a series of conquests and diseases brought by the Xalhotecca have devastated their population. The future of these region is in flux as the disparate Matal consider the best way to counter the invasion of the Xaholteccan conquistadors.
Lapizia. The diverse peoples of Lapiza live a life on the sea from the frozen southern mainland to the expanse of islands that reach into the central sea of Anarya. They are nomadic, traveling from island to island, in their hunt for resources. They are some of the most capable sailors in all of Narya.
Geleda. The warring city states of Geleda are set on a circular chain of island in a turbulent but wealthy sea. This region's history is tied greatly to the gods and their influence can be seen in some of the oldest temples to the modern gods of Narya. They are innovatively democratic and diverse, a very philosophical people, and have affected the understanding of the planescape.
Guagnir and Kaguya. The ancient rivalry between Guagnir and Kaguya goes back to the Wyrd Wars. To the southwest, is the mainland of Guagnir is a diverse and powerful nation made-up of the dwarf & gnome artificers of Kuku, the knights of Grimfell, and the free city of Run. Off the coast is the island nation of Kaguya ruled by the Tirikujin elf empire with rival daimyo and samurai. Between them, on the mainland continent, are the buffer territories of the jungle empire of Ykraa and the wastes that are swarming with orcs and goblins.
BOTH
Mimia. The frozen wastes that are at the edge of both Anarya and Unarya are strange barriers that prohibit travel off the edge. The harsh environment also invites giants, undead, and otherwordly abominations.
Ginungagap. The strange and dark realm between the discs is home to the airships of the Gith, crumbling ruins of aboleth and mindflayer empires, and the constant threat and machinations of the remains of the clay peoples.
UNARYA
Nohdaria. The arctic territory of Nohdaria is defined by a balance between the races of humanity, blue and green elves, the winged haemir, the stone dwarves, the hulderfolk, and the urak in the face of the machinations of the mad scrapmen, cruel svartalfar, and warring orks. This realm is defined by the warrior culture of each race and the scope of the threats (giants and dragons) they face.
Muspellheim. A vast red sea of sand between two long mountain ranges, on arctic and the other volcanic, Muspellheim is home to the mystic firemen and the three feline races of the phinx. The biggest threat to this land is the expanding fungal forests that threaten to spread like wildfire.
Mugen. This huge region begins with the volcanic region to the west and goes increasingly downhills from the tallest mountains in the world to the hills and steppes in the middle county to the flooding fields in the east. Mugen is ruled by an immortal jade empress and a bureaucratic aristocracy of fiery oni that oversees the actions of its subject and protects them from the threat of barbarians from without.
Felterra. This moderate region is defined by it being recently colonized by humans from abroad; in the west, there is the most impressive and ridiculous city of Beniro and the surrounding kingdoms currying favor with the city that never rests. In the east, there is the criminal city of Kiev in the desert and the merchant power of Tiefl that was once a devil worshiping empire. Beyond the desert, further east, are the mountains that are home to all manner of strange legends and reality warping threats.
Shard. Shard was once the ancestral home of all dwarves but, during the Wyrd Wars, a great gem called the Shard struck the land and made a city destroying crater that devestated the realm. The psychic gem's radiation has since infected the dwarves of Shard, turning them into perverse and evil versions of themselves, and causing them dominate the orcs and hobgoblins of the region and oppress the fire elves and humans unlucky enough to be caught between their warring factions on this unforgiving continent.
Sixxx. A meta joke. Sixxx is a land of sex, drugs, and music.
UPDATE: Sixxx. has been replaced by Ona.
Ona. Ona was once a massive swampy jungle but over millenia of domestication by various empires has turned it into a diverse landscape, surrounded by diverse islands, with one of the most diverse populations in all of Narya: the Wu-Loong, a race of crafty bureaucratic wyrms help run the empire from behind the walls of the Secret Palace, Xioaung, cockroaches that are as resourceful as they are resilient, Rhodoxi, noble beetle warriors with a strict honor code, Kabuto, water bugs who work the rivers, the nomadic Henod and mystical Yptsi mothfolk, the Kodi-koti feline reptillian merchants, Kinoki, mushroom ninjas, and more!
ENERGY PLANES
All elemental energy throughout the universe from and back into the energy planes that exist not only in connection with Narya but with countless worlds. The existence of Twilight and the Meta Divine Network opens up a connection between Narya and these planes that allow it to have direct effects on these planes.
The Twilight plane is ruled by fey and dread lords that hold court and dominion over their territory. The elemental planes are each ruled by an evil elemental princes collectively called the Eternals that resent the exploitation of the planes by the gods and mortals of the material plane.
Twilight (Light & Dark). Twilight is the time and place created as a shadow twin of Narya. It is a plane of fey and dread. It is the home plane of the elves, hags, tuathans, fairies, satyrs, centaurs and any other number of fey creatures and, in the sea, lie the Isles of Dread, horrible demiplanes ruled by dark and cruel lords such as Barovia ruled by Strahd from Castle Ravenloft.
Aetheria (Air). The home plane of air elementals and djinn, aetheria is an endless sky, with some clouds and specs of floating islands, and is the source of all winds.
Promethea (Fire). The plane of fire, home to the same elementals, efreet, and azer, is a burning sea with cities of brass and volcanic deserts, and is the source of all heat.
Cthonia (Earth). This solid plane is the home to the earth elementals, xorn, dao and other creatures that can move through the earth as if it was air. For outsides, there are only small pockets of air.
Marnostria (Water). This endless sea is home to the water elementals and countless aquatic races that create fantastic outposts and cities that float forever.
TRANSITIVE PLANES
Ethereal Plane. This plane is where the ideas of everything exist simultaneously to the actual existence of everything. It is a ghost realm made-up of an incorporeal copy of everything in the material plane. By shifting somethings properties between matter and ethereal "proto-matter", magic users can manipulate the ethereal plane to phase them in and out of existence. It is commonly used in spells like blink and etherealness.
Astral Sea. This is the space between spaces. Between the inner planes and outer planes, lies the cosmic expanse of the astral sea. It is through the astral plane that planar travel is possible: it involves opening gates in and out of planes and then using magic to shrink the space in astral space between those two points. This is considered dangerous as many being can use these shortcuts to travel and puts planes at risk to invasion.
It is also possible to physically enter the astral sea or project into it. This is considered incredibly dangerous as it risks your soul to the dangers within but the potential, as this plane greatly magnifies the powers of magic, makes it attractive to the powerful and ambitious. Lately, it has become dominated by Queen Tytanya who used her incredible magical power to punish any who would abuse the astral sea and she is considered to be near god-like in her ability to manipulate this realm. She uses her power to protect the material plane from outer planar threats.
Metadivine Network. This is arcane theory but it postulates that magic is the connective tissue of all matter, proto matter, energy, time and, well, everything in the universe. It relies on a combination of knowledge and will to manipulate, granted by education or inherent qualities, anything via magic. Magic spells, as performed by wizards, use formulaic magic while the spells performed by sorcerors come from an instinctual link to affect the network. The ultimate extent of this idea:
"Gods" are not gods. They are just more powerful and knowledgeable magic users that tap into the resource of the domain they mantle.
META PLANES
The meta planes serve two purposes: they are the home of the gods and other outsiders who serve/are created by the gods. The also are a destination for souls of the departed. When a person dies, a combination of their actions, beliefs and the will of the gods determines the destination of their soul. One of the death gods helps them to this destination.
The soul is the meta identity, the persona that exists beyond the body, that cannot be destroyed.
HEAVENS
Paradise (Chaotic Good). All who value freedom and benevolence above all else are rewarded with an exciting plane of adventure and relaxation. There are plenty of beautiful and exotic locations to explore but also idyllic islands to find peace. This is plane for the soul that doesn't like being tied down.
Elysium (Neutral Good). An endless pastoral landscape of small villages, calm lakes and babbling brooks, and fields of wild flowers provide a peaceful place for the souls of the kind and generous to find peace.
Celestia (Lawful Good). A grand city of impressive works and architecture, this is where the gods hold court, and those who promoted order and justice, for all, find an orderly hierarchy with clear purpose.
Limbo (Chaotic Neutral). Limbo was once an endless storm. Then, the mechnical beings from Nth Dimension attempted to tame it. They tried to force the entire plane into a spherical shape. This only made things more chaotic. This plane is home to insane beings and souls that cannot be controlled.
Terra Nada (True Neutral). Terra Nada is an almost empty plane that holds Paradox City, a planar city that contains denizens from all planes, and countless homes of neutral gods.
NTH (Lawful Neutral). The City of Nth is a cold and calculating machine, home to mechanical beings ruled by the Prime Intelligence, and is the resting place of souls who revel in the word of the law and order for order's sake.
UNDERWORLD
Abyss of Naraka (Chaotic Evil). The infinitely deep pit of Naraka is where the most wicked souls are punished. Demons drag these souls and throw them into the pit until they land in one of the endless layers. From there they may attempt to climb out via the pillars but countless threats oppose their attempts to escape.
Hades (Neutral Evil). The no-man's land between Naraka and Hell, who are constantly at war, Hades is a grey and dark desert filled with nefarious al-shadim, "false-ones", looking to cut down and take advantage of any wandering souls within.
The Nine Hells (Lawful Evil). Ruled by the dark prince Asmodeus, the Nine Hells are an orderly heirarchy, from the top to the bottom, and home to the devils. Devils seek to corrupt the living, tricking them into signing away their souls into servitude, and constantly fight for power. Unlucky souls in Hell are made to suffer in servitude to the needs of their diabolical overlords.
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