LostKnightsRPG.org

[rydi]

Cosmology
(These forgotten monuments to a culture lost to time stand in the depths of the plane of shadow and float in the astral plane amongst the debris of some long ago cataclysm. On them, wrtten in ancient draconic and languages older still, a story is told...)

Origins
In the beginning, there was nothing. Then, from the great mystery, that place from whence all souls emerge, came the Primordial Ones. They were beings of raw spirit and energy, possessing no true form, and no real understanding of their own existence. With the birth of the primordial ones, there was seen the first contrast, the difference between being and non-being. In this contrast, the nothing in which the universe began could be defined and named, and with its naming, given life. Thus was born the void, at the instant of the emergence of the Primordial Ones.

The Primordial Ones had no purpose, and no meaning; even their own existence held no importance to them. After their birth, many extinguished themselves out of curiosity, and of those that remained, many were consumed by their stronger siblings. The Void watched as this occurred, and felt a great relief as the Primordials went back to nothingness. The Void was not pleased with its existence, and yearned to dissipate into nothingness again, but as long as there existed another being to perceive it, the Void would be forced to exist. With the passing of every entity, the Void felt its own being slip away, as there were fewer to perceive and define it. In this First Dying, the Void felt hope and its only joy, the knowledge that it too might die.

Those Primordials that survived the First Dying were possessed of greater stability than the others, and had become clever and wise in the competition with their brethren. With their expanded understanding came new thoughts and desires, and the curiosity to explore the minds of the other beings around them. The Primordials mingled, their essences merging and splitting, changing one another, making them wiser and stronger still, as Guile, Determination, Reason, Patience, and all the other secret powers each had acquired were known to all.

In this First Sharing were the Eldest Gods born. When the Primordials split apart after the First Sharing, there were pieces that were torn from them, belonging to none, but of all, that had wills of their own. The Primordials almost consumed these things of-but-not-of-them, but Patience and Curiosity made them wait. As these new beings became aware and communicated with the Primordials, the Primordials felt joy; they had Created, and they had new companions. But they also felt Fear at these familiar but unknown creations, wondering if they might bring harm with them.

In this Fear, the Void saw great potential. This fear could be a tool to end its existence. The Void spoke to each Primordial in turn, telling them that these new beings were dangerous, and that their fellow Primordials would try to win the loyalty of the new creatures in order to consume their siblings. The Primordials were curious and frightened of this new being that spoke to them, but the Void was soft, and demanded nothing; it offered only friendship, so all but a few of the Primordials came to trust it. Only the few with Forethought, Memory, and Distrust saw something wrong with this new thing that spoke to them of their brethren. The rest of the Primordials looked at their brethren with mistrust and suspicion, and fearing that the new ones would be used against them, attempted to win their loyalty, fulfilling in the eyes of the other Primordials the Void’s prediction.

The Eldest gods were less than their parents, but at the same time more. Their power was diminished, being only a fraction of their parents’ essence, but they possessed a greater will and understanding than the Primordials, and they saw the conflict that was arising. They also saw the Void for what it was: Death. The Eldest held council amongst themselves and understood that they must not take sides with their parents, for if their parents were to fight, the Eldest could be consumed, or the Void could consume Primordial and Eldest alike in their weakness and distraction.

The Primordials’ fear was not lessened seeing the refusal of their progeny to take sides. Fear had corrupted all their thoughts, and they saw the potential for these new things to rise up against them. But no Primordial would share these thoughts for fear of their brethren, so they instead kept to themselves, and tried to Create things of their own that would be loyal to them, and could be used against the others. Thus were born the First Elder Beings, some of which would become Elder Gods.

Those Primordials not fooled by the Void spoke against the rivalry that had sprung between them, but they were not believed, because their greater cunning was known to the Primordials, and their tricks were feared by all. So, meeting with only suspicion, the wisest Primordials approached the Eldest and shared with them. Both sides were made stronger, as the Primordials gave the Eldest power, and the Eldest gave the Primordials greater life and will than they had known before. Together they planned a way to prevent the coming battle, and a way to rid themselves of the Void that had come between them.

The other Primordials, seeing this meeting, feared even more, and the Void whispered that they should strike before their enemies could. Thus was the Second Dying begun. The battle was intermittent. Many died at the start, but the strongest yet lived, and both sides feared one another. They moved around one another, testing for weakness, striking out at times, fading back at others. Finally, the Eldest asked if they could not move away from each other, and exist apart. The Primordials were shocked into stillness, for they had never been apart. But parting was preferable to death, which would surely come if they stayed together. So the Primordials parted, some alone, some in small groups. The Void, seeing its plan failed, knew hatred for the Eldest. They were too wise to be destroyed easily, and would be difficult to remove if allowed to grow more powerful. The Void made their removal its goal. The Void attempted its first direct action then. Thinking the Eldest weak in their isolation, and possessed of less power than their progenitors, the Void attempted to consume their essences.

The Eldest, perhaps because of their lesser power, fought more fiercely for existence, and desired their existence far more than the Primordials. Where the Primordials were unclear and amorphous, possessed of only a partial existence, the Eldest were truly alive, and they lived not only for the moment, but the hope of a future yet to be. Facing this purity, the Void recoiled in pain. Such purity made the Void’s existence more real, and their essences were too strong to consume. The Void knew despair.

The eldest knew that they were still in danger, and that they must find some way to protect themselves from their parents. In their battles, the Eldest had seen that Will and Desire were just as important as Strength in fighting their parents, and they had seen also that the Void could not attack them. Seeing these things, they thought to use their will as a weapon against both. They decided that by acting together and combining their will, they could form a shield against those that would try to destroy them. Thus was began the Forging of Dreams.

While the Eldest toiled, the Void, in its despair, was blind to all around it, until the pain of another called to it. The Void then saw that one of the Primordials was dim, and it was crying out in anquish. The Void knew curiosity. It whispered to the Primordial, inquiring as to the cause of its pain. The Primordial was alone, meaningless, without purpose, bored. The Void saw that another felt pain, and knew then that this ‘existence’ was a mistake. Existence could end only in pain. The Void whispered again, of how easy it would be to simply let go of all things, dissolving into the nothing from whence all comes. The Primordial was comforted by this, and the last of its will dissipated, and with that the Primordial was no more. The Void knew then how to end all of existence.

The Void worked to corrupt the isolated immortals, and weaken their will to exist. Many fell to nothingness, though the wisest Primordials were stronger than their brethren and were immune to the whispers of the Void, as were those Primordials that were most intense and fond of existence. But the Void knew now that they would falter, and then they too would dissipate.

The merging of wills was difficult for the eldest, for though they were willing to work together, they were all different in mind and desire. Finally, the Eldest decided to divide themselves, with those most alike joining together and forming separate barriers, and creating more targets to divide the fractious Primordials. When the Eldest had learned to merge their wills, they erected great shells of pure will and essence to separate them from both the Void and the Primordials. They took with them those of the Elder and the wise Primordials that wished to go, and hid behind their barriers. The Void had ignored them in its attempt to destroy the Primordials, but now it knew Regret, for the Eldest, and many of the Elder, were beyond its reach.

After the Barriers were erected, the remaining Primordials were again afraid, not knowing what their progeny might be doing behind their barriers, and the Void preyed upon their fear, encouraging them to break down the walls protecting the Eldest, but the efforts of the Primordials were to no avail. Their failure made the Primordials angry, and they sent new Creations to latch onto the barriers and work their way inside them. All those barriers that were weak fell then, and those within were consumed in the wrath of the Primordials, but those that were strong did not falter, and the Primordials then grew bored. The Void urged them to continue their efforts, but they had no interest in the progeny that had left them, and that they could no longer see. The Primordials forgot much of their progeny, and seldom looked at the shells floating before them. They returned to creating new creatures, and warring amongst themselves, but their passion was waning, and the Void, seeing that they would never again have the power to destroy the Eldest, tempted them one by one into oblivion. Few survive still, and those that do are dim and waning.

The Void took little pleasure in the fall of the Primordials however, for it found its essence becoming ever more defined, as the beings within the shells gave a name and nature to the concept of nothing. They had the ability to perceive and contemplate the concept of nothingness in a way that the Primordials never did, and as their forms grew more defined, so to did that of the Void in contrast to them. The void yearned to be free of its existence, but could not free itself as did the Primordials, for its nature was different. The Void would have despaired, but it knew that the will of the creatures in their shells could not last forever, as the Primordials had shown.

The Void waited until the shells dimmed and thinned, weaving its way into the weakest points of the shells and whispering to the creatures within them, now many instead of the few that had gone in. The Void spoke of cessation and peace, of an end to struggle. It encouraged boredom, and excess, and all things that would tire the wills of those within the shells. Many shells fell then, and the Void was then known as Death to those that survived. The Void still found no peace however, as many shells had not only survived, but grown stronger. The Void did not understand how that was possible, but seeing that it was so, decided that patience would be its greatest asset. The Void decided to wait, be vigilant, and consume those that faltered, as all would in time.

The Cycles
of what happened to those in different shells, little is known. It is said that during the First Cycle, the Eldest had ways of communicating one to another, even moving from one shell to another, but if that is so, the ability is lost or hidden from lesser beings, as is much else that passed in the First Cycle.

The First Cycles

(Text is marred beyond legibility)
fill in later, add to rare obelisks.


By Kam’Ri, Sage of the Planes
(Kam’Ri, Sage of the Planes, in his controversial seminars and best selling pamphlets, claims to explain the secret nature of the universe, for the amazingly low rate of 10,000 platinum.)

The Cosmology Explained
The Cosmology centers around the idea of a Soul, which is expressed as will, purpose, emotion, feeling, and enlightenment. There is a seemingly limitless amount of soul energy which can be drawn on by beings, but the amount that can be harnessed and made a part of any being is determined by the above characteristics. Soul energy is separate from the actual Soul, in the way that heat and light are separate from a flame. Soul energy is drawn on by the soul, or emanated from it, and can be controlled by Soul. The origin of both the Soul and soul energy is unknown. Of note, the beings in existence before the Dreamshells were created are exceptions to some of the following rules, especially the Primals, as beings of immense soul energy, with little will, or actual Soul. From this point, soul energy will be referred to as mana, while soul energy empowered by being directly controlled by the will/Soul of an entity will be referred to as Essence.

Soul is the first and highest form of existence, followed by the mind, Mana, living physical beings, and finally gross matter. All things are truly made out of Mana that exists at different frequencies of a sort. Similar to the idea that all matter is energy, all existence is formed from Mana of different types, weaved together. The Mana exists in different states as it progresses from its initial state of pure Mana, and these states are synonymous with the classic 4 elements of Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. Fire is the first state of Mana, and is highly energetic, consuming, but not able to last without something else to maintain it. As the energy is threatened with dissipation, it slows down and moves tightly into itself, forming a barrier against anything that would harm it. From there it gradually learns to flow, and move, keeping its essence, but still moving outside of itself. It is weakest in that state, but most powerful as well. From there it goes into a high energy state again, but is more stable, not consuming but simply exalting in existence. This explanation implies a sentience of a sort to the Mana, and it is exactly this type of base sentience that the Primordials were composed of. In this way all that exists is at least a small bit alive. Also, the Souls of true creatures take a similar path, and though most often individuals remain balanced between the Elements, some are more closely attuned to one element or another depending on their nature.

Where this Mana, and the Soul itself, comes from is a mystery, the great unknown of existence, but it is known that as a being progresses in its existence, and the traits listed above (will, etc.) become stronger, the amount of Essence a being is able to draw upon increases. It is also known that only beings with a Soul can create. Essence is expended by a being in the process of creation, not only of things but of ideas. Essence is also given to maintain a thing or concept. When a being expends Essence, it does not permanently reduce their own power however. When they spend Essence on something, entities are refilled up to their maximum capacity eventually, though whether this Essence is generated by the Soul or merely channeled by it is unknown.

Pure Soul and Essence creates the shell protecting all things from the Void, or Death if you will. The Dreamshell is given Soul and Essence, if only subconsciously by most, by all those that exist within it, and it is a direct manifestation of the will to exist, given form by the Eldest gods. They focus it, and give shape and form to reality.

The Dream is a plane of existence composed of pure Soul and Essence, in which the true self of all entities are a part, and in which the will is given form. So in the dream we see the most profound fears, hopes, desires, and so on, made manifest by the wills of the entities feeling them. The creations here are not simply of Mana, but of Soul itself. The Dream overlaps all reality, and its edges form the Dreamshell.

The Outer planes are similar to the Dream, but they are more like individual aspects of the Dream, the most basic aspects such as Law, Chaos, Good, and Evil, given form. These concepts also form the inner edge of the Dreamshell.

The Far Realm is the place where the Dreamshell touches the Void, and where the Creatures the Primordials created still try to get in. The Dream there is distorted by the Corruption of the Void and the thoughts of the distorted, often pained entities that reside there still (the Void allowed the creatures to continue existing, though they are largely unprotected, so that they might one day cause harm to those in the Dreamshells).

The Inner planes are planes of varying energy states, that represent the elements stated above. The elements are seen in their material forms there however, and they possess different traits than True Elements (such as Cold being a function of Earth, because it is the cessation of movement, or Water being Acid, as it slowly wears away at all things, and is a liquid). As rare as Elemental manifestations are on Prime Material planes, so are True Elemental Manifestations on the Inner planes, and they represent places where the Inner Planes contact the Dream.

Why the universe has moved away from pure spirit and toward the material is unclear. It may simply be another mystery, or it may have something to do with the material existence allowing for some greater resiliency. ( a likely theory is that much as matter is compressed energy, so too is energy compressed Mana, thus making mater more resistant to Death, and rather than expanding the Dreamshell when Mana enters into it, the Mana is instead compressed into matter. Also, under this theory, matter would be a type of crystalized energy, locking its form into place, as Mana only normally retains its form while in the form of Essence. Matter could exist as pure Essence, at its given density or compacting of Mana, but it would take a strong will to make it hold shape in that form, and it would dissipate into the elemental forms once the will was removed. By turning it into matter, you lock the Mana in place and remove the need for an observer to hold it together with their will, basically making it an assumed trait of existence that all lend a bit of will to, removing the need for a direct observer to keep the Mana in the form of Essence.)(Also, by this theory, living beings are possessed of a great wellspring of Mana in their own bodies, which they can access at the expense of their health.)

The Shadow plane is an echo of reality; not quite existing, but more a memory, after image, or sympathetic vibration (as reality exists, its energy creates a reverberation or reflection that is captured much as pictures are captured on film). In it lies the past, and the husk of a former cycle that ended in great destruction. It may in fact be this husk that acts as the negative on which are formed the after images of reality, as the Void does not reflect, only absorbs.

The Ethereal plane is the spiritual aura of a Prime Material plane it is attached to, or its Essence in other words, and is connected to the Dream plane. However, only those with special skills may find the connection from one to the other, as the Ethereal, though of Essence, is not of Soul. The Ethereal provides a last barrier to the Void when it enters the Multiverse. It prevents entry much as a lesser Dreamshell, and it makes travel more difficult from one Prime to another, making Void corruption slower to spread. The Ethereal plane is otherwise disconnected from other planes, except for the Astral.

The Astral plane is also connected to Prime Materials and the Dream, but it also is a full plane that touches all others. It is another type of refined Essence that relates to the mind, thought, imagination, and concepts involving higher thought. This plane is similar to Shadow in that it too has imprints created on it by those things it touches, namely the minds of all entities. The Astral is a mostly empty plane despite it being touched by all others, and it is thought that from here one might be able to reach the Void as well, as the Astral is sometimes seen as the place where the threads of creation touch the space in between.

Reality as a whole can be seen as a tapestry, created by all the beings in it, with only empty space between the threads. What that empty space represents is unknown.

The Souls of individuals, as has already been stated, are the source of all Mana in existence (or at least the only conduit through which it enters). How individuals interact with this energy is another matter entirely however.

Non-supernatural individuals, such as Fighters and Rogues, subconsciously manipulate Essence with their will, pull more into themselves to become stronger, utilize the Mana present in the matter of their bodies to perform amazing feats, and sometimes even infuse their bodies with Essence. They possess the 'densest' Essences, aside from possibly Psionic individuals and Dark force users.

Psionic individuals are similar in most ways to non-supernatural individuals, except that they are consciously aware of the flow of Essence, and actively utilize the raw Essence in them to create energy and matter, and to 'push' on reality in order to move it to their desires.

Arcane and science using individuals understand that all things are composed of patterns and focus their will on shaping those patterns. Rather than bending reality with the raw force of their Will and Soul, they apply it to small things and create cascades in reality. At their highest levels however, they are very similar to the Psion, in that they realize their Will shapes reality. The biggest difference at higher levels is that while Psions utilize only their own Essence, and use it to warp reality, Arcanists merge with the ambient Mana or that in matter and energy. The arcanist then breaks the matter or energy down, and recreates them as they choose. Arcanists have diffuse souls, as they are spread out to touch the energy around them. Arcane energy is just another force that is part of the pattern of reality, much as gravity. It is the most basic form of energy created out of Mana, and it moves and flows throughout the multiverse. Primal Runes are a manifestation of the most basic patterns of creation, and a high level Arcanist is able to manipulate not only arcane energy, but is also able to shape ambient Mana, and even the Essences of others (whose will proves weaker than the Arcanist) to other patterns and designs. The Arcanist also is able to manipulate Mana as a whole more intricately than other individuals, and can rely on their own in a pinch, though as their essences are more diffuse they cannot usually garner as much raw power from such actions as a Psion or Divinist; however, it is not always the amount of power, but how you use it that matters.

The Divine individual is in many ways a blend of the Arcanist and the Psion. The Divine individual harnesses their personal Essence, and channels it, but instead of using it to directly affect the world, the Divine individual sends that Soul energy into something greater than themselves, a concept or an ideal if they are strong enough, or another being representative of and more attuned to those concepts if they are not. The Divine individual is nearly as strong as the Psion in personal power, and if cut off from others could still hold their own, but it is the ability of the Divinist to merge with a greater ideal which touches the Souls of others, and partakes of their Essences, that allows them to truly become powerful. By becoming a representation of a concept, they are able to channel the power of that concept, accessing the energy of all others who lend their Will and Essence to it. The Divinist is capable of channeling the greatest power, but is more dependent on outside sources of power, and the least capable of fine manipulation of Mana/Essence, rather allowing Power to make up for lack of finesse. Of note also is the fact that most Arcanists cannot heal, despite their finesse, while Divinists can. This is due to two reasons: one, the Arcanist does not merge as well with other beings, instead blending with ambient energies rather than personal energies, while the Divinist spends their existence familiarizing themselves with the Souls of others, whether personally, or through shared beliefs. Second, the repair and creation of matter requires more Mana, as discussed above, than the Arcanist is used to channeling. To effectively heal, the Arcanist would have to either utilize the Divine method, bonding with some higher concept and channeling it (as the requirements for the Domain Access feat imply) or they would have to utilize some highly intricate magic/technology to enhance or catalyze the healing process in an individual, re-working what is already there (as is seen in modern medicine). Also of note, even evil priests still are focused on shared concepts, they are simply focused on negative concepts. It also does not matter if those that lend power to a concept do so through desire and positive regard, or aversion and fear; all that matters is that they lend their belief, and thus their Essence, to the concept.

Force users recognize a unity to all things. They possess Essence, as do others, and Essence connects all things, creating one unified pool of energy. Force users Sense the Dream itself, Alter its ebbs and flows (if only distantly), and Control some of its power. The difference between the Light and the Dark side of the force is one of alignment. The Light side tends toward Law, Good, and an overall consideration for all others, becoming a part of the greater energy flow, and maintaining its harmony. The Dark side tends toward Chaos, Evil, and the selfish desire to consume or control all energy and power. Force users tend to have powerful Souls and Essences. Light side individuals are a part of the Dream, and are protected in much the same way that Divinists are protected by the concepts that they merge with; by giving themselves fully they become part of something greater than themselves, and are protected by it. Dark side individuals do not have as great a protection, but are strong nonetheless. They warp the Dream in their vicinity toward themselves, funneling Essence into themselves past what they should normally be able to hold. Also, the Essence that they channel is often volatile and unhealthy, reflecting their own mindset, and this negative Essence often causes physical and mental decay.

Weave users, in the form of those that channel the True Source, are able to actually directly access the source of Mana (or 'a' source of Mana some lore masters say. While Channelers would argue they access a pure source of Mana, those knowledgeable of the Soul question why channelers, unique to all creation, would be able to create Mana rather than first manifest it as Essence. They argue that it is more likely that the Channelers pull Mana from the Essence of some greater entity, such as one of the Eldest, or perhaps even a Primal) and pull some out into reality, and then form it into the True Elements that form all of creation. The Channeler is capable of impressive feats with their weaves, but they are more limited in their actions than other 'magic' using entities. The second type of weave user actually attunes their exceptionally strong Soul to the True Elements, and thus gains a measure of control of the threads of their chosen Element in the Tapestry. Though they cannot touch the True Source directly as do channelers, Elementalists are able to create weaves using their own exceptional Essences, or by pulling weaves out of the matter and energy around them. Elementalists tend to have much stronger Essences than Channelers (though not necessarily Souls, as Channelers require a great deal of will to control the power they call upon), being more on par with Psions, though they tend to be unbalanced, creating weaknesses as well.

[Liquidprism]

post.

[Liquidprism]

sweet...more views

[Rusty]

gratuitous gyrating asian post.