The Great Convergence cosmology is the most widely accepted cosmological model in which the world of
Asyur, and the greater Wheel Galaxy was said to exist. The Convergence model is described as a complex place where the gods of many different planes, worlds, and pantheons mingled.
Basic Structure
The Great Convergence cosmology consisted of several concentric spheres of natural reality and supernatural reality. In the center is the world of Asyur, surrounded by the
Prime Material Plane which consists of
the Wheel Galaxy and is goverened by natural-laws.
The Prime Material Plane is surrounded by a misty realm of proto-matter that makes up the
Ethereal Plane. It is here in the Ethereal Plane that the first three concentric spheres make themselves known. The first, and easiest for humans and dwarves too experience is the Prime Material, the second and third are the
Feywild and
Shadowfell, mirror planes that are goverend by supernatural-laws. At this point if one travels far enough out they can see the two Minor Spheres of the supernatural Etherial Plane and the natural Prime Material Plane.
Connected to the Ethereal Plane is the
Sea of Elements, where one would be able to visit the six major elemental planes (Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Positive Energy, Negative Energy), the four para-elemental planes (Smoke, Ice, Ooze, Magma), and the eight quasi-elemental planes (Lightning, Steam, Radiance, Minerals, Vacuum, Salt, Ash, Dust). They could be thought of as being on the surface of a sphere with Positive Energy at the north pole, Negative Energy at the south pole and Fire, Earth, Water, and Air on the equator, equidistant from each other. The para-elemental planes were found on the equator between the boundaries of Fire, Earth, Water, and Air (Magma was between Fire and Earth, for example). Four of the quasi-elemental planes were found between the boundaries of Positive Energy and the four elements (Steam was between Positive Energy and Water, for example). And the other four quasi-elemental planes were between Negative Energy and the four elements (Vacuum was between Negative Energy and Air, for example).
By using the Ethereal Plane and the Sea of Elements as a sort of astronavigation chart, one could find themselves in one of the many Outer Planes that reside in the
Astral Sea. These Outer Planes include the likes of
Limbo,
Nirvana, and the dreaded
Abyss.
Outer Planes
The Outer planes were organized according to alignment, which is most easily visualized as a wheel with spokes radiating from the center of true neutrality, though this was far from actual reality.
Nirvana of Mechanus
Nirvana was the plane of lawful neutral.
Seven Heavens
Seven Heavens, also called the Seven Mountains of Goodness and Law, was the plane of lawful good alignment, home of the archons.
Bestlands
Outsiders called it the Happy Hunting Grounds, but the native wildlife, most of which were sentient and capable of speech, called it the Beastlands and didn't take kindly to being hunted. This plane represented the ideals of neutral good but tended toward chaotic good.
Limbo
Limbo was the plane of chaotic neutral, home of the Githzerai and the Slaad.
Pandemonium
Pandemonium was the plane between chaotic neutral and chaotic evil in alignment and had no native inhabitants but many that were either immigrants, exiles, marooned, or prisoners.
The Abyss
The Abyss was the plane of chaotic evil, home of the demons and a seemingly limitless number of other foul monstrosities.
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