If one were to imagine the cosmology of Rivendom, the best way to do so is to picture a sphere divided into distinct layers. This is a useful analogy that demonstrates how each layer of the Rivendom multiverse is related to the one that comes before it and the one that comes after it. However, in reality, each layer of the Rivendom cosmology is an infinitely vast expanse in and of itself, and not simply a hollow spherical shell wrapped around the layer under it as the layered sphere analogy might suggest.
Crucible of Mirrors
Main Article: Crucible of Mirrors
At the very heart of the Rivendom cosmology is a place known as the
Crucible of Mirrors. It underpins all of creation and is the source of the boundless energy that sustains all of reality. It is here that the primordial gods of the cosmos, the
Epherim, reside and from here that they watch over all creation, enforcing the laws of reality.
Cosmic Bulwark
Main Article: Cosmic Bulwark
Beyond the Crucible of Mirrors lies the
Cosmic Bulwark. It is a place of wild and turbulent energies that serve as an impassable barrier that sections off the Crucible of Mirrors from the rest of the cosmos. Any creature foolish enough to attempt to force entry into the Crucible of Mirrors, however powerful, is invariably destroyed by the
roiling tempest of raw energy that churns in the Cosmic Bulwark.
For all intents and purposes, the Cosmic Bulwark can be considered a rigid, immovable "shell" that envelops the Crucible of Mirrors. Only the Epherim are powerful enough to pass through the Bulwark unharmed, and it is only by their grace that mortals can ever set sights upon the Crucible of Mirrors.
The Shardscape
Main Article: Shardscape
Past the Cosmic Bulwark is the
Shardscape but this was not always the case. In the distant past, the
Material Realm was the layer of reality that immediately followed the Cosmic Bulwark, but due to certain circumstances, the Shardscape came into being between the two, with catastrophic consequences.
While the bulk of the Shardscape exists in the space between the Material Realm and the Cosmic Bulwark, it seeps upward through the cracks in the Material Realm and even touches upon the bottom of the
Firmament. It is a cognitive realm, subject to the influence of the collective consciousness of thinking creatures. In the Shardscape, faith and belief, be they conscious or unconscious, rule the realm.
In the Shardscape, myths and legends can become reality. Gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters, artifacts of great power, and entire realms complete with rich histories and cultures, can be made manifest as long as enough people believe in their existence.
The Material Realm
Main Article: Material Realm
Before the Shardscape came into being, the
Material Realm immediately followed the Cosmic Bulwark. The creation of the Shardscape not only
pushed the Material Realm out of its original place, it broke the Material Realm apart like a waterskin bursting from overfilling.
The Material Realm contains an infinite number of separate universes. Each one is distinct from the next. Some are very similar to each other, parallel worlds distinct only by one minor detail. Some are vastly different, each entirely alien to the denizens of another. Every possibility, every distinct choice, every different version of a person exists somewhere in the infinitude of universes contained in the Material Realm, but one thing is true to all of them: it is incredibly difficult, if not outright impossible, to travel from one such universe to another.
Ethereal Realm
Main Article: Ethereal Realm
The
Ethereal Realm is somewhat special in that it exists in and occupies the same space as the Material Realm. Some argue that because of this it shouldn't be considered a separate layer of the cosmos but as it is separated from the Material Realm with an intangible barrier known as the
Veil, which cannot be breached without great effort, its classification as a separate realm of reality stands.
The Ethereal Realm is the home of disembodied souls and spirits. It is here where the souls of the dead return at the end of their lives and here where they wander until they inevitably find their way to the gates of the
City at the End of the Path, the final resting place of all non-wicked souls in the multiverse. Souls judged to be wicked at the gates of the city are cast, instead, into oblivion.
The Firmament
Main Article: Firmament
Above the Material and Ethereal realms is the
Firmament. Cosmic energy has a certain "buoyancy" to it that allows it to filter through the lower realms of the cosmos but the substance of the Firmament is too tenuous for cosmic energy to continue rising through it in its raw form. Instead, cosmic energy pools in the Firmament for some time before it "evaporates" and turns into a form that
is able to continue rising through the realm.
The Astral Sea
Main Article: Astral Sea
Not much is known about the
Astral Sea but many believe it to be the edge of the cosmos. Even though it is often conceptualized as a separate layer of the cosmos, there isn't a distinct boundary that separates the Astral Sea from the Firmament.
What marks the beginning of the Astral Sea is that after "evaporated" cosmic energy rises far enough through the Firmament, it begins to scatter instead. Past this point, the bountiful cosmic energy that has so far suffused the lower layers of reality becomes increasingly thin and scarce the further out one goes. Many scholars believe that at a certain point, the cosmic energy becomes so diffuse that it becomes undetectable, marking the end of the cosmos and the beginning of the vast and endless emptiness that lies beyond.
The Unkent
Main Article: Unkent
There is, however, one final "layer" to the cosmos. To those aware of its existence, it is known only as the
Unkent. The darkness beyond the darkness between the stars. This place is so named because so little is known about it—because so little is
knowable about it. Scarcely more than scraps of cosmic energy reach the Unkent and every last morsel is gobbled up greedily by the monstrous creatures of the same name that reside in the yawning nothingness.
These creatures, the
Unkent, defy mortal understanding. Strictly speaking, they don't exist. They are non-entities. They are the embodiment of emptiness, real only in the sense that the concept of nothingness is real. But they are ravenous and eternally hungry. And it is said that, at the end of time, the Unkent will descend upon all reality in a vicious feeding frenzy that will see to the end of all things.
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