The Cosmology of Cartyrion

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artyrion exists in a multi-dimensional universe. It is a complex universe, filled with distinct three-dimensional pockets of reality. Many of these pockets are inhabited, and Cartyrion exists in one of these.

The Physical Nature of the Universe

The Fonts of Energy

In addition to the space in which these many pockets of reality exist, there are five fonts of pure energy. These five fonts are infinite sources of energy which make up the essence of everything that exists within the universe. Each of these fonts has its own unique nature and properties, and it is the combination of energies from them that comprise the unique blueprints of everything and everyone in the universe. The sages of Cartyrion have equated four of these energies to the what they call the fundamental elements of Air, Earth, Fire, Water. The fifth energy is called Light by some and Life by others, but it is the one that provides the spark which distinguishes animate from inanimate things in the universe.

The Drain of Energy

The five fonts of energy are capable of pouring their essence into the universe, but sooner or later, that energy has to go somewhere. Some sages of Cartyrion refer to this energy sink as the Drain. Others treat it as if it were another font, which they call either Darkness or Death. Great debates rage over this topic in the Universities of the world. Some argue that energies can only flow away from the universe and into the drain - to be lost forever. Others, however, claim that there is an inflow of some sort of negative or reverse energy. The latter point to the persistent existence of the Undead as proof of this. Regardless of its nature, connections to this Drain are also included in the blueprints of everything and everyone, and are responsible for the eventual death or decay of things within the universe.

Planes of Existence

The pockets of reality that were referred to earlier are places in the universe within which a set of three "directional" dimensions persist. In such a pocket, there are no dimensional limitations to movement or travel from place to place, though there may be environmental factors to overcome. These pockets are called Planes of Existence by the Cartyrion sages, and the specific plane which contains the world of Cartyrion itself is simply referred to as the Primary or Home Plane.

Travel between two planes requires the creation of a Portal, or Gate which is a construct that "connects" the dimensions of one plane with the dimensions of another. Gates have been found to form spontaneously on extremely rare occurrences; most often they are formed by the intentional manipulation of the five energies to create the necessary bridging structure.

Occupants of the Universe

Within the universe, there are many diverse animate beings, and many more are being created all the time. The origin of some of these is unknown to the Sages, but others, such as all those beings that occupy the world of Cartyrion in its plane of existence, are well understood.

The Creator of Worlds

One being whose origin is unknown is referred to simply as the Creator of Worlds. The sages and religious leaders of Cartyrion universally speak of the Creator as a single entity, though it is possible that there are many such beings all acting independently or in concert. The Creator of Worlds is unique within the universe in that it appears to be the only being capable of actually tapping the Five Fonts and the Drain to create conduits through which energy flows. That energy is then used to form worlds such as Cartyrion.

Part of why so little is known of these beings is the fact that there are no persistent connections of any kind between the animate Folk of Cartyrion and these Creators. That said, all of the Folk agree that, at some point in the past, the Creator of Worlds was responsible for creating the Plane of Existence within which Cartyrion exists, and then for forming the world itself out of the fundamental energies. The Creator then moved on - perhaps to create more worlds within the same Plane, or perhaps to create new planes with new worlds. Regardless of which, the Creator of Worlds does not populate the worlds thus made with animate beings; that task is left for lesser beings that follow after - beings which can use the tapped energy conduits left behind after the creation to expand upon the work of the Creator.

The Astralar

Those lesser beings are collectively referred to as the Astralar. It is not known with certainty how the Astralar themselves came to be, but the common speculation among the Sages is that the Creator of Worlds was responsible for this a very long time ago. A few go on to say that after trying out many shapes and forms of animate beings - hence the diversity among the Astralar - the Creator decided not to continue down this path in the future. Perhaps "enough" had been created, or perhaps their creation was viewed as a mistake. Sages and philosophers of Cartyrion spend much time on this debate as well.

Although some of the nature of the Astralar is understood, not everything is known. It is generally accepted that the Astralar are not capable of creating new Planes of Existence - that they are not capable of creating the conduits that are needed to tap the Five Fonts and the Drain. Some believe that at least some of the Astralar are dedicated to developing this ability, though - to rise to a level of power equal to that of the Creator of Worlds.

What is certain is that the most learned and poweful of the Astralar are capable of manipulating the fundamental energies by tapping the conduits left behind after creation, and by so doing, are capable of creating animate life on a world, or of altering the existing inanimate and animate things that exist upon a world. These most powerful of the Astralar are the Deities that are revered or feared by the Folk of Cartyrion. Other, less powerful Astralar work as servants or messengers of these deities. Their powers to manipulate the energies are weaker, but they strive to increase in strength so that, one day, they may become deities of another world somewhere else in the universe.

This article contains more information on the Astralar and the races that have had an impact on Carytrion: