Astatoma

The Astatoma, colloquially called Celestia, is the jtimbic expanse that lies on the other side of the Veil surrounding Duurn. The hypothetical existence of the Astatoma has been a part of the cosmogical consciousness of countless cultures across Duurn, but advances in technology and scientific practices during the Age of Idealism allowed it and the Veil to be detected and measured.

History

The existence of a realm beyond the Stereoma has been the subject of speculation and folklore for most of recorded history. Whether this knowledge was granted by a deity, was a lucky guess born from observation of its second-hand effects, or was passed down through some other means is unknown and the subject of scholarly debate. What is known is that the Liasnyks, the earliest known human civilization, was aware of its existence. Archeologists have discovered Liasnyk writings referring to "YYMIL," which is believed to loosely translate to "All Things."   In 1156 CE, Sibongele Cetele managed to measure the energy of the Astatoma as it seeped through a stoma in the Veil, proving the existence of both. Her discovery revolutionized the field of metaphysics. Since then, scientists have managed to create better and more accurate tools to measure Astatora and the Veil, bringing a deeper understanding of the transcendental mechanisms that govern the interactions between the Astatoma and the Stereoma. That understanding has led to the development of both thaumaturgy and mechanurgy as scientific pursuits and transcendental arts.

Physical Properties

No human has been to the Astatoma, and it is difficult to say whether it is even a physical location that can be traveled to at all. The closest that any known human can be to "seeing" the Astatoma is when viewing an area where the Veil has been weakened or formed a stoma. Within these locations, the Stereoma becomes distorted, and the natural rules of reality become unstable. The physical surroundings shift and change, often becoming influenced by strong emotions impacting the location. Time sometimes warps too, with some sites losing days for every hour beyond or vice-versa. Closer to the stoma, reality begins to refract and unravel, roiling with unseen jtimbic energy. Some metaphysicists believe that the Astatoma would look like a roiling ocean of color and half-formed shapes. Living beings that are exposed to the Astatoma are left altered or even dissolved into the chaos.

Metaphysical Properties

The Astatoma is widely believed to be the primordial chaos that the Stereoma was formed from. The transcendental arts, particularly those influenced by Gnosticism, revolve around the practice of pulling aside the Veil that separates the Stereoma from the Astatoma for a brief moment, to access its jtimbic energy and twist reality. Some believe the Veil protects Duurn from becoming unraveled within the Astatoma, though the existence of entities such as the celestial gods suggests the possibility of surviving by other means.