BOOK - Prince of Reality - A philosophical book that tries to explain the true nature of reality.
"The worlds exist within a vast cosmos called the multiverse, connected in strange and mysterious ways to one another and to the other planes of existence, such as the Elemental Plane of Fire and the Infinite Depths of the Abyss. Within this multiverse are an endless variety of worlds."
"The true nature of reality demands an understanding of the grand multiverse that we are all a part of."The Multiverse
- Planes of existence define the extremes of strange and often dangerous environments.
- Planar adventures offer unprecedented dangers and wonders.
Form
The multiverse is described as a transfinite expanse of mind-boggling immensity. The shape of the vast cosmology of planes is practically impossible for an individual to objectively observe and may even appear differently from the perspective of different worlds.- A popular model of the multiverse is known as the Great Wheel, which describes the relationship of the plane with some accuracy. It includes the Material Plane where people live; the Inner Planes, which are the four basic elements of which other matter is ultimately made; the Outer Planes, arranged in an outer ring of infinite realms where the gods reside; and the transitive planes, which connect planes together. Outside of these lie other smaller spaces, such as demiplanes and extradimensional spaces.
- However, the Great Wheel is not the only valid conception of the planes, and since most planar travel is conducted via spells or portals, the exact layout is effectively arbitrary and largely irrelevant. Other layouts include the World Tree, in which all worlds are connected by a great cosmic tree, and the World Axis, in which the Astral Sea floats above the Material Plane and the undifferentiated Elemental Chaos below.
- The Material Plane is usually now considered a single realm containing every single Oerthlike material planet, which it is possible to physically travel between. An older interpretation still popular in many circles describes different worlds as parallel material planes, leading to terminology such as "Prime Material Plane" for one's own home world.
- Most adventures take place within a certain world. A world is part of the multiverse with its own form of reality separate from the rest of the multiverse.
Travel
Various methods allow travel between worlds of the multiverse. It is possible to transfer from one plane to another, one world to another, and between multiple versions of reality.- The most popular methods of planar travel include spells such as plane shift and gate, as well as planar portals which allow movement between worlds.
- A spelljamming ship allows travel between material worlds through a medium known as phlogiston.
Philosophy
It is difficult or impossible for any person to truly comprehend the nature of the universe. As a result, different organizations have wildly differing views of the multiverse.- The Doomguard believe that the multiverse is gradually falling apart, and embrace destruction rather than try to prevent it. The Mind's Eye believe that the multiverse provides knowledge available to the enlightened, while the Transcendent Order believe the multiverse is a massive single life form. The elemental Mephlings believe the multiverse is ultimately uncaring to life, while the Xaositects believe it is unpredictable.
History
- The question of how the multiverse was created, and by whom, and why, is largely unknown. A myriad of cultures each have their own creation mythologies, often attributing the creation of reality to powerful or divine beings or a natural progression of nature.
- Many cultures believe that a god or gods first created the multiverse.
- Dragons believe that the dragon deity Io created the multiverse, and generously allowed lesser creatures to inhabit it.
"The worlds occupy pockets of the Material Plane—sort of like planets but in a space shaped by magic and divine forces."
"The Far Realm is said to be outside the known multiverse."
Gods of the Multiverse
- Religion is an important part of life in the worlds of the D&D multiverse. When gods walk the world, clerics channel divine power, evil cults perform dark sacrifices in subterranean lairs, and shining paladins stand like beacons against the darkness, it’s hard to be ambivalent about the deities and deny their existence.
- Many people in the worlds of D&D worship different gods at different times and circumstances. People in the Forgotten Realms, for example, might pray to Sune for luck in love, make an offering to Waukeen before heading to the market, and pray to appease Talos when a severe storm blows in—all in the same day. Many people have a favorite among the gods, one whose ideals and teachings they make their own. And a few people dedicate themselves entirely to a single god, usually serving as a priest or champion of that god’s ideals.
BASICS
- Was found in the Great Library of Twin Falls
- Filled with knowledge not really known by many on Terus
- Might be a book brought to Domunz by people from Eberron
- borrowed by Mak'Ti
Eberron and the Multiverse
- It is theoretically possible to travel between Eberron and other worlds in the multiverse by means of the Deep Ethereal or various spells designed for planar travel, but the cosmology of Eberron is specifically designed to prevent such travel, to keep the world hidden away from the meddling of gods, celestials, and fiends from beyond.
- The three progenitor wyrms worked together to form Eberron and its planes as a new cosmic system in the depths of the Ethereal Plane. They recreated the elves, orcs, dragons, and other races found throughout the multiverse and placed them in their new world, but allowed them to develop beyond the reach of Gruumsh, Corellon, Lolth, and other influences for good and ill.
- In your campaign, you might decide that the barrier formed by the Ring of Siberys is intact, and contact between Eberron and the worlds and planes beyond its cosmology is impossible. This is the default assumption of this book. On the other hand, you might want to incorporate elements from other realms. Perhaps you want to use a published adventure that involves Tiamat or the forces of the Abyss meddling in the affairs of the world. In such a case, it could be that the protection offered by the Ring of Siberys has begun to fail. You might link the weakening of Siberys to the Mourning — perhaps whatever magical catastrophe caused the Mourning also disrupted the Ring of Siberys, or perhaps a disruption of the Ring of Siberys actually caused the Mourning!
- If contact between Eberron and the wider multiverse is recent and limited, consider the implications for everyone involved. In the Great Wheel, Asmodeus is an ancient threat, with well-established cults, lines of tieflings, and a long history of meddling that sages might uncover in dusty old tomes hidden in remote libraries. But if Asmodeus has only just discovered Eberron and begun to influence it for the first time, there is no lore about him to be discovered on Eberron. He has no power base and needs to recruit new followers. Unusual alliances might form against him, as celestials and fiends join forces to expel this hostile outsider.
The Planes
The various planes of existence are realms of myth and mystery. They’re not simply other worlds, but dimensions formed and governed by spiritual and elemental principles.
- The Outer Planes are realms of spirituality and thought. They are the spheres where celestials, fiends, and deities exist. The plane of Elysium, for example, isn’t merely a place where good creatures dwell, and not even simply the place where spirits of good creatures go when they die. It is the plane of goodness, a spiritual realm where evil can’t flourish. It is as much a state of being and of mind as it is a physical location.
- The Inner Planes exemplify the physical essence and elemental nature of air, earth, fire, and water. The Elemental Plane of Fire, for example, embodies the essence of fire. The plane’s entire substance is suffused with the fundamental nature of fire: energy, passion, transformation, and destruction. Even objects of solid brass or basalt seem to dance with flame, in a visible and palpable manifestation of the vibrancy of fire’s dominion.
- In this context, the Material Plane is the nexus where all these philosophical and elemental forces collide in the jumbled existence of mortal life and matter. The worlds of D&D exist within the Material Plane, making it the starting point for most campaigns and adventures. The rest of the multiverse is defined in relation to the Material Plane.
Planar Categories
- The planes of the default D&D cosmology are grouped in the following categories:
The Material Plane and Its Echoes.
- The Feywild and the Shadowfell are reflections of the Material Plane.
The Transitive Planes.
- The Ethereal Plane and the Astral Plane are mostly featureless planes that serve primarily as pathways to travel from one plane to another.
The Inner Planes.
- The four Elemental Planes (Air, Earth, Fire, and Water), plus the Elemental Chaos that surrounds them, are the Inner Planes.
The Outer Planes.
- Sixteen Outer Planes correspond to the eight non-neutral alignments and shades of philosophical difference between them.
The Positive and Negative Planes.
- These two planes enfold the rest of the cosmology, providing the raw forces of life and death that underlie the rest of existence in the multiverse.
Potential Multiverse Theories
Sages have constructed a few such theoretical models to make sense of the jumble of planes, particularly the Outer Planes. The three most common are the Great Wheel, the World Tree, and the World Axis, but you can create or adapt whatever model works best for the planes you want to use in your game.The Great Wheel
The default cosmological arrangement presented in the Player’s Handbook visualizes the planes as a group of concentric wheels, with the Material Plane and its echoes at the center. The Inner Planes form a wheel around the Material Plane, enveloped in the Ethereal Plane. Then the Outer Planes form another wheel around and behind (or above or below) that one, arranged according to alignment, with the Outlands linking them all.- This arrangement makes sense of the way the River Styx flows among the Lower Planes, connecting Acheron, the Nine Hells, Gehenna, Hades, Carceri, the Abyss, and Pandemonium like beads on a string. But it’s not the only possible explanation of the river’s course.
The World Tree
- A different arrangement of planes envisions them situated among the roots and branches of a great cosmic tree, literally or figuratively.
- For example, the Norse cosmology centers on the World Tree Yggdrasil. The three roots of the World Tree touch the three realms: Asgard (an Outer Plane that includes Valhalla, Vanaheim, Alfheim, and other regions), Midgard (the Material Plane), and Niflheim (the underworld). The Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, is a unique transitive plane that connects Asgard and Midgard.
- Similarly, one vision of the planes where the deities of the Forgotten Realms reside situates a number of celestial planes in the branches of a World Tree, while the fiendish planes are linked by a River of Blood. Neutral planes stand apart from them. Each of these planes is primarily the domain of one or more deities, though they are also the homes of celestial and fiendish creatures.
The World Axis
- In this view of the cosmos, the Material Plane and its echoes stand between two opposing realms. The Astral Plane (or Astral Sea) floats above them, holding any number of divine domains (the Outer Planes). Below the Material Plane is the Elemental Chaos, a single, undifferentiated elemental plane where all the elements clash together. At the bottom of the Elemental Chaos is the Abyss, like a hole torn in the fabric of the cosmos.
