Planar Gravitation

Gathering Forces

"The planes do not merely drift in the void, nor are they held in some divine stasis. They pull, they stretch, they coil like threads on a loom—woven by forces beyond gods or mortals. Planar Gravitation is not a theory, nor a law; it is the breath of existence itself, and those who fail to grasp its weight are doomed to be crushed beneath it."

 
— Entaris Itarr, A Study of Celestial Mechanics and the Tides of Reality

Planar Gravitation is the hidden tether that binds one realm of existence to another, allowing streams of energy and matter to drift across boundaries that would otherwise remain sealed. Scholars often describe it as a grand, arcane current flowing between worlds, too subtle for most eyes yet powerful enough to determine the fates of entire kingdoms. It has no single source; rather, it arises whenever two or more planes brush against each other in the vast tapestry of reality. In these places of contact, forces both physical and mystical unite, intertwining realms in ways that can be harnessed—or disastrously misused.   Whenever a realm gains substance, it does so by quietly drawing upon the might of its neighboring planes. No world simply stands on its own; it is propped up by the energies that seep through these hidden gates. Rivers may seem purely local, but the source of their life-giving waters could trace back to a realm of perpetual rainfall. The crackle of a mage’s spell might borrow from a place where fire never dies. This is the essence of Planar Gravitation: a cosmic interdependency where one plane’s surplus becomes another plane’s lifeblood.   Seasoned travelers speak of places where the boundaries are so thin that one can feel the tug of overlapping realities. Stones might glow with alien light, or the air could carry strange whispers from another world. These are locales where Planar Gravitation operates at its strongest, pulling elements and creatures across the veil. It is in these liminal zones that portals open by themselves, and simple magics can ignite miraculous effects. Fortunes rise and fall based on who controls such places, for to command a point of high planar pull is to hold a key to unthinkable power.   Not all planes are created equal in their draw. Some may be serene gardens of harmony, offering gentle flows of essence that rarely disturb mortal lands. Others might be seas of unbridled chaos, so potent that they can rip the heart out of weaker realms if left unchecked. The larger or more forceful a plane’s presence, the stronger its gravitational pull upon the layers of reality around it. Such towering planes can anchor entire regions in place or warp them beyond recognition. This ebb and flow of power ensures that no two planes maintain a perfect balance for long.   In times of crisis, mortal spellcasters have been known to deliberately manipulate Planar Gravitation, tapping into energies from distant realms to perform grand feats: raising new landmasses, banishing plagues of undead, or forging city-sized illusions. Yet this meddling comes with a steep cost. When the leylines that govern the planar currents become stressed, reality itself can tear. History is filled with tragic tales of sorcerers who sought to siphon too much from a realm of storms or nightmares, only to invite cataclysms upon their own plane.   On rare occasions, entire worlds have been assembled through a technique that uses Planar Gravitation deliberately. Long ago, a cabal of arch-wizards might have anchored layers of earth, fire, wind, and water from different planes, stitching them together to form a new home for their people. These creations often stand unstable at first, requiring careful warding stones and intricate rituals to keep them from collapsing. Over centuries, a hand-made realm can begin to settle into place, becoming as permanent and self-sustaining as any naturally formed world—though it never quite loses its dependence on the planes it borrowed from.   But Planar Gravitation is neither good nor evil. It is a fundamental principle that can be used for wondrous creation or reckless destruction. Some druids devote their entire lives to studying how these cross-realm currents nourish their groves and fields. In contrast, warlocks with an appetite for forbidden knowledge might carve into these cosmic rifts, drawing horrors from the darker reaches of existence. Whether nurtured or exploited, these cross-planar pullings care little for mortal morality. They simply move as the cosmic tapestry dictates.   Even the divine are not immune. Pantheons can rise and crumble if the flow of worship and belief shifts drastically from one plane to another. A deity whose followers dwell on a world that slips into a dead zone of planar currents may find its power waning. Meanwhile, a lesser spirit could ascend to new heights if its chosen sphere suddenly resonates with a realm teeming with compatible energy. Thus, the interplay of Planar Gravitation influences not just mortals and beasts, but also the seat of divine authority itself.   Entire orders of mystics and artificers dedicate themselves to charting the push and pull between worlds. They speak of “force lines” and “lodestones” in hushed tones, referencing artifacts that can strengthen or redirect a planar connection. These adventurers risk their minds and bodies attempting to stabilize realms on the brink of collapse or harness the power of wandering demiplanes. Their journals, if recovered, describe vistas where gravity warps and skies shift color as one steps into zones of high planar saturation—places where each breath tastes faintly of another world’s air.   In the end, Planar Gravitation underlies the fragile lattice of reality that mortals walk upon. Whether it’s a reclusive sage mapping every flicker of arcane drift, or a power-hungry king trying to control the local points of planar draw, all are ultimately dancing on the tides of cosmic interplay. This principle ensures that no realm is ever truly isolated, and no boundary can remain unchallenged forever. Realms change, converge, and sunder with the rhythm of these hidden currents, and as they do, life in every plane must reckon with the inexorable undertow of the forces that hold creation together.
Type
Metaphysical
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