World-Building Website by Daniel-André Sørensen
The Personal Website of Daniel A. Sørensen
All
the things that make everything,
existent and non-existent, are the result of the Cosmic Forces. These
forces of near impossible thought and imagination encompass all the
things that are, and make up the reality of the universe and all in it.
In essence the Cosmic Forces are the breath that brings life to
existence, as well as the touch that takes it all away.
Of everything in the universe, it's the Cosmic Forces that are at the very top and center of it all, and serve as the origin of all energy.
Of everything in the universe, it's the Cosmic Forces that are at the very top and center of it all, and serve as the origin of all energy.
- Tennor, High Priest of Arkath
ETERNAL BALANCE
First realized by the Shapers, the idea
of a universe of harmony, tranquility and self-sustainability came in the
form of what we call the Eternal Balance. It is constructed chiefly by
three existential forces: Time, Knowledge, and Creation. It is dictated
that for balance to be obtained, there must be Time to measure it,
Knowledge to understand it, and Creation to form it. These three forces
combine to allow for existence, and through the Eternal Balance life
can be born. It is by the powers of the Eternal Balance that living
things are made; such as the Celestials, Shapers and Creators, who were
the first of its design.
UNIVERSAL CHAOS
Countering the Eternal Balance, the
Universal Chaos exists to disrupt all sense of existence. In a way it is
the weight to balance against balance, as it continuously stands against the
ideals of the forces of Time, Knowledge and Creation. In its own
definition the Universal Chaos consists of three chaotic forces: Blight,
Void and Destruction. Together they are the chaotic and corruptible
forces of the universe. Blight to deform and mutate, Void to render
non-existence, and Destruction to break apart and destroy. It is through
the Universal Chaos that the Void of All is allowed to grow; undoing
all the things that the Eternal Balance works to achieve.
CELESTIAL COLOSSI
The Celestials were born shortly after
the First Light occurred. When the light travelled too far into the darkness of
the Dark Beyond, fragments of this light was caught and trapped by nothingness. Pockets
of astral energy swirled in confusion as the darkness surrounded them,
and settled only after the darkness had shaped them. These shapes became
Celestials, who, while infants at first, given time gained conscience
and proper form. Some were small, some were large, some even larger.
Most Celestials were colossal and terrifying, but they were young and
child-like, with no understandable purpose to their actions.
Celestials are cosmically powerful, but lack understanding or purpose of will. They see the universe as something to play with, to use to explore their immense sense of curiosity, but are never able to truly grasp the meaning or sense of it all. Celestials take stars and twist them; breaking them and disrupting the energies. They take the Arcane Threads and rip them apart, and in doing so they disturb the flow of balance, and thus bring forth the chaotic energies of the Dark Beyond.
Celestials are cosmically powerful, but lack understanding or purpose of will. They see the universe as something to play with, to use to explore their immense sense of curiosity, but are never able to truly grasp the meaning or sense of it all. Celestials take stars and twist them; breaking them and disrupting the energies. They take the Arcane Threads and rip them apart, and in doing so they disturb the flow of balance, and thus bring forth the chaotic energies of the Dark Beyond.
Even so, there are some Celestials who seem to differ from the general descriptors. Some might evolve to become focused on specific aspects of the universe, others might even become highly intelligent. In truth we don't know enough about Celestials to say anything about them for sure as a whole.
VAR'ZON THE BREAKER
One
of the most powerful known Celestials, Var'Zon is the embodiment of the
Void of All. A being engulfed by void energies, the Breaker was the one
who destroyed the Shard of Origin created by the Aethosians, and thus
inadvertently set in motion the creation of worlds through the
Worldshards. Creators fear Var'Zon, for even when they all banded
together to destroy him, Var'Zon easily swept them aside and killed
hundreds of them. It was only because of the Shaper Ilo that the Creators survived Var'Zon's rampage against them.
the Celestial Nym was the only one to have managed to defeat Var'Zon by trapping him within her cloak. However, it cost her her life. Exactly where Var'Zon is now is unknown, but it is likely that he remains trapped somewhere within Nym's Sphere.
the Celestial Nym was the only one to have managed to defeat Var'Zon by trapping him within her cloak. However, it cost her her life. Exactly where Var'Zon is now is unknown, but it is likely that he remains trapped somewhere within Nym's Sphere.
NYM THE WEAVER
Nym
was a good-willed Celestial whose intelligence was more advanced than
most Celestials. She created six daughters by remaking broken stars in
her own image, but only Sol is known to us. As the Weaver, Nym used the
Arcane Threads to produce a long, beautiful cloak that she cast over a
large span of stars, which she lovingly embraced and coveted as her treasures.
When she collided with Var'Zon, Nym fought him to protect her daughters and her precious stars. While she succeeded and managed to trap Var'Zon within her cloak, Nym herself was killed. As she faded, her cloak remained and became what we now know as Nym's Sphere. Her daughters were left behind within the cloak, unable to leave its magical confines as it bound them to its threads.
When she collided with Var'Zon, Nym fought him to protect her daughters and her precious stars. While she succeeded and managed to trap Var'Zon within her cloak, Nym herself was killed. As she faded, her cloak remained and became what we now know as Nym's Sphere. Her daughters were left behind within the cloak, unable to leave its magical confines as it bound them to its threads.
The world and local universe are named after the Celestial Nym, and her story was told to mortals by the Creator Arkath; though how much truth there is in his tales is up for debate.
EOTH THE TRAVELLER
Eoth
is a Celestial that travels the Dark Beyond, visiting stars and worlds
and exploring all that he can. He is the only Celestial known to be able
to pass through Nym's Sphere without being trapped, and often carries
with him things from other, very distant worlds. A considerably clever
Celestial, Eoth can pass through the Shimmering Belt and evade the
Creators with ease. Eoth is typically seen every few hundred years, and
sometimes what he carries falls to the world's surface in the form of
rare, meteoric metals, and sometimes it is something far more alien in nature.
Eoth's Shard the best known in our world, said to be a powerful amulet that grants deistic powers to whoever wears it. It is mentioned several times in different ancient texts throughout the world, which might suggest that there are several amulets. In fact the legends tell that four shards fell to four corners of Nym, and each shard was found by the human tribes, which led to the rise of the three human Mother Tribes; Asvard's Kin of Aesudarh, Qunon's Kin of Korash, and Numar's Kin in Ryumar. It is said the Shard of Qunon's Kin split in two, and created an additional Shard, which led to the forming of Arishan's Kin.
The fourth Eoth's Shard was claimed by a largely unknown human Mother Tribe, known as the Niascari, or Nia's Kin. Little is known of them, save for the fact that they once lived on the central continents of Arganorh. Very few ruins remain, some having been swallowed by the Underneaths; possibly implying that their people might have gone underground at some point, likely due to some ancient cataclysmic event. The majority of ruins are found in the regions of Darion and Thalia, and they heavily feature Eothian themed murals; suggesting a worship to the Celestial traveler.
These are all just mere legends though, and the actual whereabouts of Eoth's Shard(s) is lost and forgotten.
THE SHAPERS
There were three Shapers; Malagan, Aethos
and Ilo. Malagan's skin was covered in crystallized ice, something of
which he had obtained from the cold, shattered shards of broken stars
when he was born. Aethos, on the other hand, had absorbed the fires of
his birth, and so his skin was that of searing flames. Ilo shone the
brightest of her siblings, and her entire being was that of purest,
astral light; like a star made living.
The Shapers spawned from Celestials playing with the stars, when three mighty stars collided and the expelled energies formed into the three Shapers. In time the three came to life, much like how the Celestials had gained consciousness. But unlike the Celestials, the Shapers possessed wisdom and purpose, and maintained intelligent minds. Using their cosmic powers, the Shapers attempted to reshape the universe; mending broken stars and the Arcane Threads. They wished to serve the Eternal Balance, and in doing so they sought to bring order to a chaotic universe.
In time Aethos and Malagan would fall in love with Ilo, and she with them. They would give life to the Creators, who inherited their parents' ideals and duty to the Eternal Balance after they disappeared into the deepest, unknown reaches of the Dark Beyond. Malagan and Aethos' rivalry for Ilo's love led to an abandonment of their children, as well as the abandonment of their dedication to the Eternal Balance. Ilo, in her despair, abandoned Aethos and Malagan as they continued to fight for her.
The Shapers spawned from Celestials playing with the stars, when three mighty stars collided and the expelled energies formed into the three Shapers. In time the three came to life, much like how the Celestials had gained consciousness. But unlike the Celestials, the Shapers possessed wisdom and purpose, and maintained intelligent minds. Using their cosmic powers, the Shapers attempted to reshape the universe; mending broken stars and the Arcane Threads. They wished to serve the Eternal Balance, and in doing so they sought to bring order to a chaotic universe.
In time Aethos and Malagan would fall in love with Ilo, and she with them. They would give life to the Creators, who inherited their parents' ideals and duty to the Eternal Balance after they disappeared into the deepest, unknown reaches of the Dark Beyond. Malagan and Aethos' rivalry for Ilo's love led to an abandonment of their children, as well as the abandonment of their dedication to the Eternal Balance. Ilo, in her despair, abandoned Aethos and Malagan as they continued to fight for her.