Cosmology

The Fracture and the Birth of the World

The Fracture refers to the event that ended the Endless War. When existence was first formed, there was Infinity. From this Infinity were born the Concepts, the infinite basis for reality. Two of these concepts would eventually be known as Good and Evil.

Good and Evil were some of the first Concepts to oppose one another, but they were the only ones whom this opposition grew from energy into matter and form.

From Good were born the Angels and Celestials, along with many other immortal creatures of innate Good.

From Evil were born the Devils and Demons, again along with many others of their similarly immortal kin of innate Evil.

These opposing beings, born purely from the opposition of Good and Evil, immediately clashed. They knew with an instinctive understanding that only they could know.

And so began, the Endless War. A name not given lightly by any means.

Within the Infinity this war commenced, even as other Concepts began to create and form from energy in the expanse of it into a physical realm.

Empires and knowledge of a trillion years grew and fell within the blink of an eye. Entire continents of cities were tarnished and burned to dust, only for yet more to be built in their place… Then fall again.

But eventually, something has to break.

The Concepts of Good and Evil imbued their very existence into these sentient, living, learning beings they created. These beings changed, evolved, and grew. Again and again the same patterns repeated themselves, trillions of years drowned in the blood and dust of the fallen.

Then one day… An Evil creature would grasp mercy. And receive none in turn.

These two actions, reverberated throughout both the Concept of Good and the Concept of Evil. For an impossible thing had occurred. Good had understood Evil, and Evil had understood Good.

From this impossible act was born; The Fracture. In an instant, the Concepts of Good and Evil clashed directly for the first and last time, and Reality screamed. Infinity folded in on itself, pulled by its very foundations in a way that should not be there was a tremendous crack.

Infinity, had been split in two. And between these broken halves the Void was born.

Yet, Good and Evil were not done yet. With a sundering shudder they ripped themselves from both halves of Infinity and collided within the impossible Void… And Fractured.

From this act, the World was born. A lynchpin between both halves of Infinity. The World of Gods and Mortals.

Fragments and Shards of Good and Evil rained down on either side of Infinity, burying themselves deep into their old home, anchoring themselves within the very core of either half.

The Scream of Reality died to a mere whimper, then a whisper, and then slowly ceased altogether.

From this event the Truce was created. The beings of Good would claim one half of Infinity, where the majority of the Shards of Good had landed, this half would eventually be known by many names; the Celestial Realms, the Heavenly Home, and other such monikers. The beings of Evil would claim the other half of Infinity, where the majority of the Fragments of Evil had fallen, and would be also be called by many names in time; the Infinite Hell, the Endless Abyss, and so on.

Both the creatures of Good and Evil would guard these anchors of reality without complaint, for they both knew that for an instant, they might have never existed at all, consumed by the Void.

To this day, no matter the struggles, no matter the hate, no matter the pity that either side would throw at the other, this Truce would be upheld, and is still upheld. It is said that should even a single Shard or Fragment was threatened to be harmed or unseated from its resting place, all the Legions of Evil and all the Hosts of Good would march side by side to end such a threat.

A terrifying thought to consider for any fool whom would try and unbalance the universe.

 

The World

The World is the physical shell and remains of Concepts of Good and Evil, and the birthplace of Mortal beings whom would later lay claim over Concepts and become Gods.

As the lynchpin between Celestial Realms and the Endless Hells, the World is intricately connected to all of existence and the living souls that exist within it.

Souls are the result of not just the intermixing energies of Good and Evil, but also of the energies of many other Concepts flowing to and falling upon the World.

As an unaligned force and physical entity in the Void, the World naturally attracts Concepts in a similar way to gravity. The closest of these many Concepts are Concept of the Day, which fulfils the appearance of the Sun and claimed by Julies, and the Concept of the Night, which takes upon the form of the Moon and was claimed by Shara. Together they work in tandem to provide the night and day cycles of the World itself, and are the most serious about their divine duties than most.

Due to Julies and Shara’s work, stray energies of their Concepts do not bombard the World with such intensity as they could, allowing for the many Star Signs to perform their minor miracles without interference.

 

Stars and Star Signs

Star are the result of the energies of the Concepts that move within the Void. As these energies pass into the World they appear as if lights in the night sky, and a few can even be seen during the day.

Due to the Stars being energy from Concepts, Stars can affect those whom are born under them with minor boons or even curses. This occurs when the energies of different Concepts that are harmonious with eachother, or even opposed to one another, enter the World close to one another.

These events form the Star Signs. Star Signs have been documented over thousands of years, and the knowledge of them has survived the rise and fall of many empires. Some Star Signs only occur rarely, perhaps only once in a few years, and others might occur frequently, every month. Some Star Signs appear to have a form of cycle or schedule, while others appear randomly with ever changing times.

Star Signs appear as many things, some are animals, others are plants, some are of figures and people, places, or even objects.

The Fair Maiden

The Star Sign of the Fair Maiden grants those born under it a natural fairness of form, regardless of their age, physical strengths, or impairments. While well received for it’s aesthetics, it also hides injuries and sickness, which has been the bane of many.

The Bear

The Star Sign of the Bear grants those born under it greater physical strength and a keener sense of smell. However those born under the Bear often suffer some lethargy in winter.

The Blade

The Star Sign of the Blade is a sign of martial prowess, and leading at the front, however those who are blessed by it are often impatient and feel the need to cut to the matter at hand, regardless of the outcome.

The Stone

The Star Sign of the Stone gifts endurance to those born under it, and both physical and mental strains appear to slide off them as if water, however they are also fairly impassive and uncaring of those outside of their home and hearth so long as the status quo is maintained.

The Bell

The Star Sign of the Bell gifts those born under it a natural talent for controlling the sounds that they make, from their voice to the steps they take and have bettering hearing than most. Those born under the Bell however can rarely tolerate total silence for long and are light sleepers.

The Celestial Realms

The Celestial Realms, also known as The Heavens, is one of the two halves of Infinity that was sundered apart during the Fracture.

The Celestial Realms are anchored to the World by fragments of the Concepts of Good and Evil that landed there and embedded themselves within Infinity during the Fracture. The Majority of these fragments came from the Concept of Good, and thus from their influence that one half of the Infinity would become the Celestial Realms.

The Celestial Realms are a place of overwhelming Good, in as much Good can be quantified and understood. As one person’s belief of ‘good’ can differ greatly there is significant debate concerning it’s true meaning, even among the denizens of the Realms.

Despite being only one ‘half’ of Infinity, the Celestial Realms are effectively infinite in size and are abundant beyond understanding. No inhabitant has ever successfully mapped out the Celestial Realms in it’s entirety, which is not assisted by the Celestial Realms occasional shifts in geography.

Due to the overwhelming connection to Good that the Celestial Realms have, souls from the World whom are more balanced towards Good rather than Evil are drawn to it after they die. These conceptual ties to Good allow these souls to pass through the Void and enter the Celestial Realms.

The Infinite Hells

The Hells, also known as the Infinite Abyss,  are one of the two halves of Infinity that was sundered apart during the Fracture.

Like the Celestial Realms, the Hells are anchored to the World by fragments of the Concepts of Evil and Good that landed there and embedded themselves within Infinity during the Fracture. Unlike the Celestial Realms however, most of these fragments came from the Concept of Evil.

Similarly infinite in scope with it’s nightmarish and ever shifting landscapes, the Hells are also abundant in the Concept and idea of Evil, but also suffer the shortfalls of the question of what true Evil really is, however unlike the Celestial Realms, these discussions rarely end peacefully.

Due to the Hell’s connection to Evil, it pulls on the metaphysical ‘weight’ of evil in a person’s soul. The more evil a soul is, the more likely it will be dragged to the Hells when they die, pulled down by the weight of their own sins, and their only hope of salvation being that they may gain favour with a God whom might save them.

The Void

The Void is the empty chasm in which all things exist and were born from. From the Void the Concepts came, and from the Void the Infinity was formed.

The Void is in a constant paradox of existence and non-existence, with the only entities capable of surviving it being the Concepts and Infinity itself.

While the Void is in constant flux, to the outside observer it is actually quite peaceful and serene, and the empty blackness has the influence to either calm or panic those who study it in equal measure, regardless of their origins and power.

Even the Gods, mighty as they are, have been able to tame the Void. They can shield themselves and their own creations from the Void’s effects with the power of their Concept, but little else.

The Void’s seemingly impenetrable darkness is often the chosen grounds in which God’s will challenge one another. It’s nature making meetings between the Gods private, and rendering the few cataclysmic battles to settle disputes and grudges between them unable to affect the World, keeping it safe from harm.