Cosmology
The cosmology of Arcanist Gear revolves around the multi-planar existence. There are three levels of planar existence known as the higher, middle, and lower planes. Each level of plane has it's own characteristics and rules of existence. All the planes together allow for life as we know it, their effects on each other are constant.
I. Planes and their functions 1. Higher planes
a. Astral
b. Celeste
c. Elemental d. Kari e. Noctis f. Finsir g. Shadow Plane 2. Middle Planes a. Enetsu
b. Necrosi a. Rixa d. Vermasih e. Zonaricht
3. Lower Planes a. The Abyss b. Ethereal Plane c. Finsor d. The Void II. Correlation
III. Intersection
IV. Traveling
I. Planes and their functions
The higher planes are extremely stable in their existence, so much so that some events are eternally in the process of happening. The higher planes are composed of places where the rules don't bend. For example, when a tiger hunts a deer, the deer either escapes or the tiger catches it. On higher planes an event like that can continue for an eternity, a never ending hunt. Sometimes examples and references to the higher planes seem a bit contradictory, how can it be so totally eternal if you can still cross through it and move from one place to another? The fact is that the Higher Planes are like a 9th dimension to us (and other middle plane beings) it is just so beyond our ability to truly comprehend but we do our best.
Astral
The astral plane is responsible for the cosmos and the largest known plane as it intercepts every other plane constantly. The astral plane is the link between others and what holds the rest of the cosmos together, there is no real existence here though quantum studiers have found ways to reach this plane, albeit to no real purpose. Imagine the Astral plane as a giant container and all the other planes are swirling liquids inside of it.
Celeste
Home to the celestial heavens, a collection of places that are surprisingly easy to manipulate as it shares rotation with Enetsu (the middle plane). While it is known as the celestial heavens for its beauty and stereotypical heavenly appearence it's actual feature is the fact that it can change drastically by the whims of the various celestial beings.
Elemental Plane
A world existing of extremes of each element, certain areas between extremes are comparable to middle planes, or places where the two intersect and create middle areas. Elementals originate from this plane and they thrive well here, some even living in complex societies. Raw materials from this plane are often used in the middle planes for their powerful magical properties. Intersections with other planes often cause extreme cases of whatever relemental region the crossing happened in. Fire and lightning being among the more problematic.
Kari
This plane is nothing but an endless hole of crushing force, there is literally nothing here nor any reason to go here unless you have need of a lot of gravity. It is situated at the very center of the astral plane and it's force is theorized to be the reason that the other planes rotate as if in a solar system, a planar star if you will. Its intersections with other planes usually cause temporary black holes.
Noctis
Noctis is not to be confused with the shadow plane, the only similarity to it is that it is rather dark, in fact it is actually darker then the plane of shadow. There is no light present at all, ever, without a intersection with another plane. The creatures that dwell here rely on things other then the light spectrum to see, most commonly they just use the other senses entirely. Noctis is not filled entirely with predators and darkness, it is a thriving plane of existence but many others who perceive through the light are afraid of this place.
Finsir
Home of the demon lords, a plane that is filled with rock and fire. Little else grows here and the fires will never go out, its intersection with
other planes never goes unnoticed due to the chaotic behavior of the beasts within once given a chance to mold events. Demons rarely build empires here however, their inclinations drives them to Finsor, the lower plane of demons where chaos reigns.
Shadow Plane
A dark place directly tied to the middle planes, most of existence here is a simply formed of different shades of darkness, but it is not a mirror of the middle planes. Shadow's are considered animals here and shades are fully intelligent beings who have been known to visit the middle planes at times.
Fae wilds
An endless plane of rampant organic growth, it's inhabitants are often referred to as fae. As a higher plane it perpetuates the growth of its ecosystems though if anything is removed from the plane it will rot almost instantly without the plane to sustain it. While within this plane fae natives are immortal unless burned to ash, regenerating from the largest piece of themselves remaining otherwise. The plane has no real concept of open space in terms of the vacuum most planes have, it's planets are instead so close together that they share an endless atmosphere that magically sustains any kind of organic that enters it. Larger space craft cannot enter the plane without hitting a giant tree.
The middle planes are where most of life as we understand it takes place, worlds here are not bound by as many rules as the upper planes but are stable enough to sustain development. For example, here on the middle planes gravity is a consistent rule yet an object that's falling will stop falling when it hits something.
Enetsu
A relatively undisturbed plane until the late 1300's when it was discovered. It had remained unnoticed due to its extremely close proximity to celeste yet smaller astral size making it's intersections with other planes quickly overshadowed by celeste itself. Enetsu is a plane dominated by celestial influence, events happen fast here and many scientists will work here to see the long-lasting effects of certain experiments. While it doesn't actually move through time faster, as such things do not age here, it just simply progresses basic things at a higher speed. For example, the channeling of a complex pandem spell would finish itself drastically quicker then it would on the other middle planes.
Necrosi
Also known as the "land of the dead", but not the actual afterlife. The population of necrosi is populated mainly by what other planes would consider the 'undead' but these inhabitants were never actually living to start with. Birth on this plane leaves you already without a beating heart and you can still grow here, though all the symptoms of being dead or undead persist normally. It's relation to other planes is considered the reason necromancy is even remotely possible. Undead risen in other planes will come here to continue their "lives" normally, being allowed to age like they couldn't before. However, the "living" will feel the exact opposite effect, they will be unable to age physically here. It is a popular destination for the living races seeking eternal youth, but the plane is a little dreary and doesn't produce food resulting in the living needing to import it from other planes which is highly expensive. After a few years surviving on highly preserved foods to prevent rot people tend to decide to go back to the other planes and just live a full life instead of a long one.
Rixa
Closer to the middle ground then any other plane, it rests in a perfect balance between all of them and is almost a higher plane itself. Its stability is in that most planets here have very little axial tilt, and things that are normally random seem to follow more basic patterns here more then anywhere else. Development here is rapid, Rixa inhabitants were some of the fastest at learning and inventing since their focus wasn't on surviving changes in their world but on improving the existing situation. This hasn't led them drastically ahead of anyone else, just out of order. While most were discovering shelter from the elements in caves, they were inventing fire instead. Then when they learned shelter everyone else was working on fire. Launches from planetary surface to space are popular here because weather conditions are predictable.
Vermasih
A middle plane closely tied to the elemental plane, it's weather is a little more extreme in general and is more likely to produce mono-climate planets then any other. Forests, mountains, fires, etc. are all noticeably larger as an effect of the elemental influence. It's most notable wildlife are large reptilian beasts known as dinosaurs.
Zonaricht
Commonly just referred to as Zona, this plane is the original host of Sol's biggest developments. Alnae and Shetou originated on a planet called Thenica on this plane and is the original birth place of humans, elves, and dragons. This plane's frequent alignment with other planes has made it an often traveled hub and a favorite of cosmologists.
Lower planes are a disastrous mix of chaos and existence. These places are bound by very few rules and it's inhabitants are often unintelligent, or just crazy by the standards of the middle plane. Some species can thrive and retain a mind but they are often unable to grow and develop in these planes due to the changing of rules and hostile creatures. A lower plane can actaully be so chaotic it can shift in and out of existence, making study hard and causing entirely new planes to come into existence and erratically leave without notice. The ones listed are generally stable in that they are always a part of existence.
The Abyss
Closely related to its sister lower plane, the Void, resulting in large spaces of nothingness. The sight of which can drive someone mad. However, it is also rather close to the middle planes, resulting in some minimal stability that makes it inhabitable and navigateable. For example, one area that has gravity will likely always have that gravity, but the spot two feet to the left might never have gravity. Floating islands in the middle of space interconnected by rivers and oceans suspended above nothing or with trees growing out the bottom side of it are among some of the wonders the plane holds. The Abyss does not have planets like most other planes, it is just networks of connected land masses floating in space forever. While traveling through space can lead to other stars and systems, they don't conform to physical laws of the middle planes and sphere shaped planets are about as common as cube shaped ones here. Despite how alien and unpredictable the rules of the Abyss are, many people like to visit it just to experience being in such a strange place. Since it is relatively stable in its rules, traveling agencies can gate off the dangerous areas so tourists are relatively safe. There are humanoid natives to this world known as the abyssals and a form of government ruled over by the 32 (known) abyssal lords.
Ethereal
This plane is mostly empty of structures and impediments, yet still not devoid of life. The plane is mostly made of white vapor, all physical matter that enters usually turns into this vapor. While it will hold it's shape and interact with surfaces as desired, it is also possible for the vapor to pass through itself without losing form. The plane is subject to wild contortions of the vapory existence, those who enter it run the risk of leaving horribly deformed or dying once they regain physical form, but linking with the Ethereal plane is crucial to some forms of travel.
Finsor
Consistently intersected with Finsir, this land is frought with demons and hellfire. It is a close relative to Finsir and shares inhabitants and locations with it quite often, though the rules of operation are entirely different allowing for change and destruction to truly occur. Despite it's fill of hellfire there are many other notable land features, forests and mountain tops along with oceans and rivers.
The Void
One of the darkest planes in existence, second only to Noctis and only because it's state as a lower plane allows light to be generated here. The void is the most unpredictable plane in constant existence. It is a prime example of how a lower plane can behave. Stepping forward once could travel many miles then stepping back could move you three feet into an unseen lake that solidfies and rises to the heavens without warning. One moment you might be trying to gather your bearings after stepping backward into said lake, the next you could be dead due to a heart attack you had twenty years ago. Despite this impossible existence, there are still inhabitants. These creatures are often ferocious and attack whatever they can in search of food. Voidic creatures are seldom intelligent and horrifying in appearence. They are incapable of developing social structure due to the inability to predict anything except the inevitable nothingness of existing here.
II. Correlation
All these planes exist together in a way that allows each one to borrow traits from one another to compose it's own existence. For example, without Kari there likely wouldn't be gravity on any other plane and without the shadow plane there likely wouldn't be shadows cast by light. While science knows these rules through physics, the laws of physics are written by cosmology as a whole.
The higher planes are generally responsible for creating the rules that other planes follow, those known as the middle planes rest near enough to them to remain stable using these rules yet still allow development. The lower planes are barely formed properly and the further away they are from the higher planes the more chaotic they become.
The planes are constantly in motion within the Astral plane. They don't really orbit in the way that planets orbit stars, they move in patterns specific to themselves and those near them. The pattern of higher planes are stable and completely predictable, whereas lower planes can veer wildly about and intersect with others with little warning.
Each plane isn't really a shape that can be described or drawn. They would be closest described as a nebula, where every color was another plane, or as if you lit dozens of colored smoke incense and swirled them around together.
III. Intersection
Planar intersection is when two (or sometimes more) planes touch each other in the astral plane. At the apex of their connection what is known as a planar rift occurrs. At the area of the planar rift each plane is drastically effected by the other. For example:
In the above illustration, the plane of Zonaricht is traveling fast enough that it will intersect the elemental one which is traveling slower. What will happen is a planar rift on each plane at the apex of its connection.
The apex of the connection is where the planar rift will occurr. Once both planes are intersecting at the highest possible point that they will for that collision, the rift opens for a duration depending on the speed of their movement, it will remain open until they are completely seperated from each other.
Zonaricht is a middle plane that we are most commonly associated with. That particular rift will be opening on a major city for it. The elemental plane is full of raw elements, that area happens to be heavily set into an area dominated by the fire element. The effects of the rift for Zonaricht borrow from the location on the elemental planes rift, meaning it would be quite expected for a volcano to suddenly spring out of the ground in that area, or for things to randomly catch fire for days until the rift closed. For the elemental plane, an area with roads and buildings would appear and disrupt the eternal burning and placing the laws of the middle plane in that area allowing those eternal fires to be extinguished by water. Were the rift to occurr elsewhere on the elemental plane, say an area dominated by plant-growth, the city would be growing trees and vines all over itself that would be nearly impossible to remove until the rift closed.
While these rifts are open it is fairly easy to cross into the other plane entirely, various areas with effect from the other plane also act as portals. In this case, putting on a fire-proof suit and entering a flame could place you within the elemental plane. You would likely burn to death, but other planes where travel between them is viable with survival in mind can lead to easy planar travel.
IV. Traveling
Now some of you might be wondering, how does one get between the planes of their will? Well traveling through planar rifts is easy, a teenager can figure it out with just a little help from the internet. But if you're being picky and you want to go to a specific plane, to a specific location on that plane, and there is no rift available, you have to make your own rift portal.
A planar rift is naturally occuring, a rift portal is not. These are often created by arcanists, pandem, or quantum mages for personal reasons or high price. It is not easy magic to perform, these rift portals act like artificial planar rifts and show all the same symptoms of one but are not connected by the two planes touching. It is more like a tunnel from one plane to another, forcing the effect as a whole.
For a rough rundown, in order to create the tunnel the caster must find the planes astral position and the location desired to be traveled to. After they know where to open the other hole they have to "aim" and hope they don't miss or otherwise they might drop you right into space. This is not an entirely uncommon practice but it is generally reserved for those with serious intent to travel between planes. Some rift portals are permanently open for the purpose of communication between planes, but these take a lot of maintenence to prevent it from closing.