UNIVERSE : COSMIC FORCES

"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."

'Weaving Worlds'

- Tennor, High Priest of Arkath

The Eternal Balance

First realized by the Shapers, the idea of a universe of harmony, tranquillity 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.

The Everlasting Light

A subset of the Eternal Balance, it is the embodiment and personification of harmonic will and creation. The Everlasting Light is also sometimes referred to as the First Light, as it was the very first light in all of darkness and existence to ever shine and exist, as it sprung from the Cosmic Wellspring untold millennia ago. When it did, it lit up the Dark Beyond and awoke its many wonders, such as the Celestials, planets, and stars.

The Everlasting Light holds the power of Creation itself, and is thusly mainly wielded by the Creators and their servants, who use it to maintain the cosmic aspects of the grander universe, and for Creation Magic. The Everlasting Light is an extension of all Cosmic Aether put together, and as such is the most powerful of all things to have ever existed; capable of even pushing back the eternal, dark void of the Dark Beyond.

It is, however, said the Everlasting Light is waning. Its remnant light, known as Astral Light, still exists throughout the Dark Beyond and stands as an extension of the Everlasting Light, but for how long is a mystery even the Creators fear to speculate on. The Everlasting Light remains strongest in the Cosmic Wellspring, which is thought to be its last bastion and refuge.

But even so, its Light can reach the most distant places, where its energies can be of aid to those who need it. When the Everlasting Light comes into contact with Aether, the Light will cleanse it of impurities.

The 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.

When Aether (unaligned or aligned) comes into contact with one of the three Chaoses, it alters and corrupts to fit its new role. This corrupt Aether can in turn spread if left unchecked, and alter other forms of Aether. While corrupt Aether is exceedingly powerful and potent, it is also quite volatile and unpredictable.

The Eternal Balance

Cosmic Beings

Creatures of the Cosmos, of ancient make and creation, are found in many places of the Dark Beyond. There are many types and shapes. Some are small and some are colossal, and many are extremely powerful; possibly much, much stronger than the Creators, who we view as gods.

It is believed that the majority of Cosmic Beings are Celestials, and the largest number of those are more like animals in their nature and behaviour. According to Arkath, there are very few actual intelligent and sentient beings that exist in the Dark Beyond, and the Shapers, Creators, and some Celestials are some of the few known beings that are capable of thoughts and actions beyond just instinct.

Other known creatures in the Dark Beyond are various beings of eldritch origin, or world-devourers that seek potent worlds, or other more bizarre and alien creatures. The great Cosmos is an extremely large place, unfathomably so, and who knows what hides in its darkness.

Celestials

The Celestials were born shortly after the Everlasting Light came into being. 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 Aether 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 Aether. 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, and thus invites the Universal Chaos.

Even so, there are some anomalous 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.

According to Arkath, the Creators have been in a constant war against most Celestials since the birth of the first Creators, as they fight to bring the Eternal Balance to the Cosmos.

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 supposedly 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.

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'ah 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.

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 Shroud 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 is the best known alien curiosity 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 in he central lands of the world. 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, the High Marches, and Thalia, and they heavily feature Eoth-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. As to where Ilo went or where she now resides is completely unknown.

The Creators

Creators are the children of the Shapers. At first they merely followed the wishes of their parents, but when the three Shapers fought and separated from each other, the Creators were abandoned by them.

The Creators then split into three groups, based on the Shapers they most closely aligned themselves with. Those who considered Malagan their father called themselves the Malagani, those who saw Aethos as their parent knew themselves as the Aethosians, and those very few who remained loyal to Ilo were known as the Ilosians.

The three groups each had their own views on how to continue the work of their Shaper parents, but none of the groups could agree with each other.

Creators are as their name describes them; makers of things. They possess the mastery of Creation Magic, which allows them to control the Cosmos at their will, or at least that's what it seems like. Whatever limits they might have aren't known to mortals, since the Creators work in mysterious ways and rarely explain their powers to the curious. It is likely that it is forbidden for them to share their cosmic knowledge with what they might consider lesser beings.

Even the alignment of the Creators in Nym's Eye remains unknown to us, as we don't know who is Malagani, Aethosian, or Ilosian. For now we know the Creators as our gods, whose deistic powers are strong enough to shape the reality of our local world and space.