NIGHTFELL COSMOLOGY AND MAGIC
- Angelo Peluso
- Apr 7
- 4 min read
The universe was unveiled by Lagoran to his peers many centuries before the Last Sun. In the final years of his life, the Archmage became aware of the very weave of reality, enlightened by the voices he had come into contact with, voices that ultimately led him to madness. This was the most tragic encounter ever recorded between mortals and the Echoes of Death.
Yet the connection forged between Lagoran and the void yielded a precious legacy for all who came after him.
Magic in Iùrmen is made possible because the world is part of an ancient and boundless system of energies. These forces dwell within Sidìr, where the greater beings have abided for eons, and from which the Primes descend; those who gave birth to the Material Plane by shaping their very essence to bring forth what is alive.
To truly comprehend magic and how it is wielded, one must delve into its origins and understand the sources of arcane power, whether touched by warlocks, wizards, or other kinds of spellcasters.
PLAINS AND DEMI-PLANES
The sources of arcane power are woven into the very fabric of reality; even the essence of primeval creation is but a thread within this vast current of ever-shifting energies, which flows unceasingly, shaping Being since time immemorial. The very Entities of Sidìr are ancient deities, formed from this confluence of energies and arcane bonds.
Let us now observe how the fabric of reality is divided according to the Old Tradition, and which are the known planes that compose it.
SIDìR
The vastness of the unknown, of the cosmos, and of the sidereal void. This plane encompasses the two known planes of existence and, perhaps, others yet undiscovered. From it flow the energies drawn forth to bring about the creation from which Iùrmen was shaped. Within it dwell the unknowable Supernal Gods, and from it stems all magic, still drawn upon through the Veil.
The source of arcane power associated with Sidìr is the Astral Source.
The Astral Source flows through the Everlasting and converges within the Veil, where it mingles with other energies. From there, its power may be drawn upon and harnessed in myriad ways. This source is notably linked to schools of spellcasters devoted to Divination, Arcana, Abjuration, and Illusion; even radiant powers and some divine magic trace their origins back to this wellspring.
MATERIAL PLANE
The true heart of creation and life, suffused with primeval and elemental energies. Here the Primes have dwelled since the birth of Iùrmen, and since before the Ante-Dawn, the Gods have mingled and merged, becoming material and tangible from their former essence. Through this convergence were born not only the elements, but mortals themselves.
Entire divine dominions rise between Iùrmen and the heavens, and within them, magic thrums. It is said that before the origin, there existed a kind of Elemental Chaos: a cosmic and arcane event from which the elements took form, springing forth from the manifestation of the first Primes. From that very maelstrom came many of the mythic creatures that once roamed this Plane; among them, the Dragons.
The sun, too, was once part of this Plane; now, only the domain of Mirithlen remains aloft in the skies.
Within this Plane are born the fundamental elements that compose the energies of creation. These magical agents, whose very origin lies with the Primes, are inscribed into the Primeval Source of power.
What remains of the Chaos, along with all magic of conjuration and elemental evocation, as well as druidic and shamanic practices, draws strength from these forces. They emanate from the Material Plane, pass through the Veil, and return again, in an unending cycle.
DARK MIRROR
The mirror of all that life represents. This Plane was born involuntarily from the actions of the gods, whose efforts to bring life from nothing also gave rise to the existence of death. In this cold, lightless realm resides non-life, and within it dwell all the dominions of the Echoes of Death (the reflections of the Primes) who long for existence as their progenitors once did, to the point of having cracked the Veil between the Worlds.
Certain forms of Illusion and evocation, as well as necromancy and dark magic in its entirety (including curses and hexes), peek into the powers granted by the Dark Source.
These necrotic energies lie at the root of the corruption that spreads across Iùrmen, emanating from the forces of the Dark Mirror. They may flow into the Ethereal Plane, but their strongest form of summoning is that which is seized directly from Ènferun.
VEIL BETWEEN THE WORLDS
This demi-plane is often referred to as the Ethereal Plane. Many believe it to be the remnant of the Chaos, and for an unfathomable span of time, it served as the binding force for the energies that hold creation together.
In this diaphanous, timeless realm, crossroads of souls, ancient spirits, and magical conglomerates can be found; it acts as the very layer that contains the reality of the two Planes, through which energies and higher entities pass in and out. All sources of arcane power return to the Veil, which redistributes them, playing a crucial role in the transformation of magic and its recruitment by spellcasters.
Since the Last Sun, it has become apparent that the Veil has weakened. This phenomenon is symbolized by the thinning layer that once separated the Dark Mirror from Iùrmen, as the two spheres have begun to merge, their halves colliding and overlapping. The Ethereal Plane can no longer keep the two dimensions apart.
The rich tapestry that binds cosmology, magic, and the gods weaves the very fabric of reality. This constant shifting and evolving of balances creates new energy, but at the same time, it can lead to catastrophes like that of the Last Sun, in a perpetual struggle between equal and opposing forces.
This is constantly studied and monitored by religious orders and others, and forms the foundation of the arcane practices of all those who approach magic or are touched by it, in a world permeated by entities, spirits, and elements.
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