Cosmology (Grisaire Supplement)

The cosmology of this setting is considered connected to some aspects or general concepts from core DnD. But it is only done so vaguely so as not to tie it down as much.

Grisaire Cosmology

Most of cosmology in Grisaire is concentrated on the Closed World model. This encompasses the celestial bodies, the movements of the stars, and such. The 12 thrones are heavily tied into every aspect of this, as each throne occupies a different sector of the sky, much like how they occupy their sections of the calendar.

Closed World

Artist's Cosmology

The planet of Grisaire is enclosed by the Veil. It is a force that actually encapsulates Grisaire in a sort of pocket within the reaches of space. Within the Veil, the twelve thrones of godly eyes watch the world's happenings with amusement. One of Ongana's eyes is the sun, while the two moons are the breasts of Darakan'ta. That is the basic cosmology of Grisaire. Most of the time, people do not consider the extraplanar cosmology. This is because the Veil and thrones effectively form a tight barrier around the world, so only scant gateways exist which can leave. For the purpose of this setting, some of the thrones are proxies for existent elemental planes as well.

Celestial Bodies

The sun of Grisaire is believed to be one of the eyes of the goddess Ongana.

Grisaire has two moons that always trail each other closely, almost like twins in sync. They thus have a much stronger pull and effect on waters on Grisaire's surface than, say, our moon.

Stars in the Grisarian night sky are closely connected to the throne tied to the sector of sky where they appear. The constellations they form are known to be omens, both good and bad signs, associated with the corresponding throne. Just as each god of the thrones has a mix of aspects, so too do the constellations in their domain.

Thrones

The twelve thrones of the gods are essentially mixed domains. They are similar to a mix of planes and spheres and can actually lead outside the closed gate of the world. Each of the twelve thrones presides over a domain that is also a possible gate. During different phases of the sky, certain domains and their associated aspects are stronger. The gate will often fluctuate with waxing and waning influence, which is what determines the celestial cycles of birth signs.

• Gate of Chains: The throne of Igu-Rab-Ichi. It is a place of earthly riches buried deep under iron-rich soil alongside the blood and bones of the fallen. It is composed of 2 sub-spheres, blood and earth. Ferocious chain devils and golems roam here and trap trespassers in their chains to make them slaves. In the sub sphere of earth, there is a supposed gate to the Elemental Plane of Earth beyond the Dark Sea. As expected, there are a variety of earth elementals here, including dao djinn, which are subservient to Igu-Rab-Ichi.
• Murk Domain: The throne of Plegothos. Spheres of Smoke and Swamp
• Threshold of Betrayal: The throne of M'iaq. Spheres of Smoke and and darkness
• Gate of Stimulation: The throne of Darakan'ta. Spheres of lightning and dust
• Domain of Hands: The throne of Manus. Spheres of flesh and mineral
• Conduction Gate: The throne of Orshidii. Spheres of storm and mineral
• Purveyor's Gate: The throne of Survelem. Spheres of shadow and steam
• Domain of Spires: The throne of Resoolt. Spheres of magma and ice
• Arcane Domain: The throne of Tribore. Spheres of Vacuum and ash
• Domain of Duality: The throne of Ongana. Spheres of fire and air
• Entwined Gate: The throne of Tarekaya. Spheres of water and light
• Gate of Tendrils: The throne of Charylt. Spheres of poison and lightning

Old Ones

The Old Ones are titanic beings created first by the Thrones. They are sometimes shown to be wrathful devices, or even guardians. An example is the island stingray, Akaei. To this day, the Old Ones venture about the world as seeming forces of nature.

Pillars

The four Sacred Trees were usually depicted as pillars that separated the earth and heavens, with roots that reach deep into the world. After two of these trees have fallen, they have largely been removed from cosmology depictions, save in some nations like Khaire or Adum, where the trees remain.

Gnostic Model

The Uncreated's Presence

A more gnostic version of has all the same, except that it shows inside the planet as well. The three whirlpools that stay all the time in the Sleeping Wallow are tunneled deep into the earth, where R'Leth, the City of Ashes, lies dormant with the many eldritch horrors crawling in its walls. It is said to be the hollow where Primus' heart used to beat. His shattered core was ripped out by his brainchildren, leaving a well of resentment and sorrow. This depiction is debatable, as most do not believe Primus has any will left to be angry at his unjust death.

These eldritch beings are said to be darker forms of the twelve gods, though their exact number is unknown and they are not as powerful as the creators. There only three of these entities known, but they are said to be neither truly singular nor a multitude, but both. Dubbed the Uncreated, they take a variety of forms and are said to manifest even outside R'Leth when they grow in power. Let out into the world, they tempt mortals into doing evil things to spite the gods. They commonly are what warlock patrons tend to be in Grisaire. However, it is not restricted to these beings.

What Was Is Still Whole

One vein of gnostic thought is that the world of Grisaire is essentially a mirror of Primus' body. This view is held by a small fringe of people within the Church of the Body. This church

What Was Lost Will Never Be Whole Again

Commonly known for its nihilistic view

Realms

There are generally three realms that layer over each other on Grisaire, not to be mistaken with planes which are element-based places of power and where spheres are based from. The realms are mortal, spirit, and astral. The primary realm where all living things are is the mortal one. Dead and ethereal creatures linger between the mortal and spirit, with lost souls also staying largely on the spirit side of things. The astral realm is an empty space of nil and serenity. These realms encompass some smaller pockets that are like subliminal spaces, almost like a pocket area that spatially is impossible.

Mortal Realm

Fey Pocket

The fey pocket is a space found in the Mortal Realm, with entryways scattered around Grisaire. Per its name, this is the setting equivalent of the Feywild environment.

Expanded Cosmology

The Expanded Universe merely shows possible pathways leading to the external planes, which are usually not large forces on the history of Grisaire. However, it is important to note the Expanded Universe is also contentious sometimes, as it shows the dark sea beyond, which is theorized to be a possible origin for the Uncreated.

Scholar's Tentative Map

Grisarians are not ignorant of the world beyond that of their own. However, the intervention of the gods and the tight control over the extraplanar ways have made them a bit less inclined to explore. For the most part, it is agreed that there exist some planes outside that of the empty space. However, they are extremely limited via gateways kept by the domains of the thrones, and they are constantly shifting. So, most scholars have a tentative plane cosmology map. Planes may be cut off from day to day and locations of gateways are subject to shift, making it similar to guessing the location of a particle in an electron cloud. The dark space that lies everywhere is considered part of the Vast Unknown, part of the Dark Sea Beyond.

Alignment

Morality is a bit more nebulous in the universe surrounding Grisaire. Unlike the Forgotten Realms or similar worlds that feature solid concepts and planes anchored in good, evil, and chaos, alignment's effect is optional and not as strong. There are some absolute extremes still, like how demon-types and devil-types are evil. Celestial-types are generally good-aligned. These extremes are very rare, due to the lack of their presence in the world. Aberrations are definitively non-aligned, but can also be considered evil. They are not known to have any concept of morality nor are they tethered to any such plane. The Uncreated primarily make up this category. Undead are not exclusively evil and benign sorts can exist.

Planar Alignments

While not all Grisarian rooted planes are aligned, there are some general directions of chaos and good or evil that they tend towards. The planes can be organized on an XY axis.

Ascension

Grisaire Navigation

Grisaire Campaign Settingv
	Players Guide	Races, Backgrounds, Classes, Spells & Magic, Downtime Activities, Feats
	World of Grisaire	History, The World, Society, Cosmology, Religion, Worldly Mechanics, Languages
	Dungeon Master's Guide	About, Treasure, Bestiary, Tables, Help, Adventures, NPCS, Variant Rules,
	“ There was never a time when adventure and imagination failed more than our laws. ” —Willich Wonka, 7800 AP

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