The World

The World was the six planes of existence upon which all life existed. It could be categorised into three planar groups or levels, the Heavens, the Mortal Planes and the Underplanes, between which only the most powerful celestial beings could pass freely. Originally it was a void containing a great mass of chaos until the resonance that caused the creation of the five Archangels.
== The Planar Groups ==
=== The Heavens ===
Occasionally referred to in more classical texts as the Celestial Planes, albeit somewhat erroneously, the Heavens were the very highest planes that existed in the structure of the World. The largest and most significant of these was Heaven itself, although there were many smaller realms that came to exist over time. It was the realm of the Archangels and their servants, and a plane into which no other beings could pass unless entering through the celestial gates found within the Weighing Halls.
=== The Mortal Planes ===
The Mortal Planes were those that sat between the grace of the Heavens and the dangers of the Underplanes below. It was the level on which the mortal world of Esria sat. The Weighing Halls were only slightly higher, into which all deceased mortal souls would enter. Purgatory, the realm of the mysterious beings known as Devils, could also be found upon this level.
=== The Underplanes ===
The Underplanes consisted of the Underworld, where mortal souls were sent and sacrificed in the name of protecting the world that existed above, and the infernal realm of Hell.
== Other ==
=== The Celestial Void ===
The celestial void outside of the mortal realm of Esria was a vast and unknown expanse, consisting primarily of the space between other planes. As a result of the Resonance, there were countless unknown realms and many more mysterious celestial entities that had come into existence in this void. It was the space in which those that had been rejected by the enigmatic power of Esria itself subsequently disappeared to.
During the Imperial Era, it became clear that the strongest of these entities could be found close to the Mortal Planes, using the strong aetherial links that existed there to try and enter the mortal realm. The ancient Druidic Gods were anchored to Esria in this way, by the active efforts of the Church of the Imperial Creed, but their actions would ultimately have dire consequences.
=== The Astral Plane ===
The Astral Plane was an infinite space in which mortal souls could exist free of their bodies, believed to have been created by the decay of pure aether radiating from Esria after the Resonance. It was strongly linked to many schools of mortal magic, and those attempting magical teleportation would find themselves for a moment projected through it.
Although early Esrian scholars would come to know it as a plane, lacking a better definition, it was actually an odd reflection of reality in which many warped elements of the mortal realm could be found. The mysteries of the Astral Plane remained largely unsolved, as did its true nature.
During the closing years of the Blessed Era, a Leobische astronomer named Emil von Hausser claimed to have observed oddly behaving stars in the night sky. He claimed that these irregular celestial bodies were mobile and ephemeral in nature, behaving unlike any other that had been seen before. When he had provided sufficient evidence and guided others in observing the anomalous activity, he posited the theory that such stars belonged to the Astral Plane, and that the plane might hold realms of its own.
== History of Creation ==
=== The Resonance ===
The Resonance was the mysterious event that created the World, during which the grand celestial beings known as the Archangels were born. Almost instantly they set out to create structure and order in the unrestrained chaos of the primordial dust. Placing their energies into a single ritual of power, they created a planar home known as Heaven, but in doing so inadvertently spawned three other planes. They secluded themselves within their own realm to recover from the toll that the ritual had taken on them, unaware that their actions would have unexpected consequences.
For aeons around, the beings known as Devils sensed the pulse of mana echoing through the void and drew towards it, eventually finding the planar structure created by the Archangels. However they, unlike their cousins, could see that there were additional, uninhabited planes within the structure. They drew to the plane that would come to be known as Purgatory.
Meanwhile, the Archangels discovered the third plane, which they came to call Esria, and defined it in their image. They created the land, seas and nature, as well as mortal life. Satisfied with their efforts, they returned to heaven, awaiting the arrival of their mortal children. However they would never arrive, for as the Archangels later learned, the souls of the mortals on Esria were being directed towards Purgatory. Learning of this, the Archangels were bewildered, and went to investigate.
=== The Destruction of the Devils ===
Arriving at the plane that had previously been unknown to them, they discovered the devils. Having feasted heavily on the mana of the mortal souls, the devils were now convinced that the mortal plane was their ultimate goal. Without any skills to produce mana on their own, they felt a deep envy of the Archangels and their creations, and fell upon them in unbridled fury. With the support of their own celestials, the Archangels were able to beat back the attacks on their creations. However, there were far too many devils for them to be annihilated, so the Archangels fell back to Heaven. Instead of directly confronting the devils, they used the great reserves of power they had left to perform another planar ritual. The idea was to create a new plane to which the mortal souls could be guided to.
=== Arrival of the Devourer ===
The Archangels performed the ritual of creation once more, and again three planes were created, though the divine beings once more found themselves weaker for it. The Weighing Halls were defined, and soon enough the mortals were able to reunite with their creators once more. However, unbeknownst to all, in the Underplanes, an entity of unimaginable nature was drawn to the planar structure. It would later come to be known as the Devourer, a mindless, soulless entity of the endless void drawn to the intense power of the planes. It made its home in the lowest plane, and formed the basis of Hell. From its swirling black mass, it produced fire and lava and the cruellest of its creations, the demons.
Once aware of their mistakes, the celestials sent the Archangel Netheriel to the Underplanes and began sacrificing millions of souls in order to seal Hell and keep both the Devourer and its demons at bay. Eventually, they would abandon the search for a more refined method, causing a divide among their own heavenly kin.
=== The Long Night ===
For aeons Netheriel continued to sacrifice countless souls to hold Hell at bay, but something within him changed. He grew angry with the other Archangels, but soon became apathetic to the suffering of those he was consigning to destruction. Eventually, he began to regard the mortals as little more than ants. Becoming more aware of his own power and becoming increasingly wary of the power of the Devourer, he drew up his own plans to usurp power from the other Archangels. 
He sent his agents to Purgatory with the intent to steal the magic that the Devils had coveted in secret. There his servant Zuriel managed to succeed, whilst he sowed his own seeds on Esria. He assumed an Elven form, and walked amongst the Elves of the Alvyri Vandryl for a time. There he seduced the Emperor Amras Vorosaer, intending to reap the souls of the mortal plane. He orchestrated the events that led to the Fire Ritual of Londorwyn and eventually the Heartstone Crisis. He was ultimately defeated.
However, without his maintenance of the underworld, the barrier maintained by mortal sacrifices became no more, and the world was left without little defence against the evils of Hell. Additionally, he had left the power of the Devils in ruination, having had his servants take all but a fraction of the souls they had collected. The denizens of Purgatory lusted for revenge.
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