Cosmology

In the beginning, there were two worlds, the world of light, Heaven, and the world of darkness, the Void. All that was complete and harmonious emerged from Heaven, whereas the Void was mere shadowy possibility. The first being to emerge from the Heaven was Asur. The space around him became the paradise of Anratha. The second god to emerge was Beraz, brother of Asur. He provided darkness to contrast the light of Anratha. The third god to emerge was Siris, and she set time in motion, so that there was change within Anratha. The fourth god was Bhelor, who instilled will and purpose in Anratha. The fifth god was Vasht, who established and protected the boundaries of Paradise. The sixth god was Mehreb, the scribe, who recorded all that occurred within Paradise. The seventh god was Embu, who bowed to Asur's will and tilled the grounds of Anratha. For a time these were the only deities in Anratha. 
As Paradise took shape, it shadowy double took shape as well. The Abyss formed out of the Void, and just as the Paradise was a realm of fixed form and substance, the Abyss was a place of constant change. The spirits that emerged into the Abyss were reflections of the beings that dwelled in Anratha, but they were not gods, for did not know how to fix themselves in place, let alone fix the shifting substance of the Abyss. 
Once Paradise had been shaped, many other, younger gods emerged from Heaven, and each was given a place within Paradise, though Asur would be its master. He took some of his own fire and made the djinn to serve the gods. But the djinn grew restless and sought to look into Mehreb's book to learn the secrets of the gods. When Asur confronted the djinn, the denied any wrongdoing, and so the djinn were banished from Paradise and exiled to the Abyss With the djinn gone, Asur asked Siris to help him create new servants, and she did, forming the voru, the star giants, who were blessed by Asur. These giants worked to shape and beautify Paradise, and the gods were content. The gods did not recall much of the world of light, and the unnamed god, the Pancreator, who dwelled there. Even Asur forgot what he was, and came to regard Paradise as the totality of existence, all beyond was formless void populated by hungry, inchoate spirits and the vengeful djinn.
While Asur was pleased, his brother was not. Beraz became increasingly jealous of Asur, who was lord of the realm while Beraz was but a member of the celestial court. In secret, he began to steal shadows of Anratha that formed in the Abyss, mixing them with fragments drawn from the Sea of Chaos. He created a world in secret, Yesod, the True World, and peopled it with beings drawn from his own substance, the ravan. The ravan knew only Yesod, and worshipped and revered Beraz as their sole god. Beraz was content, but Asur grew suspicious of his brother's long absence from court. He followed Beraz in secret and discovered Yesod. In rage, Asur saw how Beraz had mixed his divine power with the substance of Chaos. He struck the world a terrible blow, and shattered it, the pieces spiraling away. They pushed back the Void and formed a sphere of stability, called Orbis. The ravan were forced to flee into the Sea of Chaos, which changed them forever. Beraz, consumed by grief and rage, pulled forth all his power and went to destroy Anratha. Asur sought to stop his brother and they battled, but Beraz, now a Beast, slew Asur and attempted to devour him. Vasht intervened, dragging Asur free, but scattering his flesh and blood across Creation. The pieces of Asur bonded with the fragments of Yesod, becoming microcosms. 
These world-shards attracted the attention of Abyssal spirits, who attached themselves to the pieces of Yesod and drew on the power of Asur, becoming the foundations for worlds, including Vala. Just as the Abyss is the shadowy double of Paradise, the Gloam is the shadowy double of Orbis and all material worlds. The Gloam is the domain of ghosts and wandering spirits, and pervades and enshrouds all the worlds of Creation. The Gloam is the passage into the spirit worlds, whether the Abyss, the Seeming or the Mindstream. 
The space between worlds is the Seeming, the cracks in Creation. The Seeming, also called the Mirrorlands, contain all the detritus of worlds, pieces that have broken away and vanished into the many tears that make up the patchwork of Orbis. Just as the Void contrasts Heaven, the Seeming is the entropic aspect of Orbis. 
The Mindstream flows through all Creation, the collective memory, thought and imagination of everyone who has ever lived within Orbis. It is not so much a plane as a state of being, the oversoul of the cosmos. Mages can access the Mindstream and recover the thoughts and memories that linger there. 
Category:Cosmology