Principles of the Multiverse

It is well known that the material world of Sekt’Amund is a small bubble in the vast ocean of the universe. The concept of “material” is actually just the restriction of the first three dimensions of space. It’s the place where infinite chaos repeats itself often enough to define the rules of its own reality.

The Cognitive Membrane is actually the planes of existence layered on top of the mortal realm. They exist in the dimensions between 3rd & 4th and serve as a filter for chaos to pass through before entering the material world as a logical or intelligent force. It’s the reason magic can be manipulated through the exertion of one’s own cognitive functions or through science and logic. Most otherworldly beings live in some part of the Cognitive Membrane, affecting reality through their distant touch. There’s some debate on whether these entities were intelligent before they found their way to the cognitive membrane or if the cognitive membrane gave them forms of intelligence. There’s further debate on how exactly the Cognitive Membrane came to exist. Theologians would suggest that the Gate Deities created it from their own essence to protect the part of the universe they’d fallen in love with. Scientists follow the law of large numbers. They consider the formation of such “membranes” or material planes to be an inevitability of infinite chaos and the resulting sentience of life is a random byproduct of such chaos.

The Great Sea is an infinite torrent of chaos. It exists in the fourth dimension and is unrestricted by the rules of space, time, and reality as a whole. The energy that composes it is referred to by science as “Arcana.” This space is also the birthplace of Astral Entities such as the Gate Deities. Due to the vastness of the space, it’s a rare event for any entity to come across the bubble in which the Material Plane exists, but when they do they are quickly transformed from beings of chaos to sentient, almost deific or demonic entities with their own motivations and domains.

Magic is the art of drawing Arcana out of the Great Sea and through the Cognitive Membrane where it takes shape before entering the material world. There are many methods of doing this, but two methods are considered more favorable than others. The first method is exerting the innate arcana that exists within living beings to draw and shape more Arcana from the Great Sea. This relies on your own innate understanding of Arcana and the Cognitive Membrane. The other method is to form a link to a being originating from the Great Sea and living in the Cognitive Membrane. This method usually involves exchanging greater control over the Mortal World for access to knowledge and to Magic. The core limitation of Magic is that to cast it a sentient being becomes a weak point in the cognitive membrane where unfiltered, chaotic, arcana can enter through. It takes practice and control to prevent unfiltered arcana from leaking through and practitioners are limited by how much magic they can safely handle without losing control. Some magic is so simple they can cast it simply with the arcana that exists in all organisms but some magic is complex and powerful enough that practitioners must be careful not to attempt it with too much frequency.

## Layers of Reality

-The Material Realm (1st-3rd Dimension): Sentient Life, random order created from chaos.

-The Cognitive Membrane (3.5th Dimension): The protective space between the Material Realm and the Great Sea. Home to the Gate Deities and Astral infiltrators.

-The Great Sea (4th Dimension): Infinite chaos, and arcana. Birthplace of random logic and all Astral Beings.

## Afterlife

It should be said that if there is an afterlife, it exists in the Cognitive Membrane. Not all facets and planes of the Cognitive Membrane are known or explored but it is known that the Gate Deities recognize the fear of mortality and sympathize. For that reason, they have a habit of collecting the cognitive spirits of their followers during their passing and safeguarding them in their respective realms.