Cosmology

**Cosmology** is the study of the universe, which is divided into several planes, sometimes known as realms, within which exist worlds and other celestial bodies.

These planes are separated from each other by the Abyss, and separated from the Abyss by planar barriers. Because of the universe's planar structure, it has sometimes been described as a multiverse, however, the various planes of existence actually belong to only one universe; although other parallel universes do exist. Because of the Abyss' nature as the "glue between worlds", it is possible to use it to travel to other worlds. It is also possible to travel to the same world using the Abyss as a shortcut. At the edge of the Abyss is a membrane, also known as the periphery, separating the Abyss from the Void, which is infinite emptiness. Inside the periphery are many different realms, created by the Elder Gods. Their current creation is also known as the current revision, because they 'revise' or restructure the universe every time they wake up from their slumber.

## Types of Planes

Planes come in several forms, whether they be coterminous planes, incorporeal planes, multi-dimensional planes, the shadow realm is conveniently all three of those, while other planes may be layered, such as Infernus, which consists of multiple planes stacked on top of each other . All of the planes inside the multiverse can be separated into 4 different types.

### Lower Planes

* The lower planes are the oldest worlds in the current revision and are remnants of the previous, except for Freneskae which was untouched after the Elders hatched and left. All the worlds on this plane are unbalanced and often lean towards a specific element. It is on these worlds leftovers from the previous cycle are most obviously visible. An example of this would be Ancient Magicks, which were first discovered on these worlds. The currently known, lower-plane worlds are:

### Elemental Planes

* The elemental planes were created by the elder gods when they split up. The worlds on this plane have an obvious alignment with a certain element. Which element depends on which god or gods created the world. Occasionally the Elders would return to these older worlds to refine their abilities of creation. The currently known, elemental-plane worlds are:

### Catalytic Planes

* The catalytic planes show a high level of sophistication. They were created when the elder gods had already learned much about the universe and were trying out new techniques for creating worlds. They combined familiar elements with other elements of the universe. The catalytic worlds themselves are divided into 3 different types. These are the currently known Catalytic worlds:

### Balanced Planes

* The balanced planes were created last. They are capable of generating a steady flow of Anima. The worlds are created with the combined strength and knowledge of all the elder gods. It is here that the Elder gods created their perfect world and went to sleep. The currently known balanced-plane worlds are:

 Zanaris |  Balance

### Other Planes

* Other planes can be found that exist outside the various bubbles of existence within the Abyss.

 The Void | Exists outside of the Abyss.

## Afterlives

The afterlife is a place where the souls of the dead go after being reaped by their realm's Death. The afterlife that the deceased goes to depends on what the departed considers to be their home, with each world having its own multiplicity of afterlives, based upon the beliefs of those that died on that plane. Sometimes when an entity dies, their soul may go back to the plane that houses that particular belief. As for how souls move between planes, is currently unknown.

* Forest Beyond
* Fremennik spiritual realm
* Great Forest
* Grim Underworld
* Hangazha
* Limbo
* Spirit Realm

## Alternate Dimensions

Besides the main worlds, RuneScape has alternate realities. These are worlds like RuneScape, but slightly different. The currently known alternate realities are:

* Dimension of Disaster
* ScapeRune
* Dimension of the Damned

## Distinctions

### Plane

Plane is a homonym, having two meanings:

* A Bubble of existence within the Abyss, usually with an alignment, such as the Blood, Earth, Mind, or Astral Planes.
* A flat "world" of existence.

### Realm

Realms currently have no definite definition, however it seems to be used as an umbrella term for several different cosmic terms.

### Dimension

Dimensions are alternate realities. For example, the Dimension of Disaster is an alternate reality in which the World Guardian of the Sixth Age never existed.

## References

1. ↑ Submerged Statue. One of A Kind. "It is the power of the Dragonkin to fly between the worlds. Beware the Dragonkin! Beware! The Stone of Jas calls them, and they can pass the planar barriers to seek each False User. No other mortal beings should have this power to fly between planes. And yet... there is one other creature with the power you describe. It flew high above me and then vanished through a hole in the sky."
2. ↑ Mod Rowley, 17-Jan-2017 19:30:20.|=Lore Corner-Answers!|forum=Lore Discussion|"All of creation that we know of is the universe – it may have initially been referred to as a multiverse, but that was incorrect. We only truly revealed a multiverse with the release of Dimension of Disaster, with that alternate timeline based on the player not existing there. The terms ‘planes’ and ‘realms’ are mostly interchangeable, and are pockets of creation that may contain multiple planets, moons and other celestial bodies, plus what we might call ‘space’, and entirely encompassed by the Abyss."
3. ↑ Runefest, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi3W3IeiJL0&list=PLMjuVhi1Lg6cf\_S-OPMMHaAJEuxurXDlu&index=6
4. ↑ Runefest, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi3W3IeiJL0&list=PLMjuVhi1Lg6cf\_S-OPMMHaAJEuxurXDlu&index=6
5. ↑ Zaros, Fate of the Gods. "I suspect their home plane was destroyed soon after the elder gods first left Freneskae. A small number of dragonkin survived this revision by taking shelter in the Abyss, among the detritus of previous cycles."
6. ↑ Mod Stu. December 12, 2017. "Bear in mind that there's also coterminous planes, incorporeal planes, multi-dimensional planes like the shadow realm. Infernus consists of multiple planes stacked on top of each other, for example. Also, there can be and usually are multiple worlds on the same plane." https://twitter.com/JagexStu/status/941359075069190145
7. ↑ Runefest, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi3W3IeiJL0&list=PLMjuVhi1Lg6cf\_S-OPMMHaAJEuxurXDlu&index=6
8. ↑ Runefest, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi3W3IeiJL0&list=PLMjuVhi1Lg6cf\_S-OPMMHaAJEuxurXDlu&index=6
9. ↑ Runefest, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi3W3IeiJL0&list=PLMjuVhi1Lg6cf\_S-OPMMHaAJEuxurXDlu&index=6
10. ↑ Runefest, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi3W3IeiJL0&list=PLMjuVhi1Lg6cf\_S-OPMMHaAJEuxurXDlu&index=6
11. ↑ Runefest, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi3W3IeiJL0&list=PLMjuVhi1Lg6cf\_S-OPMMHaAJEuxurXDlu&index=6
12. ↑ Rotten journal, RuneScape. "In their blasphemy, they have even renamed our world. They call our beloved Jermyn... Bobonosia."
13. ↑ Book of the Dead