Krynn at Creation

Chemosh kicked at the skull and sent it rolling. The rat went skittering off into a dusty corner. “What I want is youth, strength, power. Converts who come to me willingly, eagerly. Converts who will frequent my temples in broad daylight and proclaim that they are proud to worship me. That’s what I want. That’s what I need.” His fist clenched. “To gain the seat of power in the heavens, that is what I must have.”

~ Amber and Ashes
by Margaret Weis~


The Cosmology of Krynn

The material world, as experienced by mortals, forms the center of Krynn’s cosmology. It is the focus of the affairs of the gods. As such, all of the planes surround and envelop it, anchored in place by the relationship between the physical and the spiritual, and ethereal state of being which binds the planes of the elements and the outer realms of the gods together.

Conceptually, Krynn’s

The universe may be thought of as a sphere, floating in the vastness of the Beyond. The Dome of Creation, the Hidden Vale, and the Abyss comprise the outer most layer of this sphere. The elemental planes, the Plane of Shadow, the Ethereal Plane and the Astral Plane extend within, touching the material core of the sphere. Somewhere between the outer planes and the material world are countless pocket worlds, transitive realms, and other places into which the gods and their servants project their interests while they observe the lives and actions of mortals.These worlds are quite often reflections of the greater realms of the gods, formed at a whim and just as readily dismissed.

The Dome of Creation

The plane of the Gods of Light, the Dome of Creation crowns the sphere of the universe. A plane of radiance, positive energy, and generative power, it is also home to the celestial servants of the Good Gods, who dwell in accordance with their divine patron’s will. The plane houses the true essences of Branchala, Habbakuk, Kiri- Jolith, Majere, Mishakal, and Paladine (until his descent into mortal form after the War of Souls). Solinari once dwelt here, but departed to be closer to Krynn and his White Robe wizards. Even so, the power of Solinari’s moon ultimately stems from the Dome of Creation, as do all things holy and sacred to the Light. Visits to the Dome of Creation are exceedingly rare, butwhen such an event occurs, the mortal finds himself in a place of subdued glory and peace, shaped by the will of his god in a way that his senses can withstand it. A pleasant shoreline for Habbakuk, a serene candle-lit hall for Majere, a mighty fort with pennants flapping in a stiff breeze for Kiri-Jolith: these are all examples of the dwelling places of the gods, as seen through the eyes of mortals.

The Abyss

The plane of the Gods of Darkness,the Abyss is the vile foundation of the sphere of the universe. It is the source of negative energy throughout the planes, bringing darkness to light and ruin to creation.Within its vast, labyrinthine depths,the fiends engage in their malicious plots against each other or try to claw their way into the mortal realm. Their divine masters, the Evil Gods,oversee all that is wicked and corrupt in the universe. The profane essences of Sargonnas, Chemosh, Hiddukel, Zeboim, Morgion, and Takhisis (before her death at the end of the War of Souls) are all contained within the limitless coils of the Abyss. Nuitari’s power was also housed here at one point, until he joined his cousins in magic and incarnated within his black moon, to be closer to the mortals who draw upon his power. For most of Krynn’s history, travel to the Abyss has been extremely limited—it is a place of torment and imprisonment, bound and chained by many oaths lest it overwhelm the mortal realm. Those few living mortals who find themselves in the Abyss will experience it according to the whims of the deity that brought them there, or whose power is most strongly aligned towards or against them. A champion of Kiri-Jolith, opponent to evil and tyranny, is more likely to find himself in an Abyss tailored to Sargonnas’ violent and warlike desires than the fetid, rank swamps and cesspits of Morgion.


The Hidden Vale

The plane of the Gods of Balance, the Hidden Vale encircles the sphere of the universe, separating the light from the darkness. Shadow and light combine on this plane, always in balance, shifting and changing according to the direction of the Neutral Gods whose essences fill the many realms of the Vale. Gilean, Reorx, Chislev, Zivilyn, Shinare and Sirrion emanate from the Hidden Vale, at once a part of it and separate, as is the nature of gods. Lunitari, too, once emanated from the Vale but her estate is now housed within her moon, to be closer to the mortal wizards that she governs.

Within the Hidden Vale, vast realms attuned to these gods exist, often only for the benefit of visitors or those elementals and beasts that dwell there:the trees of Zaan,the many-columned Library of the Tobril,and the fires of the Worldforge. Because of the primal associations of the Neutral Gods with such abstract concepts as knowledge, wisdom, and enterprise, it is fitting that the Hidden Vale is also the source of the elemental planes. Purest air, earth, fire, and water arise from the wellspring of the Hidden Vale and flow along the channels of the Gray to the mortal world.

Much as the Dome of Creation would be nothing without the Abyss, and neither would exist in balance without the Hidden Vale, the emanations of the realm of Neutrality would be unable to exist without the gifts of creation and the promise of ruin. This is just as Reorx had intended when he struck his forging hammer into Chaos: that the material world should be crafted from elemental forces tempered by darkness and light.

The Gray

The Gray is the name given by the elder races of Krynn both to the Ethereal Sea and the three channels of that boundless ocean of Chaos within the sphere of Krynn’s universe. Beyond the Gate of Souls, this vast sea bears many other worlds, of which Krynn is only one. Within the sphere, the Gray exists as the Plane of Shadow, the Ethereal Plane, and the Astral Plane. All three transitive planes connect and intersect with the mortal realm and the realms of the gods, serving as the glue that holds all of existence together. Pocket dimensions, border and periphery realms, and demiplanes abound within the Gray,some of them manifesting completely within one of the three transitive planes, and other over lapping not only multiple channels but also the mortal realm itself. The divine estates of Solinari, Lunitari and Nuitari are each contained within the Gray and connected to the mortal realm through their moons.

Travel into the Gray is easier than travel to the outer planes or the abodes of the gods, but the experience differs depending on the nature of the magic used to enter it. Spells that affect or influence the Astral Plane tend to allow mortals to project their astral selves, or souls, deep into the Gray and observe the mysteries within. Spells that deal with the Ethereal Plane open the pathways into dreams and the unconscious, for the Ethereal Plane interacts strongly with the sleeping minds of mortals. Spells of the Plane of Shadow often allow the spellcaster to slip partially into the Gray, becoming only quasi-real for a period of time. No two paths are the same, and true travel between worlds is often only possible when the greatest magics have been brought together in the form of portals, gates, and dimension-spanning artifacts.