Mnemos’ Cosmology

While it is true that the ancient wars of the Arcanum ravaged Mnemos and devastated both lands and people alike, such damage did not remain localized to the Primord alone. The four other planar realms of Mnemos, with their proximity to the Primord, were deeply affected as well. Furthermore, the unprecedented genesis of a wholly new planar realm, the Tempest, has sent shockwaves through all the realms of Mnemos - many of which are still being discovered in the present. Never in known history has a whole planar realm manifested, nor do any of the other planar realms have the ability to affect one another as much as the Tempest.

In most cases, these realms can touch upon one another - or, more often, touch upon the Primord - however, those ‘nexus points’ generally occur in fixed locations or at fixed times (or both). The Tempest, on the other hand, permanently exists both within the Primord and distinct from it. Its powers to affect reality also seem to allow it to change the most fundamental rules of metaphysics which, much to the horror of anyone caught in the wrong squall at the wrong time, means that the Tempest has the power to temporarily alter or merge even the planar realm one expects to reach at the other end of the storm. Stories abound of travelers braving the Tempest to search for a better life, only to find themselves stepping through a portion of the elemental realm of the Equilibrium or wandering into a portion of the Halcyon where ancient, empty buildings still stand as if untouched by the ravages of time.

The rise of accessible public education has ensured that many people in Mnemos gain a basic understanding of their world and that it extends far beyond what they may experience on a daily basis. All four of the original planar realms interact with the Primord along established patterns, so integral to life that they form the very foundation for the Gyre. The last two, on the other hand, are both ends of a chaos spectrum: one inaccessible and terrifying for what it once let loose upon the world; the other a roiling torrent of chaos that touches every part of the known world today.