Cosmology!
Included are three diagrams.
The first is that of the Eldamon Elements. It is included as a guide for the Eldamon Elemental Symbols as they are used in the other two diagrams.
The second is a conceptual map of the cosmos.
The third shows how the four basic elements formed most of the other elements.
Eldamon
As the cosmology map relies on the Eldamon elements I think an explanation of these creatures is warranted. Eldamon are creatures made of elemental fragments. For those familiar with both Pokemon and spren from Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives, not much more of an explanation is needed - just cross the concepts and there you have Eldamon. I have included an explanation for those only familiar with one of the two.
Explanation From A Spren Perspective: Imagine spren consisting of solely just elements rather than the wide array of concepts they are encountered as in the Stormlight Archives. Eldamon are also able to form bonds with characters. This can consist of just being a pet or even something awfully similar to that of a Knight Radiant and their spren, giving the character matching powers.
Explanation From A Pokemon Perspective: Eldamon are Pokemon that exist phased out. They can be observed, but not interacted with. Wild Eldamon only exist in their base or pet forms in the wild and require bonding to a character to utilize their battle or evolved forms in either the Eldamon dimension or the normal dimension as is the case for Eldamon Trainers.
Cosmology Origin Story:
At the beginning there were four spheres, each made of a single distinct element. These four primordial elements were Fire, Earth, Water and Air.
The four spheres all collided creating an explosion.
The remains of each of the four base spheres were flung outwards, along with the newly created composite spheres. The composite spheres are: Metal made from Fire and Earth, Wood made from Earth and Water, Ice made from Water and Air, and Lightning made from Air and Fire. These eight spheres form the elemental ring.
Where the collusion occurred the greatest mix of the four base elements formed briefly into that of Life and Death before combining into a single sphere - the Prime sphere. As life sprung into existence the three other essence spheres formed; Body, Mind and Spirit.
Two other spheres formed from the fragments, that of the Darkness and the Light spheres, reflections of the Prime Sphere.
Rings
See Rings for the Essence Ring and Elemental Ring.
Essence Spheres
An essence sphere is made of one of the fundamental components of reality: matter, spirit, mind, and life.
Elemental Spheres
An elemental sphere consists of a sphere made out mostly of its element, though there are some amounts of other elements present, particularly from adjacent spheres. All are roughly larger than the sun of the Prime Sphere’s solar system.
Prime Sphere Adjacent Spheres: Darkness Sphere, Light Sphere, Mind Sphere, Spirit Sphere
The Prime Sphere is the core where creation and destruction are most prominent. It is far easier to kill a deity while they are in the Prime Sphere than any other sphere. That along with the Godhunter’s vigilance means deities tend to only send fragments of themselves that they can recover to the Prime Sphere. The Prime Sphere consists of a single solar system. The Darkness Sphere and the Light Sphere are altered variants of the Prime Sphere, and appear to be the same size.
Mind Sphere Adjacent Spheres: Body Sphere, Spirit Sphere
Dreams, thoughts, and emotions heightened. Everyone is capable of altering reality as if in a lucid dream.
Spirit Sphere Adjacent Spheres: Prime Sphere, Mind Sphere
Creatures upon entering take on the appearance of their inner self. Creatures can sense who other creatures are if they are known to them.
Body Sphere Adjacent Spheres: Prime Sphere, Mind Sphere
Heightened physical senses. Colours are more vibrant. Vision clearer. Sounds louder, but more distinct. Smells stronger and traceable.
Light Sphere Native Inhabitants: Mirrored Variants of Inhabitants of the Prime Sphere Adjacent Spheres: Prime Sphere
Mirrors the primary sphere. All surfaces are reflective, so light is present in every nook and cranny.
Darkness Sphere Native Inhabitants: Shadow Creatures Adjacent Spheres: Prime Sphere
It is a shadowy twisted imitation of the primary sphere. Ever shifting shadows are present in spite of the lack of light.
Air Sphere Divinities: The Matriarch, The Tempest Native Inhabitants: Jaathooms, Sylphs, Angels, Air Elementals Adjacent Spheres: Lightning, Ice
The Air Sphere consists mostly of air made up from various gasses. Scatterings of other elements from the collusion along with denser clouds serve as solid ground
Cloud City - A grand layered city built across various dense permanent clouds. The largest settlement in the sphere of air.
Cloud Citadel - Rising above all of cloud city, the Matriarch’s citadel serves as the meeting place for the Inheritors for the Air season.
The Everstorm - A hurricane-like storm surrounding the Air Sphere’s core. Pulls all the air in the sphere inwards. The force of the pull is stronger closer to the Everstorm.
Tempest Ship - The Tempest’s ship sails the winds of the Everstorm. It looks like a normal water based ship, but it sails through the air instead of the waves.
The Wandering Balloons - Various hot air balloons and airships ferry or house non-flying creatures around the Air Sphere.
Fire Sphere Divinities: The Magician, The Watcher Native Inhabitants: Ifrits, Naaris, Munsahir, Fire Elementals Adjacent Spheres: Metal, Lightning
The surface of the Fire Sphere is made up of materials able to stay solid at scorching temperatures, broken up by bodies of fire and lava.
Earth Sphere Divinities: The Farmer, The Guardian Native Inhabitants: Jabalis, Oreads, Ximorn, Earth Elementals Adjacent Spheres: Metal, Wood
The Earth Sphere is not just a giant solid rock. Under the surface there are vast caverns of varying sizes and composition. Gigantic gemstones are found throughout the sphere. Mountains and canyons shape the surface.
Plentiful Fields - The plentiful fields is where all agriculture outside of the prime sphere occurs. The food grown is consumed solely for pleasure as most creatures beyond the prime sphere don’t need to eat. Among the farms is the farm of the Farmer, which is said to grow produce reserved for the inheritors and the greatest of farmers.
The Vault - The core within the earth sphere has had a structure made of matter from different spheres surrounding it, making it impossible to burrow straight inside. Rumors of what the Guardian has locked away are numerous. Ore that could make weapons capable of slaying deities, gems and jewels of all kinds, the corpse of the earth primordial growing crystals of pure earth matter, or the still alive earth primordial trapped within.
Subcord (L: Under Heart) - City of the Vault - The largest settlement in the Earth sphere, built near a tunnel that is rumored to lead to the sole entrance into the vault. Somewhere among the buildings in the caverns that make up the city is the Guardian’s home where the Inheritors meet in the Earth season.
Wildspire Mountains - While there are many mountain ranges in the Earth Sphere, the Wildspire Mountains are unique. Each mountain appears individually crafted, with no true pattern other than chaos.
The Universe’s Heart - A legendary cave made from a rainbow of gems and crystals. The only bigger mystery than where it is located is that of its origin.
Water Sphere Divinities: The Merchant, The Lover Native Inhabitants: Faydhaans, Undines, Murajau, Water Elementals Adjacent Spheres: Ice, Wood
Bubbles with breathable air within the water. Surface of the water has small islands of various elemental remnants. Underwater cities. Some even utilize the air bubbles to allow for non aquatic creatures to live there. Seaweed. Coral Reefs. Underwater coral reef island.
Marea, (Metropolis Built Over Core) - Covering the entirety of Water Sphere’s core, the metropolis is far and beyond the largest settlement in the Water sphere. There is a district in a large air bubble for air breathers. Both the Lover’s Moon Palace and the Great Ravine are part of the Metropolis.
Moon Palace - An extravagant palace that shines like the moon. The Lover resides inside and hosts the other Inheritors during the Water season.
The Great Ravine - A thin deep ravine is present on the Water’s Sphere’s core. While it is physically possible to dive into the dark depths, no one has ever returned from doing so.
Flotilla Market - Various rafts, stalls and ships tied together to form an elaborate market. As various parts arrive and others leave, the market is always shifting. While the Merchant always returns to the Flotilla Market, he is often in transit.
Leviathan City - The city consists of two districts: Topside (Built on the top of the Leviathan) and Inside (Built inside the creature). Topside can be both above water and submerged, so residents have to be prepared to breathe both air and water. Inside has a tendency to be moist, but it does consistently have air.
Ice Sphere Divinities: The Warrior Native Inhabitants: Skadi, Amarok, Ice Elementals Adjacent Spheres: Air, Water
The Ice Sphere contains various features, Tundra, Frozen Lakes, Caverns Carved through massive chunks of ice, mountains coated in snow and ice and glaciers traversing all around the sphere.
Frozen Fortress - The Warrior’s stronghold. The Warrior herself prefers to roam with a hand picked group of fallen heroes, but her fortress is home to many of the most renowned heroes. They are typically training for when they are called on to fight for the Inheritors. Beneath the Fortress are ice caverns that show memories of those that visit them.
Colossal Glacier Elemental - Ice elemental that covers kilometers. Travels across the ice sphere adding smaller elementals to its mass.
Frost Faire - Between the competitive heroes and the competitive genies that call the ice sphere home, there is a lot of tension that is released through various competitions. Reckless contests such as racing down mountains and competing who can last the longest in the coldest body of water available. During the Frost Faire champions of every contest are crowned and these champions boast the title until the next Frost Faire.
Tundra of Frozen Statues - A large area of tundra covered in lifelike ice sculptures. So lifelike that viewers of the statues ask themself if they aren’t just frozen creatures.
Lightning Sphere (Electricity/Lighting Sphere) Divinities: The Dreamer Native Inhabitants: Raijinn, Raiju, Lightning Elementals Adjacent Spheres: Air, Fire
Harnessing of the naturally occurring electricity has allowed the sphere to advance technology to utilize all the electricity. Electricity is constantly jumping from the core to roughly the same radius away. Various materials have formed a surface at the lightning’s end point.
Plasmania, The Neon City - Largest settlement on the Lightning Sphere. Technology advanced due to the endless supply of electricity from the Lighting Strikes from the core. The city is always bright thanks to electricity running through pipes full of coloured gasses.
The Hall of Innovation - It is a huge structure outside of the Neon City. Inside various inventions and discoveries are displayed as exhibits. While some are completed, many are still in progress and are being actively tinkered with it.
Stormfield - Where lightning does not strike twice, but thrice. It is an area of the Electricity’s sphere surface that has the highest concentration of lighting strikes. While risky, it is a great place to capture electricity.
Lightningbird - Tends to hang out above the Stormfield. Its own lightning will strike at the same place as those from the core do. When it is present, the Stormfield is dangerous even to those immune to electricity.
Metal Sphere Divinities: The Architect Native Inhabitants: Zuhras, Taloses, Mercurial, Metal Elementals Adjacent Spheres: Earth, Fire
The Metal Sphere is made up of every kind of metal, with the rarer metals being closer to the sphere’s core.
Metal Mines - While everything is made out of metal, not all metals are as abundant as others. Various mines exist throughout the Metal Sphere for extracting the rarer metals.
The Cursed Forge - The abandoned forge of the Smith, a previous inheritor who was killed by the Godhunter. Where he forged various powerful items, including the weapons used to defeat the Primordials and the ones the Godhunter used to then slay him. Simple and humble compared to many of the active forges. Some of his final masterpieces remain left untouched out of fear taking them from their place would curse the thief.
Elinvar (nickel-iron-chromium), The City of Alloy - The kingdom, home and project of the Architect. Built from various metals and alloys, it has creatively distinct buildings.
The Metal Giant - Colossal humanoid made of metal.
Wood Sphere Divinities: The Beast Native Inhabitants: Kizidhars, Ardandes, Kodama, Wood Elementals Adjacent Spheres: Lighting, Ice
The Wood Sphere is home to plants of all kinds. Many different ecosystems are present on the sphere which allows for the varying kinds of plants to all flourish.
The Unknown - A mystical and eerie forest that is home to the Beast. The Unknown is said to be the origin of many particular and dangerous creatures.
Eternal Garden - A garden with various plants all in full bloom.
Mother Tree - A tree beyond comparison. Connected to all plant life on the Wood Sphere and potentially across the Cosmos.
Casbor (L: Fort Tree) - The denizens (Wood Genies) of the Wood Sphere sing to the various plant life encouraging it to grow into needed structures.
Dimensions
Dimensions are connected to all parts of the cosmos.
Eldamon Dimension - Creatures in the Eldamon Dimension can be visually observed. Creatures in the Eldamon Dimension observe everything as if they were present in the normal dimension. While they can’t move through solid objects in the normal dimension any force applied is negated so they are not harmed.
Demon Dimension - Creatures in the demon dimension are unobservable to those in the normal dimension. Creatures in the demon dimension are able to see unclearly into the normal dimension. Creatures consisting of all four essences are the clearest, while things consisting of only matter appear mostly translucent.
Funnily enough the Pathfinder 2e Remaster removed alignments, so I no longer need to create my own system for cosmic level conflicts. Essentially characters with a divine connection can be sanctified. A sanctified creature is one dedicated to a cosmic cause. In the remaster there are two cosmic causes: holy and unholy, or good and evil. I wanted to add a few more though, and currently we are at 5 distinct cosmic sanctifications. The various traits will empower spirit damage, a new type of damage replacing alignment damage.
Cosmic Forces The Goddess - Holy Inheritors - Holy Primordials - None (As they are Natural Forces, I feel that they should be sanctified, but if anyone disagrees let me know) Devils - Infernal Fiends - Omnicidal Demons - Unholy Godhunter - Profane Mortal Independence - Profane
The holy trait indicates a cosmic devotion to a deity or deities, protecting the innocent, and battle against evil forces. The unholy trait indicates a cosmic devotion to victimizing others, inflicting harm, and spreading sin. The infernal trait indicates a cosmic devotion to contracts and the infernal hierarchy. The omnicidal trait indicates a cosmic devotion to ending all life in existence. The profane trait indicates a cosmic devotion to free mortals from oppression of immortal beings.
Mapping of Planes to Spheres
The Universe (Material Plane) -> Core Sphere Creation’s Forge (Positive Energy Plane) -> Core Sphere The Void (Negative Energy Plane) -> Core Sphere
Elemental Plane of Air -> Air Sphere Elemental Plane of Wood -> Wood Sphere Elemental Plane of Water -> Water Sphere Elemental Plane of Metal -> Metal Sphere Elemental Plane of Earth -> Earth Sphere Elemental Plane of Fire -> Fire Sphere
Astral Plane -> Mind, Spirit, and Body Spheres Ethereal Plane -> Light Sphere? [Need something that allows vision out, but does not hamper movement] Or we remove The Netherworld (Shadow Plane) -> Darkness/Shadow Sphere First World -X- Fey Appearing Within the Wood Sphere
The Nine Outer Planes have no equivalents; in the future I will explain where all their occupants can be found instead
The Boneyard [N], The Maelstrom [CN], Abaddon [NE], The Outer Rifts (Abyss) [CE], Hell [LE], Elysium [CG], Heaven [LG], Nirvana [NG]
New/Altered Spells and Rituals
Plane Shift [7] -> Sphere Shift [6] Transports between two adjacent spheres. Heightened (7th) Between any two spheres
Astral Projection Can project the target’s appropriate essence to any of the essence spheres.
Temporary Spherical Rift [Ritual 6] Creates a rift to an adjacent sphere. Heightened (7th) Between any two spheres.