Dungeons & Delvers 2nd Edition: Cosmology Draft

Our current cosmology model for Dungeons & Delvers 2nd Edition. We used Dungeons & Dragons and "real world" cosmologies as a foundation, mixing, matching, and changing things if we thought of something more interesting: we didn't want to constrain ourselves to established models and/or flavor, unless we found something that was precisely what we were looking for (which we didn't).

This is to just help inform how some spells and effects might be interpreted to work, the flavor for some monsters, and also some adventure ideas. We aren't going to create an entire setting for 2nd Edition (at least not in the core books): as with most D&D editions, that's on you, though we hope to have something more substantial to work with, to inform your choices.

Material World

Also known as the Mortal Realm, or the Prime Material. Fashioned by one or more gods from choice remains of four primordials they slew ages ago (there might only be one god, with at least several lesser gods, or several gods with one sort of "overgod").

This world is flat. Not necessarily circular, and the gods add or remove to it as desired. The edge is either some sort of ridge, or gradually breaks down into the Ethereal Tide (or simply sinks into the Sea). Sections might also sink or be consumed by the Ethereal Sea (see below), or at least become divided.

(Mortals were also fashioned by the gods from varying proportions of elements and Astral quintessence, with differing results.)

Ethereal Sea

Most easily described as something akin to a mist-shrouded sea, formerly inhabited by the leviathan-like primordials before they were slain by the gods. Alignment wise it is still “chaotic”, just less so than it used to be. Now inhabited by things the gods discarded or hidden from them, adapted from lost or destroyed planes, or spawned from the corpses of the primordials.

The Material World, Inner Planes, and other demiplanes more or less "float" atop it. If you can reach the Material Shore, know where to go (could definitely see lost civilizations leaving monuments for precisely this purpose), and have the supplies you could sail across the Ethereal to other places. Just don't touch the water, as without proper protection it mutates you.

Some places will be submerged, or otherwise sunk into the Ethereal long ago. A great place to hide prisons or vaults, or for wizards to craft their own demiplanes (and for druids to grow their own realms).

For crafting, ethereal fog or gas (dwarves and dark elves could extract the stuff) would be used to make potions and oils that render you ethereal (a highly chaotic state), as well as contain and harm ghosts (whose bodies are formed of a combination of ether and astral quintessence).

Faerie Realm

As I write this, I'm not exactly sure how I want to handle this. I definitely want there to be a faerie realm, but not sure if it's a copy of the Material World, a first attempt by the gods, or something exceedingly powerful elves made on their own, by stealing parts of the primordials, light or flame from one of the heavens, and then made a world that was formerly hidden deep within the Ethereal, where the gods couldn't see.

And then, centuries or millennia later, the gods forgot, stopped caring, forgave them, or the elven nobles that originally stole the light or flame surrendered their power, or perhaps immortality as punishment. Something happened, and the Faerie Realm drifted too close to the Material Realm, or it became connected by too many people passing between both worlds (creating persistent planar tunnels through the Ethereal).

Well, maybe this is the answer.

Faerie rings naturally appear in places where there is overlap, like extraplanar wormholes. Something I also just now thought of, are faerie "rings" of such considerable size that you don't even notice them. Like a circle of trees encapsulating a faewood, but within an existing forest so you don't even realize there's a ring in the first place.

Or even a circle of mushrooms or stones hidden by foliage. For something more abstract, the reflection of a full moon or circular constellation of stars on a lake could serve as a "ring", transporting you, but only at a specific time and place. It could also generate a kind of mobile ring. Stone faerie rings (including those the size of mountain ranges) would be where you go to find moonsilver.

Something I just thought of, is that since you can sail the Ethereal Sea to get to other planes, elves could also do that voyage thing when they hit 700 or so years. Either to go to the elf equivalent of "heaven", or as a sort of tradition thing, assuming they are simply sailing to the Faerie Realm. Or maybe that part of the Faerie Realm is only accessible via the Ethereal Sea.

Underworld

Where the souls of properly buried mortals deserving of neither the Heavens nor Hells go to (so long as they realize they are dead, or don't have a sufficient tie to the Material). These halls are maintained by dwarven death cults and/or undead, at the behest of cthonic gods (including those worshiped by druids) or demon princes that managed to claw their way out of Hell.

It is possible for the living to go here, if they venture deep enough underground. The precise depth varies, so dwarves must be careful. Of course, some of them deliberately dig this deep in search of very ancient and rare gems, metals, and other, stranger materials.

Dark elves also venture here for similar reasons, but actively search for souls to enslave, use as fuel, or feed their cruel deity.

Tumultuous Ethereal rivers can be found here, but due to their chaotic nature can flow backwards, up walls, and across ceilings. They're also breeding grounds for chaotic monstrosities, and responsible for earthquakes where they inflict rapid/sudden deterioration of the Material World (something that the cthonian gods are supposed to prevent by re-routing these rivers and sealing entrances).

(And it is here that I consider spells that transform creatures either rely on, or are otherwise enhanced by Ethereal mist.)

The Nine Hells

A pit deep within the Material World formed from fallen angels cast out of the Celestial Heavens, while it was being formed. There are still impact craters from their fall, and some of these scars never fully healed (or were properly purified). They remain dark and dangerous, blights on the land, untouched by the sun, spawning monstrous creatures and corrupting man and beast alike.

This also makes them ideal sites for profane temples and rituals, and could be responsible for cambion births where their wasn't an infernal parent. Warlocks, or those seeking the infernal pact, might seek these places out in order to make contact with a patron.

Oh, sinsteel can be mined from these locations. Whatever sin it is tied to depends on which sort of demon(s) landed there. Also oil or tar-like blood, which could be sentient, resulting in an especially malignant category of ooze.

Elemental Planes

Initially I thought that the primordial corpses would be buried deep within the ethereal, metaphysically stacked atop each other, but I think it would be better if they encircled the Material World, located somewhere across the Ethereal Sea.

Air and earth, and fire and water are placed on opposing sides, preventing them from touching and canceling each other out destructively. They can otherwise mingle, especially at the borders where they brush against each other due to the tides of the Ethereal Sea (ie, water has plant life due to coming into contact with earth).

This is how you can get “paraelemental” planes. They aren’t distinct: you can pass from one to another, though they are of such immense size it would take many years to move from one plane to the next, assuming they are in contact with each other at that point in time.

Given that the Material World is made from their remains, the Elemental Planes are connected in a metaphysical sense. This allows one at certain spots to traverse from the Material World to one of the Elemental Planes, and also creates places of great power that can be drawn upon (even if only for thematically appropriate purposes).

These places are also where some natural disasters are more common, where various elemental monsters are more likely to appear, and certain materials can be found (such as katachalkos and red steel).

Oh, and on that note, if the Elemental Planes slowly circle about, this could account for the transition of seasons. You could also have an elemental zodiac, similar to the Chinese one. Moving from the Material to an Elemental Plane might only be possible at certain times.

The Celestial Heavens

The dwelling places of the gods (or, rather, most of them). These heavenly dominions appear as what we recognize as planets, which are merely physical projections of the true heaven, accessible only via the Astral Plane. It also contains ruined divine realms, and the corpses of gods slain while fighting the primordials, by other gods or calamities, or simply forgotten.

During battles against the primordial, each other, and other similarly powerful entities (like eldritch abominations), parts or even entire heavens have collided with the Material World or Ethereal Sea. Mortals have sometimes recovered relics and artifacts (or transformed these ruins into holy sites), but even small parts have been refined as godsteel.

Evil gods cannot reside here--they must instead dwell within the Underworld or Hells, though some inhabit the Material World or one of the Inner Planes--and angels do not dwell here. They don’t even serve these gods, but a higher authority, which means we might be removing the ability for clerics to summon angels.

Astral Realm/World/Sky

A place of pure thought, which--barring magic, circumstances, and/or substances--touches everything, everywhere.

At its most extreme it appears as a silvery void. It manifests above the world, though this projection is inverted, causing it to be appear dark. The closer one is to the Material World while within the Astral, the less bizarre things seem to be: it is when you ascend that reality seems to break down (at higher points it is referred to as the Astral Sky).

Where the Ethereal Sea permits transit between “local” planes of this reality, the Astral Plane can be utilized for seemingly instantaneous (or at least faster) travel through the Material World, Inner Planes, Celestial Heavens, and beyond. A combination of folding or distorting space, and to an extent time.

I also like the idea of the consciousness of dreaming mortals going to a sort of dreamland environment (where the time distortion accounts for dream lengths that don't correspond with how long you were sleeping). This could mean creating a temporary pocket in the Astral (somewhere), or even an alternate reality entirely (since the Astral connects everywhere).

The Far Realm

Not sure if these needs to be its own thing, a distant region of the Astral, or a completely alternate dimension.