Tvtyrant
2011-06-09, 02:56 AM
This is the cosmology I used in my Little Dark Isle campaign; its set in what is called "Timeline A" where various races and type evolved slowly over time (excepting the outsiders). The premise of "Timeline A" is that the Ithiliads establish "Timeline B" which becomes the standard D&D cosmology. The Ithiliads have bred the humanoid races to get "Giths" in timeline A, and bring them back with them when they establish timeline B. The Giths live on the Astral Sea after they revolt, and the collision of this plane with the ethereal spreads them out amongst the spheres, along with the Astral Sea dwelling Mindflayers. This causes the Giths to become the progenitors of all of the races. The original race that became the Giths do not correspond to any timeline B race. Little Dark Island is set within Timeline A at the end of the humanoid realms where they are replaced by Ithiliads.
Universe starts as Atropus the Twin Soul. Atropus can be most easily understood as being the positive and negative energy planes combined together. Atropus spends an endless amount of time being torn apart by the conflicting nature of its soul, and when finally it forgets the last universe entirely it loses the will to keep itself together, and explodes into the 32 planes. These planes were completely separate from one another, and Atropus’ mind was severed and hurled out into the places between the planes. As it eventually began to collect its will the planes began to converge on its location, which would eventually become the prime material. First the inner planes connected to each other, and then the outer, and then the outer to the astral, and then the inner to the ethereal, and then the astral to the ethereal, creating the prime material. The Plane of Shadow is the home of the Atropus, but its location is also visible as a moon of negative energy on the Prime Material.
The planet of Abastumani in Universe A was divided into type based epochs by the convergence, with each age leading to a new type coming into power.
1. Aberration, Ooze, Vermin
2. Elementals, Fey, Outsiders
3. Giants, Magical Beasts, Monstrous Humanoids
4. Animal, Dragon, Humanoid
5. Constructs, Plants, Undead
The first epoch is the Age of Aberrations, where Aberrations, Oozes and Vermin dominated land and sea. This was an era of cold shallow seas beneath a ray and ash filled sky and tall pillars of stone without soil. The three most powerful groups are the water based Aboleths, the sky based Beholders and the ground based Neolithids. Vermin and Oozes are treated as a source of sustenance, with the lesser Aberrations mostly hiding in the fringes of the world as goblinoids and orcs do in the fourth epoch. The first epoch lasts over 100 million years.
The second epoch starts with the connection of the Astral and Ethereal seas and is called the Age of Fiends. Elementals, Fey and Outsiders pour into the world and destroy the aberrations, replacing them with their own warring civilizations. The dominant groups are the Devils and Court of Faerie, which fight over the ownership of the ancient Beholder and Aboleth cities of Aberrations and oozes survive by hiding in the dark parts of the world while the outsiders battle for the surface. Only the small vermin survive on the surface, and the few larger ones live in the slowly developing Underdark.
The Third epoch starts a few million years after the end of the Law/Chaos alignment war causes the gods to limit outsider access to the Prime Material in order to preserve it for themselves. The Age of Giants is a series of ice ages punctuated by hot periods, with the monstrous humanoids living at the equator or as the giant’s slaves. Magical beasts, spawned between early animals and outsiders dominate the fauna. The remnants of the aberrations have created the underdark and are starting to be pushed into its darkest holes by influxes of outsiders. The first Ithiliad is born by taking position in a monstrous humanoids skull, and the collapsing neolithid population is replaced by the new ithiliad one. This age ends with the rise of Dragons, who destroy the Giants and breed humanoids out of their monstrous cousins.
The Fourth epoch, the Age of Dragons, dates to the evolution of dragons from a strain of monstrous beasts. The Dragons overthrow the giants and breed more peaceable slaves in humanoids and destroy the more dangerous magical beasts to make their world safer. The dragons split over a religious conflict and effectively end their own rule in the Dragon Wars. The dragon population falls to a few thousand individuals living with scores of their most trusted servants (Kobold like things) and mostly uncaring about the fate of the world. The humanoid population sky rockets and begins to take control of the world for itself, eventually erecting a brilliant civilization of flying cities and space travel. This civilization collapses when the Ithiliads invade it from below, conquering and enslaving its citizens. However their success is impermanent, as the growing merger of the planes unleashes forces that living creatures cannot thrive within. The appearance of Atropus dooms the Ithiliad civilization, which erects a time machine to send their people back into the past and create a new empire.
The Fifth epoch, the Age of Undead, is dominated by Constructs, Undead and Plant creatures, which are resistant to the effects of the combining worlds. The intelligent constructs and undead rule legions of mindless followers, each scheming against each other beneath the dead sun. This epoch is endless and eventually engulfs the entire universe as planet after planet succumbs to Atropus’ grasp.
Universe starts as Atropus the Twin Soul. Atropus can be most easily understood as being the positive and negative energy planes combined together. Atropus spends an endless amount of time being torn apart by the conflicting nature of its soul, and when finally it forgets the last universe entirely it loses the will to keep itself together, and explodes into the 32 planes. These planes were completely separate from one another, and Atropus’ mind was severed and hurled out into the places between the planes. As it eventually began to collect its will the planes began to converge on its location, which would eventually become the prime material. First the inner planes connected to each other, and then the outer, and then the outer to the astral, and then the inner to the ethereal, and then the astral to the ethereal, creating the prime material. The Plane of Shadow is the home of the Atropus, but its location is also visible as a moon of negative energy on the Prime Material.
The planet of Abastumani in Universe A was divided into type based epochs by the convergence, with each age leading to a new type coming into power.
1. Aberration, Ooze, Vermin
2. Elementals, Fey, Outsiders
3. Giants, Magical Beasts, Monstrous Humanoids
4. Animal, Dragon, Humanoid
5. Constructs, Plants, Undead
The first epoch is the Age of Aberrations, where Aberrations, Oozes and Vermin dominated land and sea. This was an era of cold shallow seas beneath a ray and ash filled sky and tall pillars of stone without soil. The three most powerful groups are the water based Aboleths, the sky based Beholders and the ground based Neolithids. Vermin and Oozes are treated as a source of sustenance, with the lesser Aberrations mostly hiding in the fringes of the world as goblinoids and orcs do in the fourth epoch. The first epoch lasts over 100 million years.
The second epoch starts with the connection of the Astral and Ethereal seas and is called the Age of Fiends. Elementals, Fey and Outsiders pour into the world and destroy the aberrations, replacing them with their own warring civilizations. The dominant groups are the Devils and Court of Faerie, which fight over the ownership of the ancient Beholder and Aboleth cities of Aberrations and oozes survive by hiding in the dark parts of the world while the outsiders battle for the surface. Only the small vermin survive on the surface, and the few larger ones live in the slowly developing Underdark.
The Third epoch starts a few million years after the end of the Law/Chaos alignment war causes the gods to limit outsider access to the Prime Material in order to preserve it for themselves. The Age of Giants is a series of ice ages punctuated by hot periods, with the monstrous humanoids living at the equator or as the giant’s slaves. Magical beasts, spawned between early animals and outsiders dominate the fauna. The remnants of the aberrations have created the underdark and are starting to be pushed into its darkest holes by influxes of outsiders. The first Ithiliad is born by taking position in a monstrous humanoids skull, and the collapsing neolithid population is replaced by the new ithiliad one. This age ends with the rise of Dragons, who destroy the Giants and breed humanoids out of their monstrous cousins.
The Fourth epoch, the Age of Dragons, dates to the evolution of dragons from a strain of monstrous beasts. The Dragons overthrow the giants and breed more peaceable slaves in humanoids and destroy the more dangerous magical beasts to make their world safer. The dragons split over a religious conflict and effectively end their own rule in the Dragon Wars. The dragon population falls to a few thousand individuals living with scores of their most trusted servants (Kobold like things) and mostly uncaring about the fate of the world. The humanoid population sky rockets and begins to take control of the world for itself, eventually erecting a brilliant civilization of flying cities and space travel. This civilization collapses when the Ithiliads invade it from below, conquering and enslaving its citizens. However their success is impermanent, as the growing merger of the planes unleashes forces that living creatures cannot thrive within. The appearance of Atropus dooms the Ithiliad civilization, which erects a time machine to send their people back into the past and create a new empire.
The Fifth epoch, the Age of Undead, is dominated by Constructs, Undead and Plant creatures, which are resistant to the effects of the combining worlds. The intelligent constructs and undead rule legions of mindless followers, each scheming against each other beneath the dead sun. This epoch is endless and eventually engulfs the entire universe as planet after planet succumbs to Atropus’ grasp.