But what IS a Universe?

[Lord of Shadows]

Barzakh is the plane of Numerology, of equation and rigor, proof and computation. And...

Okay, honestly, this is the one I have the least clue about. It's most directly inspired by Mechanus, as clockwork is based entirely on gear ratios in order to do anything interesting, and Modrons as polyhedrons makes sense as a base for mathematical creatures. Another idea for the native entities is the Asuras thought up in this thread, but I don't want to just crib that idea without his permission and his thread's almost as dead as this one.

Just like Tartarus, I also don't know how to mess with the physics much. Our understanding of physics is entirely reliant on math, just as much of our physical world is dependant on chemistry. I would like to come up with some new twist on the whole clockwork machinery, but aside from the gears being made from magic circles I have nothing to go on.

Maybe it could be some sort of computer-based plane? I don't know how to really use a 'digital world' idea in a mostly fantasy context, and that idea never really caught my interest anyway. I don't know nearly enough about programming to try to make a plane with physics based on computer logic, if that would be suitably weird.

So, if anybody out there is actually reading this, I really hope you have some kind of idea.

What about a Matrix-like plane.. Not the machine-created-artificial-reality-for-humans part from the movies, but a plane that exists as constantly streaming code, perhaps a higher math of some sort - and Modrons as its native creatures can read the code (math) and manipulate it. Maybe Clockwork creatures were created by mortals who became vaguely aware of this plane and tried to find some way to interact with it, investigate it, understand it, or take advantage of it. Their usefulness in the "real" world was just a side effect.

Hope this helps.