The OOTS Cosmology

[georger0171]

For speculating about the cosmology of the OOTS solar system.

[Dion]

For speculating about the cosmology of the OOTS solar system.

The inside part is on the inside, and the outside part is on the inside as well.

The top part is also on the inside.

It’s a sort of inside cosmology.

[TaiLiu]

Well, there's the earth, and we also see one sun and one moon. And plenty of stars.

At the end of How the Paladin Got His Scar, we do in fact get a glimpse of the material solar system.

Spoiler: Cosmic Spoils

Show

There's the aforementioned sun and moon and earth, and there seem to be two planet-like entities closer to the sun. There's also a rich background of stars, and uneven blobs of even color. My guess is that they're meant to depict nebulæ, but they could also be something like clouds or smog—which would suggest be a very different material cosmology than the one we inhabit ourselves.

[Dion]

I don’t have an answer, but I read once the best way to get the right answer on the internet is to post the wrong answer.

So, if perhaps you might volunteer what you believe the cosmology OotS should be (perhaps phrased as a Star Wars comparison), then I’m quite sure you’ll get answers.

[ebarde]

Just like Star Wars I think OOTS has nothing but various single biome planets

[brian 333]

It is very clear that there is the world and every day Sunna rides his firey chariot across the sky, which is also where Blessed Thor hides his thunderbolts.

One might extrapolate a deity driving a moon chariot across the sky at night and thousands of campfires around which the honorable dead gather to await their living kinfolk, but those theories are unconfirmed.

If you disagree with the first part, though, you are saying Sigdi is a liar.

[ziproot]

How exactly does control of the Sun work? The Western pantheon most likely also has a god of the Sun, Utu or Shamesh. I have no clue about the Southern pantheon and I believe the Dark One is just an independent god of humanoids. This is getting more into OOTS theology but I thought I might ask.

[Peelee]

How exactly does control of the Sun work?

I'd tell you, but then that opens up the chance of someone taking control away from me.

[hroþila]

It is very clear that there is the world and every day Sunna rides his firey chariot across the sky, which is also where Blessed Thor hides his thunderbolts.

Her (and then Mani is a he)

[Kantaki]

Her

Yep. High Priest of Sunna is a guy though.
I admit, I had to go and check.
Didn't remember which way around it was.

[Riftwolf]

How exactly does control of the Sun work? The Western pantheon most likely also has a god of the Sun, Utu or Shamesh. I have no clue about the Southern pantheon and I believe the Dark One is just an independent god of humanoids. This is getting more into OOTS theology but I thought I might ask.

If the Oots cosmology is set out like our solar system, then 'control of the sun' isn't as important to the Gods as 'taking credit for controlling the sun while suppressing heliocentrism'.

[Fyraltari]

If the Oots cosmology is set out like our solar system, then 'control of the sun' isn't as important to the Gods as 'taking credit for controlling the sun while suppressing heliocentrism'.

Wake up, stickle!
steeckle? Stcikple?

[ziproot]

If the Oots cosmology is set out like our solar system, then 'control of the sun' isn't as important to the Gods as 'taking credit for controlling the sun while suppressing heliocentrism'.

But Gods are powered by belief. There are a bunch of people believing Sunna moves the Sun, so therefore Sunna moves the Sun. I'm guessing that maybe the pantheons make a deal or something regarding who controls the Sun and when to prevent making another snarl.

[facw]

Well, there's the earth, and we also see one sun and one moon. And plenty of stars.

At the end of How the Paladin Got His Scar, we do in fact get a glimpse of the material solar system.

Spoiler: Cosmic Spoils

Show

There's the aforementioned sun and moon and earth, and there seem to be two planet-like entities closer to the sun. There's also a rich background of stars, and uneven blobs of even color. My guess is that they're meant to depict nebulæ, but they could also be something like clouds or smog—which would suggest be a very different material cosmology than the one we inhabit ourselves.

I'm not sure that's right?

Spoiler

Show

Is that actually a moon? It seems way too big (it's significantly bigger than Stickworld, though I suppose that could be perspective). Of course a planet that close would causes them to mess up their orbits and tear each other apart. Maybe Stickworld is a moon of the other world? We've seen a crescent moon in comic, but of course a crescent planet would look roughly the same.

[Dion]

Spoiler

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Of course a planet that close would causes them to mess up their orbits and tear each other apart.

Wouldn’t gods be able to build a universe with the physical laws designed so that didn’t happen?

[Emberlily]

I think it's clearly perspective.

Spoiler: response to facw

Show

They're clearly not on the same plane and 3 planetary diameters apart. It's possible the moon is bigger than the planet (tho I doubt it was meant that way) but one is clearly closer to the "camera" than the other. My first instinct was that the sun, moon, and planet were all on roughly a straight line but that's definitely not the only interpretation now that I look at it more.

[TaiLiu]

I'm not sure that's right?

Spoiler

Show

Is that actually a moon? It seems way too big (it's significantly bigger than Stickworld, though I suppose that could be perspective). Of course a planet that close would causes them to mess up their orbits and tear each other apart. Maybe Stickworld is a moon of the other world? We've seen a crescent moon in comic, but of course a crescent planet would look roughly the same.

Wouldn’t gods be able to build a universe with the physical laws designed so that didn’t happen?

I think it's clearly perspective.

Spoiler: response to facw

Show

They're clearly not on the same plane and 3 planetary diameters apart. It's possible the moon is bigger than the planet (tho I doubt it was meant that way) but one is clearly closer to the "camera" than the other. My first instinct was that the sun, moon, and planet were all on roughly a straight line but that's definitely not the only interpretation now that I look at it more.

Spoiler: Top Secret

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I agree with Emberlily. The OOTS inhabit a sketchy world, and I'm not sure Rich would bother generating an alternative material cosmology that the characters would never discuss or see. Also, I'm not sure he bothers with astronomic accuracy—I remember readers arguing that the moon in this comic suggested specific things about the cosmology of OOTS, and Rich saying that he just put it like that cuz it looked good.

[KorvinStarmast]

Wouldn’t gods be able to build a universe with the physical laws designed so that didn’t happen?

If only they could agree on how to do that ...

[Dion]

If only they could agree on how to do that ...

Yeah, if only they had rules or something. But I bet they all just do whatever they want, and the world just tangles up in a big self contradictory ball and destroys itself.

Oh hey! Someone should write a comic about that.

“Snag Trek: The Trouble with Tangles!”

[Fyraltari]

How exactly does control of the Sun work? The Western pantheon most likely also has a god of the Sun, Utu or Shamesh. I have no clue about the Southern pantheon and I believe the Dark One is just an independent god of humanoids. This is getting more into OOTS theology but I thought I might ask.

I choose to believe they do it Discworld-style and settle the matter by having a football match.

[Dion]

I choose to believe they do it Discworld-style and settle the matter by having a football match.

Thor is quarterback.

Monkey is goalkeeper.

Tiamat is seeker.

[Squire Doodad]

The biggest question with OOtS cosmology would probably be why the gods never just make a bunch of different solar systems worth of souls while covering the Snarl's prison with ever more protection

[NerdyKris]

I'm not sure that's right?

Spoiler

Show

Is that actually a moon? It seems way too big (it's significantly bigger than Stickworld, though I suppose that could be perspective). Of course a planet that close would causes them to mess up their orbits and tear each other apart. Maybe Stickworld is a moon of the other world? We've seen a crescent moon in comic, but of course a crescent planet would look roughly the same.

You're putting more thought into the panel than Rich probably did. He just wanted a nice looking shot, he probably didn't make sure the details were astronomically accurate.

He's said before when someone complained about the crescent moon not being the correct real world shape that it's not a detail he cares about.

[Devils_Advocate]

But Gods are powered by belief. There are a bunch of people believing Sunna moves the Sun, so therefore Sunna moves the Sun.

I'm pretty sure that enough people believing otherwise could prevent that. Even if they don't believe it currently! Recall how Odin is still recovering from how he was regarded in the previous world.

If it didn't work that way, then, barring some means in place to prevent sufficiently large numbers of people believing contradictory things, we'd quickly wind up with true contradictions. In which case, the answer is simple: Each pantheon has a deity who alone moves the sun across the sky. ;)

[Riftwolf]

The biggest question with OOtS cosmology would probably be why the gods never just make a bunch of different solar systems worth of souls while covering the Snarl's prison with ever more protection

They did, but by the time they'd got the other solar systems worth of souls up and running, the Snarl was already breaking out of its prison. The Gods ran the universe as a Galactic Horror Space-Opera world, but squabbles over how FTL travel should work meant they pulled the plug before they even had chance to throw PCs the campaign seeds.

Just a thought: do we see the cosmology from the perspective of a Southerner? It could be the North and West pantheons have Sun Gods who mooch credit from the superstitious, while the Southern pantheons followers have a more enlightened view of the universe.

[Silly Name]

How exactly does control of the Sun work? The Western pantheon most likely also has a god of the Sun, Utu or Shamesh. I have no clue about the Southern pantheon and I believe the Dark One is just an independent god of humanoids. This is getting more into OOTS theology but I thought I might ask.

Every sun deity is responsible for the sun travelling over the geographic region they have jurisdiction over. They ride all together on the chariot and switch the reins when they go over a certain meridian, so that each of them is responsible for giving sunlight to one-third of the planet.

Works as good as anything else.

[Dion]

How exactly does control of the Sun work?

There are four suns. Each pantheon flies one around. The eastern pantheon was supposed to fly theirs at night, but they don’t anymore.

That’s why it’s dark.

[skim172]

There are four suns. Each pantheon flies one around. The eastern pantheon was supposed to fly theirs at night, but they don’t anymore.

That’s why it’s dark.

Genius.

[ziproot]

There are four suns. Each pantheon flies one around. The eastern pantheon was supposed to fly theirs at night, but they don’t anymore.

That’s why it’s dark.

Then why don't we see more than one sun?

Another possibility is that the three pantheons all push the Sun at the same time. In the first world, day and night were shorter (since they got the help of Hermes). So Sunna moves the Sun, but so does Utu/Shamesh and whatever the Southern god of the Sun is (rooster?).

[Devils_Advocate]

The sun exists in a superposition of states until directly observed. It's so bright to keep mortals from looking directly at it and collapsing the waveform.