Cosmology of Eastlux

Eastlux's cosmology is influenced by the Great Wheel cosmology of the Forgotten Realms in terms of what kinds of places exist but the shape of Eastlux's cosmology is very different from the Great Wheel. There are not nearly as many realms as in the Great Wheel as well.

Imagine a cylinder of infinite length, inside this can are what we call "saddles." Saddles are the words to describe a "plane of existence." Rather than being a completely flat plane of existence, these saddles are all hyperbolic paraboloids that exist on top of a beast that represents one of the ten Ourangian Gods. The beast may change depending on when an Ourangian god changes. The Dietyrs remain extant throughout the saddles and are the great influencers of the saddles. It is important to know that although the Ourangian gods are the entities that hold up the saddles, they also all exist collectively in a saddle of their own called "Ourange" and help influence Eastlux like the Dietyrs do but not to the same extent. The Ourange saddle is held up by Stu, the God of Leisure.

In the sky of the various saddles it is common to occasionally see a celestial version of the Ourangian Gods walking amongst the sky.

Other than the ten saddles, there also exists the space outside of the cylinder and the cylinder itself. The cylinder itself is a force that is controlled collectively by the five multiversal entities, allowing the existence of the multiverse to be present at all, and is typically referred to as the "Astral Cylinder" or "Celestial Can." The space outside of the cylinder is called "Limbo" and is an infinitely large graveyard of previous multiverses with no distinct shape. Eastlux is simply one of the potentially infinite multiverses that exists as a stable entity within all of Limbo.

This article will describe all of the saddles that exist within the Celestial Can, the Celestial Can itself, and Limbo.

Ten Ourangian Saddles
There exists 10 saddles within the Celestial Can, all of the with a hyperbolic paraboloid shape and infinite in size. Each one of them represents one of the Ourangian Gods but it is important to distinct that these gods simply hold up the saddle and do not greatly influence the saddle unless they choose to. There are three distinct regions to the saddles, the Central Saddles, Upper Saddles, and Lower Saddles. The tenth saddle is "Ourange" and is where the Ourangian Gods in a smaller form reside in paradise.

Central Saddles
These saddles do not necessarily exist in the middle of the Celestial Can because first of all, the can is infinite and second of all, all of saddles are constantly in motion but represent the centralized parts in which the most activity is done in Eastlux and the majority of beings exist.

Material Saddle
God: Shep, God of Civilization represented as a sheep dog.

The Material Saddle consists of the main centralized saddle in which most of Eastlux life exists. All of the planets (created by the Demiplane spell) that exist within the Celestial Can all exist under the material Saddle with the planet Eastlux being the central planet that most adventures take place on. The material saddle has two parallel saddles that connect it together, The Fey Saddle and Shadow Saddle. It is important to distinct that planets of the material saddle do not exist on the Fey Saddle and Shadow Saddle unless they were created in those saddles to begin with. Beasts, Giants, Humanoids, and Plants all originated in this plane.

Fey Saddle
God: Yuka, God of Aesthetic represented by a blue Koala.

The Fey Saddle is comparable to the Feywild of the Forgotten Realms and the Spirit World from Avatar the Last Airbender. It is a directly parallel copy to the Material Saddle with different creatures, floral and fauna that make up the realm. Those who are able to ascend to the Fey Saddle after death choose so to become spirits that roam freely among the realm. If a planet is created in the Fey Saddle, it can become a standalone planet within the Fey Saddle or be a parallel copy of a previously created planet in the material saddle. The Fey originated here as well as some species of Plants and Beasts.

Shadow Saddle
God: Coco, God of History represented by a terra cotta rabbit with soulless holes as it mouth.

The Shadow Saddle is comparable to the Shadowfell of the Forgotten Realms and the Upside Down from Netflix's Stranger Things series. Like the Fey Saddle, it is a directly parallel copy to the Material Saddle with different creatures, floral, and fauna that make up the realm. It is a realm of despair and hopelessness where many Eastlux creatures may encounter a copy of themselves as a shadowy figure in complete despair. Depending on various circumstances, it is possible that after death a creature's shadow in this saddle consumes them and they live a miserable existence in this saddle for all of eternity or until they are liberated and brought to oblivion in Limbo. Other planets rarely exist here but if created are quickly consumed by the shadow creatures that inhabit this realm, potentially causing harm to a planet in parallel on the material saddle. Aberrations, Monstrosities, Oozes, and Undead originated here as well as some species of Plants.

Ethereal Saddle
God: Pierce, God of Freedom represented by a Blue Eagle.

The Ethereal Saddle is a purgatory is a realm of complete greyscale that exists in parallel to the Material, Fey, and Shadow Saddles. In this realm, you are free from everything allowing to exist as a entity that cannot harm or be harmed in any way. You exist as a spiritual version of yourself in this world and float in this realm observing the other three realms as they occur in realm time. This saddle is known to contain ghosts of humanoids that have not decided on an afterlife or have no admission to one. This realm is also used when creatures blink out of the material realm or try to travel quickly between the three central saddles. Planets cannot be here and previously created planets are still observed in this realm.

Elemental Saddle
God: Kabuki, God of Peace represented by a White Cat with red stripes.

The Elemental Saddle consists of all of the stars and nebulae that exist in the Celestial Saddle. All of the elements that exist in Eastlux come from the stars that the gods created. These saddles are usually inaccessible to living beings because they are very dangerous but there exists some stable stars that allows for life to flourish such as some very rare neutron stars. These civilizations never directly exist on the stars but orbit very nearby to a point they are still considered part of the Elemental Saddle. The Elemental creatures also came from the Elemental Saddle, originally only being fire elementals but eventually evolving on material saddles to form the other elementals. Some naturally created Golems and Constructs also came from the Elemental Saddle and are created by various metallic elements that came from the stars. The Warforged in Eastlux are actually descendants from these Metallic Elementals instead of following their typical lore from the Eberron setting. Warforged are also known as Metalforged in Eastlux because they were not originally created for war like in Eberron. Dragons also originated from the Elemental Saddle when Elemental creatures were able to fuse with lizards.

Upper Saddles
The upper saddles are home to two different saddles, Elysium, and Yuyr. The Celestials of Eastlux were created by the five Dietyrs that reside in the Upper Saddles, Lyr, Eyr, Tyr, Vyr, and Qyr.

Elysium
God: Tia, God of People represented by a porcelain elephant that looks like a teacup.

Elysium is a paradise. It is a realm where creatures may go to after death depending on various circumstances in their life. In Elysium, the dreams of the beings becomes a realm of their own separate from the material plane. It can rarely be accessed by other beings but it is not unheard of. Mortals who end up in Elysium cannot interact with the individual realms of the dead but can observe them.

Beings who exist in Elysium are given the option everyone once in awhile to become a Celestial and work under one of the Dietyrs, becoming a Celestial means still being able to exist in their realm but also meet various quotas as a Celestial. Celestials typically are brought back down to the material saddle to help out with affairs. If you die as a Celestial, you are transferred to the other Upper Saddle Yuyr and become a part of one of the Dietyrs that reside there, living the rest of eternity as a being higher than a Celestial and a direct influence of one of the Dietyrs.

Yuyr
God: Rex, God of Food represented by a Lion.

Yuyr is a realm in which the five upper saddle Dietyrs reside and observe the rest of the Mutliverse. Celestials are sent to Yuyr to become a part of one of the Dietyrs who reside there. When a champion of one of these five Dietyrs die, they are sent to Yuyr to live the rest of eternity with the other champions in the Yuyr Champion Paradise. Champions here are able to willingly shift between chilling in this paradise or helping be a direct influence with the god they championed in their lifetime.

If a mortal manages to end up in this saddle, they are met with a very complicated puzzle. If the mortal completes the puzzle they are confronted by the five Upper Dietyrs to be promoted to champion status and given a wish.

Lower Saddles
The lower saddles are home to two different saddles, Medium, and Moyr. The Fiends of Eastlux were created by the five Dietyrs that reside in the Lower Saddles, Cyr, Dyr, Fyr, Nyr, and Myr.

Medium
God: Bianca, God of Entertainment represented by a White Tiger.

Medium is a place of fame, fortune, and living on the edge. It is a paradise of its own where everyone who ends up here indulges in their earthly desires for all of eternity in an endless city. Nothing is illegal, death is meaningless, money is meaningless and everything is a rush for pleasure among it's inhabitants. It is rarely accessible unless you have died and if mortals end up here they are treated well. If a mortal dies here, they become a fiend under the rule of a Lower Dietyr but can never become a free fiend.

One of the Lower Saddle Dietyrs can at any time force a citizen of Medium into servitude as a Fiend of Eastlux. During this time they are become very powerful beings and may be brought back to the material saddle. The gods are very tricky and might force a masculine macho man to become a succubus or a very feminine woman into an Incubus. The citizens have no say in what happens to them. If they die as a Fiend, they end up back in Medium and indulge in the city once more, now in their fiendish form.

With enough jobs done, they are no longer bound to the Dietyrs for jobs and can freely explore throughout the multiverse as they wish. If they die as a free fiend, they are transferred to Moyr to become one with one of the Lower Dietyrs, allowing them to give influence on the choices of these gods.

Champions of the Lower Saddle Dietyrs also end up in Medium but are the kingpins of the world, naturally given all of the privilege they need and are considered the bigwig VIPs of the city. They are given a Fiendish form of their own and are considered free fiends. If they die, they simply return to Medium. They are occasionally called to Moyr to speak directly to the gods for help on decisions or preparation for events.

Moyr
God: Hazel, God of War represented by a Squirrel with a unibrow.

Moyr has five distinct levels to it, each level representing a fluid hierarchy of the five Lower Saddle Dietyrs. These five gods are in constant struggle, competing with one another to get to the highest spot. Only champions can access this realm and only the level for the god the champion. If a fiend or a mortal enters this realm, they must battle through all five, doing their best to survive each one. If they die, they are sent to Limbo. After surviving a level, they are granted a wish by the god of that level. If they survive three levels, they are granted the option of being a champion. If they survive all five levels, they become a Lesser Diety.

Ourange
Ourange has Stu, God of Leisure represented by a blue cow as it's beast. Ourange is a paradise where the Ourangian Gods relax and enjoy observing the multiverse. Ourange consists of an infinite amount of private islands with Ourange being the main island in which all of the past and future Ourangian Gods reside. In Ourange, the known gods appear as anthropomorphic versions of themselves and interact on the main island of Ourange. Two mortals currently live there among the gods but it is not known who these two mortals are other than Luks Elysium, Champion of Viarax. Groups of up to eight can visit Ourange and enjoy their time in a paradise while interacting with the Ourangian Gods as well.

Celestial Can
The Celestial Can is the space that connects all of the saddles together. It is the "space" of Eastlux and is not sustainable for most life on Eastlux. This is the realm in which the multiversal entities all reside. The Celestial Can is an infinitely long cylinder with an infinitely long radius. It consists of the fragments of all of the Central Saddles, including planets, stars, nebulae, black holes, and all other space objects. The Ourangian Gods travel throughout the Celestial Can with their particular saddle on their back as well.

The Upper and Lower Saddles are accessible through the Celestial Can but only if one can encounter the particular Ourangian God that moves it. It is usually traversed through means of powerful vessels or vehicles. On very rare occasions, one of the multiverse entities may interact with a being in the Celestial Can.

There are occasional outposts made on ruins of planets and stars. These outposts are where many Gith originated and where those lost in this realm can find refuge.

The Outer Realm
A realm created by the Dietyr God of death Dyr, which is supposed to represent a purgatory like realm. Nobody can access this realm and when living beings enter this realm, they have no memory of who they were when they were alive but know they have died. They are judged and sent to the particular afterlife that deems fit to Dyr and Dyr's arbiters.

It is unknown where this realm is within the scope of the entire multiverse. Many speculate it exists in the lower saddles and is simply a part of the level of Yoyr that Dyr occupies but when the Lesser Dieties ventured to this realm, there was no evidence of this realm. As such, it is considered a saddle of unknown position.

Limbo
Limbo (also known as Liminal Limbo) is an existential graveyard of ruined timelines and the entirety of the ruined and fractured previous multiverse of Malort. It was created by Viarax to prevent Ve from swallowing Exis and the rest of the gods after the Scientific Implosion of Malort.

It consists of an infinite amount of levels with an infinite amount of space on each level. Limbo usually involves the usage of abandoned liminal spaces, places and noises that seem familiar and nostalgic but actually do not exist and seem almost A.I. generated, monsters and horrors that are indescribable, and the complete existential dread of the mundane and hopelessness of the future. Many of the levels in Limbo takes fragments of rundown capitalist establishments such as grocery stores and malls with computer generated 80s music playing in the background. Others will be long endless hallways or simple, mundane, lifeless rooms in an endless maze.

Limbo will drive anyone there mad to the point of suicide where they will either reawaken in a new hell of Limbo or end up in Limbo Oblivion, a complete state of nothingness. The fragments of Malort remain in Limbo and some of the powerful artifacts from Malort allow tiny stable portions of Limbo to exist and refuge to those who visit Limbo, but these stable parts do not last for long.

Those who enter Limbo cannot escape unless Viarax or their champion Luks finds them and creates a way out for them.

Limbo is heavily inspired by the Backrooms, Liminal Spaces, uncanny valley, broken and/or eerie Artificial Intelligence, and the mundane hopelessness one would feel in a dystopian capitalist regime.