The universe of Inannak is sealed off from other universes you may be familiar with, and its form is different. This chapter is an explanation of the structure of the universe.
The world of mortals is the physical world of Inannak, the place where mortal life proceeds, and where the beings of power fight for control of them and that physical world. This place is also known as the World of the Body, or the Physical World.
There are three parts to the world:
This narrow band where most mortal peoples and other creatures live is a shell of ground and water around the world of Inannak. The Land and the Seas are connected in all directions, forming a sphere. This sphere lay at the center of the universe, with all heavenly bodies rotating around it.
Beneath the land and the seas is the world of dirt, rock and other cthonic dangers. The underneath is filled with a massive network of caves and giant caverns. These are accessible through caves on the ground. Many mortals and other creatures live in these caves. But the rock itself is home to elementals of earth and other solids, some of whom make their homes in even larger caverns separated from the caves of the underneath. Pockets of molten rock are also the homes of elementals of fire and other energies. Some scholars suggest that the underneath is layered in the same way as the sky, but what the differences between these layers are is unclear.
Above the land is the world of air and celestial powers. A few creatures fly through the lower parts of the overtop, but few creatures have any desire to attempt the vast emptiness beyond. This possibly infinite realm is layered in spheres of crystalline air that rotate around Inannak. There are several kinds of spheres:
The lowest sphere is the place where the clouds float, and from whence the rain comes. This sphere is the primary home to the elementals of air and other gases, although they can be found in many of the other spheres as well.
These two spheres are mostly empty and black, except that each holds the great disk of a moon. Each disk is a flat world of its own, although both are barren. At least the moon Oria has oceans of its own, although dead, while the moon Eilwain is full of sands and bare rock.
These transparent spheres’ sole occupants are windows which look into the Planetary Heavens, described below. There are four of these, from lowest to highest: Astaffe, Sabowth, Eow, and Ildabowth. The sphere of the Sun lay between Astaffe and Sabowth.
This bright sphere, found between two of the spheres of the planets, is divided into two hemispheres, the daylight side is bright and blue, and the other as transparent as the other spheres. At the center of the bright side is the sun, a great disk of light, which is also home to the elementals of fire and other energies.
This sphere contains thousands of stars, which like the planets are windows, but into other Heavens of which little is known. Some of these heavens are said to be other worlds of their own, like Inannak. Scholars argue over whether there is only one sphere of the stars, or if each star is in its own sphere, locked in formation.
Also called “Beyond the Stars”, this sphere is empty and black and extends forever. But nevertheless it is said to be the origin of creatures and things that have come to Inannak in the past.
In the same place as the World of Mortals, but hidden from them, is the world of spirit. In this world, spirits and souls have physical manifestations, and can occasionally be seen from the mortal world. This is the world which mortal souls travel through after death, on the way to the underworld. Physical matter can not enter the world of spirit, but spirits can see it, and do find it difficult to move through it. With practice, spirits can even manipulate physical matter. In order to reach this place, a mortal must let their own soul leave their body to enter it. This is possible through death, but there are also magical means to temporarily travel here.
Deep in the lowest part of the world of spirit is the land of the dead, called the underworld. As the souls travel from their bodies, they make there way through the deepest tunnels of the Underneath, until they gather in large numbers around the solid rock that forms the gates. They must travel through these gates to reach the underworld itself. In the underworld, are great cities where the dead continue as they were in life, slowly forgetting that life. They are watched over by Chthonian daimons who make this place their home. The dead are not punished for crimes committed during their life, but they are not allowed to leave.
Also called the World of the Mind, the World of Dream is also in the same place as the World of Mortals, but hidden. Unlike the world of spirit, the boundaries are clear, you can’t see into this world while you are awake. Matter in the physical world does not affect the dream world. However, the dream world does appear as a distorted copy of the real world. Mortals usually reach this place in their dreams, where they are at the mercy of Oneirian daimons who reside there and like to play. Mortals are generally safe while dreaming, due to the contract of dreams which binds the daimons. There are magical means of traveling into the world which allow the mortals more control, but this breaks the contract of dreams and allows daimons to hurt mortals.
This world extends from the underneath to the overtop of the mortal world, and the spheres beyond. Although the underworld can not be reached from dream, the spheres can. In fact, it is easier to travel through the dream world to reach the spheres, as gravity does not exist.
While the moons are barren in the physical world, in the world of dream they are full of life. The moon of Oria is a vast wilderness, home to Agrian daimons who spend their days hunting and playing music. The moon of Eilwain is where the Oneirian daimons have built their palaces and cities in a strange mimicry of human society.
In the physical world, the planets are merely windows, but in the world of dream they are portals to the Planetary Heavens. When a dream traveler comes through these portals, they gain a physical manifestation in the other world. Each of the four heavens is a vast and fantastic world. These heavens are home to the Ouranian daimons.
As with the planets, the windows among the sphere of stars are portals in the world of dream. The stellar heavens may be uncountable, and each one is a separate world. The inhabitants of these worlds are strange and unknown. Travel through the portals from the stellar heavens, in either direction, will cause the traveler to forget their past. This means none that have been through these portals are able to tell what lay beyond.
The outer sphere is dark and empty in the physical world, but in the dream world it is home to many strange and maddening things. Among the many weird and gigantic floating structures on which alien creatures and Tromian daimons make their homes is the prison where the titans and Sabowth were banished to. The Tromian daimons guard this prison. Although they allow anyone to enter, none may leave, which means none can say what lay inside.
The barriers between the worlds are distinct, and the physical laws of existence within them are clear. Generally, matter from the physical world can not enter the worlds of spirit or dream. This means that mortals can not physically travel to these places.
To travel into the world of spirit or dream, the mortal’s soul or mind must leave their body in the physical world. This means they must make preparations before they travel, to ensure that their bodies are not harmed while they are out of them.
While traveling in the world of dream, the mortal body sleeps. Although if the travel is done through magical means, this sleep is deeper than normal sleep, and the dreamer can not be woken up without breaking the spell. The dream traveler’s body must be protected from danger, and if the travel lasts for a long time, they may suffer from dehydration, starvation, or other problems of laying unconscious. The magical dream traveler themself can also be injured in the dream, which could lead to death of the mortal body. If the mortal body dies, the dreamer reunites with their soul and commences their journey to the underworld. When the magic causing the separation ends, the dreamer will immediately return to their body by the quickest means possible.
On the other hand, travel in the world of spirit requires the soul to leave the body. This means that the mortal’s body appears as if it is dead. It does not breathe or move. As long as the mortal is not truly dead, the body does not rot, but it can take injury. If the body takes enough injury, the mortal will die, and the soul will be separated and begin its journey to the underworld. If the soul remains out of the body for too long, a separation will occur and the mortal will eventually die. The soul can also be injured while in this state, which can cause injuries to appear on the physical body. When the magic causing the travel ends, the soul will try to return to their body via the quickest means possible.
If the dream traveler reaches the moons, or the portals to one of the heavens, the traveler manifests a physical body in that world. This body works the same as the original mortal body in all, including the requirement for sleep (which can lead to recursive dream travel). Damage to this body, however, will not cause damage to the original body, and if this body is killed the mortal will return to the world of dream. This physical manifestation does not occur in the underworld.
The rules above apply to mortals, as well as most creatures native to the world of mortals. Some creatures, such as daimons, can travel between the worlds at will. This is done by transforming their physical bodies completely into spirit in the other world. These creatures do not need to worry about leaving a physical body behind, and if they travel into the heavens they do not need to manifest a physical body. Magic that might allow a mortal traveler to do the same is unknown. It should also be mentioned that elementals, who are beings of pure physical matter, can not travel to the worlds of dream or spirit in any way.
Here and there on Inannak, and above and below, there are portals to the moons and heavens. These portals allow direct physical travel to these other worlds, without crossing through the world of dream. By traveling this way, mortals are physically traveling into these worlds. They do not leave their body behind, and they do not manifest a new body in the other world.
Reconciling with Your Game System
The rules above may differ from the rules used for traveling to equivalent places in your game system. It will cause changes to the workings of spells and special abilities that will need to be relayed to your players. Game masters are welcome to ignore these rules and use the rules in their game system instead. However, these rules more closely mirror the dangers and drama of such travel in fantasy literature.