Part One: The Basic Cosmology and Ancient History of the Planes
‘The Seven Planes of Existence’ is a cosmic fantasy setting I’ve been working on, a multiverse that is to be the backdrop for a new character I’m in the process of developing called The Starmage. The cosmology of the Seven Planes is based loosely upon an idea I got from a book I read by Gene Wolfe. Below is a map of the 7 planes…
The seven planes of existence are - Iä, Élonyth, Valherion, Midgardhyr (‘dh’ is pronounced ‘th’), Loth-Lógrim (formerly named Firlorn), Agmon, and the Sea of Chaos which ebbs and flows between the other 6 planes. Nivenor, as seen on the map, is not a plane of existence at all, but rather the ruins of an Angelic city that floats within the Sea of Chaos near Midgarghyr and Élonyth. (It is now named Nivenor the Lost, but once long ago it was known by another name – Silvrenifar the Beautiful.) Kleos is an Angelic city as well; it is not in ruins though, but rather exists as a fortress/outpost of Warrior Angels from Élonyth. Mighty Kleos is located between Midgardhyr and Loth-Lógrim. Michael the Archangel (see previous post for stats) spends much of his time there, leading the Angelic forces that guard Midgardhyr against the evils of Loth-Lógrim.
Iä and the Sea of Chaos are the eldest of the planes, and only the Creator knows which came first. Next came Élonyth, the celestial plane of Angels, and after this came Midgardhyr the mortal plane, wherein our beloved Earth resides, and Firlorn the fey realm, which later became known as Loth-Lógrim, dominion of the damned. Agmon the abyss and glorious Valherion are the youngest of the realms, and I’ll talk more about them later. Heavenly Iä, the highest realm, is a mystery to all but the Creator, for it is believed that no living thing, not Michael the Archangel, nor even Lucifer the Fallen, has ever set eyes thereupon; though it is told that Lucifer did once attempt to visit this highest of realms long ago, before his rebellion against God and the birth of mortal Men. (Note – it is also believed by many that when mortals die, some are given the gift of Afterlife, and that these souls ascend to Iä, there to dwell in eternal harmony with the Creator.)
After Élonyth came Midgardhyr, and the Angels had a small part in its shaping. The foundations of Midgardhyr were formed out of the Sea of Chaos; but Midgardhyr has the distinction of being the most un-chaotic of all the planes, and therefore the most mundane. The rigid logic of mathematics and physical law hold sway over Midgardhyr for the most part, and only at its deepest foundations (Quantum Physics) can signs of its chaotic origins be found. (Note - magic does exist in limited form on Midgardhyr, but only because knowledge of it, and the ability to work with it, was imparted upon Midgardhyr thru agents from the other planes of existence. I’ll discuss magic in more detail some other day, when I get the chance to type up Part 2 of ‘the seven planes of existence’.)
When Midgardhyr was newly formed, a number of the strange creatures native to the Sea of Chaos took notice of it and were intrigued. Most of these creatures found the ways of Midgardhyr to be anathema to their very nature; but some saw beauty in the physical laws of Midgardhyr, and came to desire a similar such place, slightly less ‘chaotic’ than their own realm, to call their own. The Creator, aware of this desire, decided to accommodate them and fashioned for them the plane called Firlorn. This new plane was similar in many ways to Midgardhyr, but was permeated with Chaos in order to make the settlers originating from the Sea of Chaos feel more at home. Firlorn became a magical dreamlike mirror of Midgardhyr, and its inhabitants eventually evolved into such beings we would term fey or faerie-like.
Eons passed before the coming of mortal Men on Midgardhyr. Yet even before their arrival, the Angels of Élonyth foresaw their coming. And there was rumor among the wise that Mortals would have the potential for destiny greater than that of the Angels themselves; a destiny of possible Afterlife on Iä the highest of all planes, where even the mightiest of Angels were not allowed to go. It was also rumored that the Angels would be given a duty to help these mortals on occasion and spiritually guide them toward such a destiny.
Many of the Angels delighted in the anticipated forthcoming of mortal Men and were eager to serve these mortals in any way God saw fit, thereby serving God and furthering His grand vision. But many also were unsettled, for in their might and majesty they had become prideful, and were not pleased by the thought of these mortal Men having the potential for destiny greater than their own. Chief among this number was Lucifer, mightiest and most glorious of the Angels, who in his grandeur had become most prideful of all. Frustration stirred within him, and he ventured forth from Élonyth and journeyed toward Iä alone, intent upon confronting The Creator in person and demanding that none be allowed a greater destiny than his own, for he was Lucifer Morningstar, brightest of all beings in creation and thus deserving of the greatest destiny of all!
Lucifer was not allowed within Iä. Instead, God met him in the Sea of Chaos just outside Iä’s golden gates, and there they held a heated discourse; but what words were spoken between Lucifer and the Creator outside those gates is known to none but them. All that is known is that when Lucifer returned to Élonyth from his journey, his heart was filled with rage and a cry for rebellion was upon his lips. He urged his fellow Angels to abandon their allegiance to their Creator, for God obviously did not favor them with the esteem they deserved. “If He who names himself God will not grant us a destiny we are worthy of, then let us make our own destiny! We are Angels of great might, and we continue to grow mightier! What need have we of the Creator anymore? Did we ourselves not have a hand in the creation of Midgardhyr? What is to stop us from creating for ourselves whatever we wish? Let us remove these reins by which the Creator enslaves us! Let us take up those the reins for ourselves rather, and rule all of creation as we see fit! What is there to stop us from achieving - nay, even surpassing - such glory as the Creator hordes for himself?”
Lucifer’s powers of persuasion were great, and many of the Angels of Élonyth listened to his words and were enticed; but few were willing to give him their allegiance openly yet, for they feared God’s wrath and were uncertain of such a course. Lucifer knew then that they needed more convincing, and so he set out to prove upon them the truth of his words - he could lead them to greatness the likes of which they had never dreamed possible. And so he left Élonyth, taking his few followers with him; and under his guidance they built for themselves a new place to reside, a great city that floated in serene splendour amidst the turbulent eddies and currents of the Sea of Chaos. When Lucifer and his followers were done with its making, they gazed upon it with pride and named it Silvrenifar the Beautiful, for it shone with a medley of gold and silvery light that was wondrous to behold, and no city before or since has ever been so fair.
The Angels of Élonyth looked upon the city of Silvrenifar with awe, for they had never seen its like. Nothing, not even the greatest of God’s creations which they had seen thus far, had ever seemed so magnificent. And those of Élonyth who had been enticed by Lucifer’s words of rebellion before were now fully swayed, for here was proof that the Angels could achieve greatness for themselves that rivaled that of their creator.
Lucifer returned to Élonyth crying for rebellion once more, and this time nearly half the Angels in all of existence heeded his call, including 3 Archangels. (Note - there are 8 Archangels in total; Lucifer, Michael, and 6 others.) In mass exodus, the rebel Angels departed Élonyth forever, and Lucifer led them to their new home in Silvrenifar.
And the Angels that remained in Élonyth wept their first tears.
Time passed, and eventually the foretold coming of Men finally came to pass. Lucifer journeyed to Midgardhyr out of curiosity and studied these mortal newcomers. At first glance, he almost dismissed them as little more than animals; but something about them, some inner quality, drew on his attention and he studied them more closely, and he was stunned by what he saw. For though the physical forms of these mortals were frail and temporary, their souls were something else altogether. Beauty and unlimited possibility lay within those souls, and there was within them a potential for greatness more grand than anything in all of creation. Indeed, the souls of mortal Men had the potential for destiny greater than that of even the mightiest the Angels!
Lucifer was filled with jealous rage, for the idea of anything achieving a greater destiny than his own was something he could not abide. But at the same time, he also felt a glimmer of hope, for these mortals also had potential for disgrace. Therefore he took upon himself a fair form and went among these mortals, and he tempted them into wickedness.
Thus were the first of mortal Men corrupted and their souls diminished, and thus also did the war between the Angels of Élonyth and the Angels of Lucifer (who now were called the Fallen) over the souls of Mankind begin.
The battles between Angels and Fallen took place, for the most part, outside the realm of Midgardhyr, but a small number of clashes did take place on Earth, and whole continents were rent asunder and reshaped by the forces unleashed. Mankind survived though, and slowly the Angels of Élonyth drove the Fallen away from Midgardhyr altogether, for though the Fallen had Lucifer as their leader, the Angels of Élonyth were slightly greater in number, and they had Michael, the most brilliant tactician of all Angels, as their commander.
In a great strategic move, Michael managed to separate Lucifer from all his followers in the great city of Silvrenifar. There, Michael and an army of his angels (including the 3 Archangels that remained with him) confronted Lucifer in a battle that brought the city to ruin, and Lucifer was captured. The Creator then shaped a sixth plane, called Agmon the abyss, and Lucifer was cast down and imprisoned therein.
Lucifer’s Fallen, though not defeated, were forced into retreat. They left behind them the ruins of Silvrenifar, which was now called Nivenor the Lost, and they fled Midgardhyr. By force, the Fallen took the plane called Firlorn for their own, for this realm was closest to Agmon, where Lucifer was imprisoned, and here they could still hear his commands. The natives of Firlorn were either ousted, enslaved or destroyed. Of those who escaped, some fled to Midgardhyr, and the rest returned to the Sea of Chaos from which they had originally come.
Upon Lucifer’s imprisonment, not all of the Fallen retreated. Some chose instead to repent and sought God’s forgiveness. At first, their pleas went unanswered, and the gates of Élonyth remained closed to them, and so for a time this group of Fallen, who later became known as the Repentant, chose Midgardhyr as their home. For 1,000 years, they remained within the realms of Midgardhyr and continued to repent, and finally their pleas were answered. The Repentant were pardoned, but they were not invited back to Élonyth, for they were no longer the perfect beings they had once been and were no longer akin to the Angels of Élonyth in mind or spirit. Therefore the Creator fashioned a new plane of existence just for them. This was the seventh and last of the planes of existence, and it was named Valherion.
Another group of beings were offered a place in Valherion at this time as well, and these beings were called the Immortals. The Immortals are half-breeds - half Angel and half Mortal. (During the course of the battles upon Earth between Angels and Fallen, many of the Fallen took pleasure in mortal women, and children were born to these women. The Immortals are in appearance just like other Mortals, but they do not age or become sick, and they have unearthly powers that set them apart from mortal Men.) When offered a place in Valherion, some of the Immortals accepted the offer and took up residence alongside the Repentant in Valherion. But many of the Immortals chose not to go, for they had been born in Midgardhyr and were fond of it. They made a life for themselves in Midgardhyr and were often likened and worshiped by mortals as gods. Chief among this number was Ulru, who was also known by many other names, such as Iyzoultar, Zeus, and Odin. Most of the Immortals were kind to mortals; but some were cruel, and many of this group eventually had their immortality stripped from them by the power of the other Immortals. Most of these ‘Cruel Ones’ died of old age. (Note - not all of the Cruel Ones had their Immortality stripped from them, and they still exist to this day. I'll talk about this group of individuals in more detail some other day, when I get the chance to type up Part 2 of ‘the seven planes of existence’.)
As the ages passed, the Immortals of Midgardhyr watched as loved ones perished and the world moved ever onward, and the majority of them eventually became weary of the mortal world, and a desire for Valherion slowly grew within their hearts. One by one, the Immortals left Midgardhyr for Valherion as the centuries rolled by, and now there are few left. Some say only Ulru and a few others remain, but the truth of this is uncertain, for if they do remain among us, they are secretive about it.
After Lucifer’s Imprisonment and the Fallen’s retreat to Firlorn, the Angels of Élonyth constructed the fortress city named Kleos, which is positioned in the Sea of Chaos between Midgardhyr and Firlorn, and still to this day guards the mortal realm from the Fallen. And the Fallen themselves have become much changed since the elder days, for the realm of Firlorn (originally created as a home for creatures originating from the Sea of Chaos) is a plane that is permeated with chaos. The mixture of chaos with the evil of the Fallen has had dramatic effect on the Fallen over the ages; they are now demonic in both body and mind. Firlorn too is much changed; once a fey paradise, it has since become a dark and nightmarish realm, and it is now called Loth-Lógrim.
A stalemate of sorts has been reached between the angelic forces of Élonyth and the demonic hordes of Loth-Lógrim. Battles still occur, and from time to time a few demons even manage to get past the vigil of mighty Kleos and into Midgardhyr to wreak their havoc. But for the most part, the battle-lines have not changed much over the eons. The forces of Loth-Lógrim, however, grow stronger, for they have polluted the surrounding Sea of Chaos with their evil, and many of the Sea's wild denizens now jump to their bidding. Lucifer himself remains imprisoned in Agmon, but he continues to whisper his commands to the Fallen of Loth-Lógrim, and the stalemate that exists between the forces of good and evil has shown signs recently of growing unstable.
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Here ends Part 1 of ‘The Seven Planes of Existence’.
Forthcoming – ‘The Seven Planes of Existence, Part 2: Of Magic, the Downfall of Atlantis, and the Advent of the Starmage’
This is Michael the Archangel, commander of the heavenly hosts of Élonyth (Celestial Plane of Angels). It is believed by many that Michael is the 3rd most powerful individual in all the Seven Planes of Existence, surpassed in might and grandeur only by Lucifer the Fallen (Devil, Power Level X) and the omnipotent Creator (God, Power Level ALPHA & OMEGA). However, there is rumour of another creature that may also rival Michael in power, a PL 20 Lovecraftian monstrosity that roams the Sea of Chaos; but only the Creator knows for certain whether this creature actually exists or not.
