The Planar Realms

  • The first and most accessible realm, The Primord encompasses all things Material in Mnemos. It is the foundation upon which all other planes rest. As the Primord is the realm each being of Mnemos occupies on a regular basis, there are those who refer to the two interchangeably, but the subtle truth is that there is quite a bit more to the Primord than just Mnemos. A better statement would be that Mnemos occupies the Primord, a realm of natural laws understood as a state of being by its inhabitants. Mnemos is a place; the Primord is a reality.

  • The realm of the Lost, the Symphony might be more aptly named the Cacophony. Here, the disparate voices of those spirits severed from their homes by the Sundering call out in never-ending supplication to their long-lost brethren. Locations within the Symphony are inaccessible from the Primord directly, although there has long been speculation of some indiscernible tie between the two. Connection between the Symphony and Primord occurs almost exclusively through the Tempest, thankfully limiting the chances of accidentally crossing into the realm. Denizens of the Symphony are often of great power and often driven to terrible depths of madness by centuries of isolation.

  • The realm of Nature and Mnemos’ memory, the Halcyon is the realm layered most tightly upon the Primord. Sometimes considered the shadow of the Primord, locations within the Halcyon are often reflections of Mnemos, pristine pockets of a reality unravaged by the Tempest. More often than not, though, these locales are out of temporal phase, making returning to them difficult if not impossible. Denizens of the Halcyon are usually primordial reflections of Mnemosian flora and fauna, often appearing non-threatening to hapless explorers until it is too late.

  • The realm of the Elemental Courts, the Equilibrium exists in a state of perpetual war. While lesser spirits of the Equilibrium are little more than mindless extensions of the higher beings of that Realm, the more powerful elementals are individuals of extreme sapience. Because of their discernable intelligence and ability to communicate, the denizens of the Equilibrium are often seen as the best understood creatures outside of the Primord, but that does not imply that there is safety in dealing with them. While there are few places on the Primord with enough resonance to host an elemental lord, they can exert quite a bit of influence through the forces they control and the alliances they have cultivated through the ages.

  • The realm of the Dead, the Calmlands is where the shades of Mnemos’ denizens rest in peaceful slumber. While the Way of Soul’s Crossing may have brought better understanding of the Calmlands to the world, it has also allowed many to overlook its inherent danger. While the shades of the once living are the most numerous among the denizens of the Calmlands, other enigmatic and dangerous spirits of death also call this realm home. During those moments when the Tempest connects the Calmlands with the Primord, the dead and their keepers are roused and, once awakened, many shades are far from peaceful.

Other Realms

  • The least understood and studied realm, the Void surrounds all realms which touch the Primord, yet does not intersect directly with any of them. Existing independently of the Gyre, theorists can only speculate its physics or purpose. Prior to the Sundering, the Arcanum were able to reach and penetrate the Void, but how they did so remains a mystery. Histories hint that there are places of power or ancient Arcanum artifacts that retain the power to contact the Void, but no expeditions have ever discovered even the slightest trace of anything that verifies such tales.

  • Originally considered an offshoot effect of the Sundering, the Tempest is the most prevalent realm that intersects with the Primord, blanketing all the unclaimed land with its impenetrable mist and storm. Reality within the Tempest is wildly chaotic; natural law is subject to change at a moment’s notice, time and space have limited meaning, and perception is warped beyond imagination. More importantly, the Tempest also randomly intersects the other Realms of the Gyre and, theoretically, even those realms outside.

    While the Tempest offers access and understanding of the other Realms to the intrepid and the foolhardy alike, the reverse is just as true. If rampaging elementals, displaced and disturbed dead, or wailing transcendentals were not enough of a danger, there are dangerous things which call the Tempest itself home. Creatures with the power to warp flesh, twist thoughts to madness, and bend the very rules of reality to its breaking point lurk within the shadows and mist of the Tempest.