Each
of the infinite number of universes has its own unique set of laws, properties
and energies which sets it apart from all others. The warmth of gentle sunshine upon a child's
face, the vigour of life and the tendency of objects to fall down, rather than
up, are manifestations of some of the many mundane laws which bind this
universe, making it "normal" to a native observer.
Other
universes are governed by laws which seem paradoxical and bizarre to the
non-native observer. However, the
inhabitants of such dimensions find these as commonplace as gravity and time.
In
the space between the parallel planes is the Realm of Chaos. Because this non-dimension is populated by
entities made of energy, rather than matter, it obeys a set of different laws.
Only
the god-like Old Ones had the ability and desire to travel from one universe to
the next. In pursuit of their enigmatic
Great Plan, they created dimensional gates, where parallel planes were bridged
by conduits through the Chaos Realm.
By
means of these portals. the Old Ones brought into being
another form of energy previously unknown in this universe: Magic.
The
friction between the incompatible realities creates a potential, much as amber
rubbed with wool will produce tiny sparks of lightning. At the dimensional gates, this potential is
manifested as the Eight Winds of Magic.
In
the time of the Old Ones, this potential was measured and controllable. They taught their first servants, the
amphibian Slann Mage Priests, to channel and control the winds to perform great
works, which would have otherwise been impossible within the constraints of
this universe’s laws. In the eddies and
vortices of the winds, other energies, such as Dark Magic, gradually
accumulated like dust in the corner of a room.
Those
with the ability to manipulate one or more of the Eight Winds and other magics
are the great mages. They are rightly to
be feared and respected. However, magic
and wizardry only represent a bending of the natural rules of this universe.
The
universe's native laws cannot truly be broken.
An enchanted floating castle will eventually crash to earth. In time, “eternal” beauty and youth bought
with the blood of innocents will fade to reveal a face made hideous by
decay.
A
magic user is wise to remember that the universe will inevitably correct any
aberrations in its order. Sometimes this
will take aeons, but sometimes, particularly when the boundaries have been
pushed too far, the correction will occur suddenly with a calamitous
detonation.
Beyond
natural laws and magical influence, a third set of laws exist. These are truly universal. That is to say, they hold sway in any time,
any dimension, any universe. These
Metalaws cannot be measured or directly observed, but they are real, potent and
they will endure until the last universe is snuffed out in cold infinity.
The
Metalaws have names, like Virtue and Evil, Good and Bad, Luck and Destiny. Many others exist, but all follow this rule –
they are paired, like the opposing sides of a coin, or a bickering husband and wife bound together
through eternity. They are opposite, but
cannot exist apart.
These
pairings can merge and interact. It is
possible to know Good Luck or Evil Destiny.
Analysis of all possible combinations with the new science of
mathematics reveals an interesting pattern.
The number six (and its derivative, three, and its multiples (2x6, 3x6
and so on)) governs all that is, and all that can be, in any part of the
multiverse.
The Law of Six is the reason
why mystic cubes made of bone, ivory or stone are revered by all races. They are used to scry knowledge of the future
and truths which cannot otherwise be known.
The
King and Queen of the Metalaws are Balance and Bias.
King
Balance dictates that Good Luck will find balance with Bad Destiny elsewhere in
the multiverse. For every lucky rabbit
foot there will be a vengeful rabbit.
This is an immutable law.
The
Metalaws bow to King Balance's ruling.
His
queen, Bias, is generally subservient to
his edict. However, on occasion, she
will skew the distribution of the Metalaws across the multiverse and thus allow
unusual and implausible happenstance.
In
the case of the Spawning of Bob, the great Queen had pushed her snoring husband
firmly out of bed. At her behest, the
coin of Luck and Destiny was spinning on its axis, and refused to fall either way.
This
kind of thing is endlessly frustrating to soothsayers and statisticians alike.
to Chapter 1
to Chapter 1
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