Cosmology
The universe was made up of a variety of planes which surrounded a central material plane that was home to mortals and was summarily affected by the various planes that touched it. The cosmos itself was divided into three layers: the Material Plane, the Inner Planes, and the Outer Planes.
The Material Plane
The Material Plane was the central juncture of the various planes of the universe, and it consisted of various planets, stars, and celestial bodies that were suspended in open space known as the Great Dark Beyond. Many planets within the Material Plane were home to life, though the majority of known history took place on the planet Azeroth.
The Material Plane was the home of mortals, which could then come to after an affinity or connection to the various surrounding planes based on belief, worship, magical talent, or otherwise. It was also the home to the Titans, which were great beings of god-like power that were capable of shaping or sundering entire worlds.
The Inner Planes
The Inner Planes were otherwise known as the Border Planes, and each one of them corresponded to one of the six elements. Because of their proximity to the Material Plane, the Inner Planes frequently mirrored the Material Plane to a varying degree. It was also believed that they may have been shaped, or at least directly influenced, by the titans.
Deepholm (Earth)
The Firelands (Fire)
Skywall (Air)
The Abyssal Depths (Water)
The Emerald Dream (Spirit)
Also known as the Viridian Plains, the Jade Skies, the Verdant Jungle, the Emerald Paradise, and many other names, the Emerald Dream was a literal reflection of Azeroth itself. All mortals projected their consciousnesses to the Emerald Dream when they slept, and the Titans shaped the Emerald Dream as part of their initiative to safeguard Azeroth's World Soul. Keeper Freya and the Green Dragonflight watched over the realm, as it was tied to both the waking world and the slumbering Azeroth.
The Ethereal Plane (Decay)
Also known as the Veil, the Ethereal Plane was died to both death and decay. It was the only inner plane that was not influenced by the Titans, and ordering the Ethereal Plane was nearly impossible as it ambiently resisted any attempts to change it. When a mortal died, their spirit would pass into the Ethereal Plane and occupy the realm as they awaited their final destination in the Shadowlands. However, some lingered within it or on the edge of it as they dwelt upon unfinished business, and as a result they risked manifesting as ghosts or other undead.
Denizens of the Shadowlands (specifically certain types of Kyrians) occupied the Ethereal Plane as they searched for the souls of the dead so that they could be carried to the Shadowlands, but it was also home to dangerous creatures that preyed upon the living and the dead.
The Outer Planes
The Outer Planes, also known as the Cosmic Planes, corresponded to the six major cosmic forces of the universe, and they even predated the Material Plane. However, rather than reflecting the Material Plane, the Outer Planes instead attempted to influence it via the mortal denizens through a phenomenon known as corruption. Mortals, and even Titans, were sensitive to the Cosmic Forces, and could be shaped in its image through acute or prolonged exposure.
Corruption manifested in three ways: Mind, Body, and Soul. Each cosmic force corrupted in different ways, and came with their own strengths and weaknesses.
Outer Planes were effectively infinite in size, and each one was full of countless pocket dimension that were as big, if not bigger, than a single Inner Plane. Each had a cosmic force associated with it, and a name given to magic channeled with the cosmic force and two axes: Dynamic vs. Static, and Entropic vs. Extropic.
- Dynamic - Changing
- Static - Unchanging
- Entropic - Destructive, Disorderly
- Extropic - Constructive, Orderly
Regardless of its classification, no plane was intrinsically "evil", though entropic forces tended to be easier to abuse.
The Heavens (Light)
The Heavens was the Cosmic Plane of Light, which was a Static, Extropic force that was reflected in the manifestation of Holy magic. The Heavens were a plane of pure light where celestial beings resided, and as the source of Holy magic, they were a paradise of peace and tranquility. However, the plane also invited complacency and rigidity in mortals. The Heavens themselves coincided with the seven traits associated with the Holy Light.
- Avalon, Heaven of Justice: A land of fable and heroism where the radiant knights of Avalon followed a strict code of chivalry, conduct, and honor as they lived their immortal lives in service to the Now and Forever King.
- Celestia, Heaven of Compassion: A land that opposed callousness. From rolling hills to fields of flowers, it offered help to the needy.
- Eden, Heaven of Respect: A land of infinite knowledge and wisdom awaited any who entered the Garden, but the indignant and disrespectful were barred from its gates.
- Nemesis, Heaven of Retribution: Those who chose to make enemies of the Light found no quarter from this plane-wide fortress of holy retribution.
- Nirvana, Heaven of Holiness: Through perseverance and acceptance of life's hardships, this realm of inner peace abhorred evil and complacency.
- Olympia, Heaven of Protection: A towering mountain that inspired the strong to protect the weak. Those who lived there celebrated often and loudly.
- Utopia, Heaven of Tenacity: The craftsman of this realm had boundless curiosity and took pride in toil to keep the Heavens in pristine condition.
The Heavens were the home of the Naaru, which were angelic beings constructed entirely of pure Light. They were exalted by all celestials, and acted as messengers to spread the song of Light throughout the cosmos. The Prime Naaru, which were the first of the naaru and the source of their kin, acted as the cornerstones of their respective realms. Similarly, the Guardians hailed from the Heavens, which were celestials of many shapes and sizes, though they often were faceless, radiant humanoids. Sightings of them were likely one of the many sources of legends about "angels".
| Strong Against | Shadow, Death |
| Weak Against | Shadow |
| Compliments | Order, Life |
| Corruption | |
|---|---|
| Mind | Encourages singular ideals, hardens against doubt |
| Body | Angelic features |
| Soul | Can go to the Heavens after death instead of the Shadowlands |
| Example | Lightforged |
The Void (Shadow)
The Void was the Cosmic Plane of Shadow, which was a Dynamic, Entropic force that was reflected in the manifestation of Shadow and Void magic. The Void was a plane of endless possibility and empty nothingness made up of both contradiction and certainty. It broke the minds of the weak, but for those able to truly see, unlimited potential awaited beyond the event horizon.
The Void had no locations and had nothing within it, thus it had no kingdoms, no laws, and no lands. It was a place of emptiness that was simultaneously far from empty, and it invited madness in those who sought to define its boundaries with mortal logic. The Void Lords were the closest things the Void had to a "location" because they were incomprehensible, eldritch monstrosities and living embodiments of madness. Examples of such creatures were Dimension the All-Devouring (a sapient black hole), Zigan the Fungal Queen (a mycelium the size of a galaxy), and N'zoth hoq Sshoq'meg Thoq, the Forgotten King (an incomprehensibly large hive mind of insects, fish, and vermin that swam through a boundless ocean of ink). The Old Gods were miniscule fragments of a Void Lord that were hurled beyond the Void to collide with material worlds.
Void Elementals, also sometimes called Voidwalkers, were beings of pure shadow that could sap the heat from one's flesh and invited visions of loss, despair, and madness. N'raqi were also native to the Void, and the flesh-warped beings of a thousand shapes invited nightmares and broke minds, along with Aqir, who were insectoid monstrosities that spawned from the Forgotten King's children, some of which mutated into Nerubians and similar creatures.
Naaru in their cycle of shadow, called Uraan, also manifested in the Void and they reflected the harmonious song of their celestial siblings in sibilant discord.
| Strong Against | Light, Life |
| Weak Against | Light, Death |
| Compliments | Light, Chaos, Life |
| Corruption | |
|---|---|
| Mind | Breeds insanity, but a broken mirror can't be shattered and provides more perspectives |
| Body | Mutates flesh with tentacles, eyes, etc |
| Soul | None |
| Example | K'thir |
The Fae Wilds (Life)
The Fae Wilds were the Cosmic Plane of Life, which was a Dynamic, Extropic force that was reflected in the manifestation of Nature magic. It was a wonderous land of pure life energy that was ruled by the Seelie Court—the fey-like denizens of the whimsical realm. While the Shadowlands represented the endpoint of mortal life, the Fae Wilds was where it all began. It was believed that all anima—perhaps even every mortal soul—sprang forth from the verdant gardens.
Like the Shadowlands, the Fae Wilds had an infinite number of sub-realms and the number constantly increased or decreased depending on the needs of the Tuatha.
- Tirna Nogg, The Land of Youth: Sometimes called the Promised Land or the Isle of Summer, Tirna Nogg was the home of the Court of Summer and was ruled by Queen Tatiana and her favorite consort, King Obaron. Tirna Nogg was thought to be the realm where dreams came from.
- Tirna Thuin, The Land Beneath the Wave: An endless sea whose currents shimmered with anima. Light always shined brightly, even in the great cities on the ocean's floor, and it was ruled by Manan, the King of Rivers and Seas. Some believed all life once sprang from its life-giving waters.
- Tirna Beo, The Land of Life: A garden where anima coalesced into great trees. Legends said the fruits from its trees became souls when they crossed into the mortal realm.
- Tirna Mel, The Land of Delight: A living city where it is said that every pleasure, mortal and immortal, originated.
Exaggerated versions of every creature in existence and in the Emerald Dream could be found in the Fae Wilds, but in addition to them, there were also fauns, who were the life-infused cousins of the sylvar of Ardenweald. There were also merfolk, who were beautiful humanoids with the lower bodies of fish, octopi, or other creatures. King Manan was a prominent merfolk, and many mortal legends of merfolk originated from these creatures passing into the Material Plane.
Tuatha, also known as the Ao Sidhe, were fey-like beings that were beautiful humanoids with insectoid and floral traits. They were numerous across the Fae Wilds' many realms, and Aessina, Daughter of Spring, was a Tuatha that was well-known on Azeroth. Though she grew up in Tirna Nogg, she quickly grew bored of her life and stifled with the expectations of her mother, Tatiana the Summer Queen, and her father, Obaron. She fled, and to cover her tracks, she popped off her head and left a dandelion in its place to fool the rest of the Seelie Court. Aessina soared the planes experiencing everything until she met Elune. She fell madly in love with the goddess and decided to stay with her. She grew fond of the Kaldorei, as they loved Elune (almost) as much as she did, and so she decided to dwell within their forests as much as possible. She even decided to play a prank on her beloved and spread word that the Kaldorei were her favorite children. However, her very presence caused nature to grow rapidly around her; ruins were devoured and vines spread freely. For that reason, she resided within the Emerald Dream most of the time.
However, watching her favorite mortals die and go to the Shadowlands saddened her, thus she visited her aunt Morgiana, the Winter Queen, and made a deal. In exchange for letting the Kaldorei dance among their beloved forests after death, Aessina would spend every autumn and winter tending to Ardenweald, which was how she became the Wisp Mother.
Tatiana was the one person Aessina's trick never fooled, and she knew what her daughter had done immediately upon seeing her. However, she was not upset. She was just glad her daughter was having a good time, and Tatiana knew she'd come back when she was ready.
| Strong Against | Death |
| Weak Against | Shadow, Chaos |
| Compliments | All |
| Corruption | |
|---|---|
| Mind | Strengthens primal instincts and id |
| Body | Grants animalistic traits, but protects against becoming undead and other types of corruption |
| Soul | None |
| Example | Worgen |
The Shadowlands (Death)
The Shadowlands were the Cosmic Plane of Death, which was a Static, Entropic force that was reflected in the manifestation of necromancy. The infinite realms of the Shadowlands were the afterlives for most mortal creatures and were overseen by the Arbiter. Mortal souls were weighed, processed, and delivered to the realm most suited to their needs. If no existing realm fit their purposes, a new realm would be made accordingly, even if it was only used by a single person.
Anima—the raw essence of life that formed a mortal's soul and experience—was a valuable commodity in the Shadowlands. Nearly every native Shadowlands denizen, as well as the magic and mechanisms that made it operate, ran off Anima, but given the Shadowlands was the rest place for all mortal souls, it was usually in abundance.
Shadowlands realms fell into one of three categories: Service, Rest, and Atonement.
- Realms of Service fulfilled a specific purpose for the Shadowlands, and mortal souls in these realms often underwent voluntary transformations.
- Realms of Rest focused purely on creating a paradise for souls and mortals in these realms were allowed infinite time to focus on healing and relaxation.
- Realms of Atonement were involuntary realms and souls in these realms either worked toward atonement, or were eternally punished.
Larger realms could count as multiple.
- Oribos (Service): The hub of the Shadowlands where the Arbiter received and sent souls to their destinations.
- Bastion (Service, Rest): A realm where those burdened by memory could work through their trauma. It was also the home of the Kyrians, who were responsible for ferrying souls to the Shadowlands.
- Sacrificing memories was optional, and only done by those who chose to become Kyrian Watchers or Bearers.
- Souls could spend as long as they wanted in the realm without becoming Kyrian.
- Stewards were constructs imbued with the memories of the Kyrians they served, so that they could truly understand them.
- Maldraxxus (Service): A realm that hosted the standing army of the Shadowlands and was dedicated to increasing their power to safeguard every realm.
- Ardenweald (Service, Rest): The twilight realm of autumn, winter, and slumber where the souls of most beasts and nature spirits went.
- Ruled by Morgiana, the Winter Queen, and sister to Tatiana, the Summer Queen.
- Considered a "dark reflection" of the Fae Wilds.
- Vast plane with every conceivable biome represented within it (not just forests).
- All Wild Gods reincarnate here, but it isn't a 1:1 resurrection.
- Revendreth (Atonement, Service): One of the two Atonement realms, Revendreth was a realm dedicated to punishing sinners and extracting anima from them. Many Venthyr who lived here were once sinners, which also makes it a Service realm.
- Sire Denathrius was playing the long game by hoarding Anima and planning on growing his influence via supply and demand.
- Atonement extracted more anima than was ambiently generated by souls, thus he held the cards.
- His creations, Dreadlords, incited wards and depravity, which in turn sent more souls to him.
- Even if the Burning Legion were to win and wipe out everything, the other realms would rely on his ample stores of Anima.
- If they lose, a lot of people would die and commit war crimes, so he still would win. As long as there were mortals, there would be war, and the house always wins.
- The Maw of Souls (Atonement): Also called the Dark Below, or simply the Maw, this realm was the final destination of sinners who failed to repent in Revendreth.
- Zovaal was the Maw's most important prisoner, and the Maw itself had no Eternal One in charge of it.
- As the first Arbiter, Zovaal once ruled Oribos, but over time be became jaded by the sins of the mortals he judged and began sending people straight to the Maw, despite that being against protocols.
- When his kin confronted him, they turned his own logic against him, and Zovaal found that if subject to his own justice, he deserved to go to the Maw as well.
- Zovaal built the second Arbiter, and as his final act as Arbiter, he cast judgement upon himself and locked himself away in Torghast.
- The Other Side (Rest): An afterlife created by the Ghede loa specifically for dead Zandali. It was a technicolor city where Zandali of all tribes were equal.
Interloper Realms
Interloper realms were "false" realms that weren't created by the Arbiter and instead plugged into the Shadowlands system, effectively parasitizing off of it.
- Thros, the Blighted Lands: Conjured by Gorak Tul, the Drust who resided there wanted nothing more than to drag every Kul Tiran soul down in mutual torment and suffering.
- Valhallas: Crafted by Helya on behalf of Odyn, the Halls of Valor gathered an army out of the souls of fallen Vrykul.
- Helheim: A malediction made by Helya to spite Odyn in which she sought to seal away the souls he wanted for his perfect army.
- Hakkar'Alor: A place of blood and death. Those who died of plague and sacrifice could end up in the Soulflayer's realm regardless of what world they were from.
| Strong Against | Shadow, Life |
| Weak Against | Light, Life |
| Compliments | Chaos, Order, Life |
| Corruption | |
|---|---|
| Mind | Strengthens negative thoughts, but protects from madness |
| Body | Wither and decay |
| Soul | Souls are already destined for the Shadowlands |
| Example | Undead |
Librarium Categorica (Order)
The Librarium Categorica was the Cosmic Plane of Order, which was a Static, Extropic force that was reflected in the manifestation of arcane magic. It was a plane-wide library with exactly 32 sub-realm sections that were perfectly organized, which with their own specifications, purposes, and needs. It was a scholar's paradise, and all leylines fed from this realm.
| Strong Against | Chaos |
| Weak Against | Chaos |
| Compliments | Light, Chaos, Death, Life |
| Corruption | |
|---|---|
| Mind | Heightens intellect and pride |
| Body | Symmetry, crystals, full discorporation |
| Soul | None |
| Example | Ethereals |
The Twisting Nether (Chaos)
The Twisting Nether was the Cosmic Plane of Chaos, which was a Dynamic, Entropic force that was reflected in the manifestation of Fel magic. It was an infinite universe in a realm, and planets, stars, and logic-defying cosmic phenomena roiled through the nebulae, raining chaos everywhere. The Burning Legion controlled much of the realm.
Some plants that existed in the Twisting Nether were formerly from the Material Plane, such as Argus, which was a massive planet whose heart was rent asunder by being transported to the Nether. It became the heart of the Burning Legion, and it was about 100 times larger than Azeroth, with its yearly cycle being about as long. Outland, similarly, was all that remained of Draenor and was shifted to the fringe of the Twisting Nether, where it was tied to Azeroth via the Dark Portal.
The vast open regions of the Twisting Nether was referred to as Netherspace, and it was in a remote section of Netherspace that the Guardian Aegwynn anchored Karazhan's reverse side.
Demons made up the majority of the Twisting Nether's denizens, though ethereals, who were not originally from the Nether, largely dwelt there after a catastrophe scattered their planet across the realm. Their affinity for arcane magic made them uniquely suited to master the chaotic realm.
| Strong Against | Order, Life |
| Weak Against | Light |
| Compliments | Death, Shadow, Order Life |
| Corruption | |
|---|---|
| Mind | Encourages vice, anger, and pride |
| Body | Goat-like features, green blood, wings |
| Soul | Can gain immortal demon souls at a high cost |
| Example | Satyrs |
The Astral Plane
The Astral Plane was not a specific realm, but instead was the space between other planes and was also fittingly sometimes called the In-Between. Because of its nature, it had no traits or corruption associated with it, and it had no locations on its own as it was just made up of empty, ambient magic. However, Brokers had set up many safe havens, such as Tazavesh, the Veiled Market. Brokers themselves were astral beings who piloted constructs that they tied their essence to.
Aside from Brokers, the only other denizens of the Astral Plane were devourers, which ranged from small mites to terrifying behemoths of horrifying scope. They feasted on magic of all types, and were constantly trying to slip into the Outer Planes to feast on their cosmic magics.
| Worlds of the Warcraft Universe | |
|---|---|
| Plants, moons, and other locations | Argus • Azeroth (Blue Child • White Lady) • Draenor (Pale Lady) • Great Dark Beyond |
| Inner Planes | Abyssal Depths • Deepholm • Emerald Dream • Ethereal Plane • Firelands • Skywall |
| Cosmic Planes | Fae Wilds • Heavens • Librarium Categorica • Shadowlands • Twisting Nether • Void |
