Cosmology in the study of the universe, which is divided into several planes, sometimes known as realms, within which exist worlds and other celestial bodies.
These planes are separated from each other by the Abyss, and separated from the Abyss by planar barriers[1]. Because of the universe's planar structure, it has sometimes been described as a multiverse, however, the various planes of existence actually belong to only one universe. However, other parallel universes do exist[2]. Because of the Abyss' nature as the "glue between worlds", it is possible to use it to travel to other worlds. It is also possible to travel to the same world using the Abyss as a shortcut. At the edge of the Abyss is a membrane, also known as the periphery, separating the Abyss from the Void, which is infinite emptiness. Inside the periphery are many different realms, created by the Elder Gods. Their current creation is also known as the current revision, because they 'revise' or restructure the universe every time they wake up from their slumber.
Types of Planes
Planes come in several forms, whether they be coterminous planes, incorporeal planes, multi-dimensional planes, the shadow realm is conveniently all three of those, while other planes may be layered, such as Infernus, which consists of multiple planes stacked on top of each other [3]. All of the planes inside the multiverse can be separated into 4 different types.
- The lower planes are the oldest worlds in the current revision, except for Freneskae, which is a remnant of the previous. All the worlds on this plane are unbalanced and often lean towards a specific element. It is on these worlds leftovers from the previous cycle are most obviously visible. An example of this would be Ancient Magicks, which were first discovered on these worlds. The currently known, lower-plane worlds are:
World | Planar Alignment | Creator |
---|---|---|
Freneskae | Balance | Elder Gods |
Infernus | Smoke | Elder Gods |
Vampyrium | Blood | Elder Gods |
Leng | Ice | Elder Gods |
Shadow Realm | Shadow | Elder Gods |
- The elemental planes were created by the elder gods when they split up. The worlds on this plane have an obvious alignment with a certain element. Which element depends on which god or gods created the world. Occasionally the Elders would return to these older worlds to refine their abilities of creation. The currently known, elemental-plane worlds are:
World | Planar Alignment | Creator |
---|---|---|
Muspell | Lava | Ful and Bik |
Abbinah | Smoke | Jas and Bik |
Yu'biusk | Mud | Wen and Bik |
- The catalytic planes show a high level of sophistication. They were created when the elder gods had already learned much about the universe and were trying out new techniques for creating worlds. They combined familiar elements with other elements of the universe. The catalytic worlds themselves are divided into 3 different types. These are the currently known Catalytic worlds:
World | Planar Alignment | Creator | Sub-plane |
---|---|---|---|
Ocularis | Body | Bik and something else | Primordial plane |
Teragard | Law | Wen and something else | Primordial plane |
Kethsi | Mind | Jas and something else | Primordial plane |
Naragun | Nature | Bik and something else | Higher plane |
Hallow | Astral | Jas, Wen and something else | Transcendental plane |
Tarddiad | Soul | Jas, Bik and something else | Transcendental plane |
- The balanced planes were created last. They are capable of generating a steady flow of Anima Mundi. The worlds are created with the combined strength and knowledge of all the elder gods. It is here that the Elder gods created their perfect world and went to sleep. The currently known balanced-plane worlds are:
World | Planar Alignment | Creator |
---|---|---|
Gielinor | Balance | Elder Gods |
All worlds
World | Inhabitants | Description | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Abyss | Abyssal creatures | The Abyss is made of the detritus of previous universes. | Binding-realm |
Abbinah | Aviantese | Abbinah is a harsh place with little water and a shattered outer core consisting of floating islands, as well as a chaotic open core that is the only place where water can be found.[4] The islands move at high speeds, with only a few city-sized islands in stable orbit. From above, Abbinah is obscured by hurricanes and storms that rage across the surface.[5] | World |
Britain | Humans | Unknown | Unknown |
Cheanannais | Fairies, Pixies | Rich in nature. | World |
Cosmic entity's plane | Cosmic Being | The cosmic plane is a small bit of land floating in what seems like nothingness. | Unknown |
Enchanted Valley | Wood Dryads, Centaurs, Tree spirits, Rock Golems, River trolls | The Enchanted Valley is a world full of nature. The main area of the valley is surrounded by a thick layer of trees. At the center of the main area lies a lake. | World-shard |
Fisher Realm | Humans | The Fisher realm consists mostly of grass fields and trees. | Unknown |
Freneskae | Nihils, Muspahs | Once considered a "perfect" world, Freneskae is now a dark wasteland. Its toxic atmosphere is riddled with constant lightning storms, and volcanic eruptions and lava flows mar its surface of bare rock. Its native life struggles to survive in the harsh climate, and as a result it is a world of constant warfare. | World |
Gielinor | A high variety of species | Gielinor is a mixture of mountainous, barren, forested, volcanic, snowy and tropical areas. Most of its cities lie in kingdoms, and others on numerous islands. Much of Gielinor is lush with water resources, enabling the existence of vast rivers and seas. There is also a large, destroyed continent to the north called the Wilderness. Known continents of Gielinor are the Wushanko Isles and the Forinthry site, which is today called the Wilderness. Tropical areas lie to the south, while the north is cold and icy. The south-east is largely a barren desert, the far west is a dense taiga forest, and the far east has a humid, marshy climate. | World |
Gorak Plane | Gorak | The Gorak Plane is a relatively small area, shaped roughly like a doughnut with grey clouds in it. | Unknown |
Iaia | Ilujanka | Iaia is a planet inhabited by cold-blooded creatures. The world possesses three moons, a star and consists mainly of marshland. The star is not visible because the world is surrounded by a cloud of dust. | World |
Infernus | Demons | Infernus is a world devoid of any life and contains liquid fire and rocks. | World |
Kethsi | Kethsians (formerly) | Kethsi is a world of vast ruins and large, putrid swamps. | World |
Killerwatt plane | Killerwatt | The Killerwatt plane is a world consisting of small islands floating in nothingness. | Unknown |
Land of Snow | Queen of Snow, Snow imps | The land of snow is a cold world covered with snow. | World-shard |
Leng | Glacors | Leng is a frozen and inhospitable world of the lower planes. | World |
Mazcab (previously known as Chantli) | Airuts, Goebies | Mazcab is a world mainly covered in reddish sand and rocks but with an abundance of water. Unlike most other worlds, Mazcab has a variety of biotopes such as jungles and deserts. | World |
Naragun | Naragi (extinct) | Naragun consists of what appears to be giant trees supporting shattered floating islands, which have leaves dangling from the bottom of them. Lights can be found dangling from the branches on the sides of these islands. | World |
Ocularis | Stalkers | Unknown | World |
Primordial realm | None | This realm is a specific part of the Abyss, which consists of the leftover "junk" that the Elders used to form reality. It is an empty realm aside from the seemingly endless fields of sacred clay. | World-shard |
Puro-Puro | Imps, Implings | Puro-Puro is a world consisting mainly of wheat-fields. | Unknown |
Renmark (destroyed) | Centaurs, Ice sprites | Renmark was a world of wild nature where the four seasons were in constant conflict. | World |
Runecrafting altars | None | Varies | Pocket-dimension |
Runespan | Essence creatures | The Runespan is an area of small floating islands connected to eachother by magic. In the middle is a huge tower, the runecrafting guild. | Pocket-dimension |
The Spider Realm | Spiders | Realm is a dark, empty place divided in levels. Each of the levels are made up of gigantic spun webs which must be navigated across in order to reach the top. | Unknown |
The Spirit Plane | Gorajos, Sinkholes, Gulega, Honovi | The spirit plane appears to be a lush, wooded plane in which spirit shards are abundant. | Unknown |
Tarddiad | Elves | Tarddiad is a world covered entirely by trees. It also includes various crystalline features. | World |
Teragard | Humans | Teragard is a cold world covered in ice. At the centre of the world, is a rift to the Abyss known as the Schism. | World |
Vampyrium | Vampyres | Vampyrium is a world with a blood-red sky and many castles and fortresses. | World |
Yu'biusk | Goblins, Orks, Ogres, Cyclopes, Ourg, Hobgoblins, Trolls, Fayrg, Raurg. | It was originally a cool and wet place, covered in marshes, swamps, and other wetlands. Now it is a wasteland ravaged by war. | World |
Zanaris | fairies, Gatekeepers, Orks | Zanaris is the moon of Gielinor. It is mostly covered in fungi, plants and forests. The normal laws of physics and logic do not apply on Zanaris; for instance, animals can talk and plants require no nutrients or sunlight to grow, and emit a faint glow. | Moon |
Alternate realities
Besides the main worlds, RuneScape has alternate realities. These are worlds like RuneScape, but slightly different. The currently known alternate realities are:
References
Cosmology | |
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Supradimensional | |
Realms and worlds |