Astral Shards¶
"The best way to think of a shard is as an artificial intelligence, one that is dedicated toward fulfilling some part of creation's purpose." — from Gods & Astral Domains (S420)
Contested
This page is named in the open question Astral Shards and Contracts: S013 against S421. Two documents dated 2022 disagree on how much power a shard holds in itself and on the terms of claiming one; the page follows S420 and S001 where they speak and records both older readings.
An Astral Shard is a fragment of the Throne of Law, a celestial object and a sub-plane of the Astral Plane in its own right, and the thing that makes a god a god. "The Shards are technically astral sub-planes, and are the home to most of the gods. The ownership of their shard is what gives them godlike power" (S421). Also called Astral Demesnes or Astral Domains, the shards fall under the Five Astral Domains of creation, are graded from High down to Dust, and are reached only through their own entryways and the sharing agreements called Astral Contracts. One shard was moved to the Material and destroyed: its dust is Mithis.
What a shard is¶
The newest account makes the shards semi-living. "An astral shard is a living thing with its own will. Not quite alive, but definitely not inanimate. The best way to think of a shard is as an artificial intelligence, one that is dedicated toward fulfilling some part of creation's purpose (it's Domain). When a god works in concert with the intelligence, they are more powerful, when against, they are weaker. The Astral Shards came originally from the Throne of Law which was forged to control and manage all of creation. Bending an astral shard to your will takes time, willpower, energy and compromise. This is why new owners of shards are very vulnerable and older gods can become very powerful as they allow their personalities to blend with their shard" (S420).
The shards are what remains of the Throne of Law. When it was destroyed "it shattered this plane into individual shards of various sizes, each composed of sovereign matter. The gods fought over these shards and their ownership conferred dominion over the other material and elemental planes" (S013). The dominion of the Throne "passed to the Einar (The Younger Gods) which claimed the shards, numbered now in the hundreds" (S001). How the Throne was forged and broken is told under Creation.
Each shard is a world of its own. "Each shard is its own plane of existence. Shards do sometimes overlap, but not the Mithis shard" (S182). The Astral Plane is "a series of subplanes carved apart ... These planes have specific entryways which are the only way of reaching them. Astral domains are primarily connected through the Shadow Realm along the Asomatus Lines which empower them. Astral beings often empower local shades to protect these entrances to their demesne" (S001). The Asomatus Lines, threads of psychic energy that run through the Shadow Realm, "also serve to anchor Astral Shards/Domains with the Material. They are bound to the fabric of the material and feed energies in both directions. For shard-holders, their connection to specific points on the Material acts as a beachhead for their power. More powerful shards have more lines that spread across greater distances. This is why some demigods and lesser gods with smaller shards are known as 'local' deities" (S001). Theologians "speculate that important shrines and temples are located at positions that intersect with the Shadow Realm adjacent to or near an Asomatus connection that feeds Astral Shards" (S001).
Inside a shard, the shard's rules hold: "the only viable magic in the shard is that granted by the shard itself" (S182). The shards are made of sovereign matter, below, and "hold the keys to dominion" (S013). What else they hold is where the two 2022 accounts part: in one, the shards "hold little power of their own ... Power is invested primarily in the ethereal energy bound up in living things, especially their souls. This is why the gods compete for mortal followers and attention" (S013); in the other, "Astral Shards come with vast quantities of additional Astral energy, as well as a focus to use them" (S421).
Shards in the sky¶
From Terrun the shards are the stars. "Celestial objects (stars and constellations) in the sky are a visual representation of Astral Shards from the Material Plane" (S001). "All Astral Demesnes/Shards are celestial objects. However, all celestial objects are not shards (they may be other objects floating in the Astral Sea). Large shards may cover entire constellations" (S013). The other islands of the Astral Sea are "discarded objects and creations of various kinds. Others may be dead or sleeping Gods (Einar) or other Astral beings. Many of these objects appear on the material plane as comets, meteors or stars" (S421).
Position matters. "A shard's power is amplified on the material plane based on distance. This is especially impactful for weaker shards. Strong shards can easily project their power across the entire material plane regardless of location, though will still be stronger in areas where they are directly overhead. For weak shards, location may be critically important and their power may be nearly non-existent when they are not overhead. At the north and south poles the stars are fixed. The rest rotate with the seasons as the sun moves through the Astral Sea" (S013).
The sun and the moon are shards too, and their fates are the hinge of recent history. In the Age of the Dark Sun the death of Kalar "results in the darkening and corruption of the sun, which becomes a beacon of suffering, corruption, decay and madness"; Orandos "sacrifices himself in a last ditch effort to empower the moon, increasing its radiance, and to split his shard and Kalar's to avoid the Dark Gods getting hold of it", distributing the fragments to his followers and Ascendants as the Scions of Light, so that "light sources become extremely faint and provide 1/10th of their previous luminosity" except near a scion (S420). The Godswar that preceded it began when Necatus "discovered a way to transfer sharding away from the sleeping god Kalar" (S420). In the post-Sancturi age a new star hangs in the sky, the Divine Star, "a very bright blue star ... (City of the Gods)", after the Divine "was able to take over most of Kalar's old shards which held back doors into many of the other shards" (S112). The gods and their deeds are Religion's; the City of the Gods is described on the Astral Plane page.
Classes of shard¶
Both 2022 cosmologies grade the shards in five classes, and both leave the counts blank; S013 marks the list for revision.
| Class | Held by | Count |
|---|---|---|
| High | the 12 High Gods | 12 |
| Greater | the Greater Gods | not given |
| Major | the Gods | not given |
| Minor | the Lesser Gods | not given |
| Dust | Greater Demi-Gods | "many" |
(S013, S421.) The oldest compendium divides the heavens differently, listing among the Outer Planes "Astral Domains", "The Abyss (Seven Tiers)" and "Heaven (Five Tiers)" (S384).
Gap
The sources give no number of Greater, Major or Minor shards and no roster of which god holds which class; the placeholders were never filled. The pantheon table is Religion's.
The Five Astral Domains¶
The newest source on the gods arranges every shard under five Domains of creation's purpose: Matter, Creation, Life, Thought and Union (S420). Kalar, "The Creator", heads all five, under a different title in each: Lord of Creation, King of the Gods, Sun God, and God of Order. The gods S420 lists under each Domain are given here only by name; who they are is Religion's.
| Domain | Gods named under it (S420) |
|---|---|
| Matter | Kalar, Khardas, Hathar, Sethek, Pyri, Pellenor, Cordia, Erolan, Lonyss, Marduk, Aether, Xolos, Uaros, Sidhe, Achelus, Vengrul, Namaka |
| Creation | Kalar, Tyche, Moros, Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos, Xana, Orandos, Lunaris, Astrin, Vengrul, Azrael, Eris, Thulee, Aeos |
| Life | Kalar, Ayra, Damara, Leda, Khaalor, Artenys, Askle, Nirriti, Rakkar, Jorogu, Thanatos, Cyric, Agnus, Nevendra |
| Thought | Kalar, Orandos, Lattia, Arcantus, Abraxas, Khardas, Nyx, Adranus, Nexagar, Necatus, Nefia, Tsarion, Tyche, Menrva, Vidar, Menae |
| Union | Kalar, Ayra, Vana, Itreya, Aphalia, Chiryss, Orandos, Valtreya, Arcantus, Rakkar, Tyra, Koth, Tarus, Necatus, Malix, Lazeo, Pravustiratel, Quitas, Horcus |
The Domains are the scheme the shards fall under, not the shards themselves: S420 does not say how many shards a Domain contains, or whether a god with several titles holds several shards.
Astral Dust and dust-holders¶
The smallest shards are Dust, "possessed by Greater Demi-Gods" (S013). Abraxas, "Demon God of Sorcery", is the one named example, "Lawful-Evil Greater Demi-God, Demon Prince", "Astral Dust Holder (Magic, Polymorphism and Illusion) - The Shiftless Mansion" (S432). Dust is also what great shards become when they break. Orandos split his own shard and Kalar's "into thousands of fragments" (S420); Arya "shattered her shard rather than lose it to the Divine, leaving traces on the material (The Blood of Arya)" (S112). In the post-Sancturi age Astral Dust is counted among the sources of magic, "The Blood of Arya (Life), Khardic Crystals (Earth)" and others left unnamed (S112), and one of the three kinds of demi-god is "a holder of an Astral fragment or artifact" (S014). Demi-gods are Religion's.
The Shard's Nexus and claiming a shard¶
Possession of a shard is a matter of lifeforce, not location. "A shard owner does not have to be on the astral plane to possess it. Possession is associated strongly to their lifeforce. If an Astral Shard holder's material form is destroyed, it is possible for someone else to claim ownership of the shard if they can: 1. Get inside the Shard (requires physical access or covenant/ascendant). 2. Perform a secret ritual at a secret site inside the shard known as the Shard's Nexus. This ritual usually takes roughly a full astronomical cycle to complete (1 year more or less depending on the size of the shard), and requires tremendous energies (again dependent upon the size of the shard). Upon completion of the ritual, the original owner's status is relegated to that of an Ascendant" (S013). The Terrun Cosmology calls it "a ritual only known to the Einar", "easily foiled by disrupting the channelling energies", and notes that "in most cases, the original owner's form has regenerated before the 1 year mark and is able to disrupt the ritual themselves ... If ownership of the shard is stolen, the original owner remains an Ascendant (usually Fallen)" (S421).
Later notes add two more roads. "To gain control of a shard, you must defeat/banish its current owner … or you may slowly capture it by occupying the shard (if it is abandoned)" (S182). And a shard can have a key: the pieces of the Mithis Heartstone are "an Astral Key … provides ownership of an astral shard" (S142). Dominion can also be partial. When Asmodeus took the Mithis shard, Denitrus, an ascendant of Kalar explained that "it is only partial dominion, Kalar remains principal", and that it "should not be possible for an outsider to acquire dominion without help from one of" the gods, "probably a corrupted Fallen" (S031). The 2014 compendium already knew gods who had lost shards: the Dead Gods, "once sleeping gods, but in addition to losing their physical form, they also lost control over their astral domain(s). How this can happen is unknown ... Many scholars believe that the Arch-demons are actually Dead Gods who have managed to regain a physical form" (S384).
Shard-holders¶
Most shard-holders are gods, but not all. "The few remaining Titans on the material plane are believed to possess some of the minor demesnes. Also, some of the demi-gods also possess astral demesnes, such as the Primal Dragons" (S013). In the God Wars "several of the Primal Dragons, including Pravustiratel, also became the first non-Einar to possess Astral Shards" (S386). Khardas, "a Dwarrow", "became the first Dwarrow shard holder/god" (S529). The Eldritch "have Covenants with the Throne of Law and Astral Shards. These cannot not be broken by any known means", which is why the younger gods imprisoned rather than destroyed them (S141). And the archdemons hold shards: the Seven Hells "were originally Astral Shards repurposed as prisons ... eventually each fell to the Demons, and the Seven Archdemons claimed one shard each", and they "have also managed to claim additional astral shards once owned by the dead gods" (S001); "Each archdemon is an Astral Shard holder (one or more of the 9 Hells)" (S022). Whether the Hells number seven or nine is the Abyss page's question. The Titans, Primal Dragons and Archdemons are other sections' entries.
Access to a shard short of ownership is an Astral Contract: see Astral Contracts for the Bound, Ordained, Covenant, Ascended and Fallen.
Astral Faults¶
Between the shards run fault lines. "The fault lines between Astral Shards can be used by enterprising casters to accomplish much of the same as what can be accomplished by those with access to a Shard. It does lack some of the power magnification of the shard" (S421). They are "used by Mages and non-denominational Clerics" (S421). The oldest spellcasting notes agree that "Divine energy users must have a focus through which they cast their spells", and that a shard "can be used to accomplish almost any kind of magic, but normally have a particular domains where the energy is amplified ... Each Astral Shard has areas of specialization and opposition" (S395). What a shard does for magic is Nature of Magic's; the practice is Magic's.
Sovereign matter¶
The shards are made of a substance the sources call sovereign matter. At the Einar's victory "the material plane was divided as the sovereign matter was extracted and embedded within the Astral Plane and Throne of Law" (S013). Sovereign matter is also the hidden soul of an elemental: an elemental can be permanently destroyed "only by destroying the inanimate material they are connected to (known as sovereign matter) on the Material Plane ... If all elementals were destroyed in this way, the Material Plane would cease to exist" (S018). As a magical focus it is called Adamant: "A fourth special category of focus is known as Adamant (also known as sovereign matter). Sovereign matter can be used as a focus and is found in remnants of depleted mithis metals and astral shards are composed of them" (S013). Since the Mithis Plane fell, "both [the Astral Plane and the Abyss] exist in extradimensional space and both are made up of sovereign matter" (S001), and it "is often present" on the islands of the Rift (S017, marked by its author for revision). Adamant as a material is Magic's.
Named demesnes¶
The cosmologies name a few demesnes as examples: "Astral Shards, Elysium, Gehenna, Valhalla, etc" (S013). Gehenna and Valhalla appear nowhere else in the sources. The demesnes of particular gods (Elysium, the Verdant Gardens, the Vernal Warrens, the Shiftless Mansion and the rest) belong to their gods' pages under Religion; the Dias of Algahanni, "a tiny astral speck which connects to a surprising number of shards across the Kalari pantheon" (S031), is described on the Astral Plane page.
Earlier accounts¶
The two 2022 cosmologies disagree, as noted above, on whether a shard holds power of its own (S013) or vast quantities of Astral energy (S421), and on the Nexus ritual. The oldest spellcasting notes hold that "unless they are Ascended or Fallen, a mortal does not have any access to Astral energy" (S395), and that a monk "has learned to channel with their deity's astral shard, which allows them the power to interact with Mithis Energy on the Material Plane" (S368). The 2014 compendium's Sleeping Gods, Einar whose "mortal forms [were] destroyed on the material plane, leaving their spirits to wander blindly across the material plane", "largely deaf and blind to anything outside their sphere of influence (astral domain)" (S384), are the forerunners of the sleeping Kalar of the later sources; sleep and reawakening are treated under Souls and Spirits.
Gap
S013 calls the Astral Plane "the remnants of the great divine city of ??" and never names it. No source says how many shards there are beyond "hundreds" (S001), nor which shards, if any, have no holder.