Ark of Fools: Akadazian Cosmology

Introduction

The world of Akadazia is surrounded by a mysterious invisible wall. Sages call it the "Slowtime Barrier": the closer you get to it, the more you slow down (though the creature caught inside does not feel any change.) The barrier also seems to emit an anti-magic field that extends at least a mile out. On the boundaries of Akadazia, people report seeing all sorts of things seemingly frozen inside the barrier.

The barrier extends from deep underground (no one has found a bottom to it) and up around the outer edge of the Rimtooth Range into the sky. The sky seems to end at 250 miles up, with full atmosphere all the way up. The upper reaches are cold and windy (well below freezing near the top of the sky.) Somehow, the sun and the moons get through the Slowtime Barrier. No one knows the true reason for this.

Stars, both dark and bright, seem to be embedded in this "ceiling" of the sky. In actual size, they range from about half a mile to 2 miles in diameter. They emit a nearly heatless light, too dim to be seen during daylight (except from the bottom of really deep wells.) No one has ever been able to get close enough to figure out what stars are made of.

The Sun

The sun hangs in the sky (or falls) 200 miles above the ground (as measured from Goosetown). It is a giant ball of fire about 17.5 miles in diameter. Legends speak of a giant phoenix that lives in the heart of the sun, and strange palaces inhabited by fire elementals, wrought out of "sun metal", never found on the earth. People say that the sun became a little brighter at the end of the astral year 1999.

The Moons

Akadazia has three moons, of erratic phase and orbit. The three moons are associated with the dead god and with Ehlonna (Luna). They are each about 8 miles in diameter and hang about 150 miles above the ground. Each one rises from somewhere in the eastern area (the exact direction varies) sometime around nightfall and sets somewhere in the west sometime around daybreak. The Red Moon and the Ash Moon go through unpredictable phases, but the Green Moon is always full.. Unlike our world, where you can still see the "dark" parts of the moon if you look closely, the Akadazian moons really seem to vanish.

The Red Moon is also called "Eye of Armaz". Sages claim that it is a cold, red rock, the glow coming from the past or the memory of the dead god. Monsters and undead are said to infest the Red Moon.

The silver-gray Ash Moon is also called "Eye of Daka". Sages claim that it is a cold, silvery rock, similar to the Red Moon, and similarly infested with monsters and undead. Rumors hold the Ash Moon as even more dangerous than the Red Moon.

The Green Moon is also called "Luna's Rabbit". Sages claim that it is a relatively warm place, covered with glowing green grass and trees. Legend has it that it is sacred to Ehlonna (locally called "Luna"). A giant magical "Moon Rabbit" supposedly lives in the heart of the Green Moon, providing it with warmth and life. Other stories speak of the "Old Man of the Moon" and his moon garden.



Copyright © January 26, 2003, Celeste Chang --- Revised --- January 26, 2003

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