Metaphysics

Sun, Moon, and Stars

The sun is launched every day by the Queen of Fire from her home in the volcanic land of Schanderna, aimed at her traditional enemy, the Queen of Water. Made of fire and glass, the sun blazes strong early in the morning, travels from south to north, then land in the sea somewhere north of the Flintlands. The sun usually strikes the sea, but sometimes breaks up early, creating beautiful sunsets. The glass sometimes lands across the Flintlands in the form of obsidian. By ancient treaty brokered by the Mother of Storms, the attacks are limited to once per day.

The moon is created by the Queen of Water, then hurled against Schanderna. The moon slowly disintegrates as it travels across the sky, eventually shattering into snow above the Schanderna mountains. The Queen of Water is far less consistent than the Queen of Fire, and so throws the moon at more unpredictable moments. The launching of the moon is so disruptive that its formation disrupts the ocean levels, creating the tides.

Occasionally, the sun and moon collide, causing a significant disruption of weather. Most hits between the celestial bodies are glancing blows. Neither body disintegrates but their courses are thrown of a small amount. Sometimes, there is a direct hit, extinguishing both for the remainder of the day. More often, the moon passes below the sun, briefly blotting out its light in an eclipse.

Water flows off the moon as it flies. The exact flow of wind determines where that water falls as rains. The winds, are determined by the stars. Astrea, the Lord of Air, flies about the sky continually making, removing, and adjusting the stars in some great puzzle. It is said that if he can solve the puzzle, some important thing will happen. Whether that is the end of the world or the beginning of the next world, or simply the unlocking of great knowledge, no one knows. Some believe that moving the stars about keeps out terrible things, and so preserves the world. It as if he engages some opponent in a complicated board game, with his goal being to delay the inevitable loss as long as possible.

Death

The dead go to Endhaven. Soul Hounds, invisible to most mortals, remove souls from the dying and take them to the Endhaven, where Eth stores them in the Lake of Souls, sorted and cataloged.

Seasons

In the autumn, the White Lady returns from her exile. Her return is heralded by the first frost. Slowly, the world dies. In the spring, she returns to her exile, leaving the world, which rebounds in fecundity, growing green until the White Lady returns again.