Cosmology & Hidden Places
Realms, Tethers, Planes and Pockets
Creation is multi layered, vast and possibly infinite, though only the Creator (and probably Yves/Kronos) know for sure. Having said that, I want to define a number of planes of existence, mainly for my own book keeping purposes and perhaps to think of accompanying mechanics later on down the track.
So, let's call the world that we know Earth and go from there. People who don't know better call it the 'real world'.
Realms are created sub-universes, subject to the whims of those that made them. Usually they follow the same rules as Earth, but not always. Heaven and hell are both Realms, as are the homes of the most powerful gods, spirits and other entities.
All Realms are tethered to Earth in some way, anchored to the primary universe via conceptual links created by Symphonic resonance (as In Nomine tethers). Examples of Realms in the Vertigo comic line would include the homes of the Endless, the Underworld of Izanami, etc.
The size of a given Realm is proportional to the power of the being who made it. Heaven and hell are arguably as big as the physical universe. The other popular underworlds, homes of the largest pantheons and celestial palaces of ancient, alien beings are also vast, whereas a humble, retired god of traders who now works as a travel agent might have a Realm the size of a comfortable apartment.
This brings us to Tethers, which of course already exist in the canon In Nomine setting. Not wishing to make changes more complicated than they have to be, Tethers work much the same way here, mechanically. The main difference is what happens when a load of Ethereal spirits and gods suddenly get a huge boost in Tether numbers, creating a bunch of important sites that are 'independent' from the War. This, plus the drop in demonic numbers (but rise in power) means the following:
The number of Heavenly tethers drops slightly from canon, as the gods are able to claim conceptual links that come their way before the angels get the drop. Of course, this doesn't happen too often, as Heaven is still technically in charge, so only the most powerful and politically connected gods are able to claim decent tethers. Whilst Ethereal tethers are hugely more numerous than in canon, the majority of them are very low powered, usually acting as simple doorways to another Realm and not much else.
Tethers to hell are rare, but almost always very powerful, infamous and well defended by ancient demons, plus an assortment of whatever monsters and psychopaths have been attracted to the area over the years. Angels work very aggressively at preventing infernal Tethers from being created, because once they're established they're total hell to remove.
Planes are naturally occurring, elemental spheres of existence that overlay the 'real universe' as reflections, or expressions. Planes are the least understood places by scholars of the weird. There is a Plane of each element (Fire, Water, etc), as well as other fundamental, universal concepts such as pain, anger, lust, entropy, love, and so on. Each of these planes are as vast as the physical universe and populated by ancient, alien Elementals who embody and express the theme of their Plane.
The Planes have an order to them, metaphysically stacked from the most broken, twisted and diseased places up to the most perfect, amazing realms imaginable. The lowest, most hateful and desolate Planes intersect with Hell at various points, and it's possible to reach the Pit by traversing through these nightmare zones. Likewise, the highest Planes cross over with Heaven, and one could feasibly sneak inside through the Planes of Love, or Perfection.
No unprotected mortal could survive long in even the highest Planes. These conceptual universes would either drive a human mad from sheer sensory overload, tear them apart from physical stresses or else they would quickly fall prey to the denizens of the area looking for a quick snack. Having said that there are of course brave and capable travellers of the Planes, who use magic, advanced technology or hired assistance to take in the sights and come away with forbidden wisdom or strange artefacts.
The archangels and demon princes take a peripheral interest in planes that represent their Word, or have close associations with it. By definition, many Superior Words are universal enough to also have a Plane (Lust, Fire, War, Stone, Dreams, etc), whilst others do not (Media, Drugs, Swords, Trade and so on).
These Superiors have been known to strike deals with the beings of their associated planes, or to simply spend time in these places to get fresh ideas or a new perspective, or just to bask in the concentrated power of their Word.
Characters can enter a given Plane in the following ways:
Specialised Songs, other powers, magical artefacts, etc.
Elemental Tethers, although these are extremely rare as elementals can only create Tethers to their plane, and not a Realm, and so usually don't bother. Plus gods and Superiors usually get there first.
The most notable Plane in this version of the In Nomine universe is of course the Marches, or the Plane of Dreams. Smack in the middle of the metaphysical stack, the Marches contain a link to Heaven AND Hell (the towers of Blandine and Beleth) and are also the most human friendly of the planes, for a given value of friendly. Although in this universe the Marches didn't become the final refuge of the Ethereals, new gods and monsters are still born here and gateways to almost every major Realm can be found in the Marches.
Lastly, there are what people in the know call Pockets. Places that are technically in the 'real world', but twisted away from mortal sight and space. Like the Troll Market in Hellboy 2, or Rutger Hauer's workshop in Crossworlds, Pockets are easier to make than Realms for their comparative sizes but also a lot easier to break into, if you know the trick.
The largest known pockets are literally cities; huge hidden enclaves of fair folk, spirits, gods and monsters set up in places all over Earth, usually in the largest cities as humanity provides all the best toys, commodities and of course essence. Beneath the two dozen or so pocket cities are untold thousands of smaller places, from hidden cottages to spaces under children's beds, from forgotten clearings in the heart of a forest to plush apartments found between the walls of two rooms.
Pockets are the most commonly used 'magic' space and are often given out to prized servitors, who appreciate a place away from prying eyes. Every pocket comes with a set of unique conditions for entry, which can be anything from a spoken password to approaching the pocket entrance in a specific manner.
