Welcome to our Worldbuilding Wednesday! On Wednesdays, we will discuss the creative process behind different facets of the Twinverse, from as lofty a concept as the entire cosmology, to specific characters and their role in the setting. Worldbuilding Wednesday is meant as a behind-the-scenes column to give insight into how the setting itself changes and evolves, beyond just the events of the books.
There are many considerations to make when building a setting for your story (or even for your game), and one of these is the cosmology in which it exists. While it is perfectly acceptable to have the realm where your stories take place be the only existing realm in the cosmos (or at least the only one worth mentioning), there are still questions that need to be answered, and that may have an impact on the way the cosmos is ordered.
For example, you should consider the question of the afterlife. If there needs ot be a physical afterlife (or many) for those who die in your setting, where is it located, and how is it connected to the material realm? Is it possible to physically travel there if one is still alive, or is it more of a metaphysical space? Clearly, if it is possible to reach it while living, there will be tales about it (similar to the tales the ancient Greeks had of those - such as Orpheus - who visited Hades).
If your setting contemplates the possibility of summoning creatures from other worlds, then you clearly need to account for the presence of those worlds in the cosmology. This is a consideration to make even for your gods - if the gods exist, and have physical form, do they live in the material realm or do they live in other realms?
Once you have the bare-bones ideas of what worlds fit into your cosmology, you need to weave them all together. Much like islands in an archipelago, the worlds could be adrift in a dimension that acts as a "buffer" between them. Or they may be connected directly through portals, and there might be nothing beyond them. Or there could be a river that flows through all of them, and if you sail on it, you'll reach each world in a predetermined sequence. The possibilities for these connections are endless, and usually not mutually exclusive, giving you multiple avenues to travel the realms, if you so wish.
Once you have created the framework, you can start fleshing out the various realms. Don't force it, though - flesh out what you need to flesh out for your story to progress, but otherwise, there will always be time to expand on the original descriptions. Unless you are worldbuilding as a hobby, there is no need to painstakingly detail each realm, especially if they will not factor very much into your stories.
As an example, when I created the cosmology of the Twin Worlds, I started with the material realm(s) as the center, surrounded by a dark (and dangerous) void. This void, Ayazin, is difficult to access directly (so it remains mysterious, and few even know it exists, although many speculate on it), but within this void orbit the various Planes that comprise the cosmology of my setting. These Planes orbit the material realm(s), and since each has a different orbit, they can occasionally come together in a conjunction (offering potential story ideas or challenges). These Planes may be limitless in and of themselves, but in the void, they have specific spacial locations, meaning that they cannot always be accessed, and not from everywhere at once.
This was how the setting originated, but over the years, its cosmology has expanded to accommodate other aspects as they were needed. For example, "above" and "below" the reality I described thus far are Dimensions - different "layers" of reality spanning the entire cosmos, each of them serving a specific function. One such Dimension is the Deathgate, the liminal plane all souls go when they die. From there, souls can travel deeper inward, reaching the afterlife (another Dimension), or "fall" into the interstices and become stuck as spirits in the material world. You could use a Dimension to travel from one Plane to another, since the same Dimension spans the entire cosmos. This might not be the best idea - Dimensions can be dangerous and hostile to mortal life - but it could work, in theory.
You don't need to have this distinction, of course. Your cosmology can be quite simpler, if you desire. But as you build it, remember to keep in mind that scholars will know at least something of it. That is, unless you decide that no one ever learned of the existence of other Planes, which is unlikely in a world of magic (but possible). If scholars know of the other realms, almost certainly someone will try to exploit them. Either looking for exotic materials (or creatures) that cannot be found elsewhere, or seeking a way to harness their power, or seeing them as their own personal fiefdoms. This in itself can give you even more story ideas.
As I said, you don't have to have a working cosmology, and if it isn't necessary for your story, you can avoid writing it. But if you anticipate it may become important later on, you may as well start now, so that you can drop some casual mentions of it in your story where it makes sense, making sure a potential later reveal doesn't sound contrived.
What does your cosmology look like, and how does it affect your world? If you'd like to share, or look for feedback, don't hesitate to contact me! As always, thank you for reading, and I look forward to our next Worldbuilding Wednesday.
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