Post by Stix on Jan 31, 2006 1:44:16 GMT -5
A few primes think this place is called Nirvana, but where they came up with that barmy notion is anybody's guess. Mechanus is sometimes called "the Clockwork Universe," and it's easy to see how the place came by that name: Mechanus is a world of giant cogs that hover in space at all angles. Teeth interlock, and the cogwheels click and turn to the rhythm of some cosmic harmony - all perfectly fitting for the plane of ultimate, cold law.
Some of the cogs are little, barely more than a small island of matter, while others are hundreds of miles across. Many times, several smaller cogs cluster around a larger one, feeding off its motion. Typically, such knots are a single layer, although each disk may be a realm of its own. Everything is interlocked, and nothing turns unless all of Mechanus's disks turn.
Petitioners found on this plane are notoriously honest and literal. They don't interpret instructions or requests, but do exactly what is asked of them. This can be true even if the action leads to death, for petitioners of Mechanus believe they are constantly being tested in their devotion to order and law.
Layer: Regulus. The greatest of Mechanus's layers is Regulus, the realm of the modrons. These bizarre creatures live absolutely regimented existences, following a strict hierarchy all the way up to Primus, the One and Prime, a greater power on this plane. There are few petitioners found in Regulus, for there are no organized cults of Primus - at least not on any known prime-material world. Those few petitioners that are here were once devoted to the cause of utter and absolute order. Primus seems to exist to supervise the modrons, which maintain the existence of the plane. Modrons are often found in other realms of the plane, polishing cog teeth and generally fussing over the great wheels.
Realm: Anu. This realm is known only by the power that rules it - Anu, a Babylonian god. His realm is a single disk 500 miles across, covered by his many-windowed palace. There, he presides over the affairs of his children and rules the other gods of his pantheon. Copper-plated soldiers patrol his palace, their pupilless eyes never succumbing to sleep. Petitioners work at crafts and tend the halls there.
Realm: The Jade Palace. This is the realm of Shang-ti, the Celestial Emperor. It, too, takes the form of an enormous palace, although it includes gardens, lakes, and parks. The architecture is what would be called "Chinese" on one particular prime-material world. The palace is the center of the Celestial Bureaucracy, which supervises all deities of the Chinese pantheon. From here, Shang-ti hears petitions, punishes the unjust, elevates the worthy, and decrees policy for all other gods. Foo dogs prowl the grounds, protecting in particular the peaches of immortality. Each fruit extends a being's lifespan by 100 years, making these great treasures indeed. Almost as important is the Great Library, which stores all knowledge gathered from every prime-material world that recognizes the emperor's existence.
Other Realms. There are numerous other realms on the disks of Mechanus. Several lesser powers are located on them: Varuna, who rules a disk as smooth as the reflected moon; Rudra, whose disk is split into a great chasm, filled with maruts; and Yama, whose disk burns with the fire of purity. Finally, there's the Fortress of Disciplined Enlightenment, the stronghold of the Guvners. The fortress sits on a disk all its own, its spires forever watching over the revolutions of that realm.
Special Physical Conditions. The gravity on the disks of Mechanus always pulls toward the surface, no matter how that cog stands in relation to all others. It's possible to walk about on both sides of a disk, but only one side of any disk is ever built upon.
Special Magical Conditions. Illusions and phantasms of all types automatically fail on this plane. Such spells create little more than wispy outlines that fool no one. Needless to say, this isn't a popular place for planar illusionists to visit. Wild magic is similarly useless.
Some of the cogs are little, barely more than a small island of matter, while others are hundreds of miles across. Many times, several smaller cogs cluster around a larger one, feeding off its motion. Typically, such knots are a single layer, although each disk may be a realm of its own. Everything is interlocked, and nothing turns unless all of Mechanus's disks turn.
Petitioners found on this plane are notoriously honest and literal. They don't interpret instructions or requests, but do exactly what is asked of them. This can be true even if the action leads to death, for petitioners of Mechanus believe they are constantly being tested in their devotion to order and law.
Layer: Regulus. The greatest of Mechanus's layers is Regulus, the realm of the modrons. These bizarre creatures live absolutely regimented existences, following a strict hierarchy all the way up to Primus, the One and Prime, a greater power on this plane. There are few petitioners found in Regulus, for there are no organized cults of Primus - at least not on any known prime-material world. Those few petitioners that are here were once devoted to the cause of utter and absolute order. Primus seems to exist to supervise the modrons, which maintain the existence of the plane. Modrons are often found in other realms of the plane, polishing cog teeth and generally fussing over the great wheels.
Realm: Anu. This realm is known only by the power that rules it - Anu, a Babylonian god. His realm is a single disk 500 miles across, covered by his many-windowed palace. There, he presides over the affairs of his children and rules the other gods of his pantheon. Copper-plated soldiers patrol his palace, their pupilless eyes never succumbing to sleep. Petitioners work at crafts and tend the halls there.
Realm: The Jade Palace. This is the realm of Shang-ti, the Celestial Emperor. It, too, takes the form of an enormous palace, although it includes gardens, lakes, and parks. The architecture is what would be called "Chinese" on one particular prime-material world. The palace is the center of the Celestial Bureaucracy, which supervises all deities of the Chinese pantheon. From here, Shang-ti hears petitions, punishes the unjust, elevates the worthy, and decrees policy for all other gods. Foo dogs prowl the grounds, protecting in particular the peaches of immortality. Each fruit extends a being's lifespan by 100 years, making these great treasures indeed. Almost as important is the Great Library, which stores all knowledge gathered from every prime-material world that recognizes the emperor's existence.
Other Realms. There are numerous other realms on the disks of Mechanus. Several lesser powers are located on them: Varuna, who rules a disk as smooth as the reflected moon; Rudra, whose disk is split into a great chasm, filled with maruts; and Yama, whose disk burns with the fire of purity. Finally, there's the Fortress of Disciplined Enlightenment, the stronghold of the Guvners. The fortress sits on a disk all its own, its spires forever watching over the revolutions of that realm.
Special Physical Conditions. The gravity on the disks of Mechanus always pulls toward the surface, no matter how that cog stands in relation to all others. It's possible to walk about on both sides of a disk, but only one side of any disk is ever built upon.
Special Magical Conditions. Illusions and phantasms of all types automatically fail on this plane. Such spells create little more than wispy outlines that fool no one. Needless to say, this isn't a popular place for planar illusionists to visit. Wild magic is similarly useless.