Brunikor

Brunikor (also known as the Chaos) is the plane of existence where Demons originate from. Consisting of creation that was never developed into proper worlds by the gods, Brunikor comprises of random chaotic magic as well as previous versions of the universe that were discarded by Asmos. As such, it is thought that the entire universe once looked like Brunikor.

Mortals and most living things cannot survive in Brunikor without the assistance of powerful aether magic. The space-time of the area is simply too unstable for normal living beings to survive within it. As such, the only entities one is likely to find are Demons, life forms that sprung up naturally from the chaos. However, Demons themselves cannot survive in normal space without similar sort of assistance. This means that most Demons that enter Erudite either use a shadowy projection of their true form or travel directly through powerful summoning magic.

Regions

Chaos Storms

The Chaos Storms are violent, swirling masses of crimson clouds and ash that crackle with lightning. They are the most primordial aspect of the universe - raw chaos itself. It is what the entire universe looked like before Erudite was created. Within these storms eventually form giant crystalline shards of ekati that clash with one another, creating random permutations of magical energy that forms into asteroids and stars. It is not just matter and energy clashing but also time and space.

Asmos himself was born within these storms after enough random permutations caused a sapient entity to appear. It is speculated that there are other god-like beings similar to Asmos within the storms, although their whereabouts are unknown and most mortals are unaware they even exist.

The Chaos Storms are also the source of energy for creating artificial ekati. However, because reaching into this plane of existence slowly deteriorates one's mind over time, the practice was eventually banned across most of Erudite. Some of the last practitioners to openly use it were the nations of Emsius as a possible solution to the ekati shortage.

Stable Areas

There are pockets of calm areas of these storms although they are very rare as they take eons to form after countless, random permutations of combined matter and energy. They form into their own separate planes of existence as bubbles of reality among the Chaos Storms.

Erudite and its surrounding planets exist in one such calm area. While the existence of other calm areas has been hypothesized, any other full fledged worlds at the scale of Erudite have yet to be discovered. It is not likely to be possible for mortals to be able to travel to them physically. However, the Tree of Dreams does connect to these worlds which allows a mortal to use astral projection to visit them.

Discarded Worlds

The Discarded Worlds are the remnants of previous iterations of the universe. These were Asmos' failed attempts to create the world of Erudite. They consist of a variety of floating continents and fractured worlds drifting aimlessly. They do not exist as physical manifestations but have the same level of tangibility as dreams. Time does not flow linearily, often looping or going backwards.

When Asmos discards a world, he does so indirectly. Rather than destroying it physically, he instead allows its Weaves of Fate run out. All fate, destiny and prophecies cease and chronomancy becomes impossible. How long it takes to decay depends on how many sapient mortals remain awake and in a conscious state. If the remaining mortals either die or enter a deep sleep, the world itself eventually goes into a sleeping state with them.

The Discarded Worlds are considered to be on the very edge of reality. They are dangerous to visit. A mortal will risk fading away from existence from remaining too long in the area. It is thought that Erudite itself is destined to become part of these worlds once its Weaves of Fate run out.

The Tree of Dreams on the continent of Swen has metaphysically connected to these worlds between planes of existence, serving as a conduit in which a dreamwalker can access them. According to folktales from Swen, when someone wakes up from a dream and forgets about it, the forgotten dream drifts into the Discarded Worlds taking their place alongside the worlds Asmos discarded himself.

Points of interest

Among the regions of Brunikor are unique areas that stand out among the chaos.

Duivelmassa

The largest known civilization in Brunikor is a large city known as Duivelmassa. It is a gigantic floating city made out of chunks of volcanic rock. Towers twist in impossible, chaotic directions, and it is said if a mortal were to be able to walk through its halls, they would go mad from trying to process them mentally.

Various Demon Lords congregate here to brutally rule over their subjects. Lesser demons constantly scheme ways to usurp them and rise in the ranks.

Kudzu Domain

A miniature plane of existence formed by an ambitious demon known as the Kudzu. In the sky is a crimson gas giant with a large ring system. All throughout the Kudzu Domain is a thick miasma that rots the land and puts mortals under the control of the Kudzu. Strangely enough, children are immune to the effects of the miasma.

During the Medieval Era, the Kudzu created a breach in reality at Mt. Oblivion in Gierkliff. From there, the Kudzu was able to invade and take over most of the region until it was stopped by a young Menaran named Aller.