About time something happens.
Oh boy, this will be complex. If you aren't into cosmology and world theories, skip the first half.
Matter and Energy
Sure, we all know about alchemy. The four base elements: water, fire, earth and wind, accompanied by spiritual energy as the final fifth.
But there is a level of depth the alchemists didn't quite master yet.
The four base elements are made of "Chaotic" (Chaos) and "Lawful" (Order) energy.
Similarly, spiritual energy consists of five different types of energy. Alongside chaotic and lawful energy, they contain "Good" and "Evil" energy. Finally, they contain a considerable amount of "Essence".
This is something more than simple lifeforce: this is what makes life unique. Every creature has it, but generally the more sentient, the more essence. Additionally, two creature's essence is never alike, they always differ significantly. This is the main part of one's personality: the chaotic/lawful and good/evil determines one's alignment, alongside one's memories and essence making up the rest.
Where do these come from?
For the most part, the answer is: Deities. At first there were none, so someone must have created them. One rule of the universe is balance: when Goodness is created, Evil comes with it. When Order is made, Chaos accompanies.
This is where Mechanus, the plane of Law comes into play.
Mechanus
The plane of law, balance, time and rythm.
Balance is such a significant part of the plane, yet it contains so little chaos. The paradoxon of Chaos in Law, it is called.
How can there be balance if there is more law than chaos? How can there be balance if chaos is present to tilt it?
This is the dilemma of Mechanus. Also the main reason why it was so dangerous in its early stage of existence.
---The History of The Multiverse---
Chronos, the Greater Deity of Time and patron of balance has been observing the world from the moment he invented time, and himself with it. The other deities seeing the complete emptiness decided to create Order and Chaos. Some preferred if there were more chaos, while others wished to ser more Order. Chronos was the one to bring the idea of balance. A pact among all deities that Order and Chaos should always go hand-in-hand, in an eternal struggle - a tug of war.
Then the Deities decided it was time to make the world more interesting. Life was created, made of the Essence of Life, combined with a balanced mixture or Order and Chaos. So far the world was balanced.
The world was simple during this period. A clear cycle of Order and Chaos. Further additions seemed necessary. This is when Good and Evil has been created. Chronos suggested balance: and so it became as such.
On the other hand these new powers tilted the balance of Order and Chaos: a huge phase of separation came, as creatures of unbalanced alignment came to existence.
Chronos was worried this sudden shift might damage the balance, the equal tug of war. The other Deities were much more welcoming of this change.
Eventually, seeing the increase of this unbalance, the Deities decided to create many new planes: Arcadia, the Limbo, the Nine Hells, the Beastlands, and many more. These planes served as a home to these changes.
As a final response, Chronos decided to create Mechanus, a machine with a purpose so far-streching in comparison the lifetime of a dragon and the lifetime of a butterfly would seem equal. It was more than a simple plane: the entire world was alive, but in a new way, it was unlike anything before. It was a world of lifeless life.
---Mechanus, The Lawful Plane of Chaos---
Order is always accompanied by chaos. This is a rule Chronos himself designed. The question came: where did the Chaos go? Most of it? Outside. A large system of exchanges appeared between opposing planes. Limbo, the plane of Chaos was the main target: Chaos went to Limbo, and Order went to Mechanus.
But still, the plane could never be completely emptied of chaos, and so the chaos collected. This lead to sudden bursts of unexpectable.
---Life depends on balance so it can break it, and thus broken balance depends on Life to appear---
These Chaotic events lead to the least expected. The world was made of Stone, or more so: metal. Metal is something forged from Earth and Fire, as the alchemists usually say.
This is indeed the truth: the Chaos divided the Metal into Fire and Earth, then the fire proceeded to ignite the Earth and bring it to ash. From the ash grew something small, something green: Chaos has brought the first truly living life to Mechanus. Vegetation appeared, and so later was followed by critters: insects, birds, rodents, and so on.
The plane of Order became a bit more like the Overworld.
-For the continuation on the History of Mechanus, see the History of the Plane of Order
Oh boy, this will be complex. If you aren't into cosmology and world theories, skip the first half.
Matter and Energy
Sure, we all know about alchemy. The four base elements: water, fire, earth and wind, accompanied by spiritual energy as the final fifth.
But there is a level of depth the alchemists didn't quite master yet.
The four base elements are made of "Chaotic" (Chaos) and "Lawful" (Order) energy.
Similarly, spiritual energy consists of five different types of energy. Alongside chaotic and lawful energy, they contain "Good" and "Evil" energy. Finally, they contain a considerable amount of "Essence".
This is something more than simple lifeforce: this is what makes life unique. Every creature has it, but generally the more sentient, the more essence. Additionally, two creature's essence is never alike, they always differ significantly. This is the main part of one's personality: the chaotic/lawful and good/evil determines one's alignment, alongside one's memories and essence making up the rest.
Where do these come from?
For the most part, the answer is: Deities. At first there were none, so someone must have created them. One rule of the universe is balance: when Goodness is created, Evil comes with it. When Order is made, Chaos accompanies.
This is where Mechanus, the plane of Law comes into play.
Mechanus
The plane of law, balance, time and rythm.
Balance is such a significant part of the plane, yet it contains so little chaos. The paradoxon of Chaos in Law, it is called.
How can there be balance if there is more law than chaos? How can there be balance if chaos is present to tilt it?
This is the dilemma of Mechanus. Also the main reason why it was so dangerous in its early stage of existence.
---The History of The Multiverse---
Chronos, the Greater Deity of Time and patron of balance has been observing the world from the moment he invented time, and himself with it. The other deities seeing the complete emptiness decided to create Order and Chaos. Some preferred if there were more chaos, while others wished to ser more Order. Chronos was the one to bring the idea of balance. A pact among all deities that Order and Chaos should always go hand-in-hand, in an eternal struggle - a tug of war.
Then the Deities decided it was time to make the world more interesting. Life was created, made of the Essence of Life, combined with a balanced mixture or Order and Chaos. So far the world was balanced.
The world was simple during this period. A clear cycle of Order and Chaos. Further additions seemed necessary. This is when Good and Evil has been created. Chronos suggested balance: and so it became as such.
On the other hand these new powers tilted the balance of Order and Chaos: a huge phase of separation came, as creatures of unbalanced alignment came to existence.
Chronos was worried this sudden shift might damage the balance, the equal tug of war. The other Deities were much more welcoming of this change.
Eventually, seeing the increase of this unbalance, the Deities decided to create many new planes: Arcadia, the Limbo, the Nine Hells, the Beastlands, and many more. These planes served as a home to these changes.
As a final response, Chronos decided to create Mechanus, a machine with a purpose so far-streching in comparison the lifetime of a dragon and the lifetime of a butterfly would seem equal. It was more than a simple plane: the entire world was alive, but in a new way, it was unlike anything before. It was a world of lifeless life.
---Mechanus, The Lawful Plane of Chaos---
Order is always accompanied by chaos. This is a rule Chronos himself designed. The question came: where did the Chaos go? Most of it? Outside. A large system of exchanges appeared between opposing planes. Limbo, the plane of Chaos was the main target: Chaos went to Limbo, and Order went to Mechanus.
But still, the plane could never be completely emptied of chaos, and so the chaos collected. This lead to sudden bursts of unexpectable.
---Life depends on balance so it can break it, and thus broken balance depends on Life to appear---
These Chaotic events lead to the least expected. The world was made of Stone, or more so: metal. Metal is something forged from Earth and Fire, as the alchemists usually say.
This is indeed the truth: the Chaos divided the Metal into Fire and Earth, then the fire proceeded to ignite the Earth and bring it to ash. From the ash grew something small, something green: Chaos has brought the first truly living life to Mechanus. Vegetation appeared, and so later was followed by critters: insects, birds, rodents, and so on.
The plane of Order became a bit more like the Overworld.
-For the continuation on the History of Mechanus, see the History of the Plane of Order