Creation's Forge

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Creation's Forge
Positive Energy Plane
(Plane)
Subjective gravity
Unbounded

Titles
The Furnace
Cosmic Fire
The Fires of Creation
Sphere
Gravity
Subjective
Time
Normal
Realm
Unbounded
Structure
Lasting
Essence
Positive
Alignment
Mildly neutral
Magic
Enhanced and impeded
Denizens
Divinities
Description
Glowing heart of life and creation
Source: Planar Adventures, pg(s). 118–123 (1E)
GM Core, pg(s). 175 (2E)

Creation's Forge—also called the Positive Energy Plane, the Furnace, 1 the Cosmic Fire,2 or The Fires of Creation3—is the source of all life and vitality, and the birthplace of all of the souls in the Great Beyond. It is a place of such overwhelming, fecund energy that all non-natives (including some deities) are generally incinerated within seconds of arrival unless appropriate precautions are taken.45

Creation's Forge overlaps the First World and is connected as all Inner Sphere planes are to the Ethereal Plane; its negative energy flows through both into the Universe.67

Creation myths

Genies and elementals state and believe that the Elemental Planes existed before the birth of the Universe. Eventually, the Elemental Planes mixed with Creation's Forge and the latter's life-giving energies helped create the Universe. Many scholars believe that, within this myth, there is some element of truth as to the real historical facts.8 Others believe that Creation's Forge existed before the gods themselves.5

Inhabitants

Because of the dangers of visiting this inhospitable place, very little information about it has been confirmed.

It is inhabited by xenophobic, luminous phoenix-like beings known as jyoti,5910 who live in crystal cities and tend to souls as they develop like fruit in orchards of massive trees, and are visited by movanic deva and manasaputras who watch over wandering benign souls.11

Each jyoti city has a portal to a star in the Universe, through which mature souls find their way to mortal vessels.12 The jyoti also have large collections of powerful artifacts, and provide refuge from the gods for half-mortal bastards and heretics.13

In addition to the jyoti, the plane also hosts once-mortal manasaputras who watch over and assist nascent souls. The most powerful of these are the glory-clad solar kumaras, who dwell near the plane's blinding center to communicate to the monadic undersoul that they believe binds all life in the multiverse into a single entity.12 Gliminals of pure, radiant vitality also serve on the plane as guardians.14

Generation of souls

Creation's Forge and the Void, at top left, in the context of the River of Souls.

Sparks of potentiality migrate from the Maelstrom to Creation's Forge via the Antipode. Unaligned souls grow from these sparks in Creation's Forge, planted like seeds by unknown means from unknown locations and ripening like fruit atop massive, amorphous tree-like structures.1015 Mature souls are collected and released by jyoti into portals, focal points, and planar vertices through the First World to the Universe, to be received by children of creatures as they begin their lives.161517

Places of interest

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

  1. Dennis Baker, et al. “Defenders of the Living” in Undead Slayer's Handbook, 4. Paizo Inc., 2014
  2. Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Chapter 6: Running an Occult Game” in Occult Adventures, 238. Paizo Inc., 2015
  3. Robert Brookes, et al. Occult Origins, inside front cover. Paizo Inc., 2015
  4. Erik Mona, et al. “Chapter 3: Religion” in Campaign Setting, 181. Paizo Inc., 2008
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 James Jacobs, et al. The Inner Sea World Guide, 240. Paizo Inc., 2011
  6. 6.0 6.1 Logan Bonner, et al. “Age of Lost Omens” in GM Core, 175. Paizo Inc., 2023
  7. The cosmology of the Great Beyond was retroactively changed as part of the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project. See Meta:Creation's Forge for details specific to this subject.
  8. Tim Akers, et al. “Elemental Blood” in Blood of the Elements, 4. Paizo Inc., 2014
  9. Paizo Inc., et al. “Monsters A to Z” in Bestiary 2, 171. Paizo Inc., 2010
  10. 10.0 10.1 Amber Stewart. “The Inner Sphere” in The Great Beyond, A Guide to the Multiverse, 10. Paizo Inc., 2009
  11. Paizo Inc., et al. “Monsters A to Z” in Bestiary 2, 28. Paizo Inc., 2010
  12. 12.0 12.1 Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Chapter 6: Running an Occult Game” in Occult Adventures, 239. Paizo Inc., 2015
  13. Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Chapter 6: Running an Occult Game” in Occult Adventures, 240. Paizo Inc., 2015
  14. Paizo Inc., et al. “Monsters A-Z” in Bestiary 3, 114. Paizo Inc., 2021
  15. 15.0 15.1 F. Wesley Schneider. “The River of Souls” in Pyramid of the Sky Pharaoh, 71. Paizo Inc., 2014
  16. Amber Stewart. “The Great Beyond” in The Great Beyond, A Guide to the Multiverse, 6. Paizo Inc., 2009
  17. F. Wesley Schneider. “The River of Souls” in Pyramid of the Sky Pharaoh, 73. Paizo Inc., 2014
  18. Robert Brookes, et al. “Chapter 3: The Great Beyond” in Planar Adventures, 120. Paizo Inc., 2018
  19. Amber Stewart. “The Inner Sphere” in The Great Beyond, A Guide to the Multiverse, 11. Paizo Inc., 2009
  20. Robert Brookes, et al. “Chapter 3: The Great Beyond” in Planar Adventures, 121–122. Paizo Inc., 2018