Prime Material
The Prime Material is the world as we know, see and feel.
While this can be argued, the Prime Material is generally regarded by scholars as the “center” of the cosmos – the “axis mundi” around which all other planes of existence orbit. It is possible to reach almost all other planes (with the significant exception of Elysium), and two other planes (the Feywild and The Vale of Shadows) seem to be echoes of it rather than independent creations. The vast majority of all known thinking beings reside here.
One especially noteworthy aspect of the Prime Material is that its substance cannot be shaped by acts of will alone. Most other planes bend to the wills of powerful inhabitants who can alter their shape and sometimes even their physical laws. The Prime Material, on the other hand, is oblivious to exertions of will. Changing it requires actions and tools – from bare hands to golem-powered machinery and magical rituals.
This fact makes the laws underlying the Prime Material comparably rational and logical – and thus, perfect for scientific inquiry and deduction. While describing, say, the “laws of nature” of the Feywild risks losing oneself in metaphor (and indeed, it may be impossible to describe the Feywild without doing so), the laws of nature of the Prime Material are constant and testable, and any scientific experiments conducted in it usually repeatable. Thus, the inhabitants of the Prime Material have involved into masters of scientific inquiry and technological innovation not seen anywhere else.
While this can be argued, the Prime Material is generally regarded by scholars as the “center” of the cosmos – the “axis mundi” around which all other planes of existence orbit. It is possible to reach almost all other planes (with the significant exception of Elysium), and two other planes (the Feywild and The Vale of Shadows) seem to be echoes of it rather than independent creations. The vast majority of all known thinking beings reside here.
One especially noteworthy aspect of the Prime Material is that its substance cannot be shaped by acts of will alone. Most other planes bend to the wills of powerful inhabitants who can alter their shape and sometimes even their physical laws. The Prime Material, on the other hand, is oblivious to exertions of will. Changing it requires actions and tools – from bare hands to golem-powered machinery and magical rituals.
This fact makes the laws underlying the Prime Material comparably rational and logical – and thus, perfect for scientific inquiry and deduction. While describing, say, the “laws of nature” of the Feywild risks losing oneself in metaphor (and indeed, it may be impossible to describe the Feywild without doing so), the laws of nature of the Prime Material are constant and testable, and any scientific experiments conducted in it usually repeatable. Thus, the inhabitants of the Prime Material have involved into masters of scientific inquiry and technological innovation not seen anywhere else.
Type
Dimensional plane
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