Kanvæ

Author's note

I am aware of the fact that "canvas" is an actual word in English and that its plural is "canvases". In ancient Arkadhic, "kanva" is a word and its plural is "kanvæ" (but other plurals are attested in many modern nysian languages). You can easily distinguish them because of the 'k' and the missing 's' anyway. You are going to learn soon that a gate to access a kanva can be a canvas: that's where their relationship ends.

A kanva is a plane of existence, usually protected by one or more god-like beings, its guardians. The only known way to move between kanvæ is to use or create a dimensional portal, with rare exceptions. Cosmos Wayfarers are considered the maximum experts on this topic and are the only ones travelling between them (hence their name).
Nevertheless, even they can't answer every question: is Nys also a kanva? How many kanvæ are there? Who created them? Is the Abyss a kanva too?

Cosmos Overview

As per Wayfarers current knowledge, the cosmos is a supposedly infinite multidimensional space where various three-dimensional subspaces float freely and independently from one another, the kanvæ.
Swirling magical energies, often referred to as vital flux, fill the void between the kanvæ. Their origin, purpose and working is mysterious and not understood, so people usually attribute most observed facts with unclear causes to them.
Many wayfarers believe the flux is the source of time since, with its chaotic movement, it would provide to each kanva the energy required to let time flow.
When two kanvæ get too close, an unknown repulsive force seems to move them apart along different directions, so that they do not collide. Many believe this is another consequence of vital flux, while others claim it is due to the guardian's presence. Others recently proposed its an intrinsic property of kanvæ.
The vital flux allows, when kanvæ align in some of the infinite cosmos dimensions and are close enough, to open temporary gates between them. They grant anyone the possibility of travelling through the two planes, even by chance and without realizing it.
Beyond temporary gates, the only way to access a kanva is by using its primary portal, usually under Wayfarers control. It is unclear whether every kanva has such a gate and whether it can form (or be created) only right after the kanva birth or also later.
Most people believe every kanva has a gate right from the beginning of its lifetime and that it forms during the birth process. While Wayfarers can assure this is true for those planes they created, they do not know whether this is always the case.

Auphin

The main characteristic common to every known kanva is the presence of one or more god-like beings called guardians, auphin in ancient Arkadhic. They reside somewhere on the plane and can't move.
If a kanva lose its guardian, it will die quickly, unless a new one takes their place. It is unclear what characteristics a person must have to become a guardian. Wayfarers suggest only the most powerful among them may try.
Auphin role is slightly better understandable than other topics, at least among wayfarers, since many of them became guardians and were still able to communicate.
They say guardians are not immortal, though long-lived, and their task is to keep magical energies flowing in the kanva. Without their presence, the magic field would stagnate, and every living being would die off in a couple of months as a result. Many also claim the kanva structure would deteriorate and disintegrate in the end, leaving an empty shell.
Often sentient guardians help in defending and managing the kanva, advising rulers and communicating with their people.

Wayfarers

Wayfarers dedicate their life to find, create, protect and study kanvæ. They hope to understand Abyss nature and find a way to destroy it forever.
Many think it is a sentient plane, a kanva which is auphi to itself, gone rogue at some point of its life, with the only desire to devour other planes. This theory has not been proved but seems coherent with observed phenomena occurring during abyssal invasions in small experimental kanvæ.
Since the Abyss wants to expand by absorbing kanvæ, its spawns often look for gates to spread their master's influence over new planes. To prevent this, they say, wayfarers keep gates under watchful vigil.
They have been collecting kanvæ for the past few thousand years, bringing main gates to their headquarters, the Crossroads. Gates come in many different forms, from huge canvases representing the plane to small objects like a handkerchief or a feather. Most are inactive and works only by applying specific magical sigils to them, so are safe enough to handle.
They also created many kanvæ, mostly for experiments. The process, called projection, is not long but requires a large amount of energy to enclose a region of the cosmos within boundaries and create its structure.

The Root Kanva

The most prominent question about this topic, apart from the nature of the Abyss, is the nature of Nys.
Many people, especially within the Moon Church, think Nys is the Root Kanva, the firstborn, within which all the others have been created. It is highly contested but relies upon several verifiable facts.
First of all, Nys is the largest known kanva, and it seems unlikely that someone could have so much energy at their disposal to enclose such an immense space. Many people pointed out the second-largest known kanva, Tahausia, is not much smaller than Nys, however.
Second, Nys has several different environments, including forests, an archipelago, deserts and the dark lands, each with many indigenous species. This complexity has not been observed in any other kanva, expect Tahausia.
Third, it is not clear who its guardian would be or where could it reside. The only being powerful enough seems to be the Moon goddess but she has already denied being an auphi, and most people are not inclined to think she lied.
Finally, almost every kanva main gate has been found on Nys. Someone pointed out the old Arkadhe Empire could have brought gates in Nys from other kanvæ, though.
Those denying this special status to Nys, usually say either there exists nothing such as a root kanva, or it is Tahausia. Their main argument relies on a recent archaeological finding, a magic Tahausian artefact older than any Nysian one. It makes Tahausia at least as old as Nys, and as such a valid candidate to be the root kanva. Nevertheless, Nys is still referred to as "the old kanva", both by habits and because the oldest known Nysian artefact require circuitation of energy to work. Being an advanced technology, it requires its creators civilization to be much older.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural