Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Return of the Flumph 04-30-07, 05:01 PM	As the loremaster cast the final spells over the summoning square he had so exactingly repaired, an odd clarity came over the room. The sounds of the rooks nested in the tower above, the distant rumble of clockwork-buggies on the streets outside, even the dripping of that damnable leak in the floor below, all took on a distinctive importance. Each sound and color grew more clearly defined. The passing of seconds seemed incremental, almost perceptible. Finally, with a final spike in this strange atmosphere, there was a ripple in the air as reality itself slid out of the way to accomodate the newcomer. Several of the security guards stepped back involuntarily as the spirit came into physical being. The scribe tugged his beard nervously. "I am 05-96074," the star shaped creature said in an androgynous, monotonous voice as it hovered above the diagram, "intermediate Machina/Prime Material diplomatic pentadrone. Explain the purpose behind this summoning." The loremaster cleared his throat, picking his words carefully. Modrons might not be violent creatures, per se, but for cosmic spirits of law and order they could be very unpredictable. He had heard stories of summoners who had been deleted from the space/time continuum after saying the wrong thing to a modron. "I," the loremaster replied, keeping in mind the modron taboo against greetings and politeness in general, "am Gyblin Sidichii, junior diviner of the gnomish court of Ikloineblin. You have been summoned to the diviner's tower as part of the research process for an academic treatise on the nature of the universe. With the understanding of the fundamental nature of law that this tome provides us, we can help enforce the natural order by-" "-You have no intentions of utilizing any data exchanged in this session for any practical purpose," the pentadrone interrupted, "Your motivation for binding me was the aquisition of knowledge for its own sake." The loremaster stammered, "No, 05-96074, you misunderstand-" "-I understand the situation with an estimated accuracy rating of ninety-six point zero four percent. Regardless of your motivations, I am obligated to comply with your request in interest of minimizing the period of time I am kept from my prior task in the Machina. Initiate the questioning." The cosmology is a living organism. Its name is El. Walking through the forests, perusing the cities, or swimming the oceans of the prime material plane, most never realize that they are nothing more than cells in the body of an incomprehensibly huge life form. What most folk call the "mortal coil" is akin to El's digestive system. The "outer planes" are the creature's muscles and secondary tissues. In the center of all the planes, fed by the raw substance absorbed from the Far Realms by way of Limbo, lubricated by the cytoplasm of the Astral Plane and fueled by a constant supply of energy from the Positive and Negative energy planes, the machine dimension called the Machina serves as an immense nerve center, dictating the growth, development, and homeostasis of the entire, cosmic body. While life in El is little different than life in most campaign worlds, the idea that the universe is alive provides a backdrop for most of the events of fundamental importance. The atmosphere of El is gritty, yet optimistic, humbling, yet hopeful. Despite whatever unpleasantness is going on, the understanding that everything serves (or at least, is supposed to serve) a greater purpose makes the world seem in some ways brighter. On the other hand, the revelation that the universe-as a living thing-will inevitably die someday is equally dark.
Return of the Flumph 04-30-07, 05:02 PM	History of El.
Return of the Flumph 04-30-07, 05:02 PM	Cosmology of El.
Return of the Flumph 04-30-07, 05:03 PM	Races of El.
Return of the Flumph 04-30-07, 05:03 PM	The World of El.
Return of the Flumph 04-30-07, 05:04 PM	Wonders of El.
Return of the Flumph 04-30-07, 05:04 PM	Monsters of El
Return of the Flumph 04-30-07, 05:06 PM	Gods of El.