The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, sometimes called Nirvana,[10] was an Outer Plane in the Great Wheel cosmology representing the alignment of lawful neutral[8] and home of the modrons.[1][2][11]
Description
Edit
This plane was filled with an infinite number of country-sized circular interlocking gears which were habitable on one or both sides. These great flat wheels were at least 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) in diameter and had teeth that meshed at right angles, all turning slowly in synchronicity. Each disk had its own gravity that operated in a sphere circumscribing it exactly and pulling normal to the top and bottom surfaces.[1] The void between the gears was filled with air, allowing easy flight. Outside a gravity sphere, objects would feel only very weak attraction to nearby disks.[1]
A plane of Law and order, Nirvana had equal amounts of light and dark, heat and cold, and equal measures of the four elements. There was a place for everything and everything was in its place. Even individuals living here existed to fit into the greater scheme of things and thus achieve a perfect society. There was no pain, but the only pleasure was in successfully filling a role like a gear in a machine. Passion, fantasy, and illusion did not exist here, except for what might be brought in by visitors, and any who tried to foment individualism or stir passions for a cause soon found they were not well received.[1]
Nirvana was connected to the Prime Material Planes via the Astral Plane, and to the Outer Planes of Arcadia, Acheron, and Concordant Opposition by portals which appeared once every revolution of the gears they belonged to. The period of rotation depended on the size of the gear, but a typical period was twenty days. The portals stayed open for exactly one day. There was one portal to Concordant Opposition, located at the center of the featureless bottom side of a large gear, that was continually open.[1]
InhabitantsEdit
The only creatures native to Nirvana were the modrons, a race of beings organized in a rigid caste system and ruled by Primus, the One and the Prime. The most common modrons were the monodrones,[2] single-function drones used as common laborers, servants, or soldiers.[12]
RealmsEdit
A representation of a region of Mechanus, according to the Great Wheel Cosmology. Hovering over the map will reveal main features. Clicking will link to the article for that location.
- Amaunator, the long-dormant Netherese sun god, once made his home, the Keep of the Eternal Sun, here.[13][14]
- Enki, Untheric god of rivers and oceans, once had a realm in Nirvana.[15]
- Helm of the Unsleeping Eye once had a realm here[16][17][18] called Everwatch.[19]
- Hoar, The Doombringer, Lord of Three Thunders, had a realm called Doomcourt here.[20]
- Horus-Re, also known as Horus the Avenger, had a realm on a very minimally developed disk here.[15]
- Lendys, draconic deity of balance and justice, resided in Nirvana.[21][22]
- Mystra, Lady of Mysteries, had a realm in Nirvana up to the Time of Troubles.[23]
- Mystra (Midnight) briefly took over the realm of Mystra on Nirvana[24][25] before creating her own domain on Elysium called Dweomerheart.[26][27] (Dweomerheart subsequently became its own plane in the World Tree cosmology model.)[28]
- Primus, the One and the Prime, was a greater deity and ruler of a vast realm in Nirvana called Regulus,[29] centered on his great tower at the hub of a huge gear.[1][30]
- Psilofyr, the myconid deity of community and healing, once thrived in a realm called Mycelia here.[31]
- Utu, god of the sun in the Untheric pantheon, once lived here. As a chaotic good deity, it was suggested by sages that he was held here by Enki to keep him under control.[15]
HistoryEdit
Adventurers hiding from the Great Modron March departing from Mechanus.
After Orcus killed Primus and triggered an unexpected Great Modron March, he left the Energy Pool in Regulus to search for the Wand of Orcus, leaving the way open for a secundus to be promoted into the new Primus. However, prolonged contact with the Pool caused Orcus's evil influence to taint a fraction of the modrons. One tainted secundus disputed the ascension of any one of the other three and rebelled, leaving Mechanus and taking almost a million modrons with him. The dissidents settled a modron colony in Acheron, where they regrouped to later attempt to retake the plane. This schism crippled the modron race and paved the way for a formian invasion of Mechanus.[32]
In the late 15th century DR, the wild mage Delina was sent to Mechanus by Martikay in order to search for a way to cure her from her wild magic surges. After interacting with several modrons, she was brought to trial by the Fraternity of Order at Regulus under charges of being an agent of chaos. She was found guilty and summarily sentenced to exile from the plane. The experience allowed Delina to better understand, rather than control, her wild magic.[33]
AppendixEdit
AppearancesEdit
- Adventures
- The Great Modron March
- Comics
- Evil at Baldur's Gate 3
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), pp. 84–85. ISBN 0880383992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 86. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 127–130. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (April 1987). “Plane Speaking: Tuning in to the Outer Planes”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #120 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 42–43.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 62. ISBN 0880383992.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 49. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 47. ISBN 978-0786965622.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 73. ISBN 0880383992.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 75. ISBN 0880383992.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 127. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 58. ISBN 978-0786965622.
- ↑ Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 87. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
- ↑ Colin McComb (1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 182. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ slade, James Butler (November 1996). Netheril: Empire of Magic (The Winds of Netheril). (TSR, Inc.), p. 34. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 86. ISBN 0880383992.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, Ed Greenwood and Karen S. Martin (1987). Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (Cyclopedia of the Realms). (TSR, Inc), p. 11. ISBN 0-8803-8472-7.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 20. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 51. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ Colin McComb (1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 181. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (1997). Powers and Pantheons. (TSR, Inc), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-0657-X.
- ↑ Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). Draconomicon. (TSR, Inc), p. 27. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
- ↑ Dale Donovan (January 1998). Cult of the Dragon. (TSR, Inc), p. 120. ISBN 0-7869-0709-6.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, Ed Greenwood and Karen S. Martin (1987). Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (Cyclopedia of the Realms). (TSR, Inc), p. 13. ISBN 0-8803-8472-7.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 27. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 47. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc), p. 128. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ Colin McComb (1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 169. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 152. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
- ↑ Colin McComb (1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 51. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), pp. 86, 91. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
- ↑ Colin McComb (1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 176. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ Ken Marable (April 2007). “Return of the Modrons”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #354 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 36.
- ↑ Jim Zub (June 2018). “Evil at Baldur's Gate 3”. In Elizabeth Brei and David Hedgecock ed. Evil at Baldur's Gate #3 (IDW Publishing).
ConnectionsEdit
Prime Material plane • Feywild • Shadowfell • Fugue Plane
Transitive Planes: Astral Plane • Ethereal plane
Inner Planes: Elemental Plane of Air • Elemental Plane of Water • Elemental Plane of Earth • Elemental Plane of Fire • Elemental Chaos
Para-Elemental Planes: Frostfell • Swamp of Oblivion • Fountains of Creation • Great Conflagration
Quasi-Elemental Planes: Lightning • Radiance • Minerals • Steam • Vacuum • Ash • Dust • Salt
Outlands: Sigil
Outer Planes: Arcadia • Mount Celestia • Bytopia • Elysium • Beastlands • Arborea • Ysgard • Limbo •
Pandemonium • Abyss (Layers) • Carceri • Hades • Gehenna • Nine Hells • Acheron • Mechanus
Energy planes: Positive Energy plane • Negative Energy plane
Planar Pathways: Infinite Staircase • Oceanus • Styx • Yggdrasil
Far Realm
Prime Material plane • Cynosure • Fugue Plane
Transitive Planes: Astral Plane • Ethereal plane • Plane of Shadow • Spirit World
Celestial Outer Planes: Arvandor • Brightwater • Dwarfhome • Dweomerheart • Gates of the Moon • Golden Hills • Green Fields • House of Knowledge • House of the Triad
Fiendish Outer Planes: Abyss (Layers) • Barrens of Doom and Despair • Blood Rift • Clangor • Deep Caverns • Demonweb Pits • Fated Depths • Fury's Heart • Hammergrim • Nine Hells • Nishrek • Supreme Throne
Neutral Outer Planes: Dragon Eyrie • Heliopolis • House of Nature • Jotunheim • Warrior's Rest
Inner Planes: Elemental Plane of Air • Elemental Plane of Earth • Elemental Plane of Fire • Elemental Plane of Water • Positive Energy plane • Negative Energy plane
Planar Pathways: Infinite Staircase • River of Blood • World Tree
Far Realm
Prime Material plane
Fundamental planes: Astral Sea • Elemental Chaos
Astral dominions: Arvandor • Banehold • Celestia • Cynosure • Deep Wilds • Demonweb Pits • Dismal Caverns • Dwarfhome • Eternal Sun • Fugue Plane • Gates of the Moon • Green Fields • House of Knowledge • Nine Hells • Nishrek • Supreme Throne • Towers of Night • Tu'narath • Warrior's Rest
Elemental realms: Abyss (Layers) • City of Brass • Cresting Spires • Fimbulwinter • Hidden Realm • Muspelheim • Root Hold • Sky Home • Steading • Thraotor • Undying Pyre • Zerthadlun
Parallel planes: Feywild • Shadowfell
Anomalous planes: Far Realm
