A Primer on Chaos

By: Yen Posted on: January 04, 2012

A Primer on Chaos

By Yen Jaydde-Stormcrow, Grace Serene

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What is Chaos?
3. Is Chaos Evil?
4. How Does Chaos Affect Our World?
5. What Do Occultists Do?
6. Is the Chaos Plane the Same as the "Realm of Chaos"?
7. Who is Babel?
8. Who is Eris?
9. What Can I Do About Chaos?

Introduction

This primer serves as a basic introduction to Chaos. It is meant to be used by Seekers of the Crystalline Circle in their studies to attain full membership in the House.

I should emphasize at the outset that Chaos is a complicated and controversial subject in the realms, in no small part because of its followers' use of propaganda to conceal its true nature. Yet, a careful study of history renders its true nature clear enough. When the worshippers of Chaos attempt to deceive us, hold fast to the truth, and judge Chaos by its actions and effects in our world. Only by doing so may we understand the true nature of Chaos.

What is Chaos?

In the beginning, there was Ayar, the Creator, and all else was void. By His will, He created the world as we know it--the Prime Material Plane, on which lie the continents of Sapience and Meropis, and other planes of existence, some of which we may travel to easily, and others with which we interact on a much more limited basis. This totality of existence is what we know as Creation.

However, Ayar's act of Creation was not without consequence. In our world, we know that for every positive force, there is a negative force--this is fundamental to our existence. And so was it also with Creation: when Ayar brought Creation into existence, He also brought an anti-realm into existence, a negative realm, a realm that, if not sealed off from Creation, would undo Ayar's act and return us all to the void from whence we came. This is the realm of Chaos.

Chaos, as Eris (the now-lost Goddess of Chaos) once said, is "that which cannot be controlled." Though Lady Eris has made many nonsensical and deceptive comments about Her realm, this one statement is absolutely true, for even the Creator could not keep Chaos fully sealed off from Creation. Ages later, a being arrived from the realm of Chaos, which, in our world, we know as the Unnameable Horror.

Is Chaos Evil?

Since Chaos comes from outside our world, it is impossible to judge it by ordinary moral principles. What is Good here may very well be Evil there. We cannot know. We can, however, judge Chaos by its actions when it enters our realm. In that, let us recall the Unnameable Horror's first act, on entering our world: the rape of the Aldar Maya.

Of course, Chaos is not Evil in the sense of being beholden to the Twin Lords. Certainly not. But let us not forget that its first incarnation in our world is called the "Unnameable Horror" for a reason, and its actions are indisputably evil in a moral sense. No follower of Good can condone the use of this force, or allow it to further seep into our world.

How Does Chaos Affect Our World?

When Chaos enters into part of Creation, that part of Creation is said to be "Tainted." The Taint was last observed on a large scale in about 330 A.F., and it has unpredictable side effects. Lower levels of Taint can cause madness--the Vampire Lord, Zsarachnor, deciding to plant tulips in Eleusis, for example. Higher levels of Taint often result in hideous mutations. Physical structures that are Tainted often become structurally unsound and collapse.

The effects of Chaos can also be readily observed in the occultist ability of "transmogrification." Transmogrification is, essentially, an attempt by the occultist to draw the power of Chaos into himself, making himself more powerful through the resulting mutation. The occultists' first attempts to transmogrify invariably drove them insane--an effect known as the Shakira Effect--until they eventually learned to perfect this transformation (it should be noted that the Chaos Lords the occultists sought to emulate are perfectly capable of rational thought, though attempting to mimic them is dangerous).

What Do Occultists Do?

The defining skill of occultists is the ability to draw on karmic energy to manipulate themselves or their environment. This karmic energy is acquired by studying particular items, which can be identified by the multi-coloured light that they emit. Since the release of chaotic energy distorts reality, however, the occultist can never "master" his or her study of karmic items. Rather, the occultist must re-study the item to regain an understanding of its karmic energy, which can then be released once more.

On reaching a sufficient mastery of occultism, the occultist gains the ability to visit the Chaos Plane. By journeying to the Chaos Plane, occultists may make pacts with the sinister beings that reside there, bargaining for use of the beings' 'services' in return for gold or karmic energy.

Is the Chaos Plane the Same as the "Realm of Chaos"?

No, it is not. The "Realm of Chaos," where Chaos comes from, exists outside of Creation. It is impossible for anyone to travel there. The Chaos Plane is merely a particularly corrupted part of Creation, originally created as a place of banishment for the demon Pazuzu.

Pazuzu no longer resides in the Chaos Plane, having been overthrown by Jy'Barak Golgotha, Emperor of Chaos. Jy'Barak Golgotha is a chaotic being created by the extreme corruption of the Chaos Plane. He is himself subject to Babel, God of Oblivion.

Who is Babel?

Babel, God of Oblivion, was created by Sarapis and given the duty of watching over the border between the realms of Creation and Chaos. Sarapis did this to prevent Chaos from entering into and destroying Creation. Before Babel was created, Chaos had already entered Creation twice--first, in the form of the Unnameable Horror, and second, in the forms of Entropy and Discord, beings whose energies were dispersed throughout Creation after they attempted to invade and destroy it (this is how the Chaos Plane became corrupted). Babel was also given dominion over this dispersed energy. This is why, when Babel returned to Sapience, He referred to Himself as the "warden" of Entropy and Discord.

Having been given dominion over the energy of Chaos within Creation, the corruption of Creation increases Babel's own power. Hence, His interest in further corrupting Creation is obvious, notwithstanding His original duty to protect Creation from further incursions. Babel's followers, however, maintain that this process is inevitable and that His duty is merely to prolong Creation's existence for as long as possible.

Since Babel's followers believe that actions ultimately have no consequences, they reject any form of binding moral code.

Who is Eris?

Eris, Goddess of Chaos, was formerly Servelan de Vermiis, an occultist of Ashtan. In 190 A.F., she successfully summoned the Unnameable Horror back to Creation. Unexpectedly, the two merged into one being, and a new Goddess was created.

The followers of Eris were the most adept propagandists Sapience has ever known. Their major claims were that (a) all things, even Order, are part of Chaos; (b) Chaos is happy, fun, and harmless; and (c) Chaos is the source of creativity and innovation.

In current times, the first two of these claims have been dropped by Babel's followers. The very first is now obscure and only encountered in historical documents. The second may still be encountered in Bopalopia, which Eris created via a particularly epic sneeze in 313 A.F. As Bopalopia is especially tainted by Chaos, one should not travel there unless absolutely necessary (e.g., to rescue a young one who has been trapped there).

The last claim is no less dangerous than the first two and still survives. Today, Babel's followers continue to maintain that Chaos is the source of both creative and destructive potential, and that, without the energy of Chaos, the workings of Creation would grind to a halt.

To counter this last falsehood, one must recall that, before the arrival of the Unnameable Horror, creativity was already exhibited by the tsol'aa, who were created by Proteus, leader of the elder Gods, and Phaestus, the Smith. The dwarves--which were created by Phaestus alone--gained a soul and free will when Phaestus, bargaining with Proteus, offered His eternal fealty in return. Hence, the source of creativity and free will is clear enough: it is the gift of Proteus, whose mantle later passed to Sarapis, the Logos.

Eris is now lost. In 476 A.F., She opened a rift in Creation in an attempt to travel to the realm of Chaos. She then entered the rift and was never heard from again. Her Order is now disbanded and Her dominion has been reclaimed by Babel.

What Can I Do about Chaos?

Glad you asked! One thing that anyone can do to prevent Chaos from entering into Creation is stop occultists from collecting karmic items. The House maintains a scroll on karmic items, as does the City, with information on denizens that hold karmic items and where these items may be found. These items can then be burned by placing them into the pyre on Zaphar Promenade, just
outside the Templar and Empyreal House Estates.

Another valuable activity is to make sure the City's orphans are enrolled in the Te'Serran Academy (but do NOT, under any circumstances, enroll an orphan in the Loving Hearts Orphanage in Ashtan!). This prevents an occult ritual to summon the Spawn of the Unnameable Horror. It is not necessary to elaborate on the details of this ritual, but needless to say it is quite gruesome and the orphans do not survive.

Finally, for those who can harness the power of the Elements--Magi, Priests, and Sylvans--there are additional actions we can take to strengthen Creation against Chaos. Since the foundations of Creation are rooted in the elemental planes, those who can channel the elements can use their powers to strengthen the fabric of Creation itself, or even re-weave it where it has been torn (e.g., by Taint). It is our ongoing project to increase our knowledge in this area, so that we can drive back the corruption of Chaos and return Creation to a pure and perfect state.