[Free] Principia Etherealis: An Exposition on the Cosmos Post-Necromancy and the Foundations of Etheric Science (Chapter 1, Section 1)

Update 3/15/23: Added in sections 2 and 3 covering classes and backgrounds.

Prior to 1347, the scientific community largely embraced a mechanistic view of the universe, grounded in observable phenomena and the principles laid out by the likes of Aristotle and Ptolemy. The cosmos was understood as a finite, orderly system, with the Earth at its center—a belief unchallenged by the empirical evidence of the time.

The advent of the Black Death, coupled with the appearance of the Comet Negra, marked a pivotal shift in this understanding. The comet's passage in 1347 coincided with the peak of the pandemic, a confluence of events that led to the unprecedented revelation of the ethereal and afterlife planes, the existence of deities of death, and the practice of necromancy. This period, henceforth known as the Ethereal Revelation, fundamentally challenged the prevailing scientific dogma, introducing concepts that were once the sole purview of theology and folklore into the realm of observable and verifiable phenomena.

The revelation raised profound questions about the nature of reality and the cosmos. It remained unclear whether these etheric planes and their denizens had always existed alongside our material reality, hidden from human perception, or if the Comet Negra event acted as a catalyst, restructuring the fabric of reality itself. This uncertainty has spurred a new field of scientific inquiry, led by necromantic scientists, including myself and my colleagues, dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the Comet Negra event. Our work involves rigorous exploration and study of both the material and ethereal realms, employing methodologies that blend traditional scientific investigation with the insights afforded by necromancy.

As we stand on the cusp of the 500th anniversary of the Comet Negra’s passing and the Ethereal Revelation, our quest for understanding continues. The year 1847 not only commemorates a half-millennium since the world was irrevocably changed but also represents a milestone in our ongoing effort to reconcile the newfound complexities of our universe with the legacy of scientific inquiry that predates this upheaval.

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What is this?

The content attached below is part of an ongoing series I've been stewing on for a while. The basic conceit is that, in 1347, during the height of the Black Plague, the Comet Negra event revealed that the gods, afterlife, and magic were all real. It's been 500 years since the Ethereal Revelation. Although the world has many similarities to the earth that we knew in the mid-19th century, the presence of the Ethereal Plane, the Plutonic Gods, necromancy, and so forth has made it quite a different landscape.

The books are written from the point-of-view of a German-born nun named Sister Jame Osten (not to be confused with the author of Pride and Prejudice, mind you), who spent most of her adult life exploring the post-Ethereal Revelation landscape, chronicling her adventures in a 13-volume series of books collectively known as Principia Etherealis. The first book in the series, the one here, was not very popular when it was released. As such, only a few copies were printed—ie, there are only as many copies as there are book-receiving patrons on this Patreon account.

This first chunk of content took me most of the week to write since I did quite a bit of back-end planning for it (as of this writing, my notes are approximately 20,000+ words in length). I also researched the nature of death, the 1800s, and other "fun" events in history, such as the Crusades and the Black Death, hoping to make the most fully realized setting that I could.

I'm not sure how long I'll be "hot" on this subject; for now, it's pretty fun to write and imagine, so I'm going to keep up with it. Until I don't. 

These first bits set the "rules" for the world: races, classes, magic etc. It's mostly just heavily modified existing stuff (the gray boxes will guide you from the "in-character" content). As I write more, I'm going to add extensive tables related to the content that can be used for anything. I've already fully planned the first book, so it's just a matter of getting it out there. Once it's done, I plan to make it a Patreon exclusive—as in, I will only make enough copies to issue Gold+ patrons with only a 10% "damaged goods" rider on top—and never sell it again. I like exclusivity, and you are all very important to me, so I want to offer it as a reward to those who've stuck with me.

Hopefully, you enjoy this content. Let me know if there's anything you want to know about this insane world I'm calling "Ether" or "Ether Earth"

Thanks, all!

 - Dave