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Since the dawn of mankind, we've told stories about a realm that exists alongside our own […] A celestial haven beyond the waves, or an ethereal abyss beneath the earth's embrace.
This supernatural otherworld was a realm of everlasting youth, beauty, and health. Where men and women live untouched by sorrow in the islands of the blessed along the shore of the deep-swirling Ocean, happy heroes for whom the grain-giving earth bears honey-sweet fruit flourishing thrice a year, far from the deathless gods.
The idyllic wilderness encapsulates the essence of the otherworld. A ceaseless world that defies its nature and takes the form of a utopian paradise akin to Elysium or the nightmarish hellscape of perpetual suffering that is Styx.
— Dr. Jeremy Graham
Background
The Uraniborg, Tycho Brahe's observatory.
Illustration from the Hypothesis Tychonica, showcasing the celestial model of the Elysian plane.
In 1580, while seated in his observatory on the small island of Ven, Sweden, the Danish Astronomer Tycho Brahe made a curious discovery. He saw that over the course of a month, planets exhibited an unusually static motion; as Venus, Mercury, and the moon weren’t undergoing phases, implying the planets were revolving around Earth under a Geocentric model.
He found even more anomalies as his studies continued. The gulls that flew to the east, north, and west sides disappeared into the horizon as expected.1 But the gulls that flew south remained visible even after hours of flying. This anomaly prompted him to experiment with boats. He placed a boat in the north and south to set sail to both at the same time. The boat to the north vanished into the horizon, while the one to the south remained in view.
Brahe repeated this experiment on the island of Shetland, Scotland in 1582, placing boats in 4 directions. This experiment yielded an expected result, all the ships he sailed disappeared into the horizon. Brahe, contemplating his observations, speculated that he may have accidentally built his observatory on some sort of portal to a supernatural realm.2 This realm, which he postulates, is an alternate plane that operates under a geocentric flat Earth model.
Superstitions on the idea of an otherworld were widespread across Europe, and echoes of the concept were especially prevalent by the late 16th century. Brahe's discovery completely shifted our understanding of the topology of Earth and the nature of the 3rd dimension. Beyond the western horizon of Ven, Brahe envisioned a new world, which he later named the Elysian plane.3 Brahe believed that this "other" world was a hidden gateway to one of 9 realms as mentioned in the Poetic Edda.4
Brahe wasn't the first man to discover the Elysian plane, but he was the first man to formalize the research of the otherworlds. For millennia, there have been countless stories of an otherworldly realm inhabited by gods and immortals such as the Irish Tír na nÓg or the Chinese Peach Blossom Spring.
The Elysian Plane
A diagram of the Otherworld (Elysian) Plane.
The Elysian/Otherworld Plane is an alternate landscape intersecting with Earth's topography within a four-dimensional grid. Despite Earth's spherical topology, entities possessing diminished anopticin filters5 physically perceive the observable world as flat and gain the ability to traverse across Elysian plane.
Incidences of accidental access to the Elysian planes are not uncommon among children, individuals teetering on the brink of mental instability, and practitioners of Thaumaturgy; which are usually met with their subsequent return to baseline earth upon the restoration of cognitive function.
While the otherworld intersection adheres to Earth's natural laws, moving beyond the point progressively distorts the fabric of natural law due to its lower coherency rate.6 The further reaches of the Elysian plane experience time at a significantly slower pace than baseline Earth.
Hikers and sailors who inadvertently entered the Elysian plane frequently report witnessing hallucinatory images that assume tangible, physical forms. The interaction with these images is substantiated by the observable impact on personnel and/or equipment, as evidenced by documented damages and alterations in temperaments during such encounters.
Due to the incoherent nature of the Elysian plane, flora and fauna that migrated into the otherworld adapt to its disjointed environment. Various anomalous species of plant, animal, and fungi are postulated to have evolved in or close to a plane.
Despite its transcendental nature, the Elysian plane manifests as an integral facet of Earth's topology and ecology, particularly due to the ability of organisms to phase between the two realms. This unique interaction sets Earth apart from other planets. While celestial bodies like the Sun, Moon,7 or Mars8 may have Elysian planes of their own, but the likelihood of their size rivaling that of Earth's is little to none.
Otherworld Drift
Entropy is the natural state of the universe.
During specific seasons, weather phenomena, or celestial alignments, the barrier separating Earth from certain Elysian planes weakens, concurrently displacing another plane. The influence of Earth's climate on the Elysian plane is generally limited to the point of intersection, and vice versa. Unfortunately, this property is susceptible to an entropic process.
In 1952, it was ascertained that the quantity and dimensions of the various intersection points on Earth have been gradually diminishing since their initial documentation in the late 19th century. This phenomenon, coined as the "Otherworld Drift," has resulted in a convergence of Earth's and otherworld realms' climates, instigating catastrophic disasters in both the baseline Earth and the Elysian plane.
A common misconception is that the Elysian plane is a bunch of cards glued to a globe, but they are more like a long, jumbled-up ribbon wrapped around a ball. The hand that tries to unravel the ribbon from the ball is entropy.
Of course, this isn’t ideal. We humans long to discover uncharted territories untouched by man. Both humans and Elysians (native inhabitants of the Elysian plane) love to interact with one another’s world. This interaction is the friction and normal force that curls the ribbon up to jumble around the ball just a bit more, but try as the ribbon might, entropy is stronger than any (natural) force that tries to fight against it.
In the dance of cosmic forces, entropy alone is inevitable. Perhaps there will be a day when the Elysian plane and Earth will fully drift apart, never to be seen again.
Excerpt from “The Otherworld Drift” by Dr. Andrew Manchester, 1954.
Geological and anthropological analysis suggest that the Elysian plane has been rapidly receding from baseline Earth since the late Bronze Age.9 This phenomenon has been associated with adverse ecological repercussions, particularly evident in local ecosystems reliant on the intersection points that have been dying out.
Sea of Chaos
The edge of the Elysian plane, designated as the "Sea of Chaos," manifests as a limitless expanse veiled in dense fog. The reality signature within this sea can decline to values as low as the ACS-1.7 margin, reaching a critical point where the fundamental constructs of space, gravity, and time undergo an irreversible degeneration into incomprehension.
Observation of this border is infrequent among human subjects, primarily due to the inherent self-adjustment of their cognitive faculties toward the coherent structure of Earth. This self-adjustment invariably triggers the transportation of individuals back to baseline Earth, limiting direct encounters with the extreme conditions at the threshold of the Elysian plane.
The nature of the Sea of Chaos is a topic of debate among scientists. The prevailing theoretical framework posits that the sea is a manifestation of the Infoplane, with the dense fog serving as a representation of pure information. Alternative perspectives propose the Sea of Chaos as an allegorical projection of the void or the vast expanse of space. There is no feasible way for researchers to make empirical observations of the Sea of Chaos.
The Great Smog of London (1952).
In 1933, the theoretical physicist Pyotor Kantorovich introduced the concept of the Sea of Chaos, theorizing its existence after investigating a diminutive otherworld plane in Siberia.10 Initially, his proposition of a distinct boundary was met with skepticism by the Authority, as the predominant theory at the time posited the otherworld as a subspace between two areas, and thus had no definitive edge.
His theory was later rectified in 1952, when the ███████ handling of ███ ███████ ██████ by Monarch Security and the ████████ ████████ led to a small portion of the Sea of Chaos to release into Britain and ██████. The disaster manifested as a pollutant fog that caused widespread deaths and mass hysteria, as well as slowing down time in the surrounding area to ██ hours per ████. It was reported that several London citizens were "████████" by the smog, some metamorphising into ███████. Around ████ ████████ citizens had to be terminated by █████ █████ ████ forces.
In the wake of the 1952 London smog incident, numerous European agencies, allocated substantial resources to investigate the Elysian plane. The primary objective of these research endeavors was to establish a comprehensive understanding of the otherworld to prevent an event like the Great London Smog from ever happening again.
Various research projects were initiated with a specific focus on validating the existence of a distinct boundary as postulated by Kantorovich's theoretical framework. The culmination of these efforts materialized in 1954 through laser-based experimentation in a minor otherworld in Australia.
Utilizing a laser sensor, researchers detected a discernible boundary within the Elysian plane, manifesting as a perceptible "edge" amid a cloud of "fog." Furthermore, the laser doesn’t illuminate the other side of the intersection, thus disproving the sub-space theory.
Notable Otherworlds
The Camelotian Kingdoms
United Kingdom & Ireland
An intersection point to a minor Irish Otherworld.
Art depicting the Riders of the Sidhe, elfs of Scotland and Ireland
The Camelotian Kingdoms, or Celtic Otherworlds, comprise a cluster of realms intersecting with the geographical layout of the United Kingdom and Ireland. With a historical entwining with Britain, these kingdoms came under the dominion of the British Empire during the early 19th century. The accurate cartography of this land remains elusive despite being within Monarch Security's purview.
The aboriginal natives of the Celtic Otherworlds are known as Fairies (or "Elfish Peoples"), an Indo-European ethnicity that diverged from the Britons and migrated into the Elysian plane. These people used to cooperate with the mainland British people before the intersection point between the realms began thinning by the late Antique period.11
The 4 main Celtic Otherworlds are known as Avalon (corresponding to England), Elfame (Scotland), Annwn (Wales), and Tairngire (Ireland). The Camelotian Kingdoms are said to have collaborated with the kingdoms of baseline Earth since Britain's classical and early medieval age.
The Camelotian Kingdoms answer to the authority of a supreme legislative body known as the Roundtable and its supreme monarch, the Lord Protector, a title said to have been passed down since the reign of the legendary King Arthur. The Lord Protector is responsible for fostering harmony among the Four Kingdoms and slowing down the tide of the Otherworld Drift globally as part of their metaphysical role.
Today, the Camelotian Kingdoms are collaborating with the Monarch Security. Together, they monitor supernatural occurrences across realms and safeguard the veil of secrecy. While the Camelotian Kingdoms retain autonomy, Monarch Security holds authority in enforcing federal laws when necessary
Xian Dao (仙島)
China & Korea
Only known intersection point to Penglai.
Art of the Eight Immortals who are said to have founded the veiled kingdoms.
The Xian Dao is an otherworld cluster nestled in the eastern Yellow Sea. The history of the Xian Dao dates back to the early Tang or Song Dynasty, when legends tell of 5 islands of veiled kingdoms founded by the Eight Immortals.12
The cluster is comprised of 5 mountain-islands: Penglai (蓬萊), Fāngzhàng (方丈), Yíngzhōu (瀛洲/瀛州), Dàiyú (岱輿), and Yuánjiāo (員嬌). Each island functions as a city-state governed and populated by the Xian,13 who are likely the natives of the Xian Dao clusters.
Throughout the course of history, Penglai and its neighboring otherworlds became centers of spirituality, attracting seekers of esoteric knowledge in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. The Xian denizens were frequently sought out to provide counsel to rulers and to intercede during periods of significant historical tumult.
During the Ming Dynasty,14 official contact with the islands was established by Admiral Zheng He, who discovered a reliable passageway between China and the five islands in the Yellow Sea. The Xian Dao clusters continued to flourish with minimal contact with baseline Earth, as their veil was under the protection of succeeding dynasties.
In the 1950s, the PCAAO attempted to occupy the Xian Dao clusters and incorporate the veiled kingdoms into the People's Republic of China. This was met with much retaliation by its inhabitants who sought to protect their sovereignty and cultural identity. Over the decades, the PCAAO restricted all access to the major Chinese otherworlds, souring the relationship between the two realms.
Spirit Realm
United States of America & Canada
Current location of intersection point shown above.
The Spirit Realm, known by many names to the various tribes of North America, is a large otherworld or cluster of otherworlds spanning most of North America. Most of the knowledge regarding the Spirit Realm comes from tribes in the Great Lakes and Great Plains areas, which are home to multiple intersection points.
Simultaneously believed to be an afterlife, home to various mythological creatures, and the realm that nature spirits reside within, the actual interior of the Spirit Realm is currently unknown to the Authority, as most of the oral traditions speaking of the Spirit Realm have either been censored by the USOC, or kept as internal secrets for them.
All Intersection Points that are known to the Authority have been turned into various types of government locations, either national parks that have banned access to the points or USOC facilities built over them. Any attempts to attain access to these sites are usually met with a quick response from the USOC, and no agents have been successful.
Al-Alam Al-Ghayb (العالم الغيب)
Iraq, Syria & Turkey
A silk road passageway to al-Ghayb.
Art depicting Ottoman dignitaries in an al-Ghayb port.
Formally known as the “Unseen World” (العالم الغيب “al-‘alam al-ghayb”), Al-Ghayb was an artificial otherworld crafted by Sufi architects, mathematicians, and thaumaturgists during the Abbasid era.15 This plane served as a nexus point for nearby artificial otherworlds in the Euphrates. Due to its strategic location along the Silk Road, it became a favored shortcut for numerous merchants and Muslim pilgrims, guided by thaumaturgists who could discern the geocentric shift in the stars.
Since its inception, the art of creating artificial otherworlds has disseminated across Europe, particularly thriving during the 18th and 19th centuries. Architects, mathematicians, and engineers eagerly embraced this concept as a gateway to scientific exploration and the construction of concealed rooms and buildings. Each of these crafted realms has a barrier (barzakh), which all connects to Al-Ghayb. All pathways ultimately converging back to the Unseen World.
The true origin of al-Alam al-Ghayb is a subject of debate, as the concept of an artificial otherworld can be traced back to ancient Babylonian civilization. According to 17th-century Ottoman scholars, the creation of Al-Ghayb is often attributed to the fallen angels Harut and Marut, who are said to have imparted knowledge of sorcery (siḥr) and the World of Imagination (‘alam al-khayal) to the Babylonians. It is believed that the Babylonians' adeptness at harnessing these artificial passageways and utilizing shortcuts contributed to their rise as the dominant empire in the region. However, modern consensus speculates that al-Ghayb may be even older, finding its origins in the ancient Sumerians.