April 2025 Update
- Adam Donovan
- Apr 30
- 15 min read
[April 2025]
Greetings all, and welcome to the April (2025) update for Roguelike Games!
This month, as we explore everything related to Moralinth, we'll be examining the cosmology of the universe where the game takes place. We already know that the game is named after the planet itself, but what other planets are present in the system? Are there other dimensions? Let's discover more...
Moralinth Cosmology
The Empire of Estania, with technology akin to Earth's in the late 1800s, has yet to embark on space travel. However, this in no way lessens their deep fascination with the heavens.
For as long as records have existed, the planets of the Golar System have been of great significance to mortalkind, with the celestial bodies themselves named after the Gods. In times when science was not as prominent as it is today, people attributed unusual phenomena to the cycles of the planets, often using the names of deities and planets interchangeably.
In more recent times, astrologers have utilised telescopes to enhance their study of the celestial bodies above, realising that Moralinth is not actually the centre of the galaxy as their ancestors believed, but rather one of many celestial bodies orbiting their sun, Gol.
Given that the Empire is currently in a state of flux, it is not surprising that while science influences people's understanding of the stars and their place in the galaxy, older traditions that honor the spiritual aspects of the planets (such as star signs, connections with intense emotions, and even mental conditions like mania) continue to be observed and practiced in the modern Age of Reason.
Most mortalkind know nothing of the realms that prevail outside their own, and are blissfully ignorant of the existence of The Gloom, The Wyld, and The Void. The Church teaches them of an afterlife: a heaven called Aeternum where the Gods reside, and an underworld where the souls of the wicked go after death. These places cannot be proven to the sceptical scientific mind, but are accepted as literal gospel by most. Only those with The Spark - The Uncanny - have interactions with dimensions beyond the Mortal Realm.
Moralinth - a.k.a. The Mortal Realm
Moralinth itself is just one of many celestial bodies that exist in the Golar System, and despite what some philosophers believe, it does not sit at the centre of the cosmos. It is, of course, the only place that most people on the planet assume exists and they see it as the centre of everything, but the truth is that Moralinth is but one planet in a massive universe. Moralinth is unique in that it overlaps in places with The Gloom and The Wyld: two other realms of reality. As a plane of existence, Moralinth (or more specifically, The Mortal Realm, being the plane of existence it resides in) is a diverse ecology of many interesting and sometimes extraordinary creatures, though without outside influence, these are always mortal in nature. Of those who exist on Moralinth, only a tiny handful know of the other Planes of Existence.
The Golar System
The Golar System (named after its central star, referred to as Gol) houses eleven planets, five moons and the star among its celestial bodies. The third planet from Gol - Moralinth - is the only world known to contain life, but seeing as the people of the planet are not spacefaring, this is technically conjecture. Moralinth is unique among the planets in that it is not named after one of the original ten Gods of the Multi-Faced Pantheon, a practice that is afforded to the other worlds in the system. The celestial bodies are as follows:
GOL, The Star
A massive yellow dwarf star, Gol lights the entire system, offering life-sustaining warmth and is said to predate all other known life. Where the star got its name has been lost to legend, but most accept that it is an abbreviation of the word 'Golden', representing its bright yellow colour.
GRAOMAR, The Dead (1st Planet)
A charred and desolate planetoid scorched by its proximity to Gol, Graomar is named after the Keeper of the Dead and the God of Death. Several times larger than Moralinth, the planet Graomar is still little more than a tiny spec compared to the gargantuan star that it orbits, yet its rare presence as a black spot across Gol is seen as an omen by many of the people of Moralinth. Graomar is often referred to as The Black Planet by how it looks to astronomers as well as its connection with the holy colour of the God of Death. Graomar has no moons.
NALGREM, The Wrath (2nd Planet)
Nalgrem, also known as The Bronze Planet, is slightly smaller than Moralinth and alternates between its extremely hot side as it faces the star to its "cooler" side as part of its rotation. Scientists theorise that even the parts of the planet that are currently in shadow are still too hot to sustain life, and the globe burns angrily in the heavens as it is continually assaulted by the ravaging heat of Gol. Named after the God of Battle, Nalgrem certainly lives up to its namesake and in ancient times was associated with fury and blood, though it has tempered somewhat in reputation over the years in the same manner as an omen of battle and war. Nalgrem has no moons.
MORALINTH, The Wonder (3rd Planet)
Moralinth is the third planet from Gol, a world of lush and vibrant life. Said to house all life in the system, it is the stage upon which the Moralinth game is set. Very similar to Earth in many ways, it takes 365 days for the planet to fully rotate around the star. Unlike the other planets in the system, Moralinth is associated with no God or Goddess but shows evidence of at least one previous civilisation pre-dating recorded history in the form of monoliths, ancient ruins, and the fabled Enclave walls.
SILAS (Moon orbiting Moralinth)
The small and rocky moon that can be seen in the night sky above Moralinth has held many connections with superstition and the occult in many cultures' histories, but has become more of a sign of romance and wonder in recent years. Often interchangeably referred to as just 'The Moon', Silas is the nearest celestial body to Moralinth and the destination of many a scientist's dream to see what lies in the great beyond of space.
KHAPHOTHIS, The Bound (4th Planet)
Often referred to as The Yellow Planet, Khaphothis is larger than Moralinth, though not by a noticeable degree to the naked eye. The gases that cover its surface give the planet a yellowish sheen when viewed through a telescope or the rare occasions when it is seen in the night sky, a visual effect that gives it the nickname of The Yellow Planet.
Named after the God of Contracts, it is orbited by two moons that give the impression of a set of twin trails twisting around the planet, which were interpreted as bindings in ancient times. The Bound Planet, as it is sometimes called, is depicted in legend as a watcher who oversees all agreements, and it is said that the Gods themselves sanctify any oath made under the gaze of The Yellow Planet.
EROS & ILUS (Twin moons orbiting Khaphothis)
Known also as The Brother and The Sister, Eros and Ilus continually circle The Yellow Planet in an overlapping polar orbit, crossing over one another but never colliding. Slowly decaying, tiny parts of both moons are breaking off and creating tiny asteroid belts that seem to "trail" behind them, giving the impression of bindings such as ropes or chains encircling the planet. Barren and lifeless, the twin moons seem identical to the naked eye, but a telescope reveals that Ilus - 'The Sister' is marginally smaller than Eros.
YATOMO, The Eye (Fifth Planet)
The fifth planet is often referred to by The Eye: a name that comes from its creamy white clouds that cover the planetoid so extensively that they can be seen via telescope, and the strange dark "something" that is observed at the very core of the planet. Many have theorised that this might be some kind of landmass, but even to the most layman astronomer, the resemblance to a human eyeball is uncanny. Yatomo - to give the planet its proper title - is roughly comparable in size to Moralinth and hangs in the vastness of space like an ominous all-seeing eye of a celestial being surveying the cosmos. Ancient legends suggest that the Eye watches all with cold indifference, observing mighty empires rise and fall, yet cares for nought.
NATOTH, The Wise (6th Planet)
The large planet named Natoth is the sixth furthest planet from Gol. Cool blue and purple colours stream through the atmosphere of this gas giant, constantly swirling patterns that have mesmerised more than one curious astronomer over the years. Roughly double the size of Moralinth or Yatomo, Natoth is reputed in legend to be a place where ancient mysteries are solved and understood, so long as one is willing to open oneself to the complexities of the cosmos. In times past, Natoth - also known as The Wise or The Solver - was connected to the ways of magic and the occult, and some of that superstition persists into modern times. Even the most logical scientist sometimes gives a silent nod to Natoth (either the God or the Planet) when running experiments or trying to unravel a particularly complex puzzle, hoping to have some kind of revelation or epiphany.
MALIK, The Just (7th Planet)
By far the largest planet in the entire Gol system, Malik The Just - dwarfs all other planets in its vicinity, even Natoth and Rarkan. Indeed, this grey-black planetoid is several times larger than any other planetoid, second only to the star itself. Gargantuan enough to be seen by the naked eye at certain times of the year, Malik hangs among the stars like a solid bastion of defence from the void and the horrors of the unknown beyond. Seen as a symbol of strength and order, the planet Malik has been adopted by the Inquisition in much of their imagery and doctrine, just as the God of the same name was in times past. Very little is known of the planet beyond what can be seen through a telescope, but it is assumed that no life is present on the planet, which seems to be one massive landmass.
RARKAN, The Whisper (8th Planet)
A dark planetoid almost always eclipsed in Malik's shadow, Rarkan is a world synonymous with secrets, deception and things that lurk in the dark... or at least that is how the old fables proclaim it. As a world, it is larger than Moralinth but is overshadowed by the vastness of Malik and the majestic beauty of the system's ninth planet, The Reborn. Its surface is covered in shifting dark storms that give it an inky-blue appearance under telescopic observation, and it is a planet often overlooked as nothing more than a mere curiosity when compared to the other celestial bodies found in the Gol System. If anything, its small orbiting moon of Arkan gets more attention, due to its peculiar reputation.
ARKAN (Moon orbiting Rarkan)
Perhaps the most famous moon next to Silas, the moon of Arkan is said to be linked to mental instability and erratic behaviour. Almost impossibly silver in colour, it shines under a telescope to a glaring degree, and despite a lack of any scientific evidence to back it up, many cultures independently associate Arkan with madness, with those afflicted often referred to as 'Arkanics' or 'displaying arkanic behaviour'. Though this slang is being slowly phased out in modern practices, it is still a term heard commonly on the Empire's fringes, such as in the northern realms of Terrarctana and the fringe lands of Lyryris .
DIMITRI, The Reborn (9th Planet)
The ninth planet in the system - Dimitri - is often called The Red Planet due to the reddish hue it gives off when observed through a telescope. Long associated with love and passion, the planet shares its name with the God of Healing and rebirth. The focus of many stories and poems of love, hope, passion and betrayal, the world of Dimitri has existed in the subconscious of many civilisations and across many different languages. A small planet compared to many of its neighbours, The Reborn is roughly equivalent in size to The Bronze Planet and has a singular moon that orbits it.
DRAGOSTI (Moon orbiting Dimitri)
A muse of sorts, the moon Dragosti is extremely small for a planetoid at only eight hundred and twenty kilometres in radius, which can barely be made out against The Red Planet, even with the aid of a telescope. Nonetheless, ancient legends claimed that Dragosti acted as a sort of lens or focus for the alleged waves of energy that came from Dimitri, the same energies that many associated with love and passion. To have Dragosti in alignment with Dimitri prophesied much luck and happiness, and it was said that those born under its sign would be romantic at heart. Even in modern times, weddings are often considered blessed if conducted under the Night of Dragosti.
AETHUSA, The Cold (10th Planet)
Not much larger than Natoth, Aethusa - also referred to as The White Planet - is a seemingly cold and desolate world near the outer edge of the Gol System. Considered the only ice giant among the eleven worlds, Aethusa has no moons and has an air of mystery surrounding it that rivals the superstitions about Rarkan and Xix.
Oftentimes visible to the naked eye on clear winter nights, the White Planet gets its name from its bright white atmosphere that shines splendidly yet grants no feeling of warmth. Indeed, Aethusa is said to be as cold as the Goddess that shares its name and shares her bleak yet alluring beauty.
XIX, The Dreamer (11th Planet)
Almost nothing is known of the eleventh planet of the Golar System: Xix is seen as a mysterious place often associated with both dreams and nightmares, the interpretation of prophecies and a handy scapegoat for religious or occult stigma. In truth, anything 'known' about this distant planetoid is mere conjecture, and it remains an elusive body in the heavens, only barely visible in the most powerful microscopes. So distant is Xix in fact, that it was originally miscategorised as Aethusa's moon. The only fact that can be gleaned about Xix is that it is easily the smallest of all the planets in the Golar System.
Beyond The Stars
Though the vast majority of the population of the world of Moralinth are unaware, their reality is but one of many that exist around them. The cosmology of Moralinth has five known planes of existence, yet their content is often abstract and unaccountable and can often overlap with one another in places. A mere fraction of the populace is aware of the existence of any worlds beyond Moralinth itself, and even they are cautious pioneers in these otherworldly places. The various Planes of Existence in Moralinth can be summarised in the following manner:
The Gloom
A shadowy and sinister clone of the Mortal Realm, The Gloom is as much a supernatural phenomenon as it is a separate plane of existence. Sharing the same space as The Mortal Realm (and therefore the world of Moralinth), The Gloom is a place of misty, unclear dread that is unnatural and corrupting to the mortal mind. Those who can sense the supernatural or connect in mystical ways to things outside of the world they know (such as through the use of seances, for example) are touching upon The Gloom. When magical energies are employed by those able to do so, they draw ambient energy from The Gloom as part of the process.
Those who can transport themselves bodily or mentally through magic use The Gloom as a point of traverse, though travel through The Gloom can often be an unsettling experience to even the most strong-minded of individuals. Of all the other planes of existence, The Gloom is the one most easily contacted by people on The Mortal Realm, as the two dimensions overlap in such a manner that in certain places (haunted sites, places of great emotional turmoil, etc) permanent and semi-permanent portals can exist. Unless Uncanny or in some other manner connected to The Dark, most people are unaware they are in The Gloom beyond a sense that something is "not quite right" and the presence of a constant, clinging fog that sits about a foot off the floor.
The Wyld
Known to some as "The First World", The Wyld is said to be the point of origin for all creation, a test-bed of raw energies given form and matter. A massively chaotic place, unrestrained by physics or natural laws, it consists of many things that overlap and clash in a seemingly unorganised manner. Home to the Fae, Elementals and creatures of primordial chaos, The Wyld can be considered natural in its first-born sense before any laws governing physical behaviour were introduced.
This primal place is at once both beautiful and terrible, a true cradle of creation before the tenets of reality were established. Like The Gloom, The Wyld occupies the same space as The Mortal Realm but exists in tandem with it rather than one place holding physicality over the other. Connected to The Mortal Realm (on Moralinth at least) at places of great natural wonder and power, The Wyld has gone unseen by most mortal eyes and minds for many generations, in no small part due to The Blight and its effect on The Wilderness.
Aeternum
If The Church is to be believed, Aeternum is the home of the Celestials, a place where the Multi-Faced Pantheon holds court (including Elyon The Lightbringer), as well as the hosts of Demi-Gods, Angels, and other supernatural creatures who serve the Pantheon faithfully. Records vary as to the exact nature of the place, with some recording it as a continent in the clouds, and others saying each deity resides over a plane of existence that exemplifies their nature. Regardless of contradictions and theory, all agree that Aeternum is the home of the Gods, and that is not meant for mortals to know-not before their death, at least. Aeternum is seen as the final resting place of the soul, the "perfect afterlife", which is why such practices as reincarnation, resurrection and raising the dead were seen as such anathema to The Church: it is perceived as separating the rested soul from their paradise (not that anyone outside of The Church believe in resurrection these days).
It is said that Aeternum also has a cavernous underbelly of sorts where the wicked souls go, an Underworld of hellish proportions where no vile deed is left unpunished. It was through fear of this Underworld that The Church kept power in its early years, and it still preaches to its effect even in modern days. There is more truth in this than even the most devote Priest knows of course, for the very Gods themselves are not immune to The Dark, and the Underworld is home to all manner of monstrosities such as devils and demons, fallen angels and the like who share the same plane of existence with all that is considered holy. Aeternum and The Underworld wage an eternal battle for supremacy, the forces of Light and Dark vie for power under the watch of the Gods themselves. Unlike The Gloom and The Wyld, Aeternum cannot be reached via The Mortal Realm directly, but rumours persist of connections between The Gloom, The Wyld and The Void.
The Void
Comprising the unknowable expanse beyond Moralinth, The Gloom, The Wyld and Aeturnum is The Void: the darkness in the sky. The spaces between the stars and the cold bleakness of space itself. While many philosophers over the years have theorised all kinds of things about what exists physically (and indeed, metaphysically) beyond the world of Moralinth, the best they can hope for is conjecture and hearsay, for nobody truly knows what exists 'out there'. The Void is not so much a different plane of existence from Moralinth as it is a place woefully out of reach for both magic and science. If one did have the capability to do so, they could reach the stars, though if they knew what lurked in the black, they most definitely would not endeavour to do so. Though no records exist anymore to point to this fact, The Void is, in fact, the home of the original ten Gods of the Multi-Faced Pantheon, even if only one among their number remembers this guarded truth. The Eleventh God Elyon is unique in that He does not come from The Void, but rather the world of Moralinth itself, something which lends itself to the unspoken uneasiness between Him and His celestial siblings. No portals or other means are known to the mortal mind that can transport a being directly into The Void, though that does not necessarily translate the other way around...
Roguelike Community
The Moralinth Official Facebook Group is the place to visit for quick and concise updates for those who only want the summarised details of what is happening with Moralinth and is a great place to see the artwork, lore snippets, and updates. We're looking to add more to it so that we can add extra information, but we need your help! What sort of things would you like to see included in the Facebook Group that isn't there already? Feel free to leave comments so we can know what is a priority for everyone - and make sure you tell your friends!
DISCORD: Â Â
For a more in-depth and interactive playground for all things Moralinth, you can head over to the Morlainth Official Discord Server. We're looking to foster the community and grow it out, and a few of the messages we've received of late have asked for more ways to interact with the game world as well as an increase in setting information. We're looking to try and grant both requests simultaneously, so keep an eye on Discord for more information! Feel free to invite anyone who you feel might want to follow the project but please remember they need to verify their account when they first join the server (you need to click the little "tick" to be granted the Uncanny role and gain access to all the Categories, Channels and Events).
Future Plans
With a basic understanding of the various planes of existence that persist in the Moralinth universe, next month we'll be having a look at the strange phenomenon that keeps most Imperial citizens oblivious to the supernatural: "The Delusion".
....and that wraps up our update for this month! Feel free to drop us a message or come visit us on our Facebook page or our Discord Group if you'd like! Until our next update in the new year,
Happy Gaming!
- Adam
