Mechanus
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game, Mechanus, also known as The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus (or simply Nirvana in AD&D 1st Edition) is a purely lawful aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Plane
s that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) cosmology, used in Greyhawk
, Planescape
and some editions of the Forgotten Realms
campaign settings.
It is the plane of ultimate law and order (neutral or chaotic creatures take -2 penalty on Charisma, Intelligence and Wisdom-based checks), where the soul
s of people of lawful neutral alignment go after death. Mechanus operates on a strict schedule where every action is planned, measured and controlled perfectly. It is home to the construct-like geometric modron
s, the law-enforcing inevitables and the regimented giant ants called formian
s.
and the Infernal Battlefield of Acheron
; travel is possible between Mechanus and these planes at certain locations.
Throughout Mechanus exists a series of interlocking cogs
that float in space, intersecting at all angles and directions. Many of the cogs are gigantic, stretching many miles across and turn so slowly that the rotation is undetectable. Smaller cogs can move at much higher speeds, but no acceleration is experienced, except at the very edges. Usually smaller cogs bunch up with larger ones; these are called knots. The gears are fiercely guarded by gear spirits that reside within them. The gravitational force is oriented towards the face of each individual cog, making intercog travel a disconcerting experience for the uninitiated.
. Their strict hierarchy originates from Primus, a greater deity
, which resides here. Regulus consists of a total of sixty-four cogs, a number that never varies. It is divided into four quarters of sixteen cogs, each ruled by a Secundus. Each quarter is in turn split into four regions, of four cogs, each ruled by a Quarton. Finally, the regions are further subdivided into four sectors, of a single cog each, ruled by an Octon.
. Here exists a single huge disc, upon which his palace rests.
. His palace is the focal point of the Celestial Bureaucracy
, which also supervises the Chinese pantheon. The Great Library can be found here.
, it is a series of mysterious self-sustaining factories that produce Inevitables. It is managed and presided by the Hub of Elders, who seeks out any non-lawful activity (broken contracts, etc.) that needs to be corrected.
' realm of The Path of Law, Helm's realm of Everwatch, the myconid
deity Psilofyr
's realm of Mycelia, Nai No Kami's realm of The Shaking Land, Yama's realm of Yamasadena, Rudra's realm of Focus of Energy, and Varuna's realm of The Vigilant Eye.
concept of Nirvana
, which could be described as a perfectly ordered balance between extremes. Since it was detailed in the 1st edition Manual of the Planes (1987), however, it has changed markedly from this concept. It was renamed "Mechanus" in the Planescape Campaign Setting
(1994).
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game, Mechanus, also known as The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus (or simply Nirvana in AD&D 1st Edition) is a purely lawful aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Plane
Outer Plane
In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as godly planes, spiritual planes or divine planes. The Outer Planes are home to beings such as deities and otherworldly creatures such as...
s that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) cosmology, used in Greyhawk
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
, Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
and some editions of the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign settings.
It is the plane of ultimate law and order (neutral or chaotic creatures take -2 penalty on Charisma, Intelligence and Wisdom-based checks), where the soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
s of people of lawful neutral alignment go after death. Mechanus operates on a strict schedule where every action is planned, measured and controlled perfectly. It is home to the construct-like geometric modron
Modron (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the fictional multiverse of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Modrons are mechanical looking creatures native to the outer plane of Mechanus. Modrons resemble geometric shapes with humanoid limbs and represent a living, physical manifestation of law without regard to good or evil...
s, the law-enforcing inevitables and the regimented giant ants called formian
Formian
In the fictional world of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, formians are extraplanar insectoid outsiders.-Publication history:...
s.
Structure
Mechanus consists of a single infinite plane, there are no constituent layers. Mechanus shares its borders with the neighbouring planes of the Peaceable Kingdoms of ArcadiaArcadia (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Arcadia or more fully, the Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, is a lawful neutral/lawful good-aligned plane of existence...
and the Infernal Battlefield of Acheron
Acheron (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Acheron , also known as The Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, is a lawful neutral/lawful evil-aligned plane of existence...
; travel is possible between Mechanus and these planes at certain locations.
Throughout Mechanus exists a series of interlocking cogs
Gear
A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to transmit torque. Two or more gears working in tandem are called a transmission and can produce a mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and thus may be considered a simple machine....
that float in space, intersecting at all angles and directions. Many of the cogs are gigantic, stretching many miles across and turn so slowly that the rotation is undetectable. Smaller cogs can move at much higher speeds, but no acceleration is experienced, except at the very edges. Usually smaller cogs bunch up with larger ones; these are called knots. The gears are fiercely guarded by gear spirits that reside within them. The gravitational force is oriented towards the face of each individual cog, making intercog travel a disconcerting experience for the uninitiated.
Regulus
Regulus is the home of the construct-like ModronsModron (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the fictional multiverse of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Modrons are mechanical looking creatures native to the outer plane of Mechanus. Modrons resemble geometric shapes with humanoid limbs and represent a living, physical manifestation of law without regard to good or evil...
. Their strict hierarchy originates from Primus, a greater deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
, which resides here. Regulus consists of a total of sixty-four cogs, a number that never varies. It is divided into four quarters of sixteen cogs, each ruled by a Secundus. Each quarter is in turn split into four regions, of four cogs, each ruled by a Quarton. Finally, the regions are further subdivided into four sectors, of a single cog each, ruled by an Octon.
The Center
At the center of the Formian realm lies a central cog more than three-thousand miles across, where the Scion Queen Mother, leader of the Formians resides. The central cog supposedly imparts the movement to all other cogs in Mechanus.Anu
Anu is ruled by AnuAnu
In Sumerian mythology, Anu was a sky-god, the god of heaven, lord of constellations, king of gods, Consort of Antu, spirits and demons, and dwelt in the highest heavenly regions. It was believed that he had the power to judge those who had committed crimes, and that he had created the stars as...
. Here exists a single huge disc, upon which his palace rests.
The Jade Palace
The Jade Palace is home to Shang-ti, the Celestial EmperorJade Emperor
The Jade Emperor in Chinese folk culture, is the ruler of Heaven and all realms of existence below including that of Man and Hell, according to a version of Taoist mythology. He is one of the most important gods of the Chinese traditional religion pantheon...
. His palace is the focal point of the Celestial Bureaucracy
Celestial bureaucracy
The Celestial bureaucracy is the pantheon of Chinese mythology. As the name suggests, it is organised similarly to a government administration , with the Jade Emperor as the senior official to whom the other deities must report...
, which also supervises the Chinese pantheon. The Great Library can be found here.
Neumannus
Possibly named after John von NeumannJohn von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
, it is a series of mysterious self-sustaining factories that produce Inevitables. It is managed and presided by the Hub of Elders, who seeks out any non-lawful activity (broken contracts, etc.) that needs to be corrected.
More Godly Realms
The plane of Mechanus is the location of a number of godly realms, including the god PholtusPholtus
In the fictional campaign setting of Greyhawk used for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Pholtus was one of the first gods created by Gary Gygax as he and Dave Arneson developed the game of Dungeons & Dragons...
' realm of The Path of Law, Helm's realm of Everwatch, the myconid
Myconid
Myconids are a race of intelligent roughly humanoid fungi found in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.-Publication history:The myconid first appeared in the first edition in the adventure module A4 In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords , and then the original Monster Manual II .The myconid ...
deity Psilofyr
Psilofyr
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Psilofyr is the myconid deity of community, healing, and philosophy...
's realm of Mycelia, Nai No Kami's realm of The Shaking Land, Yama's realm of Yamasadena, Rudra's realm of Focus of Energy, and Varuna's realm of The Vigilant Eye.
Creative origins
Mechanus was originally named after the BuddhistBuddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
concept of Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
, which could be described as a perfectly ordered balance between extremes. Since it was detailed in the 1st edition Manual of the Planes (1987), however, it has changed markedly from this concept. It was renamed "Mechanus" in the Planescape Campaign Setting
Planescape Campaign Setting
The Planescape Campaign Setting was a boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The set was designed by David "Zeb" Cook and published in 1994, and introduced the Planescape setting.-Contents:...
(1994).