Published June 28, 2024
Welcome to the first installment in the Ember development article series! If you are not yet familiar with the Ember project, get started by reviewing our reveal page. We will periodically post articles that look deeply at a specific facet of lore, design, features, or gameplay to begin revealing details about what makes Ember such a memorable and spectacular digital game experience. This first article introduces key concepts in the cosmology of the Ember setting which meaningfully interact with its lore, narrative, and gameplay.
Cosmology Overview
The World of Ember sits at the center of the Sea of Stars, a vast expanse that stretches to the edges of the Cosmos. Within it rests the Heart of Ember, the origin of that Cosmos, which the World surrounds as if it were a massive, layered shell. Most people of Ember do not distinguish between the World and the Heart; they are seen as one and the same. Ember is a vast world – its surface, under-surface, and twisting underground Pathways are home to myriad environments that have allowed countless cultures to emerge and thrive.
Each day, Ember is bathed in the radiant light of Lantyr, a celestial body and Elder Goddess also called "the Sun". Her light that shines on Ember is not merely a source of warmth and life, but also a divine force and beacon of hope that many choose to revere. Others feel connected to one of Ember’s Moons or one of the Realms at the boundary of the Cosmos.
The vast Sea of Stars stretches out across the Cosmos, enveloping Ember, the Moons, and Realms contained within. At the boundary of the Cosmos the mystical barrier known as the Weave glimmers in the darkness. This strange construct marks the perimeter of the Ember Cosmos but it is not just a boundary; it is also a shield that safeguards everything within from the eldritch madness of The Abyss beyond. The Weave's protection prevents the maddening energies of the Abyss from seeping into the Sea of Stars and spreading to cause untold destruction. The Abyss is the terrible and unimaginable outside, so alien that few can comprehend its secrets or even attempt to understand it.
In-game footage of the Ember Cosmos which dynamically illustrates the position of cosmological bodies as one week of time progresses within the world.
Pre-Alpha footage captured inside Foundry Virtual Tabletop.
The Moons of Ember
As the Cosmos formed around the Heart of Ember, so too did moons which encapsulate the essence of elemental and primordial forces: fire, water, earth, air, order, and chaos. These moons are massive spheres with distinct orbits across the Sea of Stars. Every moon also birthed beings of pure energy, from the tiniest motes that appear and disappear within minutes to the primordial power of the Elemental Sovereigns. Each moon is the physical, spiritual, and cosmological origin of its own elemental energy, and the dispersal of this energy as it spreads across the Sea of Stars has a major influence on the world of Ember. As Moons reach their zenith, the world is bathed in an influx of that elemental energy wherein interesting and powerful effects emerge.
Akon - The Shattered Moon
Once a glimmering orb of darkened bronze, the moon of order is now grey, broken, and lifeless. It is said that the wise and ancient Wyrms tunneled beneath its surface since creation and created wondrous and delicate machines to safeguard the cosmos. The Abyssal Shear was catastrophic for Akon, breaking the moon into thousands of fragments and scouring life from its surface and passageways. Now, constructs, machines, and undead monsters prowl the crisscrossing tunnels and passageways of its intact sections.
Aura - The Hollow Moon
From the surface world of Ember the moon of air seems solid, but a thin surface of pale purple and pink rock shrouds a mesmerizing hollow world within. Aura is a world of gasses, clouds, and floating dangers that few mortals can safely navigate. In addition to the environment, Aura contains a plethora of monstrous creatures such as the mythical and enormous feathered Xarcaledons. Legend tells that in the center of Aura hovers the floating city of Conundrum, a bastion of learning and knowledge of the Cosmos.
Cora - The Blasted Moon
The fearsome moon of earth has been wracked by wild and untamed change since creation. Its powerful gravitational forces fluctuate erratically, causing dramatic fissures and changes to its topography, while flinging rock into the moon’s orbiting ring of debris. This debris is often trapped above for a short time before Cora’s gravitational surges cause these meteors to plummet and slam unrelentingly into the moon’s pockmarked surface.
Mayis - The Tempest Moon
Eternal grey, white, and blue storms shroud the moon of water in a permanent cloak of howling, unstoppable hurricanes. However, beneath the thick atmosphere is a roiling orb of solid dark ocean with devastated floating islands breaking the heaving waves. It is said that floating beneath the waves is the immortal elemental, Lady Areyter, upon whose back rests the mysterious city of Tohr. While the city of Tohr is said to be a place of calm and peace, the rest of Mayis is a fathomless ocean of terrifying danger where massive behemoths prowl amid otherworldly elemental creatures..
Orbis - The Spirit Moon
Mind-twisting arrays of white and multi-colored geometric bands surround the roiling maelstrom at the heart of the chaos moon of Orbis. It is said that at first glance, each band appears as solid white matter, but anomalous pearlescent patterns appear with increasing intensity the longer they are observed. An ancient myth told throughout the ages is that surrounding the maelstrom at the heart of Orbis is an eternal prison built to contain the most dangerous and calamitous forces of the Cosmos.
Ragen - The Charred Moon
Legend tells that the surface of Ragen was once covered by flame-wreathed groves of flourishing elemental life. The war between the Elemental Sovereigns of Fire and servants of the Abyss during the Abyssal Shear devastated the wondrous forests and their unique fiery creatures, leaving the moon of fire blackened and charred. Only small pockets of Ragen’s former growth remain while the rest of the moon is a wasteland of ash, haunted by ghosts and monsters.
The Inner Realms
The World of Ember shares the Cosmos with a trio of realms that float upon the surface of The Weave itself. Each was influenced differently during creation by their proximity to the Abyss causing each realm to manifest diverse and otherworldly powers. The influence each Realm holds over the Cosmos is perhaps even more intense than that of the Elemental Moons. Each Realm has its own unique magic which plays a crucial role in preserving cosmological balance and provides an inexplicable connection to the peoples living upon the World of Ember. The original inhabitants of these realms emerged during creation itself, but many mortals have been bound, coerced, or tricked into eternal service, while others even choose to bind themselves willingly. During the Abyssal Shear each Realm was assailed by unspeakable horrors, forcing them to the forefront of conflict between the Cosmos and the Abyss beyond - a struggle that continues to this day.
Primordis - Realm of Capricious Sorcery
Since creation, the shadowed land known as Primordis has been one of the most untamed and dangerous realms in all the Cosmos. Intense arcane sorcery and primeval magic swirl beneath the umbral boughs of the colossal tree-like plants. This is a place where mortals become lost amidst meandering corridors, fall prey to powerful creatures, or are driven mad by twisted illusions that mock their every turn. Despite its many threats, Primordis is the home to the capricious yet compassionate Casia, beings of concentrated magic, and their sundry kin.
Signara - Realm of Insatiable Curiosity
The azure, ethereal, and otherworldly realm of Signara is both intensely beautiful and incredibly treacherous to outsiders bold enough to walk its spiral halls. It is governed by fundamentally different laws of nature, blending incomprehensible arcana with esoteric science. The inscrutable knowledge of Signarans was formed over eons and is impossible for most mortals to comprehend. Throughout dark and twisting labyrinths, magical experiments run wild and fuel subtle and insidious feuds between the incredibly powerful Daemos and their eternally-bound retainers.
Luxarum - Realm of Endless War
Since creation, Luxarum has been plagued by near-constant warfare of staggering scale and ferocity that regularly rips apart physical space and causes the death of countless beings. From afar, the golden realm is seen by some as a source of inspiration and hope, however mortals who arrive in Luxarum become inevitably enlisted in the relentless battles between its formidable inhabitants. The light-bathed lands are home to the zealous and powerful Tyraphem who glorify Lantyr, and their uncountable armies of fanatical servants. These Tyraphem wield intense radiant magic, which weaponizes light itself to burn and sear their rivals.
Gameplay Integration
These cosmological concepts are more than just important aspects of lore for the Ember setting, they also impact gameplay in important ways. Narrative in Ember is guided by a dynamic event engine which you will learn more about in a future article. The orientation of cosmological bodies at a particular point in time is an important factor in determining which narrative events occur and how gameplay within those events unfolds.
A thrilling challenge for our team in creating Ember has been to design a seamless software integration between the wonderful lore and illustrations being created by the writers and artists on the team. We are particularly proud of how the lore and world-building of our cosmos in Ember impacts gameplay in an intuitive, dynamic, and occasionally surprising way.
We hope these ideas spark your imagination and provide a bounty of compelling narrative possibilities. Follow the Ember project using the button at the top of this page to stay in the loop and learn more!
Game Director and Lead Developer
Animated Cosmos Model
Ember features a dynamic and interactive in-game representation of the Cosmos (depicted at the top of this article) which is animated to present the position and prominence of all bodies in the Cosmos as game time progresses. This makes it easy for gamemasters and players to understand the current state of cosmological mechanics and to anticipate what lunar events may be about to occur.
Dynamic Event Engine
Narrative events in Ember depend on a number of cosmological components. The time of day is defined by the position of Lantyr (the Sun), resulting in a conventional cycle of day and night which affects the likelihood of many events. The position and influence of moons also make certain events more or less likely. There are even unique events which can only occur when a specific moon, or even combination of moons, are at their zenith. The Inner Realms also slowly orbit Ember each one reaches full prominence once per in-game calendar year. The position of cosmological bodies also affects the likelihood of certain weather events; for example heavy storms are more likely when Mayis is at its zenith while a wildfire might spread more quickly if Ragen is full.
Character Creation
Furthermore, these cosmological concepts are integrated into our unique character creation and progression mechanics. Each player character in Ember selects, as part of initial character creation, a particular Attunement which reflects an affinity that your character has for one element of Ember's cosmology. Attunement can correspond to a specific moon or other facet of Ember's cosmos. Each attunement provides a unique set of minor mechanical benefits which modify your character's capabilities in Ember. These capabilities can temporarily grow more powerful when the focus of your attunement grows in prominence.
Creating a living world as expansive and detailed as Ember is a lifelong dream for myself and others on our team. Each aspect of Ember’s lore; its geography, cosmology, cartography, history, ancestries, cultures, and more has been carefully developed so that every design choice is meaningful. While the Ember Setting is a wondrous and immersive piece of fiction in its own right, one of the fundamental goals behind its creation was to design a sprawling open-world game for Foundry Virtual Tabletop where its worldbuilding features and cosmology affect the day-to-day and even moment-to-moment mechanics of the game itself.
As you delve into the lore and the intricacies of the setting, you'll notice the term "Ember" frequently repeated. This is a deliberate design choice, “Ember” serves as the title, the name for the Cosmos, the world, and most intriguingly the enigmatic object at the very center of it all: the Heart of Ember. This serves as a solid foundation, a point of reference before the complexity of the setting begins to unfold.
Ember’s lore is a powerful foundation that supports and enhances gameplay with worldbuilding themes that appear consistently throughout the story from session one until the story’s ultimate conclusion. These worldbuilding concepts will be gradually unveiled to players as the game progresses without the need to master these topics beforehand. We hope you find the setting and incredible attention to detail as cool as we do, so if you are excited to learn about this lore and how Ember's cosmology interacts with gameplay, keep reading!
Caeora
Design Director and Lorekeeper