Mapping the Infinite
Being a Gallery of Impossibilities Made Possible by Belief

Copyright 1999 by Tom Bubul

The Mobius Theory

The following is the Mobius Theory, as told by Zilith, a parai

"So, you'd like to hear about my Mobius theory. That's all well and good I suppose... it'll put you closer to perfection if nothing else. Anyhow, a Mobius, as you more canny bloods'll know, is a band that though it appears to have to sides, it has only one. Here's my thoughts on the matter. The planes are a Mobius. A huge twist in the fabric of reality, brought to life through belief.

"On the Mobius, on one theoretical edge, is the multiverse, and running parallel to it, on the other edge, is time - space on one side, time the other. Though a Mobius is, as I said, one sided, you can touch two opposite edges on it at once, each on opposite 'sides' of the loop. The Mobius' twist is chronomancy. Thus, while time and space run parallel to each other, in an infinite loop, they never actually intersect. This is explained by the fact that there are no known portals to the demiplane of Time, and the popular idea that history repeats itself.


"There is the theory of the Moebius, a twist in the fabric of space,
where time becomes a loop...." - 2P Hartnoll, Rogue Modron Composer

"Confused? Well, I guess I wouldn't expect anything more from the likes of a Sigilian.. but I guess I should continue anyway.

"Secondly, the philosophical realms and the material realms run parallel to each other on their own Mobius, and the twist is the Astral on one side, the Ethereal on the other. Here's how it works.

"The prime, on one side of the Mobius, runs parallel to the planes without intersecting directly anywhere... the same way Time runs parallel to Space without there being a point of intersection. Now then, the prime is a place of material. The worlds' sizes are finite, and belief doesn't shape reality the way it does out here. The Ethereal plane, on the prime side of the twist, represents the gradual change to philosophy on the way to the Inner Planes. The Astral, opposite the Ethereal, represents the full transition from body to mind, and the Outer Planes run on the opposite side of the Mobius as the prime. This second Mobius, along with the first, creates my basis for the third.

"So, to recap: the two previous loops are the Material and Philosophical, and the Time and Space. This third incorporates both, to finalize my theory, and again uphold the constant Rule of Threes.

"The final Mobius on the planes is the parallelism of powers and mortals. They coexist with one another, but don't interact. It is supposed that powers can create and destroy with a whim, but can vanish with simple lack of belief. Time also supposedly flows differently for them, faster or slower, depending on their choosing. By this, the powers function on the opposite sides of the Mobius that we do. They function in the realms of time, but don't necessarily take up space, as they're belief incarnate. They are worshipped on the material realm, but function on the philosophical - the planes. They are immortal, and we aren't, and thus the rule of threes ties this together: on the third strip, we run parallel to the powers, but don't ever interact with them directly. Petitioners form the twist on this loop - in death we cross to their sides.

"So, do you understand? No? I didn't think so... I knew you were imperfect from the start. Well, I suppose not all of us are..."

Mapping the Infinite: Index

Consult the Mimir Again