Equilibria
Realm of Matanazani, the power of neutralisation, levelling and balance
Location: Outlands / Spirelands
Penned by Tymerel Arbanus, a Guvner:
With all the countless prime worlds worshipping powers there’s bound to be the occasional god that no planar has heard of and no one really knows the dark of. Most cutters stay well away from these places, after all only the most leatherheaded sod would tread in the domain of a power without knowledge of what to expect, or what is expected from them. Matanazani’s realm is different. Curiosity may kill the cat lord, as they say, but in this realm it may very well change your life. See, the chant goes that Matanazani is the great neutraliser, a god of balanced opinions, in whose presence high and mighty attitudes will shatter, and berks can see an issue from all sides and viewpoints. Cutters come here when they have a great quandary, or a problem that seems unsolvable—especially a moral dilemma. Here’s what they experience.
The Azure Gates
First off, you’ve got this dome carved from grey marble. Nothing flashy, just functional. But step through those inviting azure gates, etched with the name “Matanazani,” and you’re in for a treat. Inside, there’s this grand circular walkway, with a dizzying drop below. The key spot of interest here is the “Point of View,” a rocky outcrop lit by a soft glow coming from the depths below. Stand on it, and bam! You understand every angle of whatever issue’s been plaguing your brain-box, with all viewpoints laid bare. This is a place where all thoughts hold equal sway, and as you might guess, it’s a place of pilgrimage for the rilmani.
The Scales of Neutrality
To progress any further into this realm, a body’s gotta take a leap of faith—literally. If you step off the edge of Point of View with your eyes shut, you don’t plummet, you land on a set of floating scales. Look around you and you’ll realise you’re in a surreal void space with thousands of floating scales around you, as far as your eyes can see—one for each person who’s ever entered the realm. But these ain’t ordinary weighing scales cutter; they’re weighing your opinion, on whatever you thought about when you were standing on the Point of View. As you mull over all sides of the argument, the scales shift. It’s a balancing act, and only when you’re perfectly in the middle and have given all possible viewpoints their due consideration can you move on. The glow here is brighter.
Chambers of Experience
Once you’ve balanced the scales, these glass doors appear right in front of you. Push them gently and they’ll open for you—and now comes the real mind-bender. You enter these glass chambers, and whoosh! Your alignment flips. This can be especially disturbing for celestials, paladins and fiends. But here’s the kicker: Once you tumble to the dark that alignment’s just a matter of perspective—that the opposing viewpoint to your own is also worthy of consideration—then you get to move on. The light’s brighter here, a kaleidoscope of colours slowly changing and swirling.
The Crystalline Room
The light intensifies and suddenly you’re in a room sparkling with crystals—white, purple, blue, and red. Touch one, and you feel some of your new opposing beliefs drain away, as your alignment starts to shift towards neutrality. When you tumble to the fact that believing in anything but neutrality is pointless, you collapse, and the crystal lights up with an image of your face inside. Again, the light here is brighter, with all the sparkling crystals combining into an intense display of glittering light.
The Blinding Presence
Last stop before the Great Unknown. When you wake up, the light’s nearly blinding now, and you can feel Matanazani’s power pulsing around you. All of your extreme opinions have been obliterated now, and what’s left? That’s the answer to your question. I hope it’s what you were looking for, because after you leave this place you’ll never be quite the same again.
One more thing before you go basher. There’s this dull grey marble trap door set into the floor here, radiating divine energy. How to open it? Nobody knows—or at least nobody who’s ever returned. Wise berks usually make a swift exit here, magically if they have to. Beyond that door? That’s Matanazani and his petitioners’ turf, and no sod who’s gone through has ever come back to tell the tale.
So there you have it. Matanazani’s realm: A place where your curiosity might turn you inside out. It’s a test of mettle, a journey through perspectives, and a challenge to the very core of what a berk believes. Not for the faint-hearted, that’s for sure.
Source: Joshua Jarvis and Jon Winter-Holt
