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In last weeks edition of Dota Lore Spotlight, I went back in time to revisit the birth of the universe, and the subsequent shattering of the once primordial mind. This led to the birth of the Radiant, the Dire, and Zet, the Arc Warden. This week I’ll rewind in a similar manner, to a time where the universe was still in its early infancy. The ancient creatures known only as the titans were roaming the galaxies, inhabiting planets, and seeking new skills to wield at the forge of creation. This is the story of the world forge, the shaping of the earth, the great schism, and the one known only as Elder Titan.

Exactly what caused the great cataclysmic birth of the universe, the thundering act of creation that shattered the primordial mind, remains unknown to us. What little we do know, is that the titans, perhaps the most ancient race in all of existence, spoke of a creator. An entity with the power to create a universe from nothing. The titans revered this enigmatic creator, and they sought to follow in his footsteps by continuing to create, and shape the world as they saw fit. I could speculate that the creator the titans spoke of was in fact the primordial mind, before it was shattered, or at least a facet of it.

The Elder Titan, the one we have come to know as the Worldsmith, was one of these pioneers of the world forge. He was a student of the cosmic creator who sought to continue honing his skills as a shaper of worlds. But in doing so, he ended up causing what we refer to as the schism.

Things Get Vague

At this point in the story, it gets somewhat vague. When talking about the schism, Elder Titan claims to have shattered the earth. And, subsequently he broke something that can not be repaired. Now, exactly what it is that fell into disrepair remains a mystery. It is possible that the schism was a purely, or at least partly physical phenomenon that involves a literal shattering of the physical earth. This would make sense in regards to Elder Titans ultimate ability, in which he literally shatters the earth in a line before him. But, the truly intriguing aspect of the schism is the birth of the four fundamentals of the universe.

When Elder Titan shattered the earth, he didn’t just shatter the physical crust of the earth, he also shattered something ethereal. This gave birth to the four fundamentals of the universe, as they became able to traverse the planes freely.

The Seven Planes

The Seven Planes are an instrumental part of Dota 2 lore that seem to be overlooked by many. The majority of events within the Dota 2 universe as seen in the game take place on the Terrene Plane. The Terrene Plane is also known as the physical plane. But there are 6 other planes also in existence. Travelling between planes is impossible for most. The few who are able to do it do so at a terrible risk.

Elder Titan is one of the characters in the game who has a natural affinity for drawing on elements from other planes entirely. His Astral Spirit ability calls forth a spirit from the Astral Plane, an enigmatic plane of existence, separate from the Terrene Plane. This natural affinity may be the cause for the Worldsmith’s ability to shatter the fabric of reality in the way that he did. For when the great schism occurred, the four fundamental forces of the universe became able to manifest themselves in the Terrene Plane. The fundamentals originally hail from the Fundamental Plane, which is described as “a far upstream plane where the fundamental laws of the universe have found sentient expression”.

Due to the schism, the four fundamentals are now roaming the Terrene Plane. Each with their own sentient identities. Io, the Wisp, represents the electro-magnetic force. Chaos Knight represents the strong force. Ezalor, the Keeper of the Light, represents the weak force. Enigma represents the force of gravity. This consequence of the schism is abhorred by the Elder Titan, as he views it as a violation of the natural order of the universe. This is why the Worldsmith now wanders the Terrene Plane, seeking reunification on the battlefield, hoping to bring the fundamentals back to the Fundamental Plane.

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