Duelaadm at 16:52, 26 May 2026

2026-05-26T16:52:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:52, 26 May 2026
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	= Old God =		= Old God =
	The ~~'''~~Old God~~'''~~, sometimes called ~~'''~~Jerry~~'''~~, is the being ~~associated with the creation or installation of~~ [[The System]].		The Old God, sometimes called Jerry, is the being who entered Duela's Bubble and installed [[The System]].

	His true nature, purpose, and current state are unknown.		He is believed to have come from another Bubble entirely. His true nature, his purpose in installing the System, and his current state are unknown. He is one of the highest mysteries in Duela's cosmology, and intentionally so.

	~~The~~ Old God is ~~one of the highest mysteries in Duela's cosmology~~.		For all practical purposes, the Old God is omnipotent.

	== Role in creation ==		== Role in creation ==
	The Old God entered the Bubble and created The System.		The Old God entered the Bubble and created [[The System]].

	Afterward, he left behind an imprint upon [[The Essence]].		Afterward, he left behind an imprint upon [[The Essence]]. That imprint shaped the emergence of the Original Gods and much of the world's foundational structure. The Original Gods were not made by the Old God directly; they emerged from the Essence after he had already left his mark on it.

	~~That imprint shaped the emergence of the Original Gods and much of the world's foundational structure~~.		He then left. Whether he departed, withdrew, or simply stopped being present in any way Duela can detect is not known.

	== Mystery ==		== Mystery ==
	The Old God is not meant to have a simple explanation.		The Old God is not meant to have a simple explanation. His purpose is unknown. Whether he still watches Duela is unknown. Whether he can return is unknown. Whether he is aware that anything has happened since he left is unknown.

	~~His purpose~~ is ~~unknown~~. ~~Whether he still watches Duela~~ is ~~unknown~~. ~~Whether~~ he ~~can return~~ is ~~unknown~~.		This uncertainty is intentional. The cosmology does not have a clean answer at its top, and it is not supposed to. Stories that try to explain the Old God fully are working against the grain of what he is for.

	~~This uncertainty~~ is ~~intentional~~.		== On the name Jerry ==
			The informal name Jerry appears in old records and has persisted without explanation.

			It is not a title. It is not a translation of something grander. It is, as far as anyone can tell, simply what some people called him, at some point, for reasons nobody recorded. The tonal incongruity is real and unresolved. An omnipotent being from outside the Bubble, responsible for the hidden structure that governs all life in Duela, is sometimes referred to by a name that carries no weight at all.

			Whether this reflects something true about him, whether it is a corruption of something older, or whether it is a clerical accident that became permanent, is not settled.

	== Meta-cosmological interpretation ==		== Meta-cosmological interpretation ==
	The Old God can be understood as a being ~~from outside Duela's Bubble~~ whose imagination, expectations, and archetypes imprinted themselves into ~~reality~~.		The Old God can be understood as a being whose imagination, expectations, and archetypes imprinted themselves into the Essence when he entered the Bubble.

	This helps explain why some parts of Duela resemble ~~familiar~~ fantasy ~~ideas, such as~~ elves, classes, gods, monsters, ~~and~~ heroic archetypes.		This helps explain why some parts of Duela resemble recognizable fantasy shapes: elves, classes, gods, monsters, heroic archetypes. These are not design conveniences. They are fossils of the Old God's imagination, carried in from another Bubble and settled into reality by the Essence before there were mortal minds to shape anything else.

	The Old God is not above ~~[[The~~ Essence]]. He is immersed in it and shaped by it, like all consciousness.		The Old God is not above the Essence. He is immersed in it and shaped by it, like all consciousness. His imprint was powerful enough to found the world's structure, but the Essence is not his tool. He is subject to it as everything else is.

	== Writing use ==		== Writing use ==
	The Old God ~~should~~ be ~~used sparingly~~.		The Old God is the cosmology's permission slip for the unaccountable, but only at the largest scale.

			He is useful for foundational mysteries: strange relics from before mortalkind, rules of magic that seem arbitrary, entire phenomena nobody can trace, structures that predate ordinary history. When a story needs something that cannot be explained by belief or pattern, and that operates at a world-scale rather than a personal one, the Old God is the figure it can attribute it to.

	He ~~is useful~~ for ~~foundational mysteries,~~ strange ~~relics, unexplained cosmic structures~~, and ~~things that predate ordinary mortal history~~.		He should not be used for a single character's blessing or a local strange event. Those belong to [[The Essence]] or the [[Stranger]]. The three are distinguished by scale, and the Old God occupies only the largest.

	He ~~should not be~~ used ~~as a casual explanation for every strange event~~.		Use him sparingly. He works because he is rare and because his presence is always felt at a remove. A story where the Old God acts directly, visibly, and with clear intent is a story that has used up most of what makes him interesting.

	== ~~Related pages~~ ==		== See also ==

	* [[The Essence]]		* [[The Essence]]
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	* [[Bubble Theory]]		* [[Bubble Theory]]
	* [[Gods]]		* [[Gods]]
			* [[Stranger]]

			*

Duelaadm: Created page with "= Old God = The '''Old God''', sometimes called '''Jerry''', is the being associated with the creation or installation of The System. His true nature, purpose, and current state are unknown. The Old God is one of the highest mysteries in Duela's cosmology. == Role in creation == The Old God entered the Bubble and created The System. Afterward, he left behind an imprint upon The Essence. That imprint shaped the emergence of the Original Gods and much of the w..."

2026-05-26T12:14:13Z

Created page with "= Old God = The '''Old God''', sometimes called '''Jerry''', is the being associated with the creation or installation of The System. His true nature, purpose, and current state are unknown. The Old God is one of the highest mysteries in Duela's cosmology. == Role in creation == The Old God entered the Bubble and created The System. Afterward, he left behind an imprint upon The Essence. That imprint shaped the emergence of the Original Gods and much of the w..."

New page

= Old God =
The '''Old God''', sometimes called '''Jerry''', is the being associated with the creation or installation of [[The System]].

His true nature, purpose, and current state are unknown.

The Old God is one of the highest mysteries in Duela's cosmology.

== Role in creation ==
The Old God entered the Bubble and created The System.

Afterward, he left behind an imprint upon [[The Essence]].

That imprint shaped the emergence of the Original Gods and much of the world's foundational structure.

== Mystery ==
The Old God is not meant to have a simple explanation.

His purpose is unknown. Whether he still watches Duela is unknown. Whether he can return is unknown.

This uncertainty is intentional.

== Meta-cosmological interpretation ==
The Old God can be understood as a being from outside Duela's Bubble whose imagination, expectations, and archetypes imprinted themselves into reality.

This helps explain why some parts of Duela resemble familiar fantasy ideas, such as elves, classes, gods, monsters, and heroic archetypes.

The Old God is not above [[The Essence]]. He is immersed in it and shaped by it, like all consciousness.

== Writing use ==
The Old God should be used sparingly.

He is useful for foundational mysteries, strange relics, unexplained cosmic structures, and things that predate ordinary mortal history.

He should not be used as a casual explanation for every strange event.

== Related pages ==

* [[The Essence]]
* [[The System]]
* [[Bubble Theory]]
* [[Gods]]

Old God - Revision history

Duelaadm at 16:52, 26 May 2026