They could not.

The thought would ruin them.

Yes.

Yes.

Projections of itself into lower dimensions.

Create.

Around an invisible, unfathomable axis span the Plate. An infinite plane of substances unknown lurched at frightening speeds around an indeterminate point.

It was thinking.

A being, such as itself, could exist.

For it did.

But it would not be believed.

What mortal creature, confined to the mortal dimensions, could comprehend such a being?

Could they picture themselves an insignificant morsel, polished off before it could be perceived by the multiverse at large?

Could a solution be found?

Could they be made to comprehend?

How?

What was the plate to do?

Rhetorical questions hung in the medium analogous to the air around the plate, gently drifting rimward.

These questions collided with the outer sections of the Plate, the area that span faster than the centre.

So fast in fact, its passage of space time had reversed once more.

These questions would be perceived before their constituent thought conceived.

Answers found before questions.

Yes, you will make them.

The Plate's answered thoughts' questions asked, and action would be taken.

The Plate already had a variety of aspects, images of ideas and concepts reflected off the plate and down across the planes.

Yet more would be made, to allow a more complete view of the Plate's intentions be understood.

So much work, for such little effect.

Would the mortals even heed my message?

Aspects a priori

Already, the existing aspects could be examined to some extent of the intended message.

The Prized Catch, was at the present an ever changing aquatic creature representative of reward, good fortune and hard work. In the Plate's new vision, this form would not be sufficient - it's application too strict and finite for the message it should convey. The Prized Catch must adapt, and evolve. It's aquatic form must climb onto land, and embrace its new potential.

The Prized Catch would now be the ultimate prey, the idealised trophy, but an elusive reward. Many would long to catch its avatar, some would dedicate their lives to it, but fewer still would in fact reach this end. It would represent reward, good fortune, hard work, and the hunted.

The Playful Vermin, was the loving matriarch of the Mus, an extremely large and missing vermin akin to the mousey progenitors of her Kin. A symbol of trickery, fun, annoyance and pests, it's remit too would be expanded to fit the new image.

The Playful Vermin could now take new form, without shedding it's previous. Not only would it be the absentee symbol of wanderlust for the Mus, their lost Matriarch, but it too would represent an adventurous rodent free to explore and enjoy the world. It would represent trickery, games, annoyance, and vermin.

The Listening Grapevine, had formed in reflection of Mus society. It represented a plant that spread from support to support, taking in the gossip and chatter of society and producing pearls of wisdom in the form of grapes. It's image was almost perfect for what the Plate had deemed its new purpose.

The Listening Grapevine now took the form of all climbing plants, from grapevines to brambles. The juices from it fruits would be thought to be a natural source of Amrita. It would represent communication, relationships, wisdom, and festivities.

The Great Beanstalk, too formed from the ideals of the Mus. A strong plant growing free from support ever higher, it too thrived at fulfilling the Plate's intentions.

The Listening Grapevine took new form as an exceptionally tall, ever-growing specimen of any free-standing plant. It would represent growth, improvement, structure, and progress.

The Concentric Census, began as a forbidden and impossible meeting of minds. Representatives of the entire Mus civilisation in one place, along with their less intelligent cousins. In this form it would largely remain.

The Concentric Census would continue to be a highly improbable system of governance divided across five discs: the Prime Disc, the One Disc, the Petty Disc, the Upper Disc, and the Lower Disc. Their interpretation might vary but together they would represent governance, bureaucracy, oversight, and omnipresence.

Aspects a posteriori

Other aspects would need to be forged, their depiction carefully captured upon the Plate's surface, as to be reflected, refracted, distorted and ultimately translated without their idea changed.

The Faithful Mutt would be a hound of mixed origins, not quite appearing to be predominantly any one breed - it's patterns and colours subtly changed at each appearance. It could be seen both aiding those in need of help, comforting the old, protecting the weak and loyally defending the good. It would represent loyalty, friendship, hunting, and domestication.

The Upturned Goblet a fantastical cup, never placed entirely upright on a surface. It's appearance is one of a Goblet, or Chalice made from unimaginably well polished metal, studded with equally well shined stones. With no colour of its own it appears only as the reflections of it's surrounds, incorrect and subverted to leave it identifiable. Within it, and surrounding it in a great puddle, sits a quantity of unidentified, or indeterminate liquid often thought to be Amrita. It would represent carelessness, revelations, loss, and grief.

The Merry Players are a band of mortals, their number and race undefined at large - appropriate for their host culture. The play they engage with, the stories they tell, their theatrical acts, are those of local myth, global legend and the tales of The Cosmocopia at large. Many performances would be the banter of professional improvisation, others the dedicated, recollection of written script. They would represent formality, informality, niceties, and acting.

The Half-filled Tankard could be seen as a counterpart to the Upturned Goblet. It too appeared as a vessel, although one of dark wood and darker metal. Secure and lidded, the Tankard conceals its contents from sight. The only way to judge its fullness is by holding it aloft and weighing it by hand. It represents the unknown, mystery, estimations, and exploration.

The Treasured Fleet consists of the dreams of merchants, hopes of men overboard, and whimsical gibbering of drunkards. A fleet far vaster in quantity than any other known. Each ship bedecked with full uniformed crews, glittering with jewels, working the rigging of their 5 great masts. The ship's hulls bulge with the most valuable cargo in the land. They represent wealth, shipping, foreign encounters, and the promise of riches.

The Baited Hook resembled anything from a well organised ambush, to a simple mechanical trap, a cunning political ruse to it's namesake, a simple fisherman's hook. It's many forms each hid its true intention, whilst keeping this deceit a common theme. It represents greed, entrapment, cunning, and deception.

The Fruitful Encounter appearances could not be codified so concisely. It came from any social interaction between beings that resulted in a significant change to either of their lives. Mortal enemies striking each other down, lovers discovering their fate at first sight, or even lucrative business deals could all be considered its image. It represents discovery, change, fate, and friendship

The Tipped Scale took a far more sensible form, appearing as scales unbalanced. Its symbolism in keeping with the aspect's representation, order, judgement, justice, and fairness.

The Joyous Baler too has a well defined form, that of a person happy at work, often a farmer baling hay. The reason for such joy is both the task itself, and the enormity of the reward it provides. It represents wealth, hard work, harvest, and happiness.

The Bloodied Knife takes the form of any bladed edge smeared with blood, often still protruding the source of such desecration. As such it is commonly sighted in scenes of combat and violence. It represents harm, war, concise action, and meat.

The Eternal Banquet is itself a meal, attended by a mass of many. They start overjoyed to be fed such delicacies, and revel in the company. Except the meal begins to drag. The food becomes sickly, and cold - yet to leave is impossible. The participants become bored and grow to resent each other. Transfixed and unable to leave or stop eating, they are doomed to a gruesome end. This represents monotony, the status quo, decay, and boredom.

The Thirteen Bakers take the form of thirteen skilled specialists. They share many of their talents with each-other although each has their own further niche. Together they represent redundancy, specialism, forward planning, and expertise.

The Third-born Child can be any mortal being. Freed from the constraints of being the familial heir, or from the social obligations of being the reserve in a disaster, the Third-born is in fact a symbol of plenty - a growth in population, not acting as replacement to either parent. This represents population growth, children, freedom, and inheritance.

The Gilded Hen is a bird of most spectacular golden colours, who lays eggs of pure Ambrosia, encased in awesome gemstones and precious metals. It feeds upon Manna and drinks only Amrita - nesting within areas of great luxury. It represents exuberance, art, livestock, and growing rich.

The Exalted Disc is a circle of brilliant gold, or fantastic white. To some it is the Sun, to others the Moon. To those with more materialist ambitions see not the heavens nor skies, but see the Exalted Disc as a single coin. It represents the Sun, the Moon, coins, and a change in luck.

The Rodent King is a pitiful collection of beings. Several dozen Rats, Mice, and Squirrels held firmly together as one writhing mass by some bond to their tails. Many are dead, or dying - their bodies being dragged around, when a direction is finally obtained. It is a unlikely scenario that such a collective could decide unanimously a single direction to travel. For all but a few, their fate is to live a life of pain, suffering and indecision as the group pull in separate directions. For those it is not, they break free from their binds - perhaps leaving part of themselves behind in the process - and escape to live their life to the fullest. It is thought by some for this to be the Origin of the Playful Vermin. It represents nations, fickle-mindedness, rulership, and teamwork.

Numbers & Order

Their number now established, their order would need to be determined. For no purpose other than consistent reference, each of the aspects would be adopted by a numerical representation.

The Cosmocopia as a whole now formed. An entire pantheon of aspects, gods in their regard in the eyes of the mortals. A many faceted view on the Plate and its scheme. Decoupled from local culture, word and belief in this order could be spread far, and wide. Reshaped and adapted to better fit the local cultures, history and stories.

Create Aspect (x17) - 2x17=34 Create Faith (The Cosmocopia) - 6