This article contains spoilers for X of Swords: Creation #1.
Jonathan Hickman's X-Men relaunch has been a phenomenal success, displaying all his customary skill and efficiency. Hickman is a master world-builder, and he excels at creative new interpretations of old ideas, reinventing them to suit his own stories. It's no surprise, then, that the "X of Swords" event features a reinvention of a familiar Marvel location, Otherworld, which will play a key role in the event.
Otherworld is a mystical plane of reality traditionally viewed as the collective subconscious of the British Isles, seat of King Arthur's throne and dominated by the Starlight Citadel. The morally questionable Saturnyne rules the Starlight Citadel, using a towering complex from which it is possible to access any location in the Multiverse. Otherworld was wracked with chaos in the build-up to 2015's Secret Wars miniseries, and it is now in a time of crisis. The Captain Britain Corps, Otherworld's traditional defenders, have been destroyed. Now, marauding armies sweep across the planes of Otherworld, aiming to get from there to Earth.
The story has been building up in Jonathan Hickman's X-Men and Tini Howard's Excalibur for over a year now, but it's been difficult to get a grasp of the full scale of it. That's largely because, as is customary for Hickman, he has studiously avoided revealing his interpretation of Otherworld until the right moment. That time has finally come in X of Swords: Creation, and it's no wonder readers have been confused. Otherworld's lore has been completely rewritten.
Otherworld Is Bigger Than We Previously Thought
Otherworld had previously been described as a pocket dimension, but X of Swords: Creation includes a map that reveals it is bigger than anyone had previously thought. Indeed, a map of Otherworld presents it on the same scale as Earth, suggesting it should literally be considered a planet in its own right. Given this new sense of scale, it's unsurprising to see Otherworld divided into different kingdoms or domains, each ruled over by a different regent. These are the Fair and Foul Courts, although it is currently unclear what this designation refers to.
The Fair Courts are:
- The Floating Kingdom of Roma Regine, ruled by an ally of the X-Men named Roma.
- Infuri the Everforge, ruled by some version of a classic Excalibur villain called Forgemaster Federal Fury 005.
- Avalon, the Otherworld kingdom conquered by Jamie Braddock at Apocalypse's bidding.
- Sevalith, ruled by Countex Oublia and Countex Oscura.
- Mercator, whose regent is currently unknown.
The Foul Courts consist of:
- The Holy Republic of Fae, ruled by the interdimensional wizard Merlyn, a prominent ally of Roma and Otherworld's supreme ruler, Saturnyne.
- Hothive, ruled by the Colony Queen Vesperidae.
- Dryador, whose regency is vacant.
- Blightspoke, whose regent is currently unknown.
- The Crooked Market, a realm under the control of Mad Jim Jaspers, a mutant who possesses similar powers to Jamie Braddock and can rewrite reality at will.
The establishment of Krakoa brought chaos to Otherworld, under the principle of "as above, so below." A rift opened in Dryador, and invading armies swept out of it from another world called Amenth. These armies are led by the First Horsemen of Apocalypse, his children.
Otherworld Is Dominated By The Starlight Citadel
Otherworld is dominated by the Starlight Citadel, the center of Saturnyne's power. X of Swords: Creation gives the first full account of the Starlight Citadel's mystical role in Otherworld:
Floating high above the central diplomatic zone in Otherworld is the Starlight Citadel, physical manifestation of the epicenter of the Otherworld, where all realities intersect. If Otherworld were said to be a wheel, the Citadel would be its spoke - though it is unmoving, without it, the wheel cannot turn.
The Citadel is more than simple a beautiful monument; it is a fortress serving as the defense of the infinite doors within. Each doorway serves as passage to another reality - making the Citadel the most literal representation of the conjunction of all realities that Otherworld represents.
According to Excalibur #9, the origins of the Starlight Citadel are unknown. The earliest writings from Otherworld suggest the Starlight Citadel was named because its brightness is visible from all across Otherworld, and in the past it has been home to the Captain Britain Corps. They defended this nexus of all realities, with one Captain Britain recruited from each dimension. Unfortunately, the Captain Britain Corps was destroyed by the Beyonders in the build-up to 2015's Secret Wars. Saturnyne has assembled a new legion, the White Priestesses, sworn to act as agents of balance and protectors of the realm. Each Priestess is crowned with the Moonlight Diadem, allowing them to travel across the Multiverse; they are armed with the Crescent Bow, which allows them to project moonlight itself as a devastating weapon. "Those who fight you will be limited by the bonds of reality," Saturnyne taught them. "These chains dissolve in the Moon's white light." There are also Green Priestesses, a rival cult to the White, who live among the wild thickets between the province of Avalon and the diplomatic zone. While technically loyal to Saturnyne, they are more moderate.
How Otherworld Fits Into "X of Swords"
According to Powers of X #4, in ancient times the living island of Krakoa was part of a greater whole, a land called Okkara. This was torn apart by a mystical blade called the Twilight Sword, split into two living islands called Krakoa and Arakko, and an invading horde swept through it. Fortunately, Apocalypse stood against the tide of evil and protected the world from this invasion. He was able to force the monsters back, and somehow banished them to the world they originated from, Amenth. In order to accomplish this, Apocalypse was forced to sacrifice the island of Arakko, which was banished to Amenth. Apocalypse's wife and his First Horsemen were left stranded on Amenth, forever fighting against the hordes to prevent Arakko being taken.
But Apocalypse has been betrayed, and his First Horsemen have now allied with the forces of Amenth, who are ruled by a goddess called Annihilation. They have succeeded in creating a rift between Arakko and Otherworld, and have conquered the Kingdom of Dryador. Meanwhile, Apocalypse has been mirroring their actions, creating the External Gate between Krakoa and Otherworld, and conquering Avalon in the name of mutantkind. Now, the two forces are coming into collision, with the fate of both Amenth and Earth - and, perhaps, Otherworld and even the Multiverse itself - hanging in the balance. Unfortunately, the X-Men are bound to enter the fight by their alliance with Apocalypse, creating yet another front in their battle to survive.