Dominia and Its Walkers

Dominia and Its Walkers is an essay written by Richard Garfield, detailing the nature of the multiverse (then called Dominia) and that of planeswalkers. The essay was published in the Magic: The Gathering Pocket Player's Guide (1994).

Summary
Garfield discusses the cosmology, likening the planes to shifting grains of sand on a beach. The planeswalkers possess a unique skill allowing them to leave their plane, and most of them have learned how to tap into the magical energy of other worlds. Worlds that are rich in mana are guarded from other planeswalkers who would take control over them.

The act of planeswalking is also described as rapid traversal between planes that touch, often through several intermediate planes. Familiarity with a location makes this easier, though experiences planeswalkers may be able to better control their point of arrival. However, shifting planes can cause planeswalkers to become lost. Planes can bond with one another as a crystal, remaining bonded as they shift, and can even become separated from Dominia, which can result in a planeswalker becoming stranded on that plane.

Garfield goes on to discuss the diverse relative magic energies of the planes and the means by which wizards access those energies. As they walk the Multiverse, planeswalkers anchor invisible tethers to the mana-rich resources of these worlds that they may tap from other planes. Mana channeled through these lines serves as energy for the spells they cast. Garfield discusses the source and use of each mana type:

Planeswalkers can also create tethers to creatures they may summon from afar, spells they may cast, or artifacts with magical powers, all of which are accessed using the mana lines. Any of these ties to lands, creatures, spells, or artifacts can be weakened over time or at great distances. If the planeswalker stretches the line too far, it destroys the line and the tether must be reestablished.

Planeswalkers cannot be governed. No power or rule can hold them back due to their talent for escaping whatever plane they are on at a moment's notice. Even if one should kill a planeswalker before they can escape, wizards often have backup plans allowing them to continue their existence after death. Garfield characterizes planeswalkers as individualistic, territorial, and generally fickle when it comes to alliances. Clashing planeswalkers may compete for one another's domains, a dangerous venture since magic is so unpredictable.