Planar Structure of The Multiverse, Volume 2

Planar Structure of the Multiverse Lecture Cycle, Vol. 2 by Sage Miriel of Visimontium

ATU Abridged Edition (2200)

• Inner Planes

The Inner Planes are the Planes of elemental substance and energy. The four main Inner Planes are those of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. The Positive Energy Plane and the Negative Energy Plane also belong here. In addition, there are the Paraelemental Planes (bordering the major Elemental Planes), and the Quasielemental Planes (bordering any major Elemental and either of the Positive or Negative Energy Planes). All Inner Planes are coterminous to the Ethereal Plane, i.e. they have touch-points to it.

• Elemental Planes

Each Elemental Plane is made up almost entirely of its base element. Sometimes, bits and bubbles of one element make their way onto the Plane of another element. Once they cross, these elemental bits are subject to the conditions of that Plane. For example, water seeping onto the Plane of Fire becomes steam and fire pockets on the Plane of Water simply create hot water. The Elemental Planes do physically blend with each other directly. As one travels through one Plane toward another, the elemental material of the first Plane begins to subtly change to the element of the second. The Paraelemental and Quasielemental Planes also leak into each other as well as the four base Elemental Planes.

• Paraelemental Planes

The Paraelemental Planes are the result of the major Elemental Planes blending together. Between the Plane of Fire and Plane of Air is the Plane of Smoke, between the Plane of Air and the Plane of Water is the Plane of Ice, between the Plane of Water and the Plane of Earth is the Plane of Ooze, and between the Plane of Earth and the Plane of Fire is the Plane of Magma.

• Quasielemental Planes

Where the major Elemental Planes meet the Positive and Negative Energy Planes, the Quasielemental Planes are formed. Bordering the Positive Energy Plane are the Quasielemental Planes of Mineral, Lightning, Radiance, and the Quasielemental Plane of Steam which is often called Plane of Mist. Bordering the Negative Energy Plane are the Quasielemental Planes of Dust, Vacuum, Ash, and Salt.

• Inhabitants of the Inner Planes

Elementals and mephits are the primary form of life in the Inner Planes. Depending on the Plane, other forms of life may exist. The four main Elemental Planes are ruled over by a limited number of deities and archomentals, elementals with god-like powers within their home Plane. On some Elemental Planes, mephits claim to have dominance but few take that seriously.

• The Outer Planes

The Outer Planes are seventeen in number. They are traditionally referred to as:

Heroic Domain of Ysgard Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo Windswept Depths of Pandemonium Infinite Layers of the Abyss Tarterian Depths of Carceri Gray Waste of Hades Bleak Eternity of Gehenna Nine Hells of Baator Infernal Battlefield of Acheron Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia Twin Paradises of Bytopia Blessed Fields of Elysium Wilderness of the Beastlands Olympian Glades of Arborea Concordant Domain of the Outlands

• Gods and Outsiders

The Outer Planes are also known as the Godly Planes, Divine Planes or Spiritual Planes. Almost all of them are layered. Indeed most deities make home here, their nature drawn to a particular Outer Plane, or an Outer Plane's specific Layer. Aside from the gods, the Outer Planes have native denizens which we Prime people call "Outsiders". To name a few: Celestials, Demons, Devils, Slaadi. Some of the Outer Planes themselves are believed to be semi-sentient.

• Petitioners

It is also important to know that the Outer Planes are the final resting place of spirits from the Material Plane. Of course, "rest" is a relative term. It might be very well an eternal damnation. Spirits are drawn to the Outer Plane which mostly matches their spiritual self-image. Such a soul, once it finds itself onto the Outer Plane of destination, is called a "Petitioner". A petitioner cannot leave the Outer Plane it is tied to. The only exception are the Petitioners of the Abyss, the so-called "manes"; if they can crawl out, they are free to leave. In time, a Petitioner may be granted rebirth on the Prime, if the soul still has lessons to learn. Barring that, they may become one with the essence of the Plane that now holds them.

• Classification of the Outer Planes

• Good and Evil

Petty as such a separation might be, the Outer Planes are often divided by "Good" and "Evil" ones after their ethical incline, for they do have one. The Good (also known as Upper) Planes are Arcadia, Mount Celestia, Bytopia, Elysium, the Beastlands, Arborea and Ysgard. The Evil (also known as Lower) Planes are Acheron, Baator, Gehenna, the Gray Waste, Carceri, the Abyss and Pandemonium. Mechanus and Limbo are the Planes of purest Law and Chaos, respectively, dismissing any ethical concepts such as Good or Evil.

• Chaos and Law

The Planes of Chaos are the Abyss, Pandemonium, Limbo, Ysgard, and Arborea. On the other end of the spectrum, the Planes of Law are Baator, Acheron, Mechanus, Arcadia, and Mount Celestia.

Between the Planes of Law and Chaos there are the Planes of Conflict, where neither extreme Law or extreme Chaos prevail. They are also known as the Planes of Neutrality, although in reality they are often shook by conflict drawing them to Chaos or Law, unsuccessfully. These are the Beastlands, Elysium, Bytopia, Gehenna, Gray Waste, and Carceri.

The Outlands lay beyond all such classifications. The gate cities of the Outlands may lean toward the nature of the Plane they hold a gate to. The Outlands are otherwise no different than the Prime Material realms, in the sense that they have no incline towards any ethical standpoint.

• The Far Realm

What lays beyond the known Multiverse? All planes mentioned insofar share common traits: Time, space, elements, energy. There is one known state of existence alien to these characteristics, the Far Realm. It is outside the known Multiverse, outside time itself. Before the beginning of time and after its end, the Far Realm can be found. Occasionally, though luckily very rarely, doorways or rifts can open between the Far Realm and ordinary reality, allowing horrors to pour out. The natives of the Far Realm are incomprehensible and maddening to eyes accustomed to the three dimensions and linear causality of the realms we know. Their motives are unguessable, at once simpler and more complex than mere hunger. The Far Realm is toxic to ordinary reality. Perhaps, to some extent, the reverse is true as well.

There is one species which is rumoured to have originated from the Far Realm, the Illithid. Called "mind flayers" after their taste for sentient beings' minds and brains, the Illithid are creatures of genius intellect and matchless psionic powers. Ages ago, they dominated the Astral Plane and many Prime Material realms. The Illithid captured a group of humanoids from a Prime Material world, Oerth, and turned them into slaves, breeding them and performing hideous experiments on them until they believed they had a perfect race of servitors. It is one of the Multiverse's great ironies that the Illithid's own slaves caused their downfall.

Led by a woman named Gith, the slaves rose up and slew the Illithid who had trusted them on every world, destroying the empire. This took many decades. The key to victory was organisation, and the fact that the Illithid refused to use material weapons. It is thought that Gith would have ended the Illithid threat forever. On the eve of her victory, one of her greatest generals, Zerthimon, claimed she had become a tyrant and led his followers against her in a civil war that has yet to end. Gith's followers, the Githyanki, now inhabit the Astral Plane and siege the remaining Illithid citadels. Zerth's followers, the Githzerai, dwell in Limbo and focus on mastery over matter. On Limbo, the Plane of pure Chaos, matter rarely remains static for long.

--- Appendices not included in this volume:

• Interview with the Arcanoloth: The Blood War
• Daika's Truth: The Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon