The Firmament

The Firmament is the realm of primal and pure divine creation, lying above the World. defies worldly description, with the strict rules of neither time nor space applying. It seems vast and airy, a multitude of realms slowly orbiting beneath the brilliance of the Font of Creation, but that 'space' is actually the expanse of the Celestial Astra and not technically a part of the Firmament at all.
The Font is the ultimate source of all energy and matter in Existence, a devastating fountain of ifril, boiling into the Firmament from the Void. Much of this energy is drawn to the Divine Twins, Soraes and Doraes, where it is converted into the divine energy of creation.
The centre of the Firmament is the so-called First World, which takes the form of the original, harmonious Aiaos, a dome with a single continent, surrounded by water. At the crown of the dome, where the realm of Ladon would have been, a vast city rises up. Usually referred to as the City of Stars, this flawless and empty city is believed to be waiting for its rightful occupants, but there is significant disagreement over who that would be. Like the city, the wider First World has no inhabitants, except for plants and animals. Although celestial in form, these creatures are simple beasts in nature.
Surrounding the first World, the Divine Mansions are the halls and estates of the young gods and their active celestial servants. Each of these mansions is entirely unique, reflecting the character of the god - or less often, Gods - in question. The mansions of Creator Gods are typically more thematically coherent than those of culture deites, and often embody the stereotypes of their creation. Below the divine dwellings lies the glittering expanse of the Field of Stars. This vast layer holds all of the fixed stairs of Aiaos, slowly circling.
Further out and lower down, the Shard Realms drift. These are the remnants of now-defunct mansions, much reduced in size and splendour. Some of these are used as a base of operation for a minor god on the make, while others are claimed as sanctuaries by Mortal travellers. Most travelers from Aiaos do not go past this part of the Firmament, searching the Shards for the forgotten treasures of long-fallen gods and hoping not to draw direct Celestial attention.
The Firmament is the home of the gods and their servants, and also of all souls who lived in harmony with the World. It is not a question of good, but of balance, as measured by the Eternal Principles. Mortals are, by default, not allowed to enter the Firmament alive, so the bright-winged, typically law-bound occupants of the Patchwork Palaces are rarely pleased to see them. The lesser deities, Celestials and souls of the outer Mansions and shards are often more accepting, but often dangerous through carelessness or disinterest.