Other Planes
Overview
The Other Planes are those which fall outside of typical cosmology, or are not truly planes at all. Planar Pathways blur the borders across conceptually similar planes, allowing for traversal between them without the Astral Sea. Esoteric planes however, are so far separated - whether physically, conceptually, or temporally - from the other planes' conventions that they are categorised here. No souls go there in death, or at least none that are known.Planar Pathways
The Celestial Stairway. "I think that is Sehanine's wish - that mortals may wander the cosmos, just as she once did." Alignment: Any, All. Created in the Severance, this pathway allows mortals who can access it to traverse the planes.
Known as the Infinite Staircase, it appears as escheresque spiral-steps of solidified moonlight.
Lillendi - servants of the Moonweaver - protect the Staircase from divines and their followers.
Oceanus, the Thalassian Sea. "Sharks and jagged rocks may not be evil, but are still deadly. You're only mortal, after all." Alignment: Good. Springing from the heart of Elysium, the endless ocean meanders across the upper planes.
Though buoyant and calm at the surface, borders in the depths are rife with natural hazards.
Marine creatures of all kinds reside here, with even aquatic dragons protecting its travellers.
Aerides, The Axial Spire. "The tree and mountain grew, and the rivers sprung forth. Nobody knows what created this." Alignment: Neutral. With its peak piercing through the Outlands, the Spire bridges between Mechanus and Limbo.
Described as a tower-labyrinth, its halls range from regimented mazes, to erratic corridors.
Constructs inhabit the Spire, whether guarding planes, guiding visitors, or roaming aimlessly.
Styx, the River of Blood. "Keep your appendages in the boat at all times. In the event of dismemberment - no refunds." Alignment: Evil. From Pandemonium, these memory-siphoning crimson arteries pulse through the lower planes.
Sometimes called Gjoll, waterfall rapids became structured canals as it approached lawfulness.
Demons and Devils wage war across Styx's banks, eagerly facilitated by the Yugoloths of Hades.
Olympus, the Summit. "You wouldn't be wrong for thinking this Gehenna, but have faith, it really is worth the climb." Alignment: Lawful. Also known as Himinbjorg, this mountain originates from Hades, and ascends the planes of law.
From rocky-ashen inclines, in the upper planes it transitions to Bifrost - the Rainbow Bridge.
Inevitables act as sentinels here, between routine swarms of Modrons during their great march.
Yggdrasil, the World Ash. "Old cosmological models placed all planes on the Ash - but those were more chaotic times." Alignment: Chaotic. With its roots buried in Hades, this tree's trunk and branches reach across the chaotic planes.
Gnarled and twisted bloody roots gradually blossom, into flourishing vines, fruit, and leaves.
A cacophony of creatures from its planes reside here, though none more-so than the Slaad.
Esoteric Planes
The Echo Plane. "There's a reason we experience deja-vu. This has all happened before, I can feel it." Alignment: Any, All. Across Apocrypha can be found traces - both material and mnemonic - of a World erased.
The Temporal Cascade brought records of a flooded mountain, contradicting known history.
Dunamancers pose it as a parallel, past, future, or overwritten cycle of the material plane.
The Far Realm. "Fly too high, or swim too deep, and the laws of will reality break as easily as your mind." Alignment: Unaligned. Disjointed from known cosmology, the Far Realm bleeds insanity into everything it touches.
Countlessly intersecting - incomprehensible geometry abscesses across the infinite layers.
Home to aberrations like Aboleths, Beholders, and other unknowable, eldritch grotesqueries.
The Nameless Place. "For mortals and gods are in each other's image - so the soul of the Nameless endures!" Alignment: Unknown. Akin to mortal souls in outer planes, this speculative place contains the souls of dead gods.
Asari mysticism professes, that concepts are the closest mortals can come to experiencing it.
Planar scholars hypothesise this is how Vestiges are able to posses influence, even in death.
. " " Alignment: .
Comments