The World Spheres
The known world is made up of a series of interconnected layers which connect the arcane, divine, elemental and physical worlds. Energy and power is transmitted from one layer to another, fuelling symbiotic relationships and ensuring the stability of the functioning system. The World Spheres are the individual planes of existence and are anchor points of life, energy and matter, found within these interconnected layers. They are the homes of all conscious beings in all their forms, mortal, immortal or otherwise.
The outermost layer is the Astral Plane, an infinite expanse of existence where the laws of the physical plane to not apply. The majority of this plane is made up of the Astral Sea, an ever-flowing ocean of reality. Here, time, space and matter are unrestricted and non-linear, with consciousness being the key determinant to reality. Life exists within this sea, largely of the eldritch and abomination variety, with creatures the size of planets inhabiting this space. Time does not flow equal to that in the prime material plane, and is able to stretch and contract depending on the chaotic magics of the space. Within this space are 16 anchored points, portals and kingdoms tethered to aspects of reality. These are the sixteen outer planes, the regions of Beomis in which Anum banished his children to before the Awakening. Surrounding these anchors, the aspect aligned with the plane is found strongest. Wastelands of undead are found surrounding the uppermost layer of Carceri, or asteroids teeming with alien plant-life and beasts of all flavours are found floating around the portal to Arvandor. These outer planes are the homes of the Prime deities and those who serve them, as well as the origin of all divine power in the universe.
The second layer of existence is the elemental chaos, a vast tempestuous sea of ever-changing terrain and clashing elements, with stability only enforced in isolated locations. Entry points into the elemental chaos could be found at the lowest depths of the Astral Sea, though creatures which found their way travelling between the Astral Sea and Elemental Chaos almost always were through accidents or feats of probability, and often caused havoc in the alien landscape. The elemental chaos was ruled over by the primordials, beings opposite of gods as demons are to devils. These powerful beings, who laid to rest long ago, fuel the elemental energies of the universe, most powerful in the heart of their planes, the four of which are found surrounding the Ethereal plane. The only native creatures to this plane are elementals, beings of varying power and size, born out of their native element. The primary anchor points of these elemental planes were the planes of Fire, Water, Air and Earth, though para-elemental planes of Magma, Ooze, Ice and Smoke were found on the borders of these four planes.
The innermost layer of the universe is the ethereal plane, a misty, fog-bound dimension that surrounded the material planes. The ethereal touched the prime at all points, and could be found like mist against glass on the borders of the Crystal sphere. When a traveller crossed into the Border Ethereal, she and all her possessions were converted to their Ethereal equivalents, metal became ethereal metal, flesh became ethereal flesh and so on, allowing free movement (in most cases) in any direction through the solid matter of the adjacent plane. Since everything was permeated with ethereality, an air-breathing creature could breathe ethereal air and could not drown in an ethereal lake nor be crushed by an ethereal rock. The non-border region was called the deep ethereal, a powerful arcane landscape of energy and power. These regions swirled with large areas of protomatter, which could form a demiplane when a critical size was reached. Powerful wizards, sorcerers or demigods could bend this proto-matter to their will and create a demi-plane, some of which could exhibit their own rules of gravity and physics, or even support life. The largest of these planes are the positive and negative mirror realities of the prime material plane, known as the feywilds and shadowfell, though most demiplanes eventually collapse into themselves, break up or merge into the prime material plane. Deep within the ethereal plane is the Crystal Sphere, or the Prime Material Plane, previously the Kingdom of Ostoria, a gigantic spherical shell that contained the entire planetary system. At the centre of the sphere was Sol, the most stable Star in the known galaxy, orbited by a series of planets. The planet of the known world - Toril is the third farthest from Sol, orbited by a single large moon.
The outermost layer is the Astral Plane, an infinite expanse of existence where the laws of the physical plane to not apply. The majority of this plane is made up of the Astral Sea, an ever-flowing ocean of reality. Here, time, space and matter are unrestricted and non-linear, with consciousness being the key determinant to reality. Life exists within this sea, largely of the eldritch and abomination variety, with creatures the size of planets inhabiting this space. Time does not flow equal to that in the prime material plane, and is able to stretch and contract depending on the chaotic magics of the space. Within this space are 16 anchored points, portals and kingdoms tethered to aspects of reality. These are the sixteen outer planes, the regions of Beomis in which Anum banished his children to before the Awakening. Surrounding these anchors, the aspect aligned with the plane is found strongest. Wastelands of undead are found surrounding the uppermost layer of Carceri, or asteroids teeming with alien plant-life and beasts of all flavours are found floating around the portal to Arvandor. These outer planes are the homes of the Prime deities and those who serve them, as well as the origin of all divine power in the universe.
The second layer of existence is the elemental chaos, a vast tempestuous sea of ever-changing terrain and clashing elements, with stability only enforced in isolated locations. Entry points into the elemental chaos could be found at the lowest depths of the Astral Sea, though creatures which found their way travelling between the Astral Sea and Elemental Chaos almost always were through accidents or feats of probability, and often caused havoc in the alien landscape. The elemental chaos was ruled over by the primordials, beings opposite of gods as demons are to devils. These powerful beings, who laid to rest long ago, fuel the elemental energies of the universe, most powerful in the heart of their planes, the four of which are found surrounding the Ethereal plane. The only native creatures to this plane are elementals, beings of varying power and size, born out of their native element. The primary anchor points of these elemental planes were the planes of Fire, Water, Air and Earth, though para-elemental planes of Magma, Ooze, Ice and Smoke were found on the borders of these four planes.
The innermost layer of the universe is the ethereal plane, a misty, fog-bound dimension that surrounded the material planes. The ethereal touched the prime at all points, and could be found like mist against glass on the borders of the Crystal sphere. When a traveller crossed into the Border Ethereal, she and all her possessions were converted to their Ethereal equivalents, metal became ethereal metal, flesh became ethereal flesh and so on, allowing free movement (in most cases) in any direction through the solid matter of the adjacent plane. Since everything was permeated with ethereality, an air-breathing creature could breathe ethereal air and could not drown in an ethereal lake nor be crushed by an ethereal rock. The non-border region was called the deep ethereal, a powerful arcane landscape of energy and power. These regions swirled with large areas of protomatter, which could form a demiplane when a critical size was reached. Powerful wizards, sorcerers or demigods could bend this proto-matter to their will and create a demi-plane, some of which could exhibit their own rules of gravity and physics, or even support life. The largest of these planes are the positive and negative mirror realities of the prime material plane, known as the feywilds and shadowfell, though most demiplanes eventually collapse into themselves, break up or merge into the prime material plane. Deep within the ethereal plane is the Crystal Sphere, or the Prime Material Plane, previously the Kingdom of Ostoria, a gigantic spherical shell that contained the entire planetary system. At the centre of the sphere was Sol, the most stable Star in the known galaxy, orbited by a series of planets. The planet of the known world - Toril is the third farthest from Sol, orbited by a single large moon.
Maps
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The World Spheres
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