Vishatra, the Elemental Chaos

The Ascendant Realm of Balakshmara, the Sea of Sleet and Cinders. The birthplace of all of Edras' elementals, Vishatra is a tempestuous sea of ever-changing terrain and clashing elements that all dissolve into a single mix of colliding energies.
Though most of the Elemental Chaos is an ever-changing landscape defined by chaos and unpredictability, there are regions within the Chaos that have a more defined set of stability. These regions, called domains, are formed through the will and power of mighty elemental beings, often primordial spawn but sometimes including other denizens of the Chaos as well. Within these realms a sort of order is maintained, often reflecting the nature of its creator and ruler. At the farthest extents of Vishatra, the pure elements dissolve and bleed together into an unending tumult of clashing energies and colliding substance.
The regions of the Elemental Chaos are:

• The Endless Sky: Also known as the elemental region of Air. It is a realm of unending skies, towering clouds and fierce storms. The Endless Sky is a nearly unimaginably large expanse of open skies, filled with churning air current, drifting clouds, and towering thunderheads. Near the borders of Water, tremendous storms of rain and snow lash massive globules of water hanging suspended like floating oceans. Solid matter is rare in this realm, much of it consisting of ice, magically solidified clouds or conjured rock.
• The Eternal Delve: Also known as the elemental region of Earth. It is a realm of seemingly endless rock riddled with caverns, some of them the size of entire continents. This region is composed primarily of rock and earth, criss-crossed by veins of precious metal and gemstones of such gigantic proportions that they cannot be believed by those who have never set foot there. Interspersed with this solid rock and earth are caverns of all sizes, some of them dark and dry, others filled with water and phosphorescent fungus. Others yet are lit by enormous crystals, enchanted by the native shaitan genies to illuminate vast caves, like miniature suns. Intrusions of elemental fire create bodies of magma and volcanic tunnels, while the influence of elemental water results in vast buried oceans and in bodies of limestone and salt.
• The Infinite Furnace: Also known as the elemental region of Fire. It is a realm of vast, liquid oceans of flame, charred cinderlands, and flowing rivers of magma. Of all the elemental regions, the Infinite Furnace is generally the most hostile to mortal life. It is a landscape of white hot heat, with rivers and seas of fire, lava and molten metal, mountains of compacted ash, and burning skies filled with smoke and curtains of flame.
• The Boundless Sea: Also known as the elemental region of Water. The Boundless Sea is a truly immense spherical shell of salt, fresh, and brackish water. While most of the Boundless Sea consists of liquid water, intrusions from neighboring regions provide solid ground within the oceans. These include masses of rock fallen away from the Eternal Delve, masses of ice from the Frostfell, and the ruins of lost cities from other worlds. In some places, spires of solidified magma pierce through the Boundless Sea entirely and into Endless Sky. These areas of solid ground are often home to the plane's settlements. Where it borders the region of Air, storms often sink into the waters to form enormous whirlpools and waterspouts. At the border with Earth, the water becomes tinged with sediments and thermal vents shoot jets of mineral-rich water and superheated brine into the oceans of the realm.
• The Frostfell: Also known as the para-elemental region of Ice, it sits at the intersection of Air and Water. It is a place of utter cold and barren tundras. The Frostfell is primarily solid towards its center, though caverns and crevasses cut through the otherwise solid ice in places. Where the region borders Water, scattered icebergs float; where it borders Air, the ice ends in a jutting white wall.
• The Fountains of Creation: Also known as the para-elemental region of Magma, it sits at the intersection of Fire and Earth. It is a place of boiling, molten earth and toxic fumes. It consists of a vast mountain range of volcanoes that start at the border with Earth and extend well into Fire, forming an arc around the vast Cinder Wastes. There are also many floating islands of volcanic rock that haven't yet fully liquified. Much of the air here is acidic and poisonous. Its clouds are composed of burning acidic vapors and raw elemental fire.
• The Great Conflagration: Also known as the para-elemental region of Ash, it sits at the intersection of Air and Fire. It is a place of hot and noxious vapors and gases. It consists, almost exclusively, of an endless firestorm of hot smoke and ash, fueled by the winds of Air mixed with the fires and magma of Fire. In some locations, the ashes coalesce into floating solid regions that can be used as shelters for fugitives and outlaws.
• The Swamp of Oblivion: Also known as the para-elemental region of Ooze, it sits at the intersection of Earth and Water. It is a fetid, bloated place of slime and mud. The region is a vast swamp populated by hags and twisted trees. The few settlements that exist in the place are built atop high stilts that keep constructions above the mud. However, since there is no solid ground underneath, everything eventually sinks into the swamp. At the border with Earth, a hill range known as the Mud Hills is constantly eroded and regenerated. The border with Water is known as the Silt Flats, a muddy and sludgy region that marks the boundary between the swamp and the endless sea.

The Elemental Chaos is a harsh environment and one where you must always be on guard while traveling through. The ever-changing landscape hides dangers unique to a location home to all the elements at once. Bubbling seas of acid, rivers of lightning and massive ice mountains move through the chaos, all the while earthbergs crash into one another.
Traveling by foot is incredibly foolhardy, and many who attempt it are never heard from again. Floating earthmotes range in size from a few inches to the size of continents, and the space in between the earthmotes could be so vast that even those that can fly would be too tired to make the journey before falling from exhaustion. The other problem is that earthmotes float in random directions and constantly are smashing into each other, though some say that the efreet can determine where an earthmote is heading through their mysterious divination magics known as al-buraj.
A faster method of traveling the plane is utilizing the chaos gliders that are able to fly utilizing the invisible chaos currents that swirl through the plane, traveling thousands of miles in an instant, though it is a constant fight to stay on course while riding chaos currents. Or, you can utilize a lightning skiff that literally rides the crackling rivers of lightning, though you can only ever travel with the lightning and are restricted as to where you can travel too. If there are no lightning storms where you want to go, you are unable to reach it.

Places of Interest

• The City of Brass: One famous refuge from the destructive heat of the Infinite Furnace is the City of Brass, home of the efreet. At the will of the grand sultan, the city is protected from the pervasive smoke and flames, and visitors enjoy unrestricted vision and uncomfortable yet tolerable temperatures, though walls and surfaces are still hot enough to burn unprotected flesh on contact. The city sits in a bowl of golden brass 40 miles in diameter that floats about the realm or hovers over a huge disk of obsidian that is forever cracked from the heat. Architecture includes soaring towers, grand minarets, and everything from tool sheds to palaces made of brass. The treasure vaults of the grand sultan, and his wrath at any who attempt to acquire even a single piece, are legendary.
• The Brazen Bazaar: A great traveling marketplace and carnival that hails originally from the City of Brass and is run by a group of elite efreets known as the Golden Hearth. This wheeled wagon caravan travels across a bridge of smoke that originates under their wagons and guides them safely across the Elemental Chaos. The bazaar travels across the various regions, trading magic items, news, and secrets. If a rare magical item or piece of information can be found, the Brazen Bazaar should be the first place to be checked - if you can find it. The bazaar travels where it wants, and only stops in important locations where the full 1,000 plus wagon caravan can set up safely and, more importantly, profitably. Shops and inns are located inside of the wagons where the insides are far larger than their humble outside appearance would suggest.
• Gloamnull: The city of rain, Gloamnull, is one of the many cities settled by the genasi. It is constantly subjected to squalls, and the earthmote it rests on is constantly overflowing with the deluges left behind. While the genasi appear kind to weary travelers, the inhabitants hold a dark secret close. Filling the rivers and caverns that dot their earthmote are strange fish with tentacles around their mouths. The inhabitants rely on those strange fish for their main source of food and utilize trade to help supplement their meals. The settlement is slowly growing, and more genasi arrive daily.

Type

Planet

Location under

Celestial Bodies & Ascendant Realms

Owner/Ruler

Balakshmara, the Sea of Sleet and Cinders