Refrain

The Refrain is one of two "counter-weight" demiplanes of Harmony that were created by Madam Midnight millennia ago to pacify Harmony so that mortals could flourish. The Refrain is a demiplane drenched in the excess Song of Creation that once permeated Harmony, making the plane wild and difficult to survive within.

Geography

The Refrain is — or at least was — a mirror of Harmony, but it was created so long ago now that it is barely recognisable as such. When the Refrain was created, it was a perfect replica of Harmony in every single way, but was instead suffused with magic. Over time, this magic has warped the demiplane into an impossibly fecund realm, overgrown everywhere, and bristling with supernatural phenomena. Additionally, the continued "leak" of magic out of Harmony into the Refrain has resulted in new regions growing and swallowing up old locations. Every time some form of magical wellspring occurs within Harmony, it siphons off into the Refrain, and overtakes a region that was itself waning. Thus, the landscape of the Refrain is constantly changing.
One can theoretically travel into the Refrain, move a distance, and then travel back to Harmony, and have moved a comparable distance in the correct direction. However, the warping nature of the Refrain's geography means that this distance is unpredictable unless studied very closely: some regions within the Refrain are smaller — or entirely absent — than their Harmony counterparts, whilst others are much more vast.

Ecosystem

Much as everything within the Refrain, the creatures native to it began as mirrors of those found in Harmony when the demiplane was created. However, the excess of magic within the Refrain has changed these species to be more in-tune with the wild Song itself; not quite halfway between spirit and mortal, but closer than those native to Harmony. These species are collectively known as the Fey, though this is as broad a category as "mortal" is for Harmony. One notable species originally from the Refrain — but which has since migrated to and assimilated into Harmony — are the Gnomes.

Type

Plane of Existence

Location under

Harmony