Outer Planes
The Outer Planes are realms of spirituality and thought where celestials, fiends and the gods themselves exist.
The physicality of each of the Outer Planes doesn't always match what mortals experience on the Material Plane. While in the Outer Planes, traveling from one location to another may take an hour or it may take a lifetime.
The gods make their homes in the Outer Planes, but these homes may actually be more of a manifestation of the god's thoughts and intentions and spirit than a physical location.
Of the Outer Planes, 16 planes correspond to the eight non-neutral alignments and the shades of philosophical difference between them:
- Lawful Good: The Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia
- Neutral Good/Lawful Good: The Twin Paradises of Bytopia
- Neutral Good: The Blessed Fields of Elysium
- Neutral Good/Chaotic Good: The Wilderness of the Beastlands
- Chaotic Good: The Olympian Glades of Arborea
- Chaotic Neutral/Chaotic Good: The Heroic Domains of Ysgard
- Chaotic Neutral: The Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo
- Chaotic Neutral/Chaotic Evil: The Windswept Depths of Pandemonium
- Chaotic Evil: The Infinite Layers of the Abyss
- Neutral Evil/Chaotic Evil: The Tarterian Depths of Carceri
- Neutral Evil: The Gray Waste of Hades
- Neutral Evil/Lawful Evil: The Bleak Eternity of Gehenna
- Lawful Evil: The Nine Hells of Baator
- Lawful Neutral/Lawful Evil: The Infinite Battlefield of Acheron
- Lawful Neutral: The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus
- Lawful Neutral/Lawful Good: The Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia
Additionally, the metaphorical "center" of the Outer Planes is a plane of existence called the "Outlands." The Outlands is a plane of perfect neutrality in which travelers can find portals to each of the Outer Planes, either through the central city of Sigil or through 16 gate-towns.
The Afterlife
Theologians believe that when a human from Faerûn dies, their soul leaves their body and starts a journey to the Outer Planes. Each soul's first destination is the Fugue Plane, where they wander aimlessly while waiting for their fate to be decided.
- If that human chose a patron deity before dying, and that deity approves of their worship, a representative of that god travels to the Fugue Plane and escorts the soul to their divine realm in the Outer Planes to exist for the rest of eternity.
- If that human didn't choose a patron deity, or if their patron deity doesn't approve of their worship, or if they worshipped a false god, their soul's fate is decided by Kelemvor, the god of judgement of the Faerûnian Pantheon. Kelemvor typically grants these souls passage into the plane that most closely matches their alignment. He may also charge these souls to serve him instead, or he may decide that the souls should be absorbed into the Wall of the Faithless where they will stay for eternity.
According to theologians, other species - or worshipers of other pantheons - often have different beliefs about their own versions of the afterlife. For example, the humans of Mulhorand believe that Osiris, the god of death and nature in the Mulhorandi Pantheon, is responsible for their final judgement. Also, elves who worship the Seldarine believe that their souls travel directly to Arvandor, allowing them to eventually be reincarnated as new elves on the Material Plane.
Deals With Devils
According to theologians, when a soul is awaiting judgement in the Fugue Plane, devils from the Nine Hells of Baator may approach the soul and offer it chances at power and immortal pleasures. Whether it's because a soul has become tired of waiting or wants to escape Kelemvor's judgement, some do accept the offers of devils, adding them to the ranks of Asmodeus and the Lords of the Nine for eternity.
The Raven Queen
Some theologians believe that souls travel through the Shadowfell before arriving in the Fugue Plane, allowing the Raven Queen to have "audiences" with souls and potentially trapping them in her Fortress of Memories. The motivations of the Raven Queen are unclear, but many resurrected adventurers have claimed to have met the Raven Queen before being pulled back into their mortal bodies on the Material Plane.
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