Blessed Fields of Elysium
“The idea of goodness in the multiverse is abstract, but just as the Abyss and the Nine Hells epitomize the ideals of evil, Elysium stands just as tall to offer the spoils of life spent doing well for one another. Beyond the confines of anarchy and control, the goodness of Elysium is pure and thoughtless – there’s no need for governments or strong structure because the sheer power of the plane keeps everyone acting in the best interest of everyone else. Nothing embodies this idea more than the River Oceanus, which provides sustenance, trade, travel, security, and peace by simply flowing through the layers.”
Malakara the Warden
The Blessed Fields of Elysium are vibrant, inspiring, peaceful, and utterly devoted to the idea of the common good. There is no other plane in the multiverse dedicated to that singular ideal regardless of the ways or means, and the residents of Elysium are more than happy to offer a hand or advice to their neighbors and travelers. It is widely thought that conflict doesn’t exist in such a place, but that couldn’t be further from the truth – it just very rarely turns violent or ugly.
The most prominent feature of Elysium is the magnificent River Oceanus, a sparkling crystal blue river system that both starts and ends in the plane’s fourth layer, Thalasia. The river and its many tributaries form the beating heart of the plane, though plenty sites of wonder and mystery exist beyond its mighty banks.
Many small settlements populate the topmost layer, Amoria, where the weather is gentle and the land picturesque. The peace of Amoria, and across all of Elysium, is watched over and protected by a powerful race of celestials known as guardinals. Each caste of guardianals resembles a hybrid between animal and humanoid, from the hulking bear-like ursenals to the ferocious lion-maned leonals. The guardinals are protectors of high moralistic good and they travel across the multiverse on their quests to fight tyranny and injustice wherever it may lurk.
There is no formal structure to the guardinals, as none is needed, but they nonetheless recognize leaders. These are normally the most suited for a specific situation or mission with a general consensus about whose voice shall lead them. The best known and most capable of the guardinal celestials are a group known as the Six Companions. These beings rival demon lords and devil princes in their power and influence, and they dedicate themselves to the highest ideals of Elysium. Prince Leonid leads them but his voice is but one of the Six Companions.
The lower layers of Elysium are less populated than Amoria for various reasons. Eronia, the second layer, is a realm of rough mountain peaks, dazzling waterfalls, and harsh weather, where people can test their mettle against the elements of nature itself. Elysium’s third layer is Belierin, a vast fog-enshrouded swamp where few people dwell. Those that do live there tend to congregate around tall lighthouses that keep eternal vigil over the land, commanded by a fierce group known as the Lighthouse Watchers.
Thalasia is the lowest layer and serves as the source and destination of the River Oceanus itself. Hundreds of islands stand amidst the tranquil blue waters, many serving as the final resting place for hero-kings, demigods, and world captains. Beneath the ocean rests an azure sea of dazzling brilliance with its own secrets to keep.
Nowhere else in the multiverse are the basic tenets of “good” so upheld as in the Blessed Fields of Elysium. All the residents work towards the harmony of themselves, their neighbors, and their place across the planes, and visitors with these core beliefs are welcomed with open arms and friendly smiles. Trust is given freely – few doors are locked in the cities and towns, but woe be to any thief who decided to take advantage of this carefree attitude. Elysium has a way of punishing those that deliberately cause suffering, and the guardinal celestials maintain a watchful eye over their homes at all times.
Dangerous things still manage to crawl, seep, or flow into Elysium, however. Some of these are mundane beasts stumbling into portals, confused and angry over their new surroundings, while others are deliberate incursions by malevolent forces. This is especially possible in the swamps of Belierin, where it is rumored a multiverse-ending monstrosity is imprisoned, and numerous expeditions from the Abyss, Nine Hells, Acheron, and elsewhere have been mounted to determine the validity of these rumors.
Powerful & Mighty
Residents of Elysium regularly band together to overcome challenges, and many of these challenges span the contents of the plane and beyond. There are plenty of altruistic groups across the plane, but groups and individuals described here are some of the most noteworthy and influential.
- Belenus (Celtic)
- Bragi (Norse)
- Brigantia (Celtic)
- Chauntea (Toril)
- Hiatea (firbolg/voadkyn)
- Isis (Egyptian)
- Kuan-ti (Chinese)
- Lathander (Toril)
- Liu (Chinese)
- Majere (Krynn)
- Mishakal (Krynn)
- Nut (Egyptian)
- O-Wata-Tsu-Mi (Japanese)
- Savitri (Indian)
- Surminare (selkie)
- Trishina (dolphin/sea elf; also Mount Celestia)
- Tsuki-Yomi (Japanese)
- Urogalan (halfling)
- Ushas (Indian)
Elmlock
One of the most ancient forests in Elysium sprawls across a broad region on Amoria, surrounded by sweeping golden fields and rolling hills. The River Oceanus winds through this forest, where the trees along the riverbank have grown so tall as to form a canopy over the gentle water for miles. The forest is known as the Roots, and those that live around it know its secret – it is the physical manifestation of Elmlock, a living entity of goodness and natural beauty.
It is widely believed that Elmlock was a deity of woods and nature, but that over time worship of this forested god fell for one reason or another. Rather than fade away into a corporeal husk floating in the Astral Plane, though, Elmlock took the drastic action of shedding its divinity by becoming one with Elysium itself. The plane responded to the kind gesture, and the Roots grew overnight as a result. Everything within the forest, from the trees to the leaves to the bark and roots, moves and acts by deliberate design and under careful watch.
Elmlock itself manifests as a face in the trees. The dryads that live within the Roots know and love their forested master and serve as the mobile eyes and ears of the ancient entity. Nothing happens within the Roots that Elmlock does not see or hear, either directly or through the words of the dryads, and nothing passes beneath its boughs along the River Oceanus without the same. Elmlock doesn’t speak much anymore, preferring instead to let the dryads handle the affairs of the Roots with outsiders, but occasionally it still offers words of wisdom, kindness, and encouragement to those that come into the Roots seeking Elmlock’s guidance.
Hhallashaa
The River Oceanus spawns luna jellies at night, mysterious creatures that rise up to the river of stars reflected in Elysium’s night sky overhead. These peaceful beings drift silently in the night air but they are more than just an awe-inspiring sight. Luna jellies are the fingers of Hhallashaa the Great Jellyfish, an immense creature that dwells in the deepest trenches of Thalasia. Hhallashaa uses the luna jellies to keep watch over Elysium and the River Oceanus, but more than that the Great Jellyfish watches over the multiverse with careful attention.
Within its trench on Thalasia, Hhallashaa extends its consciousness out across the planes. It rarely directly acts on any knowledge, though it has been known to provide the Six Companions of the guardinals and other Elysium-based groups with key information about evil machinations that threaten life on a large scale. Prince Talisid’s famous raid on the Fortress of the Iron Maw, thwarting a plot by the devil lord Dispater to push into the Plane of Earth, was prompted by Hhallashaa’s advice.
The Great Jellyfish moves about the deep trenches of Thalasia’s eternal ocean, never needing more than the waters provide for sustenance and seemingly without deliberate purpose. Its divination skills are without equal it is said, and many have sought Hhallashaa for guidance on future events. It is said that only those that need to find the Great Jellyfish find the Great Jellyfish, somewhere in a dark trench, but the being’s luminous nature makes it easy to find for those that it wants to meet.
Ishtar of the Star
The ruler of the City of the Star, Ishtar is a radiantly beautiful woman who embodies the ideals of passion, love, and beauty. She holds a position of power akin to a goddess, and indeed there are several places in the multiverse where priests honor her with prayers and praise, but in her city on Elysium she is a dominant, real force. Ishtar’s sprawling city on Amoria is a paradise of white marble buildings beneath the gleaming spire of Ishtar’s palace – the eponymous Star that gives the city its name.
Ishtar encourages art in all form, and nearly all expressions of nonharmful activities can be found within the gleaming sprawling city. Bards are held in high regard in the city, and Ishtar herself has inspired hundreds of poets and musicians with her mere presence. She wanders the city regularly, rarely staying in her opulent palace, and delights in the sheer exuberance of her citizens.
Legends say that Ishtar was once the head of a great pantheon of gods, but she gave it all up in pursuit of passionate love. She is known by name among many devil princes of the Nine Hells and the demon lords of the Abyss, where she has spurned the advances of darkly powerful figures for centuries. Her most trusted bards in the City of the Star are ever watchful for encroaching plots by jealous suitors to Ishtar’s love, but all within the city know the truth – Ishtar loves her city and the beautiful expressions of love more than any individual now.
Ishtar possesses a jealous side, however. She has friendly rivalries with all gods and goddesses of love and beauty throughout the multiverse, and a few of them have progressed beyond friendly.
Lighthouse Watchers
Elysium’s third layer, Belierin, is an odd eyesore amongst the rest of the plane. It is a fog-enshrouded swamp where the River Oceanus winds through muck and mire in an endless miasma of dark bayou and hidden dangers. Compared to the golden fields of Amoria, the tranquil waters of Thalasia, or even the rugged peaks of Eronia, Belierin seems out of place.
For the Lighthouse Watchers, there is a reason for this difference. This group of dedicated warriors, rangers, wizards, and other well-equipped adventurers staff the lighthouses that keep travelers safe while moving through Belierin. The few settlements in the mist-choked layer cluster around these tall towers, clinging to them like moss to a tree. The Lighthouse Watchers are always eager to lend a hand to lost travelers but their true goal is to protect Elysium from the entombed power beneath Belierin’s swampy terrain.
The exact nature of this power is a hotly debated topic among planar scholars, and even those within the Lighthouse Watchers do not know exactly the threat they watch out for. It is known that Belierin has had many incursions from fiends, warlocks, and other monsters, sniffing around the swamp in search of ways to capture or release the dark power trapped below the waters. Sometimes, the power bubbles up, creating new horrors, and the Lighthouse Watchers are the ones to step up and put down such threats before they lurch out into the greater realms.
The Lighthouse Watchers are nearly all mortals who have dedicated themselves to their noble if somewhat vague cause. They are divided roughly into chapters, with each chapter assigned to the maintenance and safeguarding of a specific lighthouse. Chapter captains lead each and communicate regularly with neighboring lighthouses so that information is shared readily among them. Many chapters sponsor expeditions into Belierin’s foggy depths or even outside of Elysium to deal with potential threats to the stability of the plane.
Six Companions
The guardinals are a powerful force on Elysium that keep the plane safe from dark incursions and help eradicate evil from across the multiverse. They are only loosely organized, however, coming together to form parties based on the needs of the mission. Each guardinal is considered on the merits of their skill and their availability, but they are chosen by their leaders – a powerful group known as the Six Companions.
The Six Companions are individually incredibly powerful beings akin to the demon lords and devil princes of the Lower Planes. They do not seek worship, though some warlocks across the multiverse have entered into pacts with them in exchange for continuing their mission of righteousness throughout the planes.
Prince Talisid. The leader and most widely recognized of the guardinal lords is Prince Talisid, a lion-like leonal. Prince Talisid brought the Six Companions together, though originally they were Prince Talisid and his Five Companions – the noble leonal pushed to put them all on the same footing. He faces problems and foes head-on, and when engaging in combat against fiendish forces across the multiverse, Prince Talisid has been known to fall into a blood frenzy, relishing the destructive feel of raw combat. He uses his claws in combat, and his mighty roar is capable of stunning the bravest of foes.
Duke Lucan. Duke Lucan is the lord of the lupinal guardinals, and there is no greater tracker in all of Elysium (or so it is said). Intelligent and cunning, Duke Lucan prefers to scout out situations before charging in with the full fury of the guardinals, and he has multiple packs of lupine guardinals that he trusts to undertake sensitive missions across the multiverse. He is cautious and his well-honed sense of smell can detect lies like the scent of a rotting carcass.
Duchess Callisto. The ursinal guardinals are the record-keepers and sages of Elysium, and none are more revered than their leader, Duchess Callisto. She is an immensely powerful being, skilled in arcane and divine magic, and her knowledge of the planes is nearly unmatched. Duchess Callisto is shrewd and slow to anger, preferring to let logic and reason dictate her decisions, and she advises Prince Talisid and the rest of the Six Companions on all manner of topics.
Duke Windheir. The skies of Elysium are the home to the avoral guardinals, eagle-like celestials, and Duke Windheir can commonly be found soaring in the azure skies above Amoria and Eronia. Like the rest of the avoral guardinals, Duke Windheir is possessed of a powerful wanderlust, and he often travels the planes on a whim to see what can be seen. He actively encourages his fellow avoral guardinals to do the same, and they regularly report back to the Six Companions on the hidden activities of the multiverse that they witness from the skies. Duke Windheir is immensely curious as well, and very adept at finding secrets.
Lord Hwyn. Strong, proud, and eager to prove himself in contests, Lord Hwyn is the chief among the equinal guardinals. His horse-like people are headstrong, stubborn, and competitive, all traits blown to extremes by Lord Hwyn. He is often the first to volunteer for any mission outside of Elysium, but also first to offer praise and forgiveness when warranted. Lord Hwyn organizes and judges the Blessed Games, a series of athletic contests held every year (or so) in Elysium, testing guardinals of all types and anyone else who wishes to prove themselves among the powerful celestials.
Lord Rhanok. If there’s a voice of reason among the Six Companions, it’s the steady tones of Lord Rhanok, the greatest of the cervidal guardinals. The antlered celestials are the most common in Elysium and they look to Lord Rhanok as their brightest example – calm, measured, composed, and thoughtful, always seeking the peaceful solution to any problem. Prince Talisid and many of the other guardinal lords are chiefly concerned with the goings of evil across the multiverse, but on Elysium itself everyone looks to Lord Rhanok for guidance.
Zeldrentoa, Song of the Sun
Metallic dragons of all kinds are drawn to Elysium for the obvious reasons of safety, security, and the calming influence the plane has on those of good intentions. Zeldrentoa, an ancient brass dragon, was not interested in these things, however. She has always possessed a strong wanderlust that kept her wandering from plane to plane, helping out goodly people whenever possible but never settling down. She had music in her heart and enjoyed the company of minstrels and bards above all others, but Zeldrentoa was seeking something – an elusive melody that kept her moving from place to place. That was true until she came upon Eronia, Elysium’s majestic second layer, and discovered the source of her mysterious melody.
On a mountain peak overlooking a sparkling waterfall, Zeldrentoa heard a pure sweet music unlike any she had heard in her long life. The wind blowing along the mountainside, the radiant sky overhead, and a dazzling brilliance in the stones itself all came together to create an enchanting musical power that dazzled the brass dragon and left her speechless. Zeldrentoa built the Tower of Sun and Song on that peak to study the music, and she attracted the attention of curious bards from across the multiverse to join in the research.
Zeldrentoa’s sunsinging, as it became known as, tapped into the raw beauty of Elysium itself. She spends most of her time in Eronia, in and around the Tower of Sun and Song, teaching young bards the sunsinging secrets while at the same time learning more about it herself everyday. The musical power changes with each day on Elysium, so there’s always more to understand. She has become known as the Song of the Sun for her musical discovery and magical prowess, and she delights in the notes of pure joyful expression that echo around Eronia’s rugged peaks.
Creatures & Denizens
Elysium is most known for its race of celestials, the guardinals, who patrol the multiverse for evil to thwart. These powerful wardens are strong and capable, but there’s more to the Blessed Fields than just the guardinals. Delphons swim in the River Oceanus, which also includes the strange luna jellyfish, and the sunflies that play in the fields are a welcome sight for anyone without ill intent in their hearts.
Beasts
The natural creatures of Elysium are generally gentle or relaxed versions of their Material Plane counterparts. Bears and wolves may prowl through the wilderness but they pose no threat to outsiders unless the creatures are threatened themselves. Elysium is a plane of welcoming rest and relaxation, but that does not make the creatures that dwell there lazy or not prepared to take action should the need arise.
The River Oceanus teems with life of all kinds, including schools of brightly colored fish and peaceful crustaceans like crabs and lobsters. Delphons, also known as songsharks, swim together in groups called shivers and sing their unusual aquatic melodies. Those that listen too close to the song of a delphon are said to be confused or even go mad, but it is also rumored to hold truths about the nature of the River Oceanus that cannot be found elsewhere. The other unusual inhabitant of the River Oceanus are the luna jellies – flying and swimming jellyfish that seem intrinsically linked to Hhallashaa the Great Jellyfish somewhere in the ocean of Thalasia.
Celestials
Many different types of celestials come to Elysium to relax and enjoy the majestic splendor of the Blessed Fields. There’s a rejuvenating quality to Elysium that even the immortal celestials of the Upper Planes find appealing, so the gentle slopes are frequented by all manner of beings, from resting archons of Mount Celestia or visiting angels. Moon dogs claim Elysium as their permanent home though they often range far and wide across the planes, and great clouds of tiny sunflies dance in the warm light around the River Oceanus across almost all of the layers.
Guardinals. Elysium’s native celestials are the guardinals. These powerful warriors scour the multiverse for evil to stamp out while defending the Blessed Fields from fiendish incursions wherever necessary. Each type of guardinal appears as a humanoid with strong animal features, including the ram-like cervidals, the wolf-like lupinals, and the powerful lion-like leonals. They are loosely organized by martial prowess and skill, though many types specialize in one tactic or another. The ursinals are the great bear celestials that serve as guardians of knowledge, while the most commonly found ram-like cervidals function as front-line warriors and defenders.
Guardinals take a very pragmatic approach to their duty over curbing the rise of evil, and their strike forces are usually organized in small teams of varying utility in order to maximize their impact and minimize their risks. This is unlike the archons of Mount Celestia who have a very rigid order to their hierarchy, or the wild nature of the jotuns of Ysgard who can spontaneously transform upon their emotional whims. On Elysium, guardinals recognize the wisdom and experience of the Six Companions, their greatest and most elder champions, who often lead raids and strikes personally across the Lower Planes.
Humanoids
Elysium attracts outsiders from all across the multiverse, who come to enjoy the splendor and restfulness of the plane. Humanoids of all types, mostly good and kind-hearted beings, gather in the many cities, especially on Amoria along the banks of the River Oceanus. The City of the Star is perhaps the greatest of these settlements, and its sparkling roads are filled with all manner of poets, painters, architects, and other artists who take inspiration from the natural wonders of the city and Elysium.
Halflings. A unique subrace of halflings can be found on Elysium – or rather, above it. The pale moon Highsilver floats in the skies of the Blessed Fields, traveling between the layers, and its honeycombed interior is populated by albino halflings known as the sheelkep. Sheelkep halflings have large luminous eyes and bear a special hatred for monstrous shapechangers, lycanthropes specifically, and they do their best to hunt down any of the foul creatures they learn about. Sheelkep warriors often accompany guardinals on missions across the multiverse that involve shapechanging monsters, and the moon of Highsilver spends a lot of time over Belierin helping out the Lighthouse Watchers keep the swamps safe from invaders.
Lizardfolk. Several tribes of river-based lizardfolk live, work, and play in the rocky slopes of Eronia along the River Oceanus. They are helpful guides that know the twists and turns of the river through the various rapids, and they are more than ready to offer assistance to lost travelers or even thrill seekers looking for the most dangerous route. Many tribes also live in Belierin helping out the Lighthouse Watchers, and the lizardfolk have proven adept at navigating the treacherous swamps of that layer.
Tortles. The town of Portico is known as the City of Shells, and it sits at the mouth of the River Oceanus where it flows from Belierin to Thalasia. Portico is populated mainly by tattooed humans but it sees a large amount of traffic from tortles that live and travel along Thalasia’s endless coast. The tortles bring in shells from all across the sandy beach, trading them in Portico for goods and services before returning to their wandering. Many of their travels take them up and down the River Oceanus, extending even beyond Elysium, into Arborea and the Beastlands.
Hazards & Phenomena
Elysium isn’t referred to as the Blessed Fields for no reason. Its idyllic landscapes are peaceful and the residents are friendly, and as long as visitors keep to the general principal of helping others they can find the plane easy to navigate.
Easy Restfulness
A sense of peaceful rest fills the air of Elysium. Creatures that complete a short rest on Elysium remove one level of exhaustion, and any spent hit dice for regaining hit points are treated as if they rolled the maximum amount. After completing a long rest on Elysium, all exhaustion levels are removed and all spent dice are restored.
Golden Rewards
The very nature of Elysium rewards those that perform deeds in service to the greater good. Non-evil characters receive a point of inspiration upon entering Elysium which is regained automatically after a short or long rest as long as it is spent in the service of good. The DM has the final say as to what constitutes an action in the service of good, but most actions with a positive outcome should qualify.
Path of Good Intentions
Traveling around Elysium seems straightforward as there are few natural barriers or hazards to such endeavors. The River Oceanus provides a convenient landmark for the top three layers, and river traffic moves unimpeded by external factors. Outside of the river, however, the plane’s nature warps distance and time in strange ways. For those that travel with goodness in their heart, travel is easy, but those that harbor ill intentions quickly find miles stretching far longer than they should.
The time and distance required to travel from one point to another outside of the River Oceanus is dictated by the dominant alignment of the party. Use the following chart as a guide.
| Elysium Travel Modifiers | |
|---|---|
| Alignment | Time and Distance Modifier |
| Neutral good | x 0.5 |
| Lawful good, chaotic good | x 1 |
| Lawful neutral, neutral, chaotic neutral | x 2 |
| Chaotic evil, lawful evil | x 4 |
| Neutral evil | x 5 |
This table is just a suggestion – the idea is that creatures that come to Elysium seeking to do evil find the plane warps space itself to make it difficult for them to travel. Evil creatures aren’t especially barred, but they find it difficult to move from place to place. However, even evil creatures can harbor good intentions, in which case Elysium can relax its spatial warping property down a level or two.
Sites & Treasures
The Blessed Fields of Elysium are rife with strange wonders, beautiful sites, and idyllic landscapes. Many believe there is no mystery to the plane, but that sentiment is far from correct. The secrets contained in Elysium may not be of the world-shattering kind, but they can still surprise travelers from across the multiverse with their depth and curious history.
Bubbling Sea
The sparkling azure sea of Thalasia holds many beautiful wonders, but few are so arresting as the region known as the Bubbling Sea. Enormous prismatic bubbles emerge spontaneously within the water and above the sea in this area, creating a whimsical sight of delight and fancy few have ever dreamed. The bubbles bounce lazily around, bumping into each other and drifting about to the wild whims of the wind and current, and when they burst in the air they rain multicolored showers down in a wide area.
Some of the bubbles are thin and pop with the merest touch, but others are strong enough to capture air and hold it for long periods of time. Travelers to Thalasia have been known to seek out the Bubbling Sea to capture one of the stronger bubbles to use as underwater transport – through the use of gust of wind a bubble can be propelled above or below the water at great speeds. Rarely, one of the bubbles that emerges out into the air is a solid mass of prismatic force, and these are highly prized by wizards and sages that study the intersection of magic and color. The Prismatic Order on the Plane of Air, an order of wizards, have been known to send expeditions to the Bubbling Sea on the chance of capturing and studying one of these remarkable sights.
City of the Star
The City of the Star stands as one of the most beautiful cities in all of Elysium – you can ask any of the residents and they’ll say the same. The gleaming marble buildings, the paved streets of white and gold, and the many delicate columns and statues certainly attest to a remarkable beauty about the city, and above it all shines the a radiant star atop a tower of purest alabaster. This is the home of Ishtar, a powerful being who was once a goddess of love and beauty before trading her divinity for the love of a mortal being.
Passions rule the City of the Star, where there is only minimal government oversight or interaction. The few guards that patrol the streets are just as passionate about their duties as the countless artists, poets, and other creatives that live and work in the wondrous city. Residents don’t pursue the creation of goods for the purpose of selling them for gold or trinkets, instead they do it for the sheer joy of doing it. The marketplaces in the City of the Star are nonetheless remarkable in their own right, for the brokers that sell the goods are passionate about making a sale. Everything in the city runs on the whims of passion.
There are darker powers lurking in the shadows of the City of the Star, however. Fiends from the Lower Planes have been known to offer dark temptations of forbidden passions to the residents and travelers, but the guards and wandering adventurers that pass through have a way of dealing with these malcontents. Though no guardinals live in the city itself, they are welcome visitors, and more than one leonal has uprooted a demonic scourge in the City of the Star to the benefit of Ishtar and her citizens.
Drabanu the Floating City
The River Oceanus is the beating heart of Elysium. Its pure waters flow through all of the layers, beginning and ending in the sparkling azure sea of Thalasia. The river’s importance cannot be overstated to the wellbeing and safety of the plane, and it offers the most reliable mode of planar transport in all the Upper Planes. It also serves as the home for a number of small barge communities that move up and down its length, the largest of which is Drabanu, known as the Floating City.
Drabanu is home to sailors, merchants, and traders of all kinds, many of which just pass through on larger journeys up and down the River Oceanus. The Floating City is built on a massive flat-bottomed barge which supports sprawling buildings of wood and timber that stretch up dozens of floors above the river’s edge. Its existence defies logic and explanation, and it drifts slowly down the river at its own speed regardless of the actual current. The River Oceanus leads Drabanu only down the main channel, which is just wide enough for the Floating City, though a host of experienced aasimar sailors tend to the city-ship’s upkeep.
Drabanu is nominally run by Lord Ithuriel, a celestial-blooded aasimar who has sailed the River Oceanus for many lifetimes. Lord Ithuriel welcomes all aboard, and the dockhands of Drabanu are renown for their skill and grace in dealing with smaller transports docking at the Floating City. Drabanu normally keeps to Elysium, floating easily through Amoria and even Eronia, but it makes trips into the Beastlands and Arborea as well.
Highsilver
The night sky of Elysium casts a purple hue over the plane, but no stars shine and no moon hangs overhead. It is a peaceful, tranquil night, unbothered by the burdens of shadows and darkness, but it is not always empty. Two enormous spheres float through the plane – a scarlet one known as Redrise and a pale glimmering one known as Highsilver. As large as moons and just as radiant, these sky realms are unique places unto themselves.
Highsilver shines a brilliant silver light in the skies above Elysium. It does not disappear during the day, but in the brighter light its radiance is reduced and it becomes nearly invisible. The surface of Highsilver is rocky with numerous holes leading into its interior. Inside, the sky realm is riddled with natural passages and tunnels that are the home of a race of halflings called the sheelkep. Sheelkep halflings have alabaster white skin and platinum blonde hair with simplistic tastes and preferences. They have enormous luminescent eyes and keen eyes for sensing natural truths – invisible creatures and shapeshifters have a hard time around sheelkep halflings.
The sheelkep live in small tribes and occasionally travel to the surface of Elysium. They are renown hunters of lycanthropes, and many warriors have assisted guardinal forces in wiping out werewolf fiends from across the multiverse. Inside their caves in Highsilver, though, the sheelkep live simple lives, harvesting special luminescent mushrooms that grow naturally in the caves. Darkness is nearly unheard of within Highsilver.
Isles of the Holy Dead
Thalasia is dotted with islands, many of which hold retired heroes and kings enjoying their final resting place on golden shores amidst perfect weather. The Isles of the Holy Dead are different, however. This grouping of rocky islands are shrouded in thick mists to prevent looters from finding the treasures within – the burial sites of hundreds of renown heroes from across the multiverse who have passed on. However, as part of their final resting arrangement, each deceased resident of the Isles of the Holy Dead are charged with rising and defending Elysium in times of need.
This ancient charge has only been invoked twice in Elysium’s history as far as planar scholars have identified. Once was an invasion from a lich-king who sought to pollute the waters of the River Oceanus into a nightmarish flow of negative energy, and the other was an incursion by demon lords in a frighteningly effective lightning strike across the layers of the plane. In both instances, the spirits within the Isles of the Holy Dead rose up and pushed back the invaders, fighting alongside the guardinals and other Elysium forces, most of whom were not even aware of the spirits’ presence.
Finding the Isles of the Holy Dead is a difficult process. The mists that envelop the chain of islands confuse and obfuscate the location. Those that have found the site report eerie voices and an unnatural calm over the monolithic white marble tombs. Treasures from the history of the multiverse are said to be locked in those tombs, though none with selfish desires are said to be able to locate the site.
Laughing Hall of the Companions
The Six Companions are the most veteran of the guardinal celestials of Elysium, rivaling demon lords and devil princes in their individual power. They are not rulers of the plane, however, and they have not set themselves up as superior to their fellows – though most residents of Elysium recognize their prowess both on and off the battlefield. Nowhere is this philosophy better exemplified than the Laughing Hall of the Companions, the great open gathering place of the Six Companions where all are welcome.
The Laughing Hall is comprised of multiple open-air pavilions and enormous wooden buildings built alongside and within the natural surroundings. There are dozens of individual meeting and congregation rooms that sprawl out from the main dome, which is constructed entirely from a massive tree that forms the center. The branches of the tree have been coaxed with druidic magic to form the highly intricate ceiling hundreds of feet overhead, but with enough slats to allow plenty of natural light to filter in. Prince Talisid and the other guardinal lords hold open forums within the dome when they need to address far-reaching topics or organize many bands of warriors. The sound of laughter echoes powerfully in the dome above all other sounds, giving the hall its joyful name.
None of the Six Companions live in the Laughing Hall, though they all wings dedicated to their personal use. The Wildheart clan of wood elves maintain the grounds and tend to visitors, and the guardinals view them as integral members of Elysium and the entire celestial order on the plane. Some Wildheart elves accompany guardinal forces on strikes across the multiverse to hamper the progress of tyranny and dark chaos, and the most venerated among them advise the Six Companions on matters concerning a wide variety of topics.
It is rumored that the very walls of the Laughing Hall contain secret caches of weapons that can be deployed quickly to arm a defending army in a moment’s time. This is partially true – the Wildheart elves have mastered druidic arts that allow them to turn sticks and branches into steel-hard weapons of war in times of crisis. The powerful druidic elders of the Wildheart elves live in an underground complex beneath the Laughing Hall where they give their lives to the upkeep and sanctity of the entire structure, becoming one with the trees and woodland that make up the above-ground buildings.
Lighthouses of the Watch
Few people live in the swampy layer of Belierin, and those that do tend to congregate in platform villages around Lighthouses of the Watch, imposing stone towers topped powerful beacons of light. They are maintained by the Lighthouse Watchers, an informal group of rangers and defenders that have sworn to keep Belierin and all of Elysium safe from the near-mythical evil force imprisoned beneath the swamp. Few in the loose organization know more than these vague details but they take their protective and watchful duties seriously, and Belierin sees more infernal incursions than any other layer on Elysium.
Each Lighthouse of the Watch stands over one hundred feet tall, with broad circular bases that house the resident watchers and their allies and families. The upper floors are reserved for training and study, and a member of the watch stands guard over the beacon light at the top at all times. The beacon light is magically lit and can be focused into a powerful beam of positive energy if needed, but most of the time it moves in a slow circle, scanning the area and magically alerting all nearby watchers of any detected evil.
Villages and small towns have sprung up around several of the Belierin lighthouses, providing goods and services to the watchers along with the occasional traveler ship or barge moving up and down the River Oceanus. In the swamp the river’s flow becomes distorted but several strong currents still allow passage, even for things as large as Drabanu the Floating City. These rare visits are viewed with near jubilant celebration by the residents around the lighthouses as it brings news from the rest of the plane and rare goods to bear, and the watchers enjoy learning more about the goings on across Elysium and the multiverse.
Pearls of Radiance
The great sea of Thalasia is not a bottomless ocean like the Plane of Water, and a great many benign creatures dwell on the seabed beneath the calm azure waters. In particular, the brilliant radiance and abundant life-energy of Elysium gives rise to enormous fields of clams, many of which grow to titanic proportions. Rarely, one of these clams releases an orb of sparkling light known as a Pearl of Radiance out into the ocean, where it can be picked up by the current or collected by an aquatic scavenger.
Pearls of Radiance come in two varieties. The more common type are called pearls of radiance and they shed a healthy light at all times. Under the right circumstances, a holder can coax magic out of the item as well, producing daylight, dancing lights, and even beams of iridescent power. These magical items are prized across the multiverse but especially in places haunted by undead, for a pearl of radiance can be an effective weapon against creatures that rely on necrotic energy. A pearl of radiance is a fist-sized sphere of swirling incandescent light.
A greater version of this item exists as well, known as a Pearl of Perfect Radiance. These incredibly rare artifacts emerge only from the oldest clams in Thalasia, and even then only under rare and little understood circumstances. A Pearl of Perfect Radiance is larger, about two feet in diameter, and shed a powerful light that cannot be dimmed under any circumstance. Their powers are not fully understood, and planar scholars point to records indicating each has unique properties. One of them turned up in the City of Glass at an auction where the highest bidder turned out to be a lich looking to destroy the item, but the resulting explosion wiped out the auction house and left the artifact untouched in the rubble. Another one is said to be in the possession of Duchess Callisto, the ursinal guardinal lord, in her magnificent personal library, where she communicates with an intelligence within the item.
Portico, City of Shells
One of the few permanent settlements on Thalasia, Portico sits at the most frequently used outlet between Thalasia and Belierin, where the River Oceanus flows out of the ocean and into the swampy layer. The city is built on stilts above a rocky archipelago that itself sits on a bed of coral reef, pushed up from the ocean floor by some seaquake thousands of years ago. Portico is as laid back as any Elysium settlement, with fishing and leisure dominating the lives of the residents, and they trade exotic and priceless shells for goods and services they cannot make themselves.
But Portico isn’t known as the City of Shells just for its steady supply of trinkets. The city is watched over by an immense turtle known as only as the Great Shelled One. The Great Shelled One is hundreds of feet long and swims languidly in the Thalasian sea near Portico where it makes its home on the seafloor. It moves up to the surface several times a year, a time when the citizens of Portico celebrate with song and dance, before the great ancient creature sinks back into the ocean. The Great Shelled One has risen to defend Portico from invading fiends swimming through the River Oceanus on several occasions, and the people of the City of Shells revere and honor their mascot as a treasured friend.
There are stories in the docks and wharves of Portico that the Great Shelled One is destined to face an enormous evil monster from the depths of Thalasia at some point. Most believe it to be an ancient kraken of terrible power and great depravity dwelling in a far-off trench. The stories have persisted for generations but so far the Great Shelled One has not been bothered by anything greater than a raiding sahuagin party, hydroloth gang, or occasional swimming demon or devil.
Redrise
Redrise is the twin sky realm to Highsilver, though its ruby radiance shines somewhat less than the silver glow. It is an enormous sphere that floats in the skies of Elysium, day and night, casting a dull crimson glow about the landscape wherever it passes. Unlike Highsilver, Redrise is smooth as glass on the outside with no obvious opening or access point, though it radiates heat and is nearly untouchable because of its high temperature. It is far from uninhabited, however.
Within the smooth glass-like surface, Redrise holds an immensely powerful being known as the Lady of Flame. She is attended to by a cadre followers known as the Followers of Flame, who have built cities within Redrise comprised of solidified fire. Many believe the Lady of Flame was once a goddess of fire, and her control and dominion over all fiery things leads credence to this theory, and the general worship of the Followers of Flame to their lady suggests at least some divine power. Whether she is trapped willingly or not isn’t known, however, but she is able to move Redrise by her will alone through the skies of Elysium.
The Followers of Flame are known to come out of Redrise on a regular basis to trade and speak with others from the outside world. They are humans, mostly, but anyone who walks the Path of Flame may join their ranks and live within their fiery paradise. The Lady of Flame never steps outside of Redrise and she hangs suspended in the center of the massive red orb at all times. Her command over fire allows her to manifest fiery personas to communicate with her people and answer any questions.
Redrise is a bit of a mystery to most on Elysium. The Followers of Flame are just as dedicated to the general cause of good over evil, freedom over tyranny, and the benefit of the community as others, but they remain aloof and (literally and figuratively) above everyone else. They have a way of speaking that most find condescending, and their total belief in the Lady of Flame suggests a fanaticism most on Elysium find disquieting. However, to date, they have done nothing wrong, and even the guardinals have learned to relax when the crimson light of Redrise blankets the land in a warm amber glow.
Roaring Purple Rapids
The River Oceanus rushes through Eronia’s valleys and rough terrain in splendid fashion, creating picturesque waterfalls all across the layer. The main flows of the river into and out of Eronia are free of the most dangerous of these features, allowing easy traffic for things like Drabanu the Floating City and others to sail through unharmed. One particular tributary of the River Oceanus passes into a region of dangerous terrain that draws thrill-seekers from across the multiverse, however – the Roaring Purple Rapids.
This stretch of white-capped, ferocious river terrain is filled with immense purple stones that break up the water at random intervals. The rush of the River Oceanus through the region creates a deafening roar, and the purple stones constantly change and rearrange according to the whims of the river alone. Maps are near useless, and those brave enough to venture into the Roaring Purple Rapids risk life and limb in a series of short drops, cresting rises, swirling pools, and other dangerous features.
Some seek out the Roaring Purple Rapids for the sheer thrill of facing such adversity, and Eronia’s famous for these kind of challenges. Rumors persist that the purple rocks hide ancient caves, however, and some have gone into the rapids in hopes of finding and exploring these hidden sites. The caves are said to contain different things – portals to unreachable realms, natural and magical gemstones of inestimable power, the remnants of ranger-kings entombed forever, and other wondrous things. There is definitely magic to the Roaring Purple Rapids, though, as it can only be accessed via the River Oceanus – it is completely invisible to airborne eyes.
Roots of Elmlock
The Roots of Elmlock is a sprawling forest on Amoria, ancient and thrumming with natural wisdom. The thick-trunked trees grow close together, and the canopy overhead is lush and overgrown enough to create a natural ceiling over the entire forest. The River Oceanus flows beneath the Roots of Elmlock at a certain point, and most travelers know to watch what they say and think while passing through it. Within the forest dwells a powerful nature spirit called Elmlock, which inhabits the very woods, and it can sense all creatures within its domain.
Dryads are the harbingers of Elmlock, speaking and working on behalf of their benevolent ancient forest god, and they frequently move to speak with anyone traveling through. They are not hostile unless visitors bring hostile intent with them, but they are guarded and wary of illusions and tricks. The guardinal celestials have a good relationship with Elmlock, and the great guardinal Lord Rhanok of the cervidals is known to seek Elmlock’s wisdom on many occasions.
It is said that Elmlock and the dryads can communicate with any forest in the multiverse, and through powerful magic are able to transport themselves and others between woods. Ranger-lords and druid-kings have sought out Elmlock for help in defending forested lands, advice the great forest gives willingly and with great joy. Any that seek to harvest trees for greedy or personal gains risk the wrath of the forest and its guardians, however.
Tower of Sun and Song
Eronia possesses a rough beauty that attracts adventurers, thrill-seekers, and danger-hunters from all over the multiverse. They climb the mountains, explore the rugged terrain, and live gloriously in the face of natural adversity. Zeldrentoa, a brass dragon possessed of a powerful wanderlust, was drawn to Eronia for these reasons as well, but then she heard music like none she had ever heard around a particularly tall peak. It was the vibrant symphony of life itself, life in all its rough unhewed glory, and Zeldrentoa was moved to explore it fully.
She learned that the song was some sort of magical combination of Eronia’s weather and the mountain peak, and she was fascinated with its power. Zeldrentoa hired a crew and built a magnificent home on the slopes of the mountain, naming it the Tower of Sun and Song, and there she sent word to bards everywhere to come and study the music of the natural world in all its primal glory. And they came from all over to learn Zeldrentoa’s art of sunsinging, adding their voices to the wondrous choir of Eronia’s vast wilderness.
Many students of the Tower of Sun and Song have gone on to entertain kings and queens from all over, from the halls of the Great Caliph of the Djinn on the Plane of Air to the courts of the archfey in Senaliesse and Shinaelestra on the Plane of Faerie. Zeldrentoa usually teaches the bards herself, happy to share the gift she found with others, but the ancient brass dragon’s wanderlust has begun to act up. She regularly leads her most learned students in charge of the tower while she takes to the sky, flying across Eronia and beyond on trips that are becoming longer and longer away. The Tower of Sun and Song has established itself as a premier college of bards, however, so Zeldrentoa’s legacy seems intact for generations to come.
Highlights & Impressions
The below listings include notes on highlighting the nature of Elysium as characters explore and travel through it. These are suggestions of elements that can be used in descriptions of the landscape and denizens with the goal of actualizing the “outside” nature of the multiverse beyond the Material Plane. Use them to incorporate into encounters and adventures on Elysium.
A Welcome Refuge. An easy sense of respite and calm fills the rich air on Elysium. It puts most travelers at ease as they drink in the sights and sounds of a vibrant yet soothing landscape – the pleasant song of exotic birds, the gentle lapping of water from a nearby pool or stream, and a sweet breeze that brings memories of brighter and greener days. Even those who come to the Blessed Fields with malice in their hearts experience these senses, and while many choke them down with bile and hatred, just walking in such a place as Elysium has turned the hearts of some wicked to a brighter future.
River of Peace. The River Oceanus is a dominant feature of Elysium. On Amoria, by some curious quirk, the river is always either within sight or hearing wherever a traveler goes, and that trait extends to the wild untamed mountains of Eronia as well. The river is the lifeblood of travel, trade, relaxation, and communication on Elysium, and its clear waters are a soothing pleasant balm for body and mind.
Strange Skies. No sun sits in the sky of Elysium, and there are no field of stars in the night as well. At night, thousands upon thousands of luna jellies rise from the River Oceanus slowly and ascend to the purple air overhead, forming a flow of twinkling lights that mirrors the path of the river itself. When night ends and the light of daytime fills the plane, the luna jellies disappear, subsumed by the natural radiance. There are two moons on Elysium but these are not normal moons – they are very close to the ground, and they move of their own accord. The pale moon is known as Highsilver and contains a large population of albino halflings, while the crimson moon is Redrise and holds a temple dedicated to the Lady of Flame.
Lay of the Land
The River Oceanus is a dominant feature throughout Elysium. Its presence is a defining force in all four layers, and much of the civilized life on the plane is centered on or around its mighty banks. The flow of the river defies logic and explanation as it winds back and forth on and over itself through countless miles, spilling innocently from layer to layer and plane to plane. Enormous libraries have been devoted to the study of its flow and its dark twin, the River Styx in the Lower Planes.
Amoria
The top layer of Elysium, Amoria, is also the most populated and most temperate. It is a lush landscape of vibrant colors, from the forests of sturdy trees holding multicolored leaves to the rolling hills of sweet long grass. Amoria resembles a picturesque Material Plane world where the colors of nature are enhanced to a pleasing effect. The weather is never violent, shifting subtly between the seasons in mild patterns that defy easy determination or prediction. Gentle spring rains, warm summer days, crisp autumn breezes, and lazy winter snowflakes can all grace the landscape of Amoria in the span of a month.
The River Oceanus has hundreds of smaller tributaries through Amoria, though its main flow is wide, steady, and peaceful. Dozens of cities sit on the river banks, and a few – like Drabanu – actually float on the River Oceanus itself! Animals cavort and play in sun-dappled glades of breathtaking beauty while the residents lend a helpful hand in the name of the greater good. A sense of peaceful easiness falls over Amoria like a blanket, and many who travel there find it difficult to leave.
Eronia
The River Oceanus slides easily from Amoria into the second layer, Eronia, where the landscape is rougher and the weather harsher. The river cuts great gorges throughout Eronia, and some of the most spectacular waterfalls in all the multiverse can be found along the mighty river’s crashing course. This layer is home to much fewer inhabitants but everyone who stays enjoys the contented feeling of conquering a mountain or navigating difficult rapids. The dangers of Eronia are mostly natural, from rockslides to cliff faces, but most take it as a challenge from the plane itself to rise up and do better for themselves and one another.
The weather on Eronia shifts with the seasons, just like Amoria, but it is prone to more violent bursts. Heavy rainstorms and white-out blizzards are not uncommon, though the cold and heat are rarely extreme enough to be dangerous for long periods of time.
Belierin
The rapids of Eronia’s River Oceanus stretch eventually give way to the fog-enshrouded marshland that is Belierin, the third layer of Elysium. Thick moisture hangs in the air, creating the fog and mist that perpetually fill out the landscape, and a sense of uneasy wariness clings to the marsh trees and bayous between the River Oceanus’ expansive flow. The few settlements of Belierin are focused around enormous lighthouses built and maintained by an order of guardians known as the Lighthouse Watchers. These warriors, soldiers, rangers, and wizards take an oath to watch over Elysium – and much of the multiverse in general – out of a sense of implacable duty. Houses and buildings around the lighthouses are built on heavy stilts rising from the swamp.
Guardinal and watcher patrols are common in the swamp, and the lighthouses help guide travelers along the River Oceanus towards the headwaters at Thalasia. The thick gray fog hangs over Belierin constantly, obscuring vision and sound, and few travelers enjoy navigating its murky terrain. The weather is rarely a factor though, and the seasons don’t do much to change the cloying moisture that permeates the fog and clings to the skin.
Thalasia
The source and destination of the River Oceanus is Thalasia, Elysium’s fourth layer. Thalasia is a mighty ocean, deep blue and dappled with sunlight at all times, with hundreds of beautiful and bountiful islands dotting its surface. Many of these islands are the home to heroes and kings enjoying a final rest, some waiting for the day to be called back to the Material Plane, while others simply enjoy an eternity of restful solitude in a paradise of golden beaches, sweet fruits, and merciful skies.
Below the waters, Thalasia is just as beautiful. Several colonies of tritons and sea elves from the Plane of Water rest in great coral reefs, and the relatively low number of predators in the azure waters makes it easy for the fish to grow to enormous proportions. Luna jellies that rise up from the River Oceanus on all layers are said to originate in Thalasia, in the nest of Hhallashaa the great luna jellyfish of the sea.
Cycle of Time
Elysium has a day/night cycle that resembles the Material Plane, with roughly 12 hours of daylight to 12 hours of night. However, no sun sits in the beautiful skies of Elysium on any of its layers – the sky is lit by a glow suffused into the plane itself. At night, no moon rises, but a river of sparkling stars dazzles overhead, following the exact pattern as the River Oceanus. Some planar scholars have theorized this “river” is a reflection of the water on some unknown surface high in the night sky, though no proof has been found of the phenomena.
There are two notable exceptions to the lack of a sun and moon. Two enormous spheres called sky realms float through the skies each containing cities and people inside. The first is Highsilver, a massive silver orb that sheds brilliant white light for hundreds of miles in all directions, and the second is Redrise, shedding reddish amber light. The paths of these two sky realms is never known and they move between the layers as easily as the River Oceanus itself.
Surviving
Nothing in the nature of Elysium threatens the life of travelers or inhabitants beyond the mundane dangers of the wilderness. Creatures have drowned in the River Oceanus, though it is rare, and some have perished after falling from great climbs in Eronia.
Getting There
There are so many natural gates between Elysium and the other Upper Planes, specifically Bytopia and the Beastlands, that travelers can pass through them and into the Blessed Fields without realizing they’ve hopped planes. Portals are common through the layers to the rest of the multiverse, though they are especially plentiful throughout Amoria, and most of them are at least watched over by the guardinals and their allies.
Most portals out of Elysium sit in shallow caves around the banks of the River Oceanus or one of its many tributaries. The river dominates the landscape of Elysium across all four of its layers, and it’s a vitally important feature for travel to and from the plane as well. Most visitors arrive iva boat traffic along the River Oceanus from Beastlands or further upriver, and most of the important sites in Elysium are situated along the riverbanks.
Traveling Around
The River Oceanus connects all four of Elysium’s layers and provides the most reliable means of transportation within the plane. The mighty pure river both originates and ends in Thalasia, Elysium’s fourth layer, which creates two major riverways – one flowing out and one flowing in. Hundreds of tributaries branch from both of these major routes, crossing into and out of each layer.
Distance is difficult to judge on Elysium, however. The nature of the plane means that those with good intentions find their way quickly to their destination, crossing between layers in a matter of hours. Those that harbor ill intent, however, discover the reality-warping nature of the plane distorts distance itself, making places hours or days apart even while on the same layer.
Creatures by Plane of Existence
The multiverse is a wondrous, strange place populated by all manner of creatures both fair and foul. Each plane of existence hosts its own unique creatures of some variety along with the more mundane types of monsters found in the Material Plane.
The below tables offer details of the unique creatures found in each plane, but it should be noted that most planes feature biomes common to the Material Plane, many with exaggerated or unique features. Consider looking to the encounter tables for each biome as well as the below tables for populating the planes with creatures to both threaten and aid characters during their extraplanar journeys.
The creatures listed pull from the following sources: Monster Manual, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, and Monsters of the Infinite Planes.
| Blessed Fields of Elysium | |
|---|---|
| Monsters | Challenge (XP) |
| Sunfly | 1/4 (50 XP) |
| Dryad | 1 (200 XP) |
| Delphon, luna jellyfish | 2 (450 XP) |
| Cervidal | 3 (700 XP) |
| Equinal, unicorn | 5 (1,800 XP) |
| Moon dog | 6 (2,300 XP) |
| Avoral | 7 (2,900 XP) |
| Lupinal | 9 (5,000 XP) |
| Ursinal | 11 (7,200 XP) |
| Ki-rin | 12 (8,400 XP) |
| Leonal | 13 (10,000 XP) |
| Empyrean | 23 (50,000 XP) |
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