Merikesken Plane - Ethereal Plane
Also called the Ethereal Plane, the Merikesken Plane is the great middling sea between the Shattered Planes. It is further divided into the Rantan Lines nearer and the Kaukan Depths. This near-material plane of spirits flows between the Elemental Planes, Variomont, the Keivilu, and Nedia. It is famously the land of spirits, where the dead go to wander endlessly when they have not been claimed by a being of the Astral Realm.
Rantan Lines
Upon entering the Merikesken Plane, one would find themselves in the Rantan lines, a nebulous and bleak expanse, often described by travellers as muted and cold. It appears as a physical mirror of whichever of the Shattered Planes the traveller is nearest to, including living creatures, only shrouded in a dense, grey fog. In the unlikely event that one should find themselves in the Merikesken, they would no doubt believe their vision had become cloudy for one reason or another.
This is because the Rantan Lines, as the name suggests, exists as a "continental shelf" or "shoreline" of the Shattered Planes, to some degree. It is not entirely disparate from its connected Plane, but not truly part of it either. For this reason, some have titled it a "limbo space" of sorts, where one is between worlds; not quite there but not quite away. It is here that most spirits of the dead find themselves when unclaimed by an Astral patron, or when strong ties to their home plane persist.
Being part of the Shattered Planes, the Rantan Lines are composed of elemental matter. Over time since the shattering of Udista (see The Dying Birth), much of the elemental matter has coalesced into the Elemental Planes of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth respectively. These planes, more like zones of the Rantan Lines, are composed of each element in their purest form. They surround and influence the Shattered planes: the Kevitic Planes of Air and Fire influencing the Keivilu, and the Vakish Planes doing the same to the Variomont. All four of the planes surround and influence Nedia. Beyond these Elemental Planes lies the Kaukan Depths.
Kaukan Depths
Beyond the Rantan Lines are the Kaukan Depths. In keeping with the marine analogy, the Kaukan Depths can be thought of as the sea beyond the continental shelf. Whereas the Rantan Lines are a mediate zone, neither part of its connected Plane nor apart from it, the Kaukan Depths are fully disconnected from the Planes. They are as bleak as the Rantan Lines, yet without any physical landmarks to guide one's way through.
Although few have ventured into the Kaukan Depths and returned to share their findings, what little that has been uncovered is compelling. Despite being so far on the fringes of the Shattered Planes, the Kaukan Depths are nevertheless a space where the Elements abound. Here, the elements do not coalesce; instead, they flow and intertwine together in a harmonious but null dance. Some speculate that, elsewhere in the Kaukan Depths, the elements have coalesced and formed new material planes of their own, each with their own physical laws. Radicals of this speculation posit that, in some of these neo-material planes, life could exist. To date, there is no evidence to support these claims.
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