The Outer Planes
The outer planes is the most easily represented as a series of disks, all stacked one upon another in layers. It is unknown just how many layers there are to any given portion of the outer planes, and it can be assumed that each portion of the outer planes has a different number of layers. Each region of the outer planes depicts the mind and mentality of its master. Each region has its own master, who rules that area in a manner accordant with his mentality. The Prime Deities call the Outer Planes their home. There are many ways for a mortal to travel from the material realm to the dead realm, but far fewer are the methods of returning. The easiest and quickest way to travel to the outer planes is to die. Each living creature, upon its death, is spirited away through the ethereal realm into the portion of the outer planes that best describes the way it lived its life. This is a one-way trip in almost every case. Once a being is separated from it’s mortal body, it becomes an immortal being on the outer planes – perfectly depicted according to it’s life. Most souls are happy with the way they are “reconstituted” and thus remain on the outer planes, though some have attempted to make the journey back to the prime material plane on their own. Those that have managed to traverse the ethereal plane, plane of shadow, inner planes or astral plane have found that the material plane abhors the dead. The instant their soul attempts to enter the material plane, it is jerked back through the ether to its plane of alignment. There are souls that try eternally to return, only to be yanked back to the outer planes again and again in a futile attempt to live again. The only way a soul can return to the mortal realm is by re-uniting with its mortal body, and abandoning it’s immortal body. In most cases a soul that resists the idea of its mortal death is trapped on the cusp of the ethereal realm and mortal realm until it decides to move on. Souls that remain on this cusp for long enough eventually learn to harness what physical matter they can and thus become an apparition (a ghost as seen by mortals) – though this blending of ethereal and physical material is a life destroying combination. Some beings are so attached to their mortal life that even death cannot separate them from their body, thus they become the undead. Others cling to their body out of a desire for revenge, hate or lust.
Mortals have a much easier time commuting to and from the outer planes, though the matter is still extremely difficult and deadly in most cases. Only the most wizened of adventurers have traveled to any realm outside the material and lived to tell the tale. Indeed, many mortals throughout history have migrated to the outer planes, either by accident or design, and through dumb luck, ingenuity, or sheer desire to survive, mortal society thrives in the realms of the dead. Most mortals refer to planar beings as “the Bound” or “Souls”, though in most cases the physical appearance of an immortal and mortal being is impossible to distinguish. Mortals have one keystone of power on any plane of existence, and that is their ability to permanently slay any immortal. While this task is almost always easier said than done, when a mortal manages to slay an immortal, that immortals soul is utterly and irrevocably destroyed – not even the most powerful of wishes or deity’s power can restore a dead immortal from such a death. For this reason, most immortals avoid mortals of any power; though immortals of the evil persuasion will often capture mortals as slaves, or kill any mortal they find (thus sending them to the plane of their alignment and creating another immortal).
Immortals have a peculiar existence; they live to serve their masters for eternity (or until they can plot the demise of their master and take their place in the case of evil immortals). Any immortal that is “slain” by another immortal or an immortal’s creation, has their soul instantly transported to the realm from which the slayer came – bound as a slave or prisoner for all eternity, or until freed by either the captor or an invading force and reunited with its immortal body (it may decay while they are gone, but upon reuniting the body and soul would be reconstituted to it’s full function and appearance). This is the driving force behind the war between good and evil. The evil immortals want more slaves in their domains, while the good seek to free their fallen comrades, or reform the evil immortals (which rarely happens, but is not unheard of).
Overworld
This realm is the realm of the righteous. It is the resting place of all those that are good of heart. Towards the heart of the realm you will find the lands peopled by neutral good folk, with lawful good folk living along the peripheral border with the Plane of Law, and the chaotic good living nearer to the Plane of Chaos. Duhran rules the Overworld with benevolence and compassion personally and through his Avatars, constantly seeking to free his imprisoned followers from the clutches of the underworld with his armies of angels.
Underworld
The underworld is the vilest plane of all, housing all the evil that the world has ever been home to. Ramdure rules this plane, seeking nothing but his own power, delegating power through his Princes, all the while keeping a sharp eye on them for any sign of insurrection. The lawful evil residents of the underworld live closer to border of the Plane of Law, while the chaotic evil live closer to the Plane of Chaos. The Underworld is also war torn between law and chaos, where the chaotic evil immortals and their demons vie for power over the lawful evil immortals and demons, though they all constantly are at war with the Overworld as well, with the neutral evil playing both sides of chaotic evil and lawful evil to their benefit. The most powerful of demons come from the heart of the Underworld, where the neutral evil deity Ramdure resides.
Plane of Law
The plane of law is a place of extreme order, with both good and evil folk livening within its lands. Praetius and his Ambassadors send their power to the mortal realm, hoping to advance order and law amongst the people there. Internally the realm is always struggling between the lawful good and the lawful evil, occasionally resulting in war between the two, the lawful evil quoting obscure and undefined laws as their basis for war. The wars on the plane of law though are very ordered, and follow strict rules and regulations.
Plane of Chaos
Karrak rules the plane of chaos with his Lords serving him, all seeking to bring about the rule of chaos in all things. They inspire common folk to rise up against their benevolent leaders in the mortal world, and seek to plant the seeds of discord in any society they can. The plane of chaos is wracked with war almost always, between the chaotic good and chaotic evil members of its society. Occasionally there is peace, but mostly the denizens of this realm glory in the wonderful unpredictability of chaos. It’s what they thrive on. One minute it might be snowing, the next a tropical heat wave. The realm of chaos is full of surprise.
The Midlands
This realm is the most populous of all the outer planes, peopled by the largest population of mortals and immortals alike (though you’ll find mortals of all alignments amongst all the outer planes). The people here generally seek to balance out the differences between the other four planes. They try to not interfere with the wars between the Overworld and underworld, and guard a majority of the two-way portals from the Realms of the Dead to the Mortal Realm (nearly all the portals in the other outer planes are one way, leading from the mortal realm into the outer planes, and do not allow a return trip). The wars in this realm are typically those caused by the neutral evil joining armies from the Underworld as they travel across the midlands to attack the Overworld, and vice versa, while the truly neutral folk at the heart of the realm simply observe, lending aid where needed to preserve the balance. Their doctrine is non-interference. The Midlands are ruled by Sheidlak and her Keepers. While the armies of good and evil often travel across this realm, the residents of this realm prefer peace amongst themselves to war (except when joining the war between the Overworld and Underworld). |
