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Perched atop the material and astral worlds on clouds of vapor is the Plane of Air, a floating collection of majestic islands under the peaceful dominion of Xegony, the Queen of Air. The entire plane is a manifestation of Xegony's idyllic beauty.
The four floating isles that make up the Plane of Air are places of worship and study. On each island is built a main castle guarded by the most intelligent and battle-skilled beings in her service. It is no surprise that what lay behind the walls of these structures is a complete mystery. It is postulated that the wisest of Xegony's creations conduct their studies in complete peace within these castles, but no reliable record can confirm such speculation.
Xegony forbids open aggression in her realm, keeping the taint of warfare and petty strife beyond its borders. Training is, however, permitted to take place in designated areas by those charged with the preservation of tranquility and harmony.
Heavy fog and elementals of unimaginable power are said to defend the island that Xegony calls home. Again, mortals as a rule are not permitted into her presence, even those who worship her. It is said that even the great gods themselves have been denied her audience, and this is the way of those closest to The Nameless.
The Plane of Earth is home to The Rathe, the embodiment and consciousness of the pure, primal earth. The terrain of this realm is varied and includes jungles, caverns, muddy lakes and burrows. The lands are filled with precious jewels forced by the mighty powers of the earth.
The many structures found within the plane are earthen temples of monumental size, beyond the engineering capabilities of mortal civilizations, inhabited by servants of The Rathe and other denizens of the plane.
The Rathe themselves reside within the vast open spaces of the plane where their essence intertwines with that of the realm. Their bodies, composed of earth and flora, feed eternally upon the life-giving warmth of the plane's own sun.
Scorched and choked with acrid smoke, the Plane of Fire reflects the creative and destructive element of fire and is the manifestation of Fennin Ro, the Tyrant of Fire. Everywhere, volcanic mountains spout lava flows that gather in pools. Magma is forced through the surface into geysers of molten rock. Petrified trees burn eternally, creating a magnificent forest of obsidian pillars and crimson flames.
Beyond the obsidian forest, a lava stream cascades like a waterfall from a high cliff, feeding a lake below. Rising out of the searing lake is a large island of volcanic rock and obsidian.
A tremendous lake of lava is traversed by the Phoenix Bridge, aptly guarded by planar phoenixes. The guardians are perched on pedestals, their wings hovering above their bodies in readiness to pounce on any intruders. The lake of lava can incinerate anyone foolish enough to try to swim through its burning expanse.
The whereabouts of the Tyrant of Fire is a mystery, and shall likely remain so for some time, as his plane poses a deadly threat to even the gods themselves should they enter.
The Plane of Water consists of a great coral reef of two levels known as the Reef of Coirnav. The upper section the reef is a sprawl of vibrant coral teeming with sea life, such as tropical fish, sponges and anemones. Deep within the reef live societies of intelligent aquatic beings as well as servants of the Avatar of Water, Coirnav.
Coirnav is a pure creature called into being by the Triumvirate of Water, with the assistance of other entities of the planes, and is a representation of the three greater elemental gods. It is said Coirnav lies dormant within his domain, waiting for the time that he would be called upon to fully embody the three of the Triumvirate.
The Plane of Storms is a land of enormous forests, great mountains, scoured deserts, and stormy lakes. The realm is the manifestation of the will of Karana, the Rainkeeper, who resides in his Bastion of Thunder atop Mount Grenidor, which sits in the middle of a vast expanse of open wilderness. Jagged and impassable ridges extend from Mount Grenidor, dividing the land into three areas. Tribes of Storm Giants call this land home.
To one side of Grenidor is Krendic, the Desert of Chaos. It is a sea of hard, dark brown stone polished smooth by wind-blown sand. To another side is Renidar, the Forest of Tears. Massive trees grow here and travel is made via their huge branches. Above and below, the trees seem to extend indefinitely, disappearing into a haze of fog. Then there are the plains. Large rivers flow down the mountain and across the plains to empty into a large lake along the southwest border. Shipwrecks can be seen on the southern shore. Some smaller lakes have formed where water has collected on its journey to the southwest.
A huge, black cube floats silently in the ether that lies between the planes. This is the Plane of Torment and is a manifested reflection of the cruelty, pain and suffering of the mind, body and spirit that the goddess Saryrn embodies. The very plane itself is formed of and bound together by the misery of its inhabitants, and it forever thirsts to add to this suffering so that it may continue to grow in power.
Above a large lake of blood are suspended many interconnected islands, hoisted and held aloft by barbed chains fastened to obsidian pillars. Suspension bridges connect the islands. A fine mist of blood stains the air and coats all in a crimson sheen.
The Citadel of Pain looms as the largest structure in the plane amid a network of ramps, bridges and islands. Gushing streams of blood pour from the sides of the citadel. Saryrn, the Mistress of Torment and Pain resides here, enjoying from her windowed private chamber a panoramic view of the pain and suffering that is her ethos.
It is here in the Plane of Valor that prospective mortal heroes seeking entrance to the Halls of Honor are tested. Upon entry to the plane, heroes encounter an amphitheater that provides access to the rest of the realm. A large, well-maintained cemetery is also found here, bordered by a beautiful forest.
A river winds through the forest and feeds the fertile lands. At the river bend, a suspension bridge stretches between two large guard towers, connecting the two shores. The river crossing leads to a wasteland of glass, and beyond that lies the Canyon of Marr. Continuing, one may finally discover the sacred Halls of Honor.
The Plane of Innovation is an industrial wasteland that surrounds a massive factory. Narrow valleys filled with refuse cut through tremendous heaps of junk. Small niches have been dug out of the junk by old, cast-off clockwork automatons that were long ago replaced in the Factory by newer, more efficient models. These derelict beings retain a built-in desire to exist, and so they scour the factory junkyard for spare parts to help maintain themselves.
Affairs inside the Factory are largely a mystery. The Factory buzzes as production teams work to produce an inexplicable machine near the center of the plane.
In order to improve themselves, the clockworks have taken an interest in humanoid biology. The steam-filled hallways are hazardous to all but the machines that created them.
Gateway to the deeper planes of existence, the Plane of Knowledge stands as the peaceful repository of knowledge from all parts of the known realms. The central and primary location in the plane is the sovereign city-state of New Tanaan. At its heart lies the Great Library, which is the storehouse of mortal knowledge. Its origin is a mystery, but it has stood for as long as history has been recorded.
New Tanaan was founded hundreds of years ago by travelers to the Great Library who required housing and amenities during their extended stays at the Library. The town developed, blossoming into a hub of research, a waypoint for breaking long journeys, and a point of departure for extra-planar excursions.
New Tanaan is divided into three districts: Kartis, the dark district; Tanaan, the neutral district; and Selia, the light district. An elected council governs the city-state with all districts represented by one delegate. Civic tasks rarely interrupt this group's intellectual pursuits, however, as no aggression is permitted within New Tanaan's boundaries thanks to a magic that prevents the drawing of weapons or the casting of harmful spells. Though crime is almost non-existent, the citizens maintain a local militia.
A lone, mountainous island surrounded by an endless and serene sea is the manifestation of the Plane of Tranquility. A mountain ridge runs through the center of the isle along its length and is impassable, thrusting impossibly high into the clear azure sky of the plane. White clouds gently move about its peaks. A long, narrow waterfall can be seen cascading down the mountains, falling into a large lake that feeds several calm streams and brooks that wind their way through the land. Stretching along one side of the island is a beautiful tropical beach lined with palms and crystalline waters. In the evening, shimmering auroras play across the deepening indigo sky. The night sky appears almost as a velvety black drape flecked with a multitude of winking stars. The only structures on the island are a few buildings and landmarks very modest in their construction. Peaceful koi ponds and sand gardens are found about the island. A group of scholars resides here, seeking a better understanding of the nature of reality and the role of mortals in it.
Quellious, the graceful and innocent goddess, is the embodiment of tranquility and would be the head of the land if she were present. Unfortunately, Quellious cannot be found. It is believed that the plane itself is the embodiment of her consciousness for this particular chapter of history, though none can be certain.
The Plane of Disease festers like a pustule in the planar spheres, the embodiment of all that is wretched. The land itself in this realm is made of spongy, putrefying flesh riddled with boils and inflamed blisters like hills, infected open wounds like canyons. Thick black hairs grow like trees from the decaying ground. A river runs slowly and thickly with bodily wastes and fluids through the land, frothing and scabbing along its banks. The air hangs as a stagnant mix of poisonous and pestilent vapors that showers this horrid realm with a rain of bile.
A host of creatures infest this land of perpetual degeneration. Arachnids, rats and larvae scuttle, scurry and squirm across the land's surface or below it in caves. Flymen and Malarians prowl the bubbling swamps. The plane's most prominent denizen is the god of disease himself, Bertoxxulous the Plaguebringer.
In the mists of the darker portions of the astral lurks the Plane of Nightmares, home to the horrors that crouch in the subconscious of all creatures' minds. A dense forest dominates much of the plane, pockmarked by many small clearings. The trees are gnarled, their bark twisted into patterns that resemble horrific faces. These sentient creatures are powerful and malevolent, springing to life when any mortal being enters the realm. A river bisects the forest, eventually pouring into a great, murky lake. In the caverns beneath the earth live still more nightmares.
All indigenous creatures of the Plane of Nightmares serve the Dream Scorcher, Terris-Thule. The demi-goddess daughter of Cazic-thule, she is the master of the subconscious who terrorizes those drawn into her realm as they slumber.
A council of six masked beings known as The Tribunal, or the Six Hammers for their massive golden gavels, rule over the bleak landscape of endless gray plains and massive prison structures that is the Plane of Justice. All manner of sentient creatures that have committed unspeakable crimes are condemned to serve sentences within the impenetrable walls of the planar prisons, watched over by hooded servants of the Six Hammers.
The mortals of Norrath who worship The Tribunal claim that the Six Hammers sit eternally in the Court of Justice, perpetually passing judgment on the creatures brought before them by a being known only as The Seventh Hammer. It is this Seventh Hammer that acts as the messenger and bailiff to The Tribunal, and it is said that he is the only sentient creature that can stand before the immortal judges and he himself not be judged.
Solusek Ro, The Burning Prince with his crown of flame and spear of fire rules the Plane of Flame from his mighty Burning Tower. Fire Elementals, Efreeti, and an assortment of other fire loving planar creatures inhabit Solusek’s endless kingdom of blazing landscapes under a burning red sky filled with clouds of smoke, smoldering embers, and fiery rain.
The mortals attribute Solusek with such acts as the raising of the Serpent’s Spine Mountains and the destruction of Eldarr Forest, creating the Deserts of Ro and changing the face and history of Norrath. Does this deity, revered by powerful wizards throughout Norrath, serve the will of his father, the mysterious greater god Fennin Ro, Tyrant of Fire and Lord of the Plane of Fire? Or does Solusek Ro serve his own destructive and power hungry cause?
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