Locations > The Outer Planes

As seen in the History section, the world of Dunia consists of two primordial powers, a sea of light and a sea of shadow, constantly crashing and bubbling in the threshold that separates them. The plane that sits between these two forces bubbles and foams like the crashing waves of the sea, and within persistent bubbles made immortal by the powers of one or more beings within them ascending into immortality, we find inhabited worlds.

Region - The Astral Sea: The thin sheet of chaos that separates the two primordial forces of the cosmos is easily the width of the entire known universe to mortal creatures. It consists of an infinite expanse of colorful nebulae dotted with stars that bundle together like spiderwebs, peppered by dead worlds and the occasional titanic drifting corpses of failed gods. Its borders up and down with the primordial seas are completely invisible from a distance, up until they are actually reached by the observing being. Once close enough, the bright radiance of the Sea of Light and the vantablack tar of the Abyss become visible.

The Astral Sea separates the planes and is used by most creatures as an intermediary crossed to reach another destination. Despite its unstable nature, some powerful divine creatures have taken an interest in this place and many sought to claim their own territory within it. Unnaturally bent Astral monsters of myriad origins, mysterious star-dwelling humanoids, as well as gangs referred to as "void pirates" occasionally populate the space between worlds.

While in the Astral Plane, creatures do not age or feel hunger, thirst or fatigue. Gravity here is also subjective. A creature in control of their body can choose where to float.

Region - The Ethereal Plane: Superimposed over the material world of Dunia, an invisible, foggy space of translucent ghostly gray houses souls that are not yet ready to pass on. When a soul dies in Dunia, a vortex in the sky begins to pull at them, attempting to send them to one of the afterlives, if any. If the being's will to stay is powerful enough due to unfinished business or a strong grudge, they might resist the tug of the void and linger on to haunt the living. Beings who haven't quite "died correctly" such as the undead, or those who have their souls split by magic, fail to pass on regardless of how much they want to.

Certain spells allow a being to make contact with the Ethereal Plane, either observing it or crossing through it to become intangible in the mortal realm. Its associated element is Time.

Region - The Sea of Light: An incomprehensibly infinite ocean of pure dazzling golden light. It stretches up to no end, and has no solid ground. It lacks gravity much like the Astral Sea, and thus creatures can float in any direction.

The Sea of Light is bright and searingly hot, threatening to permanently blind any creature not protected from fire or magic of the outer planes. It is so bright that it's impossible to see anything without specific blessing from the native creatures, though a darkness spell can offer momentary shade. Within this realm, non-magical textiles burn, non-magical metal melts, and any unprotected liquid evaporates immediately. Within this realm of light, the cells of mortal creatures swell with unnatural radiance and reproduce uncontrollably, causing -1 CON per turn and eventual internal explosion. Planar Chaotic Evil creatures below the 10th level are annihilated immediately, and higher level ones suffer disadvantage on everything until they leave.

The lower reaches of the Sea contain numerous floating cities and fortresses which house native celestials. The higher a being ascends up the Sea of Light, the more esoteric and incomprehensible the beings they encounter become, until the very sight of one of the true elementals of radiance is enough to immediately psychically kill the viewer.

Region - The Sunken Abyss: A fathomless sea of black demonic antimatter sludge sitting at the bottom of the world. Much like the other celestial seas, it has no solid ground or gravity, and thus creatures can float in any direction.

The Sunken Abyss is a semi-solid realm of oppressive and choking darkness. Creatures that survive the dissolving entropy notice that moving around feels like trudging one's whole body through a thick liquid. No light save for the magical kind can illuminate this realm of inky blackness. Within the Abyss, all non-demonic creatures slowly begin to decompose at a rate of 1 racial hit die per round. No Holy magic of any kind functions here, and planar Lawful Good creatures below the 10th level are annihilated immediately, while higher level ones suffer disadvantage on everything until they leave.

The realm where Demons are born screaming and flailing out of the primordial shadow ooze is tainted with a kind of incomprehensible evil that predates the invention of morality. Its only purpose is to eat away at existence and annihilate it until entropy has rendered everything into a void of cold emptiness. The further down one goes, the more likely they are to feel the effects of the midnight calliope spell, having to resist the urge to give in to the screeching babble and the sight of innumerable teeth and eyes and distorted beings bent into horrifyingly unnatural shapes chasing them. Even Demons recoil from this foul place, as all beings that think and feel are enemies of the powers of entropy, even those birthed from it. Consequently, most Demonic cities are built on the surface of this black slime, with a few exceptions.

Despite its nature, or perhaps as a reflection of this, it is reputed that the dark fathoms of the abyss are ruled by star-sized entities beyond mortal comprehension.

Region - The Lunatic Kingdom: Built on the surface of Dunia's moon an uncountable amount of millenia ago, its origin is shrouded in mystery. Some say the first Lunarians were proto-elves who were so deeply disgruntled by the degeneracy of their kin that they levitated away to settle on the moon and try to regain divinity. Others say Lunarians are pure elemental spirits that simply coalesced out of the Sea of Light for the express purpose of watching and guiding the development of sapient beings. Regardless, the large metropolis known as the Moon Capital is inhabited by eternal spirits known as Lunarians who consider it their sacred duty to watch over the mortal world and guide the deceased through the afterlife.

Ruled by the Moon Princess Amar, the Lunatic Kingdom and the Lunarians represent one of the nine planar realms that orbit the mortal world of Dunia, though it sits somewhere outside the traditional alignment system. They are dedicated to maintaining the neutral balance of the world, openly opposing the overreach of both Demons and Celestials, and asserting that the lives of mortals are their own to lead as they please until they die. It is said that the Lunatic Kingdom is the origin of the magnetic power that tugs at the ghosts of the deceased, and that the dead stand trial on the moon before Lunarian saints decide the best afterlife to send them to.

Perhaps surprisingly to many, the Lunatic Kingdom is fairly technologically advanced. The embassies and tribunals and offices in which logistical paperwork and accountant labor is performed to track the life and death of every sapient being, as long as the dress code of specialized Lunarian accountants are alienatingly modern.

A monastic order of militant fighters from all races of the world known as the Sailors of the Sky is dedicated to protecting the kingdom and ensuring no extraplanar being or ambitious mortal interferes with the natural process of death and celestial transition.

Region - The Plane of Beasts and Jungles: The Elysian realm of Sylphja, the mother of all beasts and flora, seems like an echo of Dunia that is severely overgrown, with much more dramatic natural features. Also known as Ysgard, or Arborea. Largely sharing the same set of continents, forests and jungles as the material world, but extending explosively into vast tangles of gigantic trees that rise into the sky like towers, and mountain peaks that seem to scrape the very skies. The landscape here is much brighter, with vivid colors and shades unseen in the natural world and flora that twists into myriad complex geometric shapes and swirls.

Outsiders visiting this place besides Satyr, Elves and Lunarians are so overwhelmed with its alien beauty that they must roll WIS at DC 15 every hour or lose it idly mesmerized, unless guided away. All animals and flora on the plane are sentient and intelligent, capable of holding conversation, and can cast magical spells as if they were Druids of equal level. Animals on this plane are gathered in clans and kingdoms lorded over by animal kings and priests much like with mortal civilizations. The powerful Chimerae are the upper class of animal society, whereas the Unicorns and the great dragon Ykhdar act as protectors and sages to all Good creatures.

The realm attracts Chaotic Good souls, who are reborn in Valhalla, lose the ability to starve, tire or feel boredom, and are allowed to hunt the immortal fauna for sport, harvest eternal fields, build homes of their own and fight for fun. The realm's associated element is Life.

Region - The Plane of Dreams and Mischief: Also known as the Dark Carnival or Limbo, this realm ruled by the twin Messiahs of Mischief is a fever-dream-like landscape of haze and nonsense. Giant colorful tents, pillars of neon light and spinning wheels and shapes extend in every direction, while random objects lost to miscast spells tend to find their way here. The planet itself is divided into two regions, with one receiving constant comfortable daylight and the other being a realm of perpetual maddening night where beings of pure terror dwell. Whether an outsider is the victim of harmless jocular mischief by anthropomorphic funny animals or hunted down eternally by mirthful Nightmare-riding laughsassins that feed on the emotion of terror depends on which side of the plane they're on.

The coherence of geography and physical features of the plane is largely subject to the willpower of the beings that observe it. Creatures with less than 10 WIS have absolutely no conscious control, with higher scores allowing an increased ability to concentrate on "shaping" the realm to the observer's desires, being able to cause spell-like effects of increasing strength. Every emotion is amplified tenfold and reflected in the viewer's surroundings; despondency or fear saps away color and invites vampiric death clowns to feed on negative emotion, while courage, anger or joy cause an explosion of prismatic mania that paints the world vivid.

The realm attracts Chaotic Neutral souls, who are reborn on either of the sides based on how well they fare in a series of carnival games. The realm's associated element is Heart.

Region - The Plane of Fire and Loathing: Also known as Hell or Gehennom, this realm ruled by the Archdevil King Ashmedai is an endless landscape of boiling magma and black obsidian castles erected over hills of brimstone. An impenetrable, omnipresent canopy of swirling red clouds threatens to rain pure fire and feed the great lakes of lava that roll over the landscape. Showers of meteors and explosive fire cover the surface of the world at irregular intervals, and just existing in it twists minds to match its vile nature. Packs of violent Hellhounds occasionally stalk the surface of this plane and act as jailors and torturers.

This place is the realm of fiery Hellementals, but chiefly Devils- mischievous spirits that represent hatred, spite and grudge, and delight in manipulating each other and outsiders. The highest calling in a devil's life is the specific process of goading others into destroying their own lives through subversion and psychology. Thus, they occasionally travel out of Hell in the unstable guise of mortals to find beings power-hungry or naive enough to bargain with them. Devil society puts a great focus on the act of manipulation itself over the outcome, and so a devil will never derive joy in or respect any method used to get the upper hand on another that isn't psychologically complex and insidious. Devils hide their true intent when dealing with mortals in double-entendre, incomprehensible jargon, technicalities, fine print and unintuitive conditions, and are more than prepared to lawyer a mortal who thinks they can outwit them- though in the rare occasion the mortal succeeds, devils are compelled by an uncontrollably powerful instinct to honor their word no matter the consequences.

Every day, a random area is blanketed by the effects of the spell reckoning, and every hour explosive gas causes the spell fireball to erupt somewhere at random. Furthermore, creatures that aren't explicitly evil must roll WIS against DC 10 + 1 for each day already spent in Hell, or feel tempted to commit an act of malice as if under the effect of magical suggestion.

The realm attracts Lawful Evil souls, who are dragged screaming into the forms of worthless maggots to be whipped by devils until they are cleansed of sin, or resist so long they begin to transform into devils themselves. The realm's associated element is Wrath.

Region - The Plane of Frost and Limbo: Also known as Hades, this bitter ice world is described as an eternal prison where color and all positive emotion are dulled. It is divided into the frozen surface and the endless labyrinthine cavern underground. Its surface is a frozen hellscape of supernatural winter, with howling winds that send almost all mortal creatures not protected by mystical shields flying like particles of dust. The wind is often strong enough to rip chunks of earth from the very faces of mountains, and the only beings that can withstand it are the Jotun, also known as the giants, and their magical gryphon pets.

Jotun society is divided into a caste of six different levels that depend on the giant's ancestry and is fervently respected by all. Mud and Red giants live in caves and warrens dug out to accommodate their enormous villages. As it takes them tremendous effort to maintain their footing, they rarely wander out except for errands or travel, and live out their lives plumbing the underground to provide other giants with raw materials. They are manic, spiteful, bitter and jealous, with Mud giants being so out of sincere idiotic hatred and the cleverer Red giants being more motivated by greed and malice. They make up 60% of the total Jotun population.

Rock and Frost giants erect cities that run along the windy surface of the planet, usually nestled between valleys, with the former serving as reclusive artisans and builders and the latter being feral warriors that wage endless war and raid one anothers' settlements. They are more detached than their lesser kin, though equally as prone to violently lashing out over nothing. They make up 30% of the total Jotun population.

Cloud and Storm giants live in castles that orbit the sky of the plane, being utterly titanic in size and dwarfing even other giants. Perhaps because of their distance from it, they are detached, aloof, wise and kind. Their function is to lord over their brethren, halting their occasional attempts at genociding their own race, and providing shamanic foresight. They make up less than 10% of the total Jotun population.

The underground of the world consists of a planetary network of caves in which countless evil souls are tortured, ripped, stretched, distorted and collected by the ghastly shades and spectral wraiths native to the plane. Elemental beastkin made of gems and crystals dwell here, gathered in monastic orders around the underground. They hunt the souls of the damned for sport and practice all styles of combat All across the plane, the air is known to randomly erupt into wormholes that connect areas to one another, and often to other planes, in patterns only known to the most sage of the native species.

While on the plane, no spell, miracle or feat described as harnessing a positive emotion to bolster a creature functions. Every hour or so, the DM rolls a d20 and chooses a random location for a portal to spawn. If the score is 1, the portal links the surface to the underground and vice versa. If the score is 20, the portal is extraplanar and links to a random plane. Furthermore, Conjuration spells are 2 slots cheaper here, to a minimum of 1.

This realm attracts Neutral Evil souls, who are cast into the bowels of the underworld to be tortured by spectral undead and gemkin until they pass. Its associated element is Boundary.

Region - The Plane of Law and Clockwork: Also known as Nirvana, this is the realm of absolute precision, impossible mathematical perfection, automation and utter equality. Unlike other planes, this realm consists of several spinning rings of solid earth encircling a set of linked gears floating in space. The inner part of the earth rings, facing the gears, exert gravity going outward, hence creatures falling off the edge of the thousand kilometer wide halos fall outside into space. The core of the plane, which is the set of gears, have their own special gravity with a clear "up" side and "down" side. The plane is in a perpetual state of night, illuminated as if by a full moon by the lights of the gear core.

The rings of sand are covered with vast, barren dunes of sand, only occasionally broken up by settlements of sphinxes and djinni that gather together in temple-cities. The sphinxes that dwell in this plane are more than intelligent, and thoroughly enjoy puzzle solving, mind games, quandaries, mulling over paradoxes and posing difficult questions. Several monuments, pyramids and oases are located in equal distance from one another. All the trees are rearranged in mathematical sequences, and the leaves and stalks curl in neat geometric patterns. It is said that the shape proportionality of natural phenomena in the material world is nothing compared to the razor precision of the flora that grows on the rings.

The eponymous core of gears consist of several spinning plates of clockwork, each a thousand miles wide, linked together by bridges, over which sprawls an enormous machine city. The entire nation is home to automatons that divide themselves into different aspects of labor, service, government and bureaucracy. They are eternally self-maintaining, and some of them could be said to be sentient. The top-most gear houses the great divine tribunal, a council of 12 godlike and perfect machines that have attained divinity, who are omniscient to everything going on in the universe, and know the identities of all mortals.

No kind of Illusion magic functions on this plane, and attempts at casting it while on the floating clockwork city will quickly turn its inhabitants hostile.

The realm attracts Lawful Neutral souls, who are reborn in the bodies of the automatons on clockwork city. Depending on their performance while on the plane, they may be promoted and attain even more power than they had in their mortal life. They are protected by sphinxes, who act as their guardian angels. The realm's associated element is Mind.

Region - The Plane of Light and Faith: Known by mortals by many names, mostly after the large sprawling heaven-cities that span its surface. The Kingdom of Heaven, Arcadia, Shangri-la, Celestia or Tian. Its core is a small earthly planet covered in beautiful fields of wheat, dotted with mountains and flying monasteries and temples in the clouds in which pious souls guarded by powerful angels retire into peaceful eternal lives of meditation and worship.

An enormous mountain known as Olympus rises from the core planet, piercing the skies and acting as the pathway to the upper heavens. The planet is encircled by seven layers of solid clouds on top of which increasingly more esoteric and beautiful cities are built. The further up one goes, the closer they reach the Sea of Light, although any creatures in this plane save for Chaotic and Evil creatures are protected from its negative effects. The Heavens have no particular god or guardian, but are tended by angels that sacrifice their boundless existences in the Sea of Light to shepherd good souls into this world. They are led by the Archangels, the most powerful of which is known as Saint Ein the First, a Seraphim of strong divine might who organized the banishment of the Dragon God countless eons ago. Pegasi, native to this realm, fly up and down the world protecting it from outsiders. They occasionally wander onto the material plane, in search of true heroes worthy enough to serve unquestioningly.

No kind of Shadow magic or Necromancy will function in this realm, and attempting to conjure any creature alien to this place will fail, instead spawning a will-o-wisp containing the soul of the creature that would have been conjured. At the base, spells cast by Evil creatures cost 2 slots higher. In the first Heaven, this applies to Chaotic creatures as well. In the second heaven, this applies to Neutral creatures as well. In the third and on, all the named creature types are completely silenced. The second-to-last layer of heaven silences all creatures by Lawful Good creatures. The last layer of Heaven hurts all non-Lawful Good creatures in the same way being in the Sea of Light would.

This realm attracts Lawful Good souls, who are reborn at the age of sexual maturity for their species wearing indestructible silken gowns that protect them from all attacks, halos that protect them from all harmful magic, and wings that allow them to fly at will. The realm's associated element is Light.

Region - The Plane of Oceans and Rain: A great ocean planet consisting of a small core of black trench rock covered by several kilometers of water. This realm is home to the healing goddess Lirrea, the mother of all aquatic life and harbinger of good rains and winds.

Its surface is dotted by several island nations resembling tropical archipelagos. The waters are always calm, and winds form by the sheer will of those on it, in order to guide vessels and aid them in finding shorelines. It is a heaven for sailors and farmers and the innocent. Swarms of bright clouds circle the plane in regular intervals, showering the islands with magical healing rains that heal all creatures caught within, purge any negative effect or emotion, and allow any kind of life to flourish to supernatural levels. The ocean proper is teeming with all forms of aquatic life imaginable, animalistic, sentient and more. All points of the ocean are full of marine animals, living tritons, mermaids, sirens, naiads, krakens, naga and water elementals that organize themselves into underwater cities built around coral reefs. They all exist in harmony with the spirits of the dead who dwell on the islands and allow them to fish at their leisure under the care of the water goddess. The water of the plane itself has healing properties, closing wounds and accelerating regeneration when any organic thing is doused in it.

The cities at the bottom of the ocean, however, are independent of the goodly nature of the rest of the plane. Native creatures are wary of outsiders at best and outright xenophobic at worst. Empires of marids, tritons and other sea dwellers who worship the eternal sea monster Golybidon stretch deep beneath the crushing pressure of the abyssal seas. They begrudgingly protect souls on this plane, but have no reservation about annihilating aliens to this world who are lured by the safety of the surface. The sacred hippocampi that live in the ocean allow any being the ability to breathe water as if it was air, and to swim with great aptitude.

This realm attracts Neutral Good souls, who are reborn on the islands to live their lives peacefully, soothed by the eternally regenerating waves of any negative emotion and allowed to sail, fish and travel as they please. The realm's associated element is Fortune.

Region - The Plane of Rot and Shadow: Of all the realms in the Astral Sea, this is by far the most openly malevolent, vile and vicious of all. An endless hellscape that takes the form of several metaphysical flat planes stacked one on top of the other, with chasms and openings in the ground allowing one to fall downward, but never up.

The different layers of the plane vary in shape depending on the demon ruling them at any specific time, which is subject to change. However, the thing they have in common is the theme of utter desolation. Black deserts with crimson skies that rain blood, gangrenous pulsing hills and sharp spiky trees that move as if they were living, vast oceans of pus and bile... This foul domain is the home of the demon race that move there after being spawned from the Abyss and are immediately whipped into servitude by other larger demons.

The demonic race is about as varied as the animal kingdom on the material plane. These creatures are more like representations of the angst, hatred, phobias and bitterness of the mortal races made manifest in physical form, their shapes inspired by uncanny and unnatural creatures seen in the nightmares of mortals. Insectoid demons the size of horses skitter on many legs. Shaggy gorillas twisted into gigantism drool as if rabid, with disgusting bat-like wings tearing out of their backs and unnatural claws growing the size of knives. Decomposing humanoids, some stringy with spiked bodies and some of titanic size with gnashing maws and eyes growing all over their bodies, swing about enormous whips and swords inflamed with black fire, seeking to capture other lesser demons or aliens to torture for the sheer thrill.

Demons are characterized above everything by their pure and impractical sadism. The meaning of life, to a demon, is nothing more than to exert as much pain, as thoroughly and slowly as possible, whether through malice or violence. Unlike their cousins the devils, demons have no respect for systems or words, and simply follow a raw bestial instinct to inflict suffering. Despite some of them being highly intelligent, they make for horrible strategists due to their caprice, narcissism and impatience. The closest thing demonic society comes to having a hierarchy is the fact larger and more powerful demons will enslave lesser demons simply for the pleasure of making the lives of their subordinates an inescapable prison of fear and tyranny. Therefore, while demons prefer existing in a state of unimpeded impulse and gluttony, fear of stronger beings is the only way anything ever gets done when dealing with a demon.

This realm is a sink for all creatures deemed Chaotic Evil, that are sent to be tortured for sport by the demons. There is no way for a mortal to attain any kind of position in this hellscape, but demons can grow in size and strength. In this plane, damaging spells and illusions cast by Chaotic or Evil beings are cast 2 tiers stronger. The realm's associated element is Rot.