The Realms
in CosmologyThe Outer Planes are infinitely large realms made of the same essences that the divine are made of. These are the homes of the gods, and the planes themselves and almost everything in them confine loosely to the moral and ethical essences of the plane and the gods who originally made them. Though more than one god lives in each of the outer planes, each god has a massive realm on each plane to themselves, and all gods on the same plane tend to be united with shared ideals. The Realms of an Outer Planes tend to be made viewed as being layered upon one another and are connected by travel points, sometimes doors or stable bleeds where one can walk from one realm to another.
World Codex
Boons of the Realms
Each Outer Plane has a Boon that all who live within it receive. Those that do not have an alignment or set to ideals that match the realm suffer from ill effects like Psychic Dissonance, and the only way to end these effects are for the god of the realm to exclude an individual from it.
The Powers of the Realms
There is a powerful being that controls each realms, and it is not uncommon for each of the Outer Planes to have one or two gods that are considered to be the masters of the whole plane. This form of control depends on the god, their personality, and their relationships to the others in their territory. Gods like As’Meus rule the entire Outer Plane they control with an iron fist while gods like Astrin simply act as the protector for a realm they let freely govern itself.
The closer one gets to one of the gods or demigods of the realm, the more the fabric of the realm changes to suits the desire and needs of that being. The Realm of a God is like an extension of the god themselves. Certain magic and abilities do not work, and the god is aware of all creatures in their territory. Each powerful being has a Forbiddance on their realm, and one needs to know the password to gain entry using magical means. In many cases where the password is not known access is denied or the spell redirects the teleport or planeshift to a different location.
Psychic Dissonance
The more out of tune with the morals, ethics, or ideals of an Outer Plane one is, the more exhausting it is to simply be there. The most noticeable is when the moral codes do not match. When someone who's morals do not match the plane finishes a long rest they must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution Saving Throw, taking one level of exhaustion on a failed save. This level of exhaustion cannot be removed by anything short of magic. If on’s ethical code does not match the Constitution Saving Throw is a DC 10. It is possible for different realms to have slightly different alignments depending on the being that rules them.
Travelling the Outer Planes
Most portals from outside the plane lead to it’s first layer. This layer often acts as agateway city to the rest of the realm, and it is not uncommon for it to be militantly protected by the god and beings that call it home. The most commonly accepted way to walk into an Outer Plane is from the Brights or Colour Pools in the Astral Sea, though there are doors throughout the planes that can lead to these fantastical worlds.
The Astral Sea
The Astral Sea is an inky void where there is no ground or time. There are twinkling lights that can be seen. These are Brights or Colour Pools, massive gates that lead to the first layer of each plane. The Astral Sea is timeless, but that does not mean that one does not get tired here.
The River of the Dead
The River of the Dead is where the souls of the departed travel, though the Outer Planes. It is dangerous to touch the River of the Dead, anyone who does takes 6d8 Necrotic Damage on a failed DC 16 Constitution Saving Throw. Ferrymen or Reapers travel the river on skiffs and sometimes take travellers.
The Infinite Staircase
A strange realm with no consistent gravitational orientation, The Infinite Staircase links all the realms of all planes, though it is almost impossible to navigate and changes it mapping constantly. Focusing on a map of the staircase keeps it consistent, but only when someone is actively trying to do so.
Planeshifting
Planeshifting to an Outer Plane requires a tuning fork attuned to the vibrations of that plane, and it often needs to be made of a material from it. Trying to get deeper into an outer plane’s realms can sometimes require a Forbiddance Password, or always takes you to the same often guarded, location.