Realms of Existence

There are eight realms of existence in which every living thing exists.   The Realm of the Living, in which Ebbavion lies and it's inhabitants spend their lifetime. It's the realm that everyone is most familiar with and most gods interact with it.   Surrounding it there's the Realm of Time - Urdall's realm through which everything and everything has to pass through to reach other realms.   If a creature dies it's soul will pass through the Realm of Time to enter the Realm of Death. In that place, Zestus will watch over the deceased souls as they find peace with their past lives to return to the Realm of Chaos.   Besides those there are four Realms, each representing one element - water, Realm of Air, Realm of Earth and Realm of Fire.   At last there's the Realm of Chaos which is different from all other Realms. It's parts spread all across the other realms and the energy within it enables creatures to use magic. Some say it's like a magical parallel world.  

Planar Travel

In the vast and layered cosmology of Ebbavion, the eight realms of existence are intricately connected, forming a delicate web of balance and interaction. While the Realm of the Living serves as the central plane where mortal life thrives, the other realms - each unique in purpose and nature - can be traversed by mortals under extraordinary circumstances. Planar travel is rare, dangerous, and often the domain of powerful spellcasters or divine intervention. Mortals who traverse the planes must prepare carefully to avoid becoming lost or ensnared by the forces that govern these realms.

Natural Convergences (Elemental Anchors)

Certain locations in the Realm of the Living serve as natural gateways to other realms, often tied to intense concentrations of elemental or magical energy:

Realm of Water: Deep oceanic trenches, enchanted waterfalls, or massive whirlpools.
Realm of Air: Storm-wracked mountain peaks, cyclones, or perpetual thunderstorms.
Realm of Earth: Caverns deep beneath the surface, crystalline tunnels, or massive sinkholes.
Realm of Fire: Volcanic calderas, eternal flame pits, or enchanted deserts.

These gateways are often unstable and require rituals, tools, or magical attunement to pass through safely.

Magical Portals

Spells such as Plane Shift or Gate allow experienced spellcasters to create temporary portals to other realms. However, these spells often require rare and specific components tied to the target realm
Opening a portal is never without risk; unstable portals may collapse, spill planar energy, or attract planar predators.

Anchorstones

Anchorstones are rare, enchanted items that act as safeguards for planar travelers, ensuring they can return safely to the Realm of the Living. These stones are attuned to the traveler and emit a faint, protective glow.
Function:
Anchorstones create a tether between the traveler and the Realm of the Living. If the traveler becomes disoriented or endangered, the stone can pull them back, though this consumes the stone’s magic.
Appearance:
A smooth, palm-sized stone that glimmers faintly with threads of golden and silvery light. Each stone is inscribed with runes of protection and balance.

Divine Intervention

The gods themselves may allow mortals access to their realms, but such gifts are rare and often come with significant cost or purpose. A god may grant access to test the mortal's worthiness or demand their aid in restoring balance to the planes.

Accidental Rifts

Catastrophic events, arcane experiments, or cosmic disruptions can tear rifts between the realms, creating dangerous and uncontrolled gateways. These rifts often spill planar creatures into the Realm of the Living or drag mortals into hostile environments.

Connecting to the Realm of Time

TheRealm of Time is unique among the planes as it serves as a passageway for souls. Reviving a fallen ally often involves retrieving their soul before it moves on to the Realm of Death. This process is delicate and fraught with danger. Chronovores may attack those attempting to retrieve a soul, sensing the disruption in the Threads of Time. Temporal Guardians may test the party by presenting key memories of the fallen ally, requiring them to prove their bond or worthiness.
Success means returning the ally intact, but failure risks damaging their soul or permanently losing them to the timeline.