Kythri

Among the myriad planes that constitute the known multiverse, Kythri stands as the preeminent exemplar of fundamental chaos, a realm so utterly unbound by logic or consistency that to apply the term "geography" is, in itself, an exercise in paradox. It is not merely a plane of chaos; it is the very essence of unformed, unbridled flux, a living maelstrom of creation and dissolution from which all other realities conceptually differentiate themselves.

The Un-Geography of Pure Flux

Kythri possesses no fixed points, no cardinal directions, no stable ground upon which to erect a landmark or chart a course. What might appear as solid footing one moment could transmute into liquid fire, coalesce into crystalline spires, or dissipate into a swirling vortex of shimmering mist the next. This state is not mere instability; it is a fundamental un-being, an active rejection of permanence at every scale. Islands of pure thought might drift aimlessly through oceans of solidified sound, only to collide and reform as mountains of sentient mud or geysers of raw, unchanneled magic. The very concept of "location" is rendered moot; one does not travel across Kythri, but through a series of instantaneous, ever-dissolving realities.

The Primordial Bleaching & Raw Creation

At its heart, Kythri is the boundless crucible of raw creation, the very fabric from which the multiverse might theoretically draw its nascent potential. Within its depths, the process known to some planar scholars as the Bleaching is perpetually in effect. Objects, beings, even concepts exposed to Kythran energies steadily lose their defined forms, their unique properties, their very identities. Colors drain, sounds muffle, memories distort, and matter slowly reduces to the featureless, swirling essence of pure, unallocated energy. It is the ultimate dissolution, a return to the unformed state of being.

Yet, from this same flux, new forms spontaneously erupt. An idea might spontaneously manifest as a physical structure, an emotion might birth a living entity, or a stray thought might precipitate an entire, albeit temporary, landscape. These creations are as fleeting as they are bizarre, rising from the chaotic soup only to be reabsorbed moments later, unless given unnatural stability by powerful external forces or the innate resilience of certain planar travelers.

The Chaos Storms and Temporal Aphasia

The "skies" of Kythri, if such a term can be applied to its upper reaches, are often dominated by colossal Chaos Storms. These are not merely atmospheric disturbances but localized ruptures in the very fabric of reality. Within their swirling hearts, gravity might invert, pulling matter "up" into an infinite void, or compress it into infinitesimal points. Time might race forward or snap backward, trapping unfortunate travelers in recursive loops of moments, or accelerating their existence into dust.

During these planar tempests, the laws of magic themselves might rewrite themselves with terrifying caprice. A spell cast in one moment might be forgotten the next, or spontaneously manifest in an entirely different configuration, yielding fire from a healing incantation or silence from a summoning. The sensation of "up" or "down" is fleeting, replaced by a bewildering tumble through impossible geometries, where one might simultaneously exist in multiple points of space and time.

The Whispers of the Proteans and Slaadic Infestation

It is within this ceaseless churn that the Proteans, true denizens of primordial change, find their natural habitat. These serpentine beings are not merely native to Kythri; they are its very will given form, shaping and un-shaping the landscape with their very existence, their Naunet creating currents of alteration and their Keketar leaving behind trails of spontaneous genesis. They are the guardians of the unformed, striking down any who seek to impose order or permanence upon their realm.

Less attuned to the fundamental truth of the plane, but equally endemic, are the Slaadi. These batrachian horrors thrive on the chaos, their very forms mutating and shifting in response to the planar flux, often appearing as amalgamation of the forms they have recently consumed or witnessed. They are predators of stability, seeking to propagate the chaos within any semblance of order they encounter, acting as the plane's most visceral manifestation of entropy.

Navigating the Unnavigable

Traversing Kythri is not an act of exploration, but of endurance against metaphysical dissolution. The most seasoned planar travelers acknowledge that no map can guide one through its depths, only a strong will and an innate attunement to chaos itself. Those foolish or desperate enough to attempt passage often find their very minds bending to the plane's logic, or lack thereof. Perceptions become unreliable, sanity frays, and the journey itself becomes a subjective nightmare where one's thoughts can inadvertently reshape the immediate environment. It is said that only beings of absolute conviction or utter madness can long withstand its influence without succumbing to the Bleaching or being absorbed into its restless surge.

Kythri stands not as a destination, but as a fundamental principle given form. It is the multiverse's primal scream, the unmade potential from which all else differentiates itself, an omnipresent maelstrom of being and un-being. To comprehend Kythri is to glimpse the face of true entropy and creation, forever locked in a dance of infinite possibility and terrifying oblivion.

To speak of Kythri, the Churning Chaos, is to describe not merely a plane, but the very essence of undiluted, unbridled possibility. It is the ultimate Maelstrom, the cosmic tempest at the heart of the Outer Planes, where the very fabric of reality is spun and unspun with ceaseless, unpredictable energy. Unlike stable realms, Kythri possesses no true geography, no lasting features; it is an eternal, roiling ocean of pure creation and dissolution.

The "ecosystem" of Kythri defies conventional understanding. It is a living, breathing vortex of raw elemental forces, conceptual fragments, and nascent realities. Here, the landscape itself is a mutable organism, forming mountainous spires of solidified thought only to collapse into oceans of liquid light, or erupt into forests of crystalline fire, all within the span of heartbeats. Sustenance is not derived from fixed sources but from the omnipresent chaotic energy itself, harvested by entities capable of assimilating pure flux.

Predation on Kythri is less about consumption and more about assimilation. Powerful Proteans might subsume lesser formations of chaos, not for sustenance in the mortal sense, but to integrate their raw potential, expanding their own fluidity. The grand cycle of life and death is replaced by one of emergence and re-integration, a continuous cosmic exhalation and inhalation where all things return to the primordial soup from which they arose.

Kythri is not merely a plane; it is the fundamental mechanism of change itself, an infinite engine of un-creation and re-creation. To comprehend its “ecosystem” is to grasp the profound, terrifying truth that all existence is but a momentary ripple on the surface of an infinite, churning ocean.

Kythri is a metaphysical plane renowned for its utterly unpredictable and ever-shifting nature. Unlike other planes that follow a predictable orbit through the Astral Plane, Kythri lurches at random intervals, making its influence on the Material Plane a subject of continuous study and speculation among planar scholars. Its chaotic essence manifests locally through specific zones and globally through its sporadic planar proximity.

Across Eberron, localized phenomena known as manifest zones serve as conduits to Kythri. The nation of Adar on Sarlona hosts numerous such zones, with Uutkleza standing as the largest and most potent. Far to the west, within the Blackcaps mountains, Kyrrilspire is ensnared by a Kythri manifest zone; its very form morphs with each passing day, a physical testament to the plane's chaotic energy. In the fenlands of the Shadow Marches, additional manifest zones are vigilantly patrolled by the Gatekeepers. Their ancient order works tirelessly to contain any aberrant creatures or raw chaos that might spill forth from the plane.

Kythri's unique orbital pattern means it might be coterminous with the Material Plane for a mere day or an entire century, before abruptly receding for only a few months. During these coterminous periods, the veil between worlds thins, amplifying Kythri's chaotic influence. Popular superstition frequently links these eras of heightened proximity with widespread unrest and war on Eberron. Indeed, many scholars theorize that Kythri was coterminous for significant stretches during the tumultuous early decades of the Last War, though definitive evidence remains elusive. Conversely, when Kythri is remote, its influence appears negligible, leaving the Material Plane largely untouched by its characteristic turmoil.